Online learning has become incredibly popular, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why we decided to write this Skillshare review and tell you all about this platform and its features. This educational platform was created in 2010 in New York, and it’s attracting more and more students every day. The unique content that Skillshare provides is the reason behind users’ satisfaction. So, let’s take a look at what exactly Skillshare is and what it has to offer.
Pros & Cons
Pricing Plans
Skillshare Premium
Annual
$15/per month
Monthly
$32/per month
For Teams
Per user/billed annually
What Is Skillshare?
Over the years, Skillshare has become one of the largest online educational platforms with more than 9 million users. It offers subscription plans and over 20,000 different classes across four distinct segments:
- Creative
- Business
- Lifestyle
- Technology
Depending on your personal preference and skills, you’ll find a course that suits your needs. Additionally, this company has become well-known thanks to its teaching base that’s growing every day. Any positive Skillshare teacher review stems from the fact that teachers are satisfied with their pay, support, and resources for course creation. For example, the highest-paid teachers earn over $100,000 a year.
Skillshare Courses
Skillshare Creative
The largest category this platform offers is Skillshare creative and it consists of a whopping 69 subcategories. You can find anything from drawing, calligraphy, and animation to creative writing, photography, and music production. However, you can also find tech-related courses, such as UI/UX design, web design, vector graphics, etc.
Skillshare Business
Out of four Skillshare categories, the business category is particularly exciting and useful for current and future entrepreneurs, leaders, managers, cryptocurrency and finance enthusiasts, marketers, and bloggers. This is also the second-largest category on Skillshare, comprising 25 subcategories.
Skillshare Lifestyle
The lifestyle category on Skillshare is designed for people passionate about cooking, crafts, sewing, flower arranging, fashion, but also interior and jewelry design, makeup, languages, gaming, and much more. You have the opportunity to gain plenty of practical knowledge you can use for personal or business purposes.
Skillshare Technology
Considering that the IT industry offers many lucrative business opportunities, users who want to upskill or reskill will find the technology category exciting. For example, Skillshare programming is excellent for a quick review or in-depth learning since it has beginner and advanced levels.
Data science, game design, mobile development, CSS, HTML, etc., are all categories packed with courses created for learners with different levels of knowledge and skills. The best thing about technology courses is that you’ll have a lot of hands-on projects and short lessons at your disposal that are easy to follow.
Skillshare Review for Instructors
How to Become a Teacher on Skillshare?
Anyone who has the knowledge, creativity, and will to share knowledge with others can become a lecturer on Skillshare. Best of all, the process isn’t complicated. Anyone who wants to teach can do so by recording their lessons and posting them on the site once they’ve completed each lecture.
There is no pressure and no deadlines, which makes this platform popular among instructors. The company also offers advice and instructions to future lecturers on making their videos as successful as possible.
Making Money as a Skillshare Teacher
Before you decide on teaching on Skillshare, it’s best to read a review or two to find out more. However, when it comes to payment, you can find all the information on the official website. Skillshare has developed a system called the royalty pool. Every month, 30% of the money earned from premium subscriptions is set aside for the royalty pool. The money is later distributed to teachers according to the share of the paid minutes that students watch.
Novice lecturers earn around $200 a month, while long-term teachers earn up to $3,000 a month.
What Are Skillshare Workshops?
Workshops are a smart method Skillshare uses for better engagement. Hence, students who want to learn more are supposed to complete a set of classes. They also have the opportunity to brainstorm by joining groups of like-minded students.
At the same time, teachers participate in these workshops, monitor students’ progress, and give feedback. In other words, workshops are beneficial to both students and teachers.
Does Skillshare Offer Certificates?
Unfortunately, Skillshare certificates aren’t issued to students upon finishing a course. Yes, it’s understandable that some people would want to have a certificate of achievement. On the other hand, the knowledge you can get by completing these courses is far more important.
What’s more, you can always post your class project to show that you’ve completed a course. Moreover, you can add that project to your portfolio.
Ease of Use
You can use Skillshare on your desktop computer or mobile device. Skillshare app is perfect for learning on the go and taking classes on mobile devices. In case you don’t have internet access at all times, it’s possible to learn offline if you have a premium account—you just need to download classes first. What’s more, you can use Skillshare on multiple devices and pick up where you left off on each one.
How Much Does Skillshare Cost?
Free Trial
If you’re not 100% sure that Skillshare is the right option for you, worry not. Skillshare offers a seven-day free trial you can use to explore the platform. Best of all, you’ll have unlimited access to over 20,000 classes during your free trial period. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from professionals and industry leaders and choose from numerous categories and classes. If you’re not interested in exploring the entire platform, you can always opt for free classes.
Skillshare Premium Review
After your trial period expires, you can create a premium account. Premium membership comes with some great perks. For example, you’ll have access to thousands of courses from different categories. Furthermore, you’ll get to be a part of a supportive community of like-minded learners and teachers. The portion of your funds will go to the royalty pool used for teachers’ payments. Moreover, you’ll get to enjoy an ad-free learning experience and offline access to classes.
Skillshare premium cost depends on the type of membership you choose. The most popular type is an annual membership that costs $15 a month. If you’re not interested in a yearly membership, you can always choose to pay monthly, but it’ll cost you more—$32. The third option is Skillshare for teams. However, you have to contact the sales team first to get a custom quote.
Does Skillshare Offer Discounts?
Besides the Skillshare free trial, the platform offers a coupon code on the official website to avoid shady third-party websites. If you opt for an annual membership, you can use a discount code and get 10% off. Please note that a discount code is valid for new members only, and it applies at the end of the free trial.
Refund Policy
Skillshare offers refunds for annual memberships only if you contact the company within seven days of your payment. However, if you wait longer than seven days, you won’t get a refund. The company provides only one refund per customer, and it’s not possible to get a refund for a monthly membership.
Skillshare Pros and Cons
Skillshare has a lot to offer, which calls for an overview of all the advantages you will reap by using it.
Pros:
- Unlimited access to thousands of classes with a premium account
- The option to become a member of the Skillshare community where you can get support and feedback
- A mobile app that enables you to learn on the go
- Offline access to classes; simply download classes to your mobile device via Skillshare mobile app
- Annual membership discount
- Free trial
- A limited number of free classes
- Celebrity teachers
Of course, this Skillshare review wouldn’t be complete without the list of cons, so let’s take a look.
Cons:
- Skillshare doesn’t issue a certificate of course completion to learners
- You don’t have lifetime access to classes, meaning that you’ll have access as long as you pay for your membership
- Instructors aren’t evaluated before they start teaching
- Annoying ads if you don’t have a premium account
Skillshare Classes Review – Online Ratings
User experience is the best proof of Skillshare classes’ quality. By performing a simple internet search, you can find information shared by those who have already used this platform.
For example, users gave Skillshare a 3.5/5 score on g2.com. Bitdegree.com stands out in particular, where Skillshare got a high rating. Namely, 207 users rated the platform, and the overall satisfaction is evident. The collective Skillshare review comes down to an 8.5/10 score. Furthermore, users most often praise the interface and a large number of courses. However, there are some complaints about the quality of customer support.
Let’s Compare
There is no doubt that Skillshare is one of the most popular online educational platforms in the world. In order to understand the value of this platform, it’s best to compare it to similar platforms.
Skillshare vs. Lynda
Lynda is one of the most popular platforms that focus on business and technology classes. Therefore, it’s more than obvious that people interested in creative topics will prefer courses on Skillshare.
Skillshare is also more affordable, starting from $15 a month if you choose an annual membership. On the other hand, Lynda is more expensive, starting from $29.99 a month for a premium account.
Skillshare vs. Udemy
The first difference between the two well-known platforms lies in their prices. On the one hand, you have Skillshare that offers courses on a monthly or yearly subscription basis and unlimited access to all courses.
On the other hand, Udemy offers many free courses, but the quality of some is questionable. Therefore, if you want to take quality courses on Udemy, they will set you back at least $10 per lesson.
Skillshare vs. MasterClass
If you can’t decide between Skillshare and MasterClass, you should consider a few things. The first difference is the lecturers. MasterClass focuses solely on celebrity lecturers who are also industry leaders. Even though Skillshare does have celebrity lecturers, not everyone who teaches on this platform is famous.
However, Skillshare offers a much wider range of classes. You’ll find over 20,000 classes, while MasterClass offers around 80 classes that come with a heavier price tag.
Skillshare vs. YouTube
A lot of people ask the question of whether it’s better to learn via YouTube or Skillshare. The truth is that no matter how popular YouTube is, the quality of lecturers is often questionable.
On the other hand, Skillshare is exclusively an educational platform, making it more convenient for those interested in browsing and finding quality content that suits their needs.
The Final Verdict – Is Skillshare Worth It?
Educational platforms for skill development are gaining importance day by day. Therefore, if you’re interested in creativity, technology, or business, Skillshare is the right option for you.
For just $15 a month, you’ll gain access to thousands of classes and multiple categories. In addition, since we live fast-paced lives, Skillshare has an app that’s perfect for learning on the go. All in all, you’ll get your money’s worth if you decide on Skillshare.