Whether you want to learn new market-relevant skills or simply research a topic for fun, online learning platforms are a great and accessible resource for learning on your own schedule. As an alternative to online colleges, these platforms tend to be a bit more flexible and may even offer more specific or unusual courses that you wouldn't find at a traditional college, but it's important for prospective learners to compare their options to find out what's best for them.
From Skillshare to Coursera, here are just a few of our recommendations for the best online learning platforms so you can sign up today.
Udemy
If you want to learn something on a topic, you'll probably find it on Udemy. The site isn't so much a unified "platform" as it is a portal or directory where students can access well over 100,000 courses on every topic imaginable.
Language, art, music and fitness courses can be found, as well as courses on programming and IT, business skills, teaching, productivity and much more. There are even personal development and lifestyle categories that focus on life skills and other techniques you wouldn't necessarily learn in an academic setting. Udemy offers a particularly large number of courses in programming, motion design/design, and many courses that can be helpful if you're considering a career as a project manager or product manager.
There is no standard format for a Udemy course - the platform allows instructors to design multimedia lectures with audio, video, and text elements, as well as readings, quizzes, and other activities. On Udemy, you can preview the courses you're interested in, and you have a 30-day return policy if you're dissatisfied.
Since each course is created and taught individually, the prices for the courses also vary: lifetime access to a single course can range from cheap (around €12-15) to expensive (around €200 or more). It's worth subscribing to the newsletter here, as Udemy often offers courses at substantial discounts. So that courses, which would normally cost 100-200 €, can sometimes be had for 12-24 €.
Even though Udemy certificates are not officially recognized educational degrees, they are still a good proof of a newly learned skillset.
LinkedIn Learning
In a nutshell, LinkedIn Learning is a digital learning platform that lets you take online courses in the form of videos and accompanying materials.
In some respects, LinkedIn Learning is very similar to platforms such as Udemy, teachable, Digistore, and other well-known online course providers. Here, too, knowledge is imparted digitally via video and accompanying materials such as PDFs. In addition, LinkedIn's subsidiary offers lecturers the opportunity to address a large number of students and attract them to their own courses.
The site offers courses on a variety of topics, ranging from business and technology to creative and artistic subjects. In my estimation, LinkedIn Learning focuses primarily on entry-level courses. While there are more advanced courses for professionals, they are in the minority.
In addition to private access, LinkedIn Learning also offers special programs that allow companies to teach their employees new skills for free. It's definitely worth asking your employer!
Coursera
Coursera isn't just a place to take college-like courses - it also offers real academic courses from real professors and universities at a fraction of the cost of an online degree.
The platform partners with more than 200 universities and companies to provide real learning experiences that can be combined with real-world benefits. In some cases, you can even earn certifications or degrees entirely through Coursera, which can then potentially lead to career benefits like salary increases, promotions, and more. Even if you're not looking to further your education professionally, Coursera offers challenging and interesting courses on many topics, so you can discover interests you may not have had before.
The platform allows for multimedia courses, so instructors can design lessons, upload videos, assign and grade quizzes and homework, and use other elements that would be found in a "real" online college course.
Each course is priced individually (the cheapest courses start at 30 to 40 euros and go up from there), but there are also cases where you can buy a bundle of courses at once (and sometimes at a discount) as a "track" or certification/diploma program. Also, with Coursera Plus, you can get unlimited access to over 3,000 courses for €337 per year or €49 per month. That's pretty much the closest you'll get to the online higher education experience without having to enroll in college. Coursera would be #1 on our list if they offered more courses in German.
Udacity
Udacity hails from Silicon Valley, which boasts serious partnerships with Google and other tech giants. Here, there's a big focus on current issues and learning about machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and other disruptive technologies.
Tech skills are among the most marketable courses you can take on your own time, and Udacity offers courses in all in-demand fields.
The platform is designed as a variation of "coding bootcamp," with programs focused on web development, programming, cloud computing, and data science. Whether you're a complete novice looking to learn new skills or you're looking to expand your knowledge of a particular topic, there's bound to be a course at the right level for you.
Each course offering includes hands-on exercises, real-world applications and examples, individual code reviews, and real instructors and career coaches who can address your unique needs.
Udacity's platform is a bit different than others on the market. Rather than focusing on individual courses, Udacity primarily offers a "nanodegree" program - a bootcamp-like program that includes multiple lessons, projects, personalized reviews, in-class discussions, and one-on-one technical assistance from experts. Most programs require one to five months of part-time study, depending on the topic.
The course offerings were developed in part with Google or Facebook participation, and are therefore tailored specifically for those platforms
and are geared to specific skills and knowledge areas and cost around 200 euros per month. On average, students complete them in six to nine months, they say.
In Germany, the initial focus is on companies as customers.
So if several people in your department or company are seeking advanced training, it might also be worthwhile for your company to provide Nanodegree for you and your employees.
Skillshare
While many online platforms basically offer college-style courses, Skillshare is less formal and more aimed at improving creative skills.
There are business and marketing courses on the platform as well, but most are courses in creative fields taught by experts in the field: Photography, film, animation, visual arts, writing, interior design and more. The emphasis is on teaching practical skills that students can then use for their own projects. Most courses consist of a series of video lessons combined with assignments where students can practice their skills.
Skillshare offers a subscription model, which means that students can take as many or as few courses as they want, as long as they have a subscription. The annual subscription costs €6.99 per month, but €83.88(12 × €6.99) must be paid immediately. The monthly subscription costs €16 per month and is around €108 more expensive per year, but can be canceled monthly.
However, the platform also offers a range of free courses, from short, 20-minute videos to longer tutorials of an hour or more. While they don't go into as much depth, they are a good way to try out potentially interesting topics.
Conclusion
There are more online learning platforms than ever before, so it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. We've selected the categories we think will be most useful for adult, working learners, as opposed to kids or teens.
This means that the platforms here are primarily geared toward adults who either want to explore a personal interest or acquire measurable skills for career advancement - which is why we focused on creative and technical platforms as "specialties" for those with broader offerings.
Udemy was chosen for its variety of options, while Skillshare is our favorite for the tasters on a budget, as it offers lessons from a variety of directors, writers, and artists (including some very well-known and successful ones) and is therefore also very hands-on.
Since online learning is usually a very personal experience, we have presented several platforms that allow for self-directed learning, interactivity, and/or learning tailored to a specific skill level. We've mixed some informal options with traditional academic courses, but all of the platforms recommended here have top-notch faculty who are experts in their field, regardless of the structure of the courses themselves.
From Skillshare to Coursera, here are just a few of our recommendations for the best online learning platforms so you can sign up today.
Udemy
If you want to learn something on a topic, you'll probably find it on Udemy. The site isn't so much a unified "platform" as it is a portal or directory where students can access well over 100,000 courses on every topic imaginable.
Language, art, music and fitness courses can be found, as well as courses on programming and IT, business skills, teaching, productivity and much more. There are even personal development and lifestyle categories that focus on life skills and other techniques you wouldn't necessarily learn in an academic setting. Udemy offers a particularly large number of courses in programming, motion design/design, and many courses that can be helpful if you're considering a career as a project manager or product manager.
There is no standard format for a Udemy course - the platform allows instructors to design multimedia lectures with audio, video, and text elements, as well as readings, quizzes, and other activities. On Udemy, you can preview the courses you're interested in, and you have a 30-day return policy if you're dissatisfied.
Since each course is created and taught individually, the prices for the courses also vary: lifetime access to a single course can range from cheap (around €12-15) to expensive (around €200 or more). It's worth subscribing to the newsletter here, as Udemy often offers courses at substantial discounts. So that courses, which would normally cost 100-200 €, can sometimes be had for 12-24 €.
Even though Udemy certificates are not officially recognized educational degrees, they are still a good proof of a newly learned skillset.
LinkedIn Learning
In a nutshell, LinkedIn Learning is a digital learning platform that lets you take online courses in the form of videos and accompanying materials.
In some respects, LinkedIn Learning is very similar to platforms such as Udemy, teachable, Digistore, and other well-known online course providers. Here, too, knowledge is imparted digitally via video and accompanying materials such as PDFs. In addition, LinkedIn's subsidiary offers lecturers the opportunity to address a large number of students and attract them to their own courses.
The site offers courses on a variety of topics, ranging from business and technology to creative and artistic subjects. In my estimation, LinkedIn Learning focuses primarily on entry-level courses. While there are more advanced courses for professionals, they are in the minority.
In addition to private access, LinkedIn Learning also offers special programs that allow companies to teach their employees new skills for free. It's definitely worth asking your employer!
Coursera
Coursera isn't just a place to take college-like courses - it also offers real academic courses from real professors and universities at a fraction of the cost of an online degree.
The platform partners with more than 200 universities and companies to provide real learning experiences that can be combined with real-world benefits. In some cases, you can even earn certifications or degrees entirely through Coursera, which can then potentially lead to career benefits like salary increases, promotions, and more. Even if you're not looking to further your education professionally, Coursera offers challenging and interesting courses on many topics, so you can discover interests you may not have had before.
The platform allows for multimedia courses, so instructors can design lessons, upload videos, assign and grade quizzes and homework, and use other elements that would be found in a "real" online college course.
Each course is priced individually (the cheapest courses start at 30 to 40 euros and go up from there), but there are also cases where you can buy a bundle of courses at once (and sometimes at a discount) as a "track" or certification/diploma program. Also, with Coursera Plus, you can get unlimited access to over 3,000 courses for €337 per year or €49 per month. That's pretty much the closest you'll get to the online higher education experience without having to enroll in college. Coursera would be #1 on our list if they offered more courses in German.
Udacity
Udacity hails from Silicon Valley, which boasts serious partnerships with Google and other tech giants. Here, there's a big focus on current issues and learning about machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and other disruptive technologies.
Tech skills are among the most marketable courses you can take on your own time, and Udacity offers courses in all in-demand fields.
The platform is designed as a variation of "coding bootcamp," with programs focused on web development, programming, cloud computing, and data science. Whether you're a complete novice looking to learn new skills or you're looking to expand your knowledge of a particular topic, there's bound to be a course at the right level for you.
Each course offering includes hands-on exercises, real-world applications and examples, individual code reviews, and real instructors and career coaches who can address your unique needs.
Udacity's platform is a bit different than others on the market. Rather than focusing on individual courses, Udacity primarily offers a "nanodegree" program - a bootcamp-like program that includes multiple lessons, projects, personalized reviews, in-class discussions, and one-on-one technical assistance from experts. Most programs require one to five months of part-time study, depending on the topic.
The course offerings were developed in part with Google or Facebook participation, and are therefore tailored specifically for those platforms
and are geared to specific skills and knowledge areas and cost around 200 euros per month. On average, students complete them in six to nine months, they say.
In Germany, the initial focus is on companies as customers.
So if several people in your department or company are seeking advanced training, it might also be worthwhile for your company to provide Nanodegree for you and your employees.
Skillshare
While many online platforms basically offer college-style courses, Skillshare is less formal and more aimed at improving creative skills.
There are business and marketing courses on the platform as well, but most are courses in creative fields taught by experts in the field: Photography, film, animation, visual arts, writing, interior design and more. The emphasis is on teaching practical skills that students can then use for their own projects. Most courses consist of a series of video lessons combined with assignments where students can practice their skills.
Skillshare offers a subscription model, which means that students can take as many or as few courses as they want, as long as they have a subscription. The annual subscription costs €6.99 per month, but €83.88(12 × €6.99) must be paid immediately. The monthly subscription costs €16 per month and is around €108 more expensive per year, but can be canceled monthly.
However, the platform also offers a range of free courses, from short, 20-minute videos to longer tutorials of an hour or more. While they don't go into as much depth, they are a good way to try out potentially interesting topics.
Conclusion
There are more online learning platforms than ever before, so it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. We've selected the categories we think will be most useful for adult, working learners, as opposed to kids or teens.
This means that the platforms here are primarily geared toward adults who either want to explore a personal interest or acquire measurable skills for career advancement - which is why we focused on creative and technical platforms as "specialties" for those with broader offerings.
Udemy was chosen for its variety of options, while Skillshare is our favorite for the tasters on a budget, as it offers lessons from a variety of directors, writers, and artists (including some very well-known and successful ones) and is therefore also very hands-on.
Since online learning is usually a very personal experience, we have presented several platforms that allow for self-directed learning, interactivity, and/or learning tailored to a specific skill level. We've mixed some informal options with traditional academic courses, but all of the platforms recommended here have top-notch faculty who are experts in their field, regardless of the structure of the courses themselves.