Are you looking for solid Skillshare alternatives, researching their competitors to find an online course platform that will help you with help you learn and develop new personal and professional skills?
Although Skillshare is undoubtedly one of our favorite online learning platforms on this site (our Skillshare review has much more info on all the intricacies of the online learning platform), I recognize that it might not always be the right fit for every learner’s unique needs. With that in mind, I’ve put together a guide to some of the best Skillshare competitors I think are worth considering when you’re looking for a different option.
Why Would You Need an Alternative to Skillshare?
While Skillshare offers tens of thousands of excellent courses to its users, there is always room for improvement, even for a great company like Skillshare.
Depending on which Skillshare courses you choose, I’ve found that some user-created courses are less high-quality than others. I think Skillshare could mitigate this a bit by having a consistent quality control and review protocol or a basic course quality checklist that each course content developer must follow.
Furthermore, only some classes come with a certificate of completion, although the company is has rolled out a Badges feature recently. For achievement-driven learners, this is especially important, as it gives you a sense of completion, accomplishment, and even bragging rights.
To see how Skillshare stacks up with other online course platform alternatives that offer additional perks, check out some alternate options below.
What are the Best Alternatives to Skillshare?
Here are 7 other websites like Skillshare that also offer online courses but have their own differentiators that may make them more suitable to your particular needs…
1. Masterclass
MasterClass
With MasterClass, you can learn from some of the world's most recognized experts and celebrities. Classes include business, cooking, photography, acting, design, and so much more.
As an established online course platform brand, Masterclass is synonymous with excellence in online education.
With over 200 online classes from world-class talent, you can access the best in their industry: individuals like Mariah Carey, Bill Clinton, Gordon Ramsay, and Samuel L. Jackson share their expertise and experience with everyday people.
What I love is that Masterclass gives you access to these star performers, top politicians, business people, and even world-class chefs (think Wolfgang Puck and others) so you can glean from their success and not only emulate greatness and professionalism but truly explore what it takes to be indirectly mentored by people who “made it.”
When it comes to production quality, I haven’t seen anything that comes close to what Masterclass delivers. Some of their courses are Hollywood-level productions.
All of the courses are delivered with concise, well-produced video lessons that let you quickly absorb information from the best in the world.
The courses are very affordable, with three different monthly plans, from Individual Plan at $10/month to Family Plan at $20/month-which allows you to stream courses on up to 6 devices at a time. This makes for a great family learning experience. All of these plans are billed annually.
If you want to learn more before you sign up, check out our full Masterclass review.
Click here to get started now.
2. Coursera
Coursera Plus
Coursera Plus gives you unlimited access to over 7,000 courses from the world's top universities and organizations.
Whether you are looking for personal development courses, individual professional education content, or a business looking for an online platform to facilitate their continued professional development corporately for their employees, Coursera might be the right online course platform for you.
Coursera offers online Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in many relevant disciplines, such as cybersecurity or public health.
In fact, Coursera is top-ranked when it comes to online education alternatives to brick-and-mortar colleges, as they partner with universities like Arizona State University or the University of Michigan to deliver top-notch learning content to students worldwide. Coursera has over 150 university partners and offers 24/7 online support, so you are never alone.
If you don’t want to commit to a full online degree, you can choose individual courses to work toward your degree completion; this is designed for full-time working individuals or those who simply want to take their time but still desire to pursue continued education.
For those who simply want to sharpen their professional skills or seek a career change without putting their life on hold, Coursera offers University Certificates in areas such as accounting or leadership and management. These courses take anywhere from 6 weeks to 10 months to complete.
The cost of Coursera classes is much lower than attending the traditional brick-and-mortar college campus. You can audit any of their classes for free, but if you want to earn a certificate for completing the course, you’ll have to enroll with a small fee.
Click here to try Coursera now.
3. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning offers over 18,000 online courses in a wide range of subjects, and it's a great platform for professionals looking to gain valuable new skills.
LinkedIn Learning taps into the established brand platform of LinkedIn and expands its mission and influence. Offering over 18,000 courses, this online learning platform targets working professionals and those who seek employment and want to be more marketable, as well as those who pursue continued professional education and those who are maybe toying with the idea of a career change.
Whether you are looking for the latest IT trends or want to grow your freelance business in copywriting or software development, LinkedIn Learning offers courses to help you in those areas.
What sets it apart, in my opinion, is its direct connection to the professional world, thanks to LinkedIn’s extensive network. The platform offers a wide array of courses tailored to enhance job-related skills and industry knowledge, making it particularly valuable for career advancement.
Each course is designed with professionals in mind, ensuring that the content is relevant and also practical for real-world application.
I also like that completing courses on LinkedIn Learning adds a tangible boost to your LinkedIn profile, showcasing your new skills to potential employers and connections.
To get started, you can try LinkedIn Learning for free for 30 days, with paid plans starting at only $19.99/month when billed annually or $39.99 if you’re paying month-to-month.
This is an affordable and worthwhile investment into growing yourself as a professional, building your portfolio, and making your continued professional development a priority.
If you want to learn more about LinkedIn Learning, I encourage you to check out our LinkedIn Learning review to decide whether it’s a good Skillshare alternative for your needs.
Click here to try LinkedIn Learning free for one month.
4. CreativeLive
CreativeLive
CreativeLive is a great place to learn new skills in creative fields. With a large selection of classes, it's easy to find something that fits your interests and needs. Whether you want to learn photography, design, or songwriting, CreativeLive has the perfect class for you.
CreativeLive offers live courses for anyone looking to foster their creative side. Having instant access to other artists and creators who share their talents on this platform, you can collaborate with fellow artists or learn from those who have honed their artistic craft.
Going beyond just arts, other topics, such as the “Money & Life” courses, help you work on other skills that can help you monetize your creations or help you find your creative voice and build your influence platform online. If you are looking for ways to grow your Etsy or Shopify account or even build your online storefront, some of the courses can help you with that, as well.
Don’t worry if you can’t attend the live sessions when they are streamed: you can download recorded sessions for offline learning at your convenience. With CreativeLive pricing starting at under $11/month, the platform offers a great way to encourage and grow creativity in your life.
Click here to get started with CreativeLive.
5. Udemy
Udemy
With over 210,000 online video courses available, you can learn just about anything on Udemy. Transform your life by gaining new skills and knowledge from the comfort of your home.
Udemy is one of the top online course platforms on the market today. As one of the first, and therefore most-established online learning websites, Udemy has been around since 2010 and has proven itself as a quality alternative to stick-and-bricks education institutions.
Udemy has the biggest library of any course provider I’ve come across, offering over 210,000 courses today on many different subjects, from yoga to 3D animation.
What I like is that the platform has courses on just about every topic you can imagine. So no matter what it is you’re looking to learn, whether it’s something for fun or career advancement, chances are that Udemy has a class on it.
Having said that, the one drawback to Udemy is that the large course catalog sometimes works against it. What I mean by that is when you have over 200,000 classes, not all of them are going to be great. Sometimes, courses might be outdated or just not up to the quality standards you’d hope.
To read more, check out our Udemy review with extensive notes on the platform, its pricing, and course options.
Click here to get started with Udemy.
6. edX
edX | Free Online Courses by Harvard, MIT, & more | edX
edX is an online learning platform offering courses from some of the world's most prestigious universities and organizations on a vast array of subjects.
Since 2012, edX has been delivering online courses to its clients. Since then, over 42 million students have enrolled in their classes and programs.
Today, edX offers over 3,600 courses in different areas, such as product management, coding, and digital marketing.
What sets edX apart from its competitors is the collaboration piece — edX partners with over 160 top universities, such as The Boston University and The University of Texas at Austin, to bring you high-quality education presented by instructors who are passionate about teaching.
Over 400,000 individuals are on edX daily to grow and learn.
Because of this, edX is the go-to platform for many schools and businesses, as well: a micro-school can use edX courses to facilitate a small study group on a specific subject, either to supplement core study subjects or as an elective.
Businesses can tap into the edX learning library to find a course to invest in their top-talent employees or to foster their corporate culture in a specific way, for example, by having every IT team member take a course in project management.
If you’d like to find out more about what this course platform is like and what it has to offer to you, check out our edX review.
7. Pluralsight
Pluralsight
Pluralsight helps organizations and individuals build valuable tech skills through its engaging online courses.
Pluralsight started in 2004 as an online classroom alternative to traditional education. Since 2011, the company has experienced exponential growth due to the explosive increase in online learning. As an established online course platform, Pluralsight can offer high-quality content courses to its students.
Targeted mainly towards individuals seeking to learn and grow in the field of technology and emerging innovation, Pluralsight offers technology-specific skill courses, such as IT management, cybersecurity, or software development, to help anyone be more effective in the workplace.
To get started, you can try Pluralsight for free for 10 days; after the free trial period, you can select from either the standard ($29/month) or the premium plan ($45/month).
The unique thing about Pluralsight is that it offers different learning paths based on your skill starting point and learning goals.
In addition, Pluralsight partners with companies like CISCO and Microsoft to offer certification prep courses that help you advance professionally.
Employers who look for high-tech position talent often prefer candidates with these certifications. Pluralsight also offers peer prep support and community to ensure you don’t feel alone and receive the support to succeed.
Check out our Pluralsight review for more info or click here to try Pluralsight free for 10 days.
Final Thoughts
With so many Skillshare competitors out there to choose from, it’s important to look at the differences between them while considering your own personal needs and preferences.
Each platform has its own style, pricing structure, and type of content available. That said, each one provides a great learning experience for people of all skill levels – from beginners to experienced professionals.
Regardless of which platform you choose, make sure that it caters to your specific needs and interests, and don’t forget that most of these sites offer free trials or money-back guarantees, so test some out before committing.
Have any questions about this guide to the best alternatives to Skillshare? Let me know by commenting below.