MentorCruise: Our Take (review and alternatives)

MentorCruise is a popular coaching and mentoring website that’s grown hugely in the last couple of years (in fact, you can see just how much they've grown in this graph their CEO posted on X).

Depending on the level of expertise you're looking for in your coach/mentor, it's reasonably well priced and overall it’s a solid option for people who are looking for long-term mentoring relationships.

Below, we give an overview of what you should know about MentorCruise and which are the best alternatives if you decide that MentorCruise isn't right for you.

Here's an overview:

1. MentorCruise review (pros and cons)
2. MentorCruise alternatives (Top 3)
3. MentorCruise alternatives (by category)
4. MentorCruise FAQs

Let's go!

1. MentorCruise Review

MentorCruise is a popular platform for finding coaches and mentors. It's completely legitimate and has generally positive reviews: 4.6 on Trustpilot from 70+ reviews (at time of writing).

1.1 How MentorCruise works

To start using MentorCruise, you just need to go to their site and sign up as a Mentee. You can then search mentors by skills, company and job title. When you find one you like, you have two ways of booking them.

If you're looking for long-term mentorship, you can choose to book by the month, giving you a certain amount of calls per month depending on whether you choose a 'Lite' or 'Standard' plan.

Alternatively, you can book stand-alone sessions with the mentor, choosing from a list of different services. Most mentors offer interview coaching, resume feedback, career planning, LinkedIn profile feedback, and study planning for those who want to learn new skills.

In many cases, you might want to start with a 20-minute 'introductory call' to establish goals and test if the mentor can give you what you're looking for.

1.2 What's good about MentorCruise

Range of mentors: There is a wide range of mentors on MentorCruise - in fact, there are thousands - from different industries, including tech, design, business, data science, and more.

Quality: Maintaining high standards is always a challenge with so many mentors on the site. But generally, the quality of mentors seems fairly high, and we've read reviews from users who have had highly impactful, career-changing experiences with their mentor.

Flexible pricing: MentorCruise lets its mentors set their own prices, so you should find something that fits your budget. You can hire a mentor for just $50 per month (granted, you'll probably only get a couple of 25 min calls at that price, and don't expect someone vastly experienced) or if you're ready to invest in a top mentor, you can spend $400 per month or even more.

Easy-to-use. Searching mentors/coaches on the platform is pretty intuitive and users generally report positive experiences in terms of UX.

Long-term mentorships: The ability to book monthly makes it easy to set up a long-term mentorship. Messaging your mentor between calls when you have a question is often included in the monthly package, which can be useful.

However, the following drawbacks mean it’s not right for everyone.

1.3 What's not so great about MentorCruise

Lack of FAANG coaches: If you're in big tech (or looking to break into it) and you're looking for a mentor who’s worked at one of the very top companies, the choice on MentorCruise is very limited. For example, it currently offers just 2 ex-Meta product manager coaches (on  IGotAnOffer, for example, you have over 20 to choose from). Similarly, it has just a handful of engineering mentors who have experience at FAANG companies (IGotAnOffer has over 100!)

Price: MentorCruise’s pricing is flexible but it still requires a significant investment. There are better value alternatives out there, even some free ones.

Scheduling system: On the MentorCruise site you can’t see your mentor's available slots until you’ve paid for sessions with them, meaning you can't tell if your schedules will work together.

Long-term mentoring model: MentorCruise is designed for people who want to stick with one mentor for months, even years, but you might prefer a quick, short-term solution. If that's the case, their pricing becomes less competitive.

With these MentorCruise limitations in mind, we’ve drawn up a shortlist of what we think are the three best mentoring and coaching services available right now for individuals who want to invest in their professional growth.

Browse over 300 coaches and mentors on IGotAnOffer

2. Top 3 alternatives to MentorCruise

#IGotAnOffer

Okay, we may be biased here, but a 4.95 average star rating from over 10k reviews is hard to ignore.

IGotAnOffer is a coaching platform where you can book career or skills mentoring, leadership coaching, interview coaching, or resume coaching sessions.

So whichever career moment you're in, be it trying to land a top job, aiming for a promotion, thinking about a transition, or simply wanting to develop key skills such as coding or system design, you'll find plenty of mentors ready to help you.

There are over 200 coaches/mentors on the platform and they’ve all worked at the very top companies in their industry (e.g. Google, Meta, McKinsey, etc.). Most of the coaches specialize in tech, especially product management and engineering, but it also offers a range of finance and consulting coaches.

Click on a coach’s profile and you can instantly see their hourly availability, something that you can’t do on MentorCruise. Prices are clearly displayed before you book and if you’re not satisfied with your session, you get a full refund.

Click here to browse hundreds of coaches/mentors on IGotAnOffer

#ADPList

ADPlist isn’t perfect, but we’ve made it one of our overall picks because it’s a free alternative to MentorCruise and for a free product, it’s really quite impressive.

Signing up takes a few minutes as you have to give details about yourself, your company, etc., but once you’re in you can browse mentors across a whole load of industries and roles, including engineering, sales, design, data science, marketing, and others.

As you’d expect, the experience and expertise level of the mentors isn’t as consistent as on a paid platform such as IGotAnOffer, but there are still some highly experienced people on there willing to connect with you for no charge. Also, the booking system works well as you can immediately see mentors' available times and request a session.

The platform is built to encourage community, so there’s even a ‘Neighborhood” forum where you can ask questions. If you’re willing to invest some time on a mentorship platform, ADPlist is the sort of site where the more time you spend interacting with it, the more you get out of it.

#Codementor

Codementor is often mentioned as an alternative for engineers considering using MentorCruise, but it's really quite different. It's a platform where you can browse software developers and get them to help you with your technical problems. Maybe you need them to debug your code. Perhaps you want someone to teach you how to solve a complex coding problem. On codementor you can find an expert and book a call with them (minimum of 15 minutes).

The platform has an impressive selection of developers covering a large range of skills and technologies, so you should be able to immediately find a mentor with expertise in the specific technology or problem you need to solve. For that reason, we've included it in our top 3 picks.

However, if you're looking for a technical mentor to give you advice with career next steps or interviewing help, you're probably better off going to somewhere like IGotAnOffer where you can find a large selection of coaches who are professionals in doing exactly that.

3. More MentorCruise alternatives↑

We know that mentoring and coaching aren’t a one-size-fits-all. So we’ve also listed some more good options that respond to different needs and profiles.

3.1 If you’re looking to save costs

MentorCruise is one of the better-value coaching/mentoring sites, but there are even cheaper alternatives out there. We already mentioned ADPlist above, but if you’re on a tight budget, we also recommend taking a look at these options.

#GrowthMentor

GrowthMentor is a great option if you’re willing to make a long-term investment but find MentorCruise too pricey.

I tried it out and started on the lower price plan, but found that in reality most of the experienced mentors offer a maximum of 30 minutes before charging, so I was getting 30 minutes of mentoring per month for $50, decent value but not amazing. Upgrading to the $100 per month plan gives you unlimited calls and is, I would argue, much better value.

GrowthMentor has a range of mentors but has a strong focus on marketing. If you’re in marketing or trying to grow demand for your business, you can find some fantastically experienced marketing mentors willing to give their time for free, which in my opinion makes it a pretty incredible product.

# Mentoring Club

Mentoring Club is a not-for-profit mentoring community that we think is a great free alternative to MentorCruise. Mentors volunteer their time because they want to give something back, so you can almost guarantee they’re going to be very nice people!

A quick browse of the available mentors reveals people from all over the world, with a very strong German presence (luckily, Germans always speak excellent English!). I found a nice range of profiles on there, including startup founders, managing directors, software engineers, designers, etc.

Don’t expect to be able to search specific expertise and experience in the way you can on MentorCruise or IGotAnOffer but there is definitely a wealth of expertise worth tapping into on this platform, and yes, it’s free.

3.2 You're looking for FAANG/MAANG coaches/mentors↑

IGotAnOffer

If you’re looking for mentoring or coaching sessions with an expert who’s worked at Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, or Google, IGotAnOffer was made for you. It has hundreds of coaches from top tech companies across many roles, from software engineers to data scientists to product managers.

They can give you inside insights into how to get and then ace your interviews at these companies, or how to thrive if you're already there.

The pricing is similar to MentorCruise but the choice is much wider. For instance, try searching for ex-Google product managers on IGotAnOffer and you’ll find 20+ coaches, versus just a couple on MentorCruise. The same goes across all the main tech roles.

3.3 For marketers↑

#GrowthMentor

Yes, we already mentioned GrowthMentor above, but we have no affiliation to it, we just really think it’s a great option if you’re looking for mentoring around growth and marketing. MentorCruise does have quite a few marketing mentors too, it’s just that GrowthMentor has more.

You can search mentors by skills - SEO, content marketing, growth, etc., and there are lots of people on there ready to share their considerable expertise away for free. I had a 30-minute call with Uwe and he gave me some great ideas around SEO landing pages and email marketing.

3.4 For engineers↑

#People Storming-Engineering Leadership Coaching

People Storming offers various team-building and transformation solutions, including virtual workshops, retreat hosting, and coaching services. For now, their targeted coaching is geared toward the tech industry, in particular engineering leadership and product management. 

We recommend People Storming because it's built by people with deep experience in the tech industry. Its co-founder Andre is a former Director of Engineering at Facebook and LinkedIn, and it's Andre who seems to do most of the mentoring and coaching.

#IGotAnOffer Engineering

IGotAnOffer has 50+ engineering mentors and lets you filter by skills (e.g. python, system design, etc.), role, or company.

Whether you need a mentor to guide you through the next steps in your engineering career, a coach to help you improve engineering interview skills, or someone to help you get a job in a top tech company, you’ll have plenty of people to choose from.

Click on a mentor’s profile and you can instantly see their hourly availability and book your online session in just a few clicks, unlike on MentorCruise. Prices are clearly displayed before you book and if you’re not satisfied with your session, you get a full refund.

3.5. For CEOs and senior executives↑

#MentorCam

If you want to find an elite-level mentor and you’re willing to make a hefty investment, MentorCam offers you a choice of coaches that MentorCruise just can’t match. We’re talking big-name entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and experts at the top of their game, people with intimidatingly impressive profiles.

MentorCam was born out of the famous Y-combinator accelerator program and they’ve made good use of their Silicon Valley network to get some exciting mentor profiles on there. The price per hour, or even half-hour, will make it out of most people’s budgets but if you run a business or even better, have some corporate cash to spend, it could be a worthwhile investment.

3.6 For product managers↑

#The Product Refinery-Individual Product Coaching

What we find interesting about The Product Refinery is that it’s focused on providing development and coaching services for product people. Its small roster of coaches has worked in startups, scale-ups, and big enterprises in a variety of industries so you can easily find a coach who shares your background or interest. 

The website offers three ways to engage with a coach. If you’re working through a single challenge, they recommend a package with a set number of sessions with a coach. If you want a longer-term coaching relationship (and have the budget for it), you can go for the retainer package. They also offer a one-off session.  

# IGotAnOffer Product Management

IGotAnOffer has 50+ product management coaches, almost all of whom have worked at one or more of Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, or Netflix.

Whether you need a mentor to guide you through the next steps in your product management career, a coach to help you improve product leadership skills, or someone to help you get a job in a top tech company, you’ll have plenty of ex-PMs to choose from.

Click on a coach’s profile and you can instantly see their hourly availability and book your online session in just a few clicks, unlike on MentorCruise. Prices are clearly displayed before you book and if you’re not satisfied with your session, you get a full refund.

Click here to read more about product management coaching and the options available.

3.7 Best MentorCruise alternative for companies↑

The alternatives we’ve listed above have all been aimed at individuals. But if you want to offer mentoring or coaching to your team, we’ve found a great option for you.

MentorCliQ

MentorcliQ is a bit different from the other services in this article. Rather than a platform where you can find a mentor, it’s more of an all-encompassing software aimed at fostering employee growth and satisfaction within companies.

With a focus on advancing and retaining talent, it has some flowing testimonials from some huge companies, including Bacardi, American Airlines, and 21st Century Fox.

One thing MentorCliQ has that MentorCruise doesn’t is an innovative matching algorithm that aims to pair mentors and mentees based on data-driven insights, which in theory should help facilitate better connections.

4. MentorCruise FAQs↑

If we did a good job writing this article, you should have found something in the list above that responds to your specific needs better than MentorCruise.

If you didn’t, it might be that MentorCruise is the best fit for you after all. Particularly if you’re looking for a long-term mentoring relationship rather than an immediate, quick fix.

To help you make your final decision, let’s cover the MentorCruise basics.

4.1 What is MentorCruise?

4.2 Is MentorCruise any good?

Yes, MentorCruise is generally considered to be a good service, judging by its customer reviews. It scores 4.6 on TrustPilot after 70+ reviews, which is solid.

4.3 Who is the founder of MentorCruise?

Dominic Munn is the founder of MentorCruise. He’s an interesting guy, active on X and you can also find him on lots of podcasts talking about how he created MentorCruise and his lessons in what works and what doesn’t when trying to grow a company.

4.4 Who are MentorCruise's competitors?

Other competitors to MentorCruise that we haven't included in this article would be:

1. Clarity.fm: This platform connects entrepreneurs and professionals with experts for on-demand advice and mentorship sessions.

2. Find a Mentor: This platform allows users to search for mentors based on specific criteria and connect with them for guidance and support.

3. Score: Score offers free mentoring services primarily for small business owners and entrepreneurs, covering a wide range of topics such as marketing, finance, and management.

4. The Muse: While not exclusively focused on mentorship, The Muse provides career advice, coaching, and resources for professionals at various stages of their careers.

If you’re looking specifically for a tech interview prep package or career accelerator program, check out our review on Pathrise and its alternatives.

If you're looking for more tech career coaching options, check out our list of the best tech career coaching services.

5. Conclusion↑

MentorCruise is a good mentoring/coaching platform, relatively well-priced and full of interesting and experienced people offering their expertise.

But is it the best option for you? Only you can decide that, although hopefully in this article we’ve helped you make a more informed decision.

Whichever coaching/mentoring platform you choose, we hope you’ll also consider IGotAnOffer.

You’ll find over 300 coaches on our platform, and you can search by industry, role, or company to get the right match for you. You can see the coaches' hourly availability and book your online session in a couple of clicks. No monthly commitment, no waiting to see if the coach accepts your request.