The 7 Best Online Learning Platforms of 2022

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Whether you want to learn new marketable skills or just want to learn more about a subject, online learning platforms are a great way to learn on your own time. You can also complete courses faster and save money by taking virtual classes rather than in-person ones. Individuals learn 40 percent faster on digital platforms than in-person learning.

Some online learning platforms offer certifications, while others are designed to help you improve your personal and professional skills. Here are our recommendations for the best online learning platforms available today, including Masterclass and Coursera.

Coursera

Key Specs

  • Courses: 3,000+
  • Price: Guided projects start at $9.99 per course, professional certificate courses start at $39 a month, and higher university-issued certificates begin at $2,000 per course.
  • Certificate: Yes
  • Accredited Institution: Yes

Coursera is more than just a place to take college-style classes; it also provides real academic courses from real professors and universities at a fraction of the cost of an online degree.

The platform collaborates with over 200 universities and businesses to provide authentic learning experiences that can lead to real-world benefits. In some cases, you can even earn certifications or degrees entirely through Coursera, which may lead to professional benefits such as raises, promotions, and more. Even if you aren't looking for professional development, Coursera offers challenging and interesting classes on a variety of topics, allowing you to explore interests you may not have had previously.

The platform supports multimedia courses, allowing professors to create classes, upload videos, assign and grade quizzes and homework assignments, and include other elements found in a "real" online college class.

Each course is priced separately (the cheapest start around $30 to $40 and go up from there), but there are some instances where you can purchase a bundle of courses at once (and sometimes at a discount) as a "track" or certification/degree programme. Coursera Plus provides unlimited access to over 3,000 courses for $399 per year. It's the closest thing you'll get to an online college experience without enrolling in college.

Udemy

Key Specs

  • Courses: 183,000+
  • Price: Single courses range from $11 up to $200 or more
  • Certificate: Yes, but not all of them
  • Accredited Institution: No

If you want to learn something, it's most likely available on Udemy. The website is less of a unified "platform" and more of a portal or repository from which students can access well over 100,000 courses on any topic imaginable.

Language, arts, music, and fitness classes are available, as well as lessons in programming and IT, business skills, teaching, productivity, and much more. There are even categories for personal development and lifestyle, which cover life skills and other techniques that you wouldn't typically find in an academic setting.

A Udemy course does not have a set format; instead, instructors can create multimedia lectures with audio, video, and text elements, as well as readings, quizzes, and other activities. Udemy allows students to preview classes that they are interested in and offers a 30-day refund if they are dissatisfied.

Because each class is designed and taught individually, it is also priced accordingly: Lifetime access to a single course can range from cheap (around $11 to $15) to expensive (around $200 or more).

Skillshare

Key Specs

  • Courses: 35,000+
  • Price: $14 per month, which equals $168 annually
  • Certificate: No
  • Accredited Institution: No

While many online platforms offer college-style classes, Skillshare is less formal and focuses on improving creative skills.

The platform offers business and marketing classes, but the majority of courses are in creative fields taught by practising experts: photography, film, animation, visual arts, writing, interior design, and more. The emphasis is on teaching students practical skills that they can then apply to their own projects. Most courses consist of a series of video lessons interspersed with assignments that allow students to practise their skills.

Skillshare operates on a subscription model rather than a per-course payment plan, so students who sign up can take as many or as few courses as they want while subscribed. The current price is $168 per year (approximately $14 per month).

Having said that, the platform does provide a number of free classes, ranging from short, 20-minute videos to longer tutorials lasting an hour or more. They aren't as in-depth, but they're a good way to experiment with potentially interesting topics.

MasterClass

Key Specs

  • Courses: 100+
  • Price: Starts at $15 per month and goes up to $23 per month for annual memberships
  • Certificate: No
  • Accredited Institution: No

Although MasterClass offers more than just creative courses, its marquee offerings include A-list actors, writers, artists, musicians, and others in the classroom.

And these aren't just one-time "talk" classes: Most courses, like traditional ones, have around 20 lessons, allowing you to delve deeply into your topic of choice. If you want to learn about these often-mysterious professions, there is no better way than to hear it directly from those who have already achieved success.

These video-based courses combine practical advice and demonstrations with straightforward lectures, workbooks, and class discussions. Shonda Rhimes can help you with your TV writing, Gordon Ramsay can teach you how to cook, Martin Scorsese can teach you how to make films, and Anna Wintour can help you with your creative leadership.

Because MasterClass is a subscription-based platform, you can participate in as many sessions as you want within the scope of your monthly subscription. The cost for unlimited access is about $15 per month, but students must sign up for a year at a time.

EdX

Key Specs

  • Courses: 3,500+
  • Price: Begins at $50 to receive a verified official certificate
  • Certificate: Yes
  • Accredited Institution: Yes

EdX has a prestigious pedigree—it was founded by Harvard and MIT—but it is a user-friendly system.

Real college courses in a wide range of fields and topics are available, created and taught by real college instructors. They do lean slightly towards STEM fields, but there are also plenty of topics in languages, humanities, and arts. EdX offers professional degree certificates, as well as "micro" degree programmes at the bachelor's and master's levels, in collaboration with several universities, primarily as a tool for professional development.

They also offer a "Global Freshman Academy" to earn transferrable undergrad credits for select lessons through a partnership with Arizona State University. Classes are similar to "real" online courses in the following ways: Some of the elements you may encounter include lectures, reading material, assignments, discussions, and quizzes.

The fact that the majority of EdX's courses are free is a big selling point—but there's a catch. If you're just taking the class for fun, the free version will probably suffice, but if you want formal verification for professional purposes, the "verified certificate" option costs around $49 per class.

Each course has an official "start date," which cycles through each session, but once the session begins, students can proceed at their own pace.

Udacity

Key Specs

  • Courses: 200+
  • Price: Starts at $399 a month and can go up to $1,995 for four-month access to some courses
  • Certificate: Yes
  • Accredited Institution: No

Tech skills are among the most marketable classes you can take on your own time, and Udacity has courses in every field that is in high demand.

The platform is modelled after the "coding bootcamp" learning style, with programmes focusing on web development, programming, cloud computing, and data science. Whether you're a total beginner looking to develop a new skill set or an experienced learner looking to expand your knowledge of a specific topic, there's probably a course at the appropriate level for you.

Hands-on practise, real-world applications and examples, individual code reviews, and real instructors and career coaches who can address your specific needs are all included in each programme.

Udacity's platform is unique in comparison to others on the market. Instead of individual classes, their primary offering is a "nanodegree"—a bootcamp-style programme that includes multiple lessons, projects, personalised reviews, class discussions, and one-on-one technical mentoring from experts. Depending on the subject, most programmes require one to five months of part-time study.

All of these benefits, however, come at a cost: It costs around $399 per month, or $597 if you buy the entire four months at once.

Pluralsight

Key Specs

  • Courses: 7,500+
  • Price: Plans cost between $229 and $449 per year
  • Certificate: Yes
  • Accredited Institution: No

Pluralsight is a learning platform for working professionals that offers courses in areas such as software development, data science, information and cybersecurity, and more.

Students can take individual courses, but Pluralsight strongly recommends that you follow one of its "paths." These programmes are similar to mini-degrees in that they consist of a series of linked courses in a specific area of expertise, such as individual programming languages, security certifications, creative skills in specific software, and so on. These pre-programmed paths take the guesswork out of learning, and you can do a quick pretest to determine your skill level, adding even more customization.

The course library contains over 7,500 individual classes spread across hundreds of paths, and if you're not ready to dive into a full-length pack, you can start with individual courses that are only a couple hours long.

Regardless of how few or how many classes (or paths) you want to take, the price for a personal plan is around $29 per month (or roughly $299 for a full year at a slight discount). There's also a premium option for around $449 per year that includes all of the regular features and courses, as well as additional interactive courses and industry-standard practise exams for a variety of professional certifications.

Final Verdict

Whatever stage of life you are in, online learning platforms provide a convenient way for you to advance in your career or begin something entirely new.

Overall, because of its wide range of courses and official accreditation, Coursera is our top pick for an online learning platform. Its collaboration with top universities and corporations ensures that course curriculums are academically comprehensive and meet industry standards for career advancement.

Whether you're looking for a very specific or slightly unusual topic, Udemy almost certainly has a course on it. It's a great option for those on a tighter budget who want to challenge their brain with something new.

Udacity is an excellent option for professionals seeking to advance their careers or change industries. The company's intensive "nanodegree" programmes provide you with full access to real advisors who help you build your resume and portfolio.