The Truth: Is Mindvalley Legit, A Cult, Free, Worth It, A Scam?

Last Updated on January 17, 2024 by Kari

This is a unique Mindvalley review, but I thought it was important for people who want to know the truth about Mindvalley. I see a lot of fake or untrue Mindvalley reviews and write-ups about Mindvalley, so I thought I would share the truth as I’ve experienced with them.

I’ve been buying courses from Mindvalley for a long time. I bought my first product from them in 2011 and have been buying their products ever since. I was freelance writing online then, but when I started my own websites, I became an affiliate with Mindvalley as well.

I have taken pretty much every course they’ve put out in the past 4 1/2 years or so thanks to the Mindvalley Membership. And, I think I pretty much took all the courses they were putting out in the years before that. Maybe I missed one or two.

In short, I have a lot of real experience with Mindvalley, so, from that experience, I feel like I can write a pretty good Mindvalley review and answer some of the most common questions about Mindvalley. If you have any questions that are not included in this Mindvalley review, please ask in the comments below.

Mindvalley Review

Is Mindvalley Legit?

Yes. It’s a legit website and a legit business. I’ve had a Mindvalley account for years. They have gone from a smaller website with a few personal growth products to a huge membership website with over 50 personal growth products, a community, an app, and consistent new content that is high quality.

It has legit courses.

It has legit teachers.

It has a legit community.

Mindvalley is legit. And the content that they offer is getting better every year.

Perhaps the reason people want to know if Mindvalley is legit is because of Vishen Lakhiani. He comes across quite fake in some of his marketing and webinars. I never used to see that in him, but as Mindvalley has progressed, the truth is he has become quite a marketer to me. But, I don’t know him personally – that’s just the truth as I see it.

Customer support isn’t always that quick, but they are constantly changing and improving.

Is Mindvalley A Cult?

I had to laugh when I read the definition of a cult because some people can get a little crazy about Mindvalley and how it has benefited them. I’ve seen some people who are a little over the top with their enthusiasm toward Mindvalley.

But the short answer is, no, Mindvalley is not a cult.

Mindvalley brings in a wide variety of teachers. If you take enough of the programs, as I have, you will find that sometimes one teacher teaches something different than another teacher. In other words, there is no ‘you must think or behave in a certain way’ mentality. Some teachers see things one way and others another, and you can choose what you resonate with while you learn.

Vishen Lakhiani could be considered the leader of Mindvalley. Again, I used to really like him, but lately, I’ve been finding him extremely fake and irritating. Unfortunately, he does a lot of the interviews for Mindvalley’s live events. I always cringe when he comes on, especially when it’s a video that I really want to watch.

The truth is that some people hold Vishen a little too high, to say the least. I’ve seen some people in live chats acting like Vishen is God’s gift to the world and can do no wrong. That’s frickin’ weird.

But, for the most part, the people who are drawn to Mindvalley tend to be sane people on a personal growth journey – like me – which is why so many of us stick around. They are not close-minded. They are willing to learn and grow.

Mindvalley does not preach a certain way of life that you have to follow. It does not hold any kind of weird admiration for a particular thing or person. Maybe people who work in the company would say something different, but as a customer and affiliate, I don’t see that at all.

I think of Mindvalley as a university focused on personal growth. It offers a variety of programs to choose from that you won’t be able to find at another university. It is a place where you can talk to your peers about the programs you are taking. Some students are weird and loud and downright annoying, but most are pretty normal. Some teachers you like, some you don’t. It’s just like school.

Is Mindvalley Free?

Yes and no.

You can take all of the Mindvalley Masterclasses for free, but if you want to take the course with that teacher, it will cost money.

The membership costs money, but you get a lot of stuff with the membership so if you add up its worth and subtract the cost, it might equal out pretty close to free.

Read: Can You Get Mindvalley Courses For Free? What Is Free On Mindvalley? 

Is Mindvalley Fake?

Yes and no. Depends on who you are and what you are looking at.

Again, I have to say this because it’s the truth – I find Vishen to be fake lately. But maybe he’s not. Maybe he’s the most real person in the world. Maybe it’s just my perception of him. I don’t know the guy. I’ve never talked to him. He just gives me a vibe of being an actor… showcasing what he wants others to see and pausing at just the right moments for effect.

As far as the website and membership go, no, Mindvalley is not fake. Some Mindvalley reviews are fake, but as far as Mindvalley goes – it’s a real site that offers real courses. And it is getting better every year.

There’s some marketing crap. Sometimes they say that a course is only available for a limited time, and that’s not true. If a course is launched on Mindvalley, it tends to stick around. It’s not your ‘last chance’ or anything. I hate that marketing bullshit. It actually makes them look fake and scammy. It’s not necessary and I’ve written to them about that, but my voice hasn’t affected anything yet.

Sometimes they say you have to enroll in a course by a certain time. But the truth is that unless the course is live (where others will be attending in a live status) you can enroll in a course whenever you want. There is a start date, but the course is not going to disappear from Mindvalley.

Well, I suppose there have been a few courses that have been taken away over the years, but it seems that only happens after they are not getting the response Mindvalley is looking for or they get replaced by something more updated.

That said, when they are promoting one of their courses, that course tends to get more interest and students in the next cohort, which is something that you might want. Even if the course has been on Mindvalley for years, the promotion causes more people to take the course. This is a good thing because more students equal more interaction which equals more insights.

Overall, Mindvalley is not fake. The programs are taught by people who are out there in the real world trying to do good things.

For instance, if you’ve ever taken Lifebook, you know that Jon and Missy are the farthest things from fake. Jon annoys me sometimes when I’m in a bad mood, but I do think he has a ton of wisdom to share. I always listen to the Lifebook Membership podcasts when I’m driving on my monthly solo trip, and I find myself getting a lot from them.  As teachers, they are upfront and honest about their life and all that comes with them.

The same can be said for the rest of the teachers.

Is Mindvalley Worth It?

Totally, if you are looking for personal growth relating to the content they provide. There are so many great teachers and ideas to be found at Mindvalley that it really is worth it.

The used to offer solo courses for sale but now you have to get the membership if you want to take a course. It gives you access to all the courses they have.

And the membership is worth it, without a doubt.

While it was nice to be able to buy one course, the truth is that if you are interested in one Mindvalley course, you will likely be interested in more of their courses. And, the membership costs a little more than they used to charge for just one course.

If you are a social person, it’s a great place to meet like-minded people.

There are things that might irk you (have I mentioned that Vishen irks me?), but in the end, Mindvalley is a lot like HayHouse or Humanity Stream or Gaia – it offers content that can help you grow in mind, body, and soul.

That said, HayHouse needs to get a membership platform like Mindvalley where you can take their courses and consume their content as a part of the membership. (Update: HayHouse does have a membership for audiobooks that I’m a part of now! Totally recommend. Now if they could just get a membership for their courses!)

Is Mindvalley A Scam?

No. Despite fake Mindvalley reviews trying to hook you in telling you that Mindvalley might be a scam and then ‘revealing’ that it’s not – Mindvalley is not a scam.

There are some people who claim Mindvalley is a scam because they didn’t pay attention to how the free trial worked or autorenewal, but there’s never been any type of scam that I’ve seen on Mindvalley.

Mindvalley does not scam you out of money.

They are not scamming you out of anything.

They offer a lot of good content.

If you pay for something, you get what you paid for, bottom line. Just make sure you double-check what you are paying for.

Some people say that Mindvalley is a scam because they messed up somehow. For instance, they took a free trial and then ended up getting charged, and instead of taking ownership of their mistake, the call Mindvalley a scam. But, in reality, it’s just their screw-up that caused the issue.

One thing I will say in this Mindvalley review is that a lot of the content on Mindvalley can be found elsewhere. And I’ve never seen that mentioned in Mindvalley. For instance, teachers often teach things on Mindvalley that they also teach in their own programs or books. While there’s some unique stuff, teachers teach what they know, which means they likely teach the same things elsewhere. But in Mindvalley everything is put together in a way to help you absorb all the content in a logical order and get the biggest bang for your buck.

Any Other Questions About Mindvalley?

If you have any other questions (or opinions) about Mindvalley that I didn’t cover in this review, ask me (or share) in the comments below.

25 Comments

  1. Paul April 19, 2022
    • Kari April 22, 2022
  2. Mian Ayran June 12, 2022
    • Kari June 13, 2022
  3. Ray June 29, 2022
    • Kari June 30, 2022
  4. Keith July 5, 2022
    • Kari July 8, 2022
  5. Susan K July 20, 2022
    • Kari July 20, 2022
  6. vane36 July 22, 2022
    • Kari July 22, 2022
  7. Diana August 14, 2022
    • Kari August 14, 2022
  8. jill November 25, 2022
  9. Mike November 29, 2022
    • Kari December 3, 2022
  10. Maryke Lessing February 8, 2023
    • Kari February 8, 2023
  11. Priscilla July 26, 2023
    • Kari July 27, 2023
  12. Marsyitah August 8, 2023
  13. Lola March 13, 2024
    • Kari March 14, 2024

Reply Cancel Reply