Over the years, online learning has changed and evolved in the face of modern education. Online education is much cheaper, more effective and less time consuming than traditional education, so it is reasonable that many people choose online education.
There's nothing better than taking control of your academic life and learning at your own pace without feeling like someone else is forcing you, and there's no better way to do that than through online classes.
If you still don't know which are the most popular online learning platforms we will list them below, and we will also write a guide that you can rely on for good information:
Skillshare
LinkedIn Learning Ex Lynda
MasterClass
Udemy
Edx.org
Udacity.com
Coursera.org
Futurelearn.com
Price
Premium Membership (includes unlimited access to 20,000+ classes) - $15/month or $99/year
Free Membership (includes unlimited access to 2,000+ classes) - free
Library:
20,000+ classes
Free Trial:
Yes (2-months free trial)
Skillshare is one of the most popular online learning platforms out there, it has an incredible collection of over 20,000 courses that are divided into the following categories: Thrive (Lifestyle, Productivity), Build (Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Management, Marketing), and Create (Animation, Video, Graphic Design, Music, Creative Writing, Photography, Web Development, and much more).
Skillshare is a project-based approach that allows students to expand their creativity and apply their knowledge to their daily lives. The course consists of two parts: a presentation, which takes about 20 minutes, and the project class.
Please note that although Skillshare's courses are very good, they are not accredited by any official institution and do not offer a certificate of completion. It is simply a place to learn and expand your knowledge.
Skillshare offers excellent value for the money. The monthly investment is very low and the quality of the variety of classes is great. Plus you get free access for two months to decide if you like the platform for learning.
Learning new skills with Lynda
Premium Subscription (includes unlimited access to all courses) - $29,99/month or $299,88/year
Library:
16,000+ courses
Accreditation:
No
Free Trial:
Yes (1-month free trial)
A few years ago LinkedIn acquired one of the oldest online learning sites called Lynda, and transferred all the content to its own platform called LinkedIn Learning. This company offers thousands of high quality courses at different levels, from beginner to advanced covering a vast amount of topics, including web development, software programming, economics, and business management.
LinkedIn Learning has a monthly registration fee that gives you access to all the content on the platform. The courses consist of small modules that help you digest the information better. LinkedIn Learning allows you to download the courses you are viewing so you can view them offline, which is really convenient.
LinkedIn is not accredited but most courses offer a certificate of completion that you can use on your LinkedIn profile. This is an excellent platform that can boost your career and help you achieve your professional goals. If you are interested in joining the platform you can do so by getting a free month trial.
LinkedIn Learning Review: Is it worth it?
Price:
Unlimited Subscription (includes access to all classes) - $180/year
Library:
80+ classes
Free Trial:
No
MasterClass is a very popular online learning platform nowadays. What makes it different is that the courses are created by famous experts from all over the world and also by celebrities. You can learn different skills, such as acting by Natalie Portman, directing by Martin Scorsese, singing by Cristina Aguilera, cooking by Gordon Ramsay, writing by Dan Brown, and many more.
It costs only $15 per month and you get unlimited access to all classes. Each course has an average of 20 lessons which last approximately 10 minutes. The videos are of high quality, and there are also lessons, assignments, homework and community activities. You can also join discussions in the forums, ask questions to instructors, get feedback and contact other students.
The different classes are divided into 9 categories: film and TV, culinary arts, writing, music and entertainment, sports and games, business, photography and styling, business, politics and society, lifestyle, science and technology. The downside is that MasterClass does not award certificates of completion. This is an excellent platform for creative people who want to develop their personal skills and seek inspiration to go further and improve their career.
Price:
Individual Courses - from $9 to $200 each
Library:
150,000+ courses
Accreditation:
No
Free Trial:
No
Udemy is also a very popular platform for online learning. It has over 150,000 courses which makes it one of the most diverse and largest online learning platforms on the market. With Udemy you can develop any skill you have in any field imaginable from marketing and business to lifestyle. Udemy seeks to democratize online learning and go beyond the traditional. It is one of the best platforms today.
Unlike the ones mentioned above, Udemy is a platform that does not have unlimited subscription so you have to purchase each course individually, which can be a disadvantage for many. However, the courses are usually quite cheap, starting at only $9 and up. And if you are not satisfied with the newly purchased course you can request a refund within 30 days.
Courses on Udemy are divided as follows: Finance and accounting, development, business, marketing, IT and software, work productivity, music, personal development, teaching, design, lifestyle, photography, health. The courses are presented from beginner to advanced, and are not only presented in English, but also in other languages such as Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, German, Spanish and others.
Like the other platforms, Udemy is also not accredited, but you are awarded a certificate of completion. Each Udemy course consists of a video tutorial, which can be up to 5 hours long or as short as half an hour. Each course also comes with resources provided by the instructor so that you can complete the exercises and assignments that are given to you. You can also download Udemy courses to watch them whenever you want without the need for internet.
Price:
Verified Track Courses - from $50 to $300 each
Audit Track Courses - free
Library:
2,500+ classes
Free Trial:
No
edX is one of the platforms that offers the best university level courses available in the market. This company was created by Harvard and MIT because the courses are of the best quality in the world. All edX courses can be taken completely free of charge, except those at the professional education level.
In order to view the courses without paying you have to log in to the Audit Track. The free Audit Track grants students access to all courses, as well as their resources, readings, videos, assignments and lectures while the course is in progress. However, you will not receive a certificate of completion. To get a certificate of completion, you would have to log in to the Paid Track verified version. These certificates can then be added to your resume on LinkedIn.
edX has more than 2,000 courses in diverse fields ranging from biology and life, architecture, chemistry, art and culture, electronics, education and teaching, medicine, nutrition, physics, science, music, law, history, languages and environmental studies. Although most courses are taught in English, you can get some in Chinese, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish and others. There are courses for beginners, intermediate and advanced students. Courses are presented in both text and video, with content and assignments. Some include group projects and you can also download the courses for offline viewing.
Once at edX you can also enter the MicroMasters programs, which are dedicated graduate courses offered by several top universities. Some universities even include credit for the MicroMasters certificate program. These programs can cost up to $1,500+ and take anywhere from 7 months to 1 year to complete.
Price:
Nanodegree Programs - $399/month
Single Courses - free
Library:
200+ courses
40+ Nanodegree programs
Free Trial:
No
One of the things that makes Udacity popular is its Nanodegree program, which is a project-based learning program, each consisting of a series of courses in fields such as artificial intelligence, programming, robotics, business, and data. The programs take about 3 to 6 months to complete. Also, Udacity offers one-on-one mentoring for all Nanodegree students. This is a great platform.
Udacity is based on innovation for online education and skills learning. When you join Udacity's Nanodegree programs your chances of getting high-level job opportunities increase exponentially.
Although Udacity does not grant certificates either, all the courses it offers are in high demand and very innovative, very sought after nowadays. However, if we compare Udacity with other platforms we realize that the prices are somewhat high. On average, Nanodegree programs can cost between $1200 and $2400 easily, although you can save some money by paying parts in advance.
Udacity also offers companies executive programs for their leaders where they can learn complex topics such as artificial intelligence so they can implement it in their companies. These programs for companies typically cost around $1500 per month, including projects from high-level industry professionals, technical support, personal coaches, and a learning plan so that students can learn at their own pace.
Price:
Coursera Plus Subscription (includes unlimited access to most courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates) - $399/year
Individual Courses - from $29 to $99 each
Specializations - from $39 to $79 per month
Professional Certificates - from $49 each
Online Degree Courses - from $15 to $25,000 each
Audit Option - free
take classes from best Universities via coursera
Library:
4,300+ courses
Free Trial:
Yes (7-day free trial for subscriptions)
Coursera is another online learning platform that offers college-level courses with certification programs. Courses are taught by instructors from top companies and universities such as Stanford, Yale and Princeton.
Course prices range from $29 to $99 individually, but with the Audit option you can take the course for free. If you take a free course with Audit you will not be able to receive the certification and extra materials included. The courses consist of lectures, assignments, reading materials, projects, and group discussions. All courses are available in a wide variety of languages including English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, French, German, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and many others. The categories of courses taught are arts and humanities, business, computer science, data, information, health, mathematics, personal development and others. Courses take about 4 to 6 weeks to complete.
If you have already mastered a skill but want to become even better, you can enter a specialization, which is a series of courses that take longer to complete, from 4 to 6 months. When you finish the specialization you will receive a certificate that you can add to your resume. You can also try the 7-day free trial at no cost before purchasing the full subscription.
You can also start professional certificate programs in case you want to change careers. Like the specialization, these professional certificates are also a series of courses, with the difference that the certificate will be awarded to you by the company that has developed the course.
In addition to all that, there are also courses taught by accredited universities worldwide, which is much less expensive than university field programs, and besides that you can study at your own pace and even get certified faster.
If you are eager to see several courses, it is advisable to subscribe to Coursera Plus which offers you an annual plan that gives you access to almost all courses, as well as professional certificates and specializations. See as many courses as you want while earning certificates for each of them.
Price:
Unlimited Subscription (includes access to 600+ courses) - $249,99/month
Premium Courses - from $75 to $400 each
Audit Option - Free
Microcredentials - from $579 to $1549
Library:
800+ courses
21 Microcredentials
Free Trial:
No
Futurelearn is another online learning platform that offers thousands of courses taught by the best universities in the world, most of which you can access for free without having access to the exams and certificates of participation and completion that are available if you pay for the course. You can also pay for an unlimited subscription for $249.99 per year that allows you access to all courses.
The courses also consist of audiovisual content, readings and short quizzes. All students can participate in the forums and discuss various topics with teachers and other students. Some of the courses include homework, and if you are paying for it, exams as well.
In addition to the courses that are already free you can also access the premium courses for an additional cost. Premium courses are ideal for people who want to learn in small groups and want to advance a little further. These premium courses include IT and digital skills, business, management, teaching, and health.
In conclusion, these are the best platforms to be able to learn online, and you should also take a look at Alison.com, as well as Harvard's YouTube channel as they upload their courses here, and also Shaw Academy. The important thing is that you get the best way to learn and get the best out of yourself.