Online learning platforms are an excellent choice for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge.
Becoming an expert in a specific field can help push your career forward, but these platforms are also useful for those who are just curious and love to learn.
We reviewed some of the most prominent platforms and thoroughly explained their features. We also provided a detailed guide on choosing a perfect online learning platform that meets your needs.
– 4 Best Online Learning Platforms –
Skillshare is one of the best online course platforms for building practical skills and expanding horizons. It has many unique features and is incredibly easy to use. Its users can utilize the acquired knowledge right away and create projects after finishing a course.
- Courses: 27,000+
- Interface: Straightforward, easy to use
- Certification: No
- Pricing: Free or $19/month, $99/year
- Mobile App: Yes
- Customer Support Options: Request
- Best For: Gaining practical knowledge
- Offers team-based courses
- Has accredited instructors
- Has an active community
Coursera is one of the best sites for online courses and specializations. It provides quality learning material and has instructors from prestigious universities. It’s one of the few platforms that offer accredited certifications learners can include in resumes. Users can even earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree on Coursera.
- Courses: 3,900+
- Interface: Intuitive, user-friendly
- Certification: Yes
- Pricing: Free–$79
- Mobile App: Yes
- Customer Support Options: Live chat, email
- Best For: Gaining accredited certification
- Offers courses in different languages
- Offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs
- Provides specializations
FutureLearn is one of the free online learning platforms and cooperates with world-class organizations and universities. The material ranges from audio and video to useful articles and to-do lists. FutureLearn is great for extroverted learners who want to communicate with other users.
- Courses: 880+
- Interface: Appealing, intuitive
- Certification: Yes
- Pricing: $39–$279.99
- Mobile App: No
- Customer Support Options: Email
- Best For: Extroverted learners
- Provides online degrees
- Enables flexible learning
- Provides free certificates for some courses
GoSkills is focused on advancing career skills and the number of courses it provides is constantly increasing. Such online learning software platforms are great for people who are very serious about achieving career success.
- Courses: 80+
- Interface: Clear and simple
- Certification: Yes
- Pricing: $29/month, or custom (for teams and enterprises)
- Mobile App: Yes
- Customer Support Options: Phone, email, request, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook
- Best For: Career advancement
- Plans for large teams
- Unlimited access to all courses
- Courses divided in short lessons
– Brief Reviews of Online Learning Platforms –
Skillshare is a platform that offers a lot of learning material to its users. Its content is more focused on skills for creative types. It offers interaction with other learners and has qualified instructors.
Courses
The quality of content that Skillshare provides is regularly controlled. The platform offers over 27,000 Skillshare courses with additional materials, such as worksheets or reading material. All courses are classified into three categories that are divided into subtopics. However, instructors don’t always clearly disclose if the course is for beginners or advanced learners.
Interface
Skillshare’s interface’s only drawback is timestamps or comments during videos, meaning that the video player should be improved. Aside from that, Skillshare’s interface is fast, intuitive, and easy to use. Every action button is visible and easy to find.
Certification
Even though Skillshare doesn’t provide accredited certifications, it’s still one of the top free online course platforms. Skillshare offers a different kind of certificate, and that’s a user’s final project. A good project is firm proof that a learner is capable and skilled.
Pricing
If you sign up for a free version, all free content will be available to you. However, a Premium membership will get you a lot more material. It costs $3.29 per month if you sign up for an annual plan or $8 a month if you choose to pay monthly. There is a seven-day free trial for a Premium version and no refund after seven days of purchasing a Premium membership. You can find a suitable Skillshare coupon and get a nice discount.
Mobile App
The Skillshare app has minor issues with controls when a device is in the landscape mode, and sometimes videos load in the middle of watching. However, the content is the same, and users are generally satisfied with the app. Its rating is 4.5 on Google Play and 4.8 on Apple Store.
Customer Support Options
Even though Skillshare is one of the great online learning platforms for artists, the lack of options to get in contact with customer support is a drawback. You can only submit a request regarding a specific issue you have. There are some complaints about reaching Skillshare’s customer support, and users mostly have problems with canceling subscriptions.
Best For
Skillshare is the best learning platform for those who want practical knowledge and to apply that knowledge as soon as possible. It’s an excellent learning platform for artists because of the hands-on learning, various projects, and feedback they get from others.
Coursera Review
Essential Features:
◊ Peer-graded assignments
◊ Accredited certification
◊ Professional instructors
◊ Users can publish courses
Additional Features:
♦ Career learning path explorer
♦ Bachelor’s and master’s degree programs
♦ Courses in 65 languages
♦ Coursera for enterprises and students
Coursera is, without doubt, one of the most reliable online learning platforms that offer courses from the leading universities. The platform’s devotion to meeting users’ needs is evident, and it’s perfect for those who want to advance their career.
Courses
In addition to Coursera courses, specializations, and degrees, the platform cooperates with over 200 renowned companies and universities, which will help you push your professional career forward. The quality of courses is outstanding, and you can use discussion forums to ask questions or find answers to already asked questions, making the learning experience even smoother.
Interface
Coursera has a quick and intuitive user interface, despite having many options ranging from career learning path explorer to trending courses or programs for students and enterprises. Courses are well-organized, explained in detail, and have tables of contents.
Certification
What puts Coursera at the top of the list of online learning platforms are accredited certificates that can be included in resumes and are often recognized by employers. You can choose to enroll in a free course, but free courses won’t grant you a certificate.
Pricing
Joining Coursera is free, while Coursera Plus costs $399 per year. The platform offers a 14-day money-back guarantee for any course. You can ask for a refund and purchase the same course again. If you are interested in Coursera pricing for business, Coursera for teams and small businesses costs $400 per user a year, while large organizations have custom pricing plans.
Mobile App
Coursera’s app has a 4.3 rating on Google Play and 4.8 on Apple Store. The app’s software works fine, but there are occasional bugs with loading active courses or assignment results. Also, issues with downloading material can occur. Some users report that the files are deleted after some time.
Customer Support Options
Coursera’s customer support team is excellent. You can contact one of the members easily and solve any problem, or ask about Coursera refund policy and special offers. It’s possible to reach them via live chat, which is very convenient. However, solving issues regarding subscriptions last longer.
Best For
Coursera is one of the best online learning platforms for career advancement because employers usually recognize certificates. Moreover, since users can’t create courses, the learning material this platform offers is legitimate. Coursera is for people who want to upgrade or learn new skills and perform better at work.
FutureLearn Review
Essential Features:
◊ Unique courses
◊ Online degrees
◊ Learning flexibility
◊ Assignments and tests
Additional Features:
♦ Active community
♦ Taking exams in person
♦ Different teaching style
♦ Free certificates
FutureLearn is a private organization that offers unique courses, and that’s why it stands out from its competitors. It has over 175 global partners and around 10 million learners.
Courses
FutureLearn offers courses you can’t find anywhere else, and a lot of them are free to access for a course length plus additional two weeks. FutureLearn courses are interactive and engaging, and the overall user experience is some of the best out there. However, a relatively small course catalog may be the platform’s biggest disadvantage.
Interface
FutureLearn has a unique interface. It’s designed to be intuitive, fast, and user-friendly. The courses are neatly organized into weekly units, and learning through many tests, quizzes, and assignments is available.
Certification
FutureLearn offers various types of accredited certificates. However, micro-credential programs, premium courses, and online degrees have a fee. To earn a certificate, a learner must achieve a score of over 70% on all test questions and mark over 90% of course steps as complete.
Pricing
FutureLearn cost depends on the version you use. FutureLearn Unlimited costs $279.99 per year and enables you to have unlimited access to all courses and certifications. If you want to join ExpertTracks to master new skills, a monthly fee is $39 for as long as you need to complete the courses. There’s a seven-day free trial.
Mobile App
FutureLearn is only available through the website because the app hasn’t been launched yet. It’s not clear when FutureLearn might develop the app, but it would be perfect for people on the go.
Customer Support Options
The main problems users complain about are issues with getting a FutureLearn certificate and getting refunds. Reaching customer support is easy, but it doesn’t mean that your problem will be solved quickly.
Best For
Even though FutureLearn doesn’t offer many courses, it’s best for those who wish to improve their employability and pursue further study. It can be useful to anyone who wants to gain more knowledge or get a recognized degree. It’s also good for people who can’t afford online education.
GoSkills Review
Essential Features:
◊ Bite-sized lessons
◊ Reference guides and exercise files
◊ Certification
◊ Self-paced learning
Additional Features:
♦ Goal and progress tracking
♦ LMS software
♦ Scholarships for female students
♦ Coupon codes and gifting courses
GoSkills has had 39,024 learners so far and it’s popular among businesspeople for a reason. You don’t need any other learning platform if you’re only into business courses.
Courses
You can find 80+ self-paced courses on GoSkills, taught by professional instructors. Apart from individual courses, GoSkills offers advanced plans for different kinds of businesses, schools, and universities.
Interface
GoSkills courses are divided into small segments because it’s easier to retain information when you have shorter lessons. Nevertheless, they’re neatly organized and easy to navigate.
Certification
GoSkills offers over 500 different certificates. What’s good about them is that you can easily share them on your LinkedIn profile and increase your chances of getting hired.
Pricing
If you’re interested in individual courses, then the pricing is straightforward. You pay $29 per month or $204 per year (which means that your monthly payment would be $17 for GoSkills unlimited). The prices for group courses vary.
Mobile App
If you like to earn on the go, GoSkills is for you. Even if there’s no app, GoSkills is mobile friendly and enables all users to learn wherever they are.
Customer Support Options
There are many ways to contact GoSkils customer support. You can even send a message on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook) if that’s more convenient for you.
Best For
GoSkills is definitely one of the best platforms for small businesses and ambitious individuals who are focused on their careers. However, if you want more courses or learning flexibility in terms of materials, you should consider other platforms.
– Buyer’s Guide – How to Select the Right Product for You? –
Reading these short reviews about the best sites for online courses can help you choose the platform that will meet your needs. This guide will aid you in setting your goals and finding the right product for you.
Is the Number of Provided Courses Important?
If you are curious and just want to learn without a specific goal, then you should choose a platform with more free courses. The best way to make sure that teachers are professional is to find a platform with university courses and accredited certificates.
How Can a Platform’s Interface Influence My Learning?
If you’re searching for the best online learning platforms for architecture or computer science, you need a platform that’s fast and comprehensive. Usually, a poorly designed interface demotivates learners. However, if you’re only searching for free courses, the interface’s quality shouldn’t worry you.
Why Is Certification Beneficial?
It’s not always important to receive a certificate after finishing a course. The knowledge you gain is far more significant. For instance, if you plan to advance your career or find employment, you can benefit from earning an accredited or valued certificate.
Does Pricing Justify the Platform’s Quality?
The price can’t guarantee the value of a course’s content. However, the best online learning platforms for programming, machine learning, or similar fields are usually more expensive. Investing in comprehensive and well-rated courses is always a good choice.
Is Learning Through Mobile App Helpful?
An app isn’t necessarily something you need if you have access to your computer most of the time. Busy people and those who commute can often save a lot of time learning through apps. If you need more learning flexibility, choose a platform that offers an app.
Is Having More Customer Support Options Relevant?
Even a good online learning platforms comparison typically doesn’t include information about customer support options because reaching customer support teams fast is much more important than being able to reach them in more ways. If you’re a seller or interested in expensive programs, you need responsive customer service.
Who Are These Platforms Best For?
Online learning platforms are for anyone who’s curious and wants to improve their skills and 63% of US high schoolers use them regularly. They’re the best for people who will benefit from finishing courses, such as students or people who seek employment, want to do their job better, or share their knowledge with others.