Udemy vs. Skillshare vs. Coursera vs. MasterClass vs. LinkedIn Learning: Detailed Comparison & Verdict 2024?

Overview of Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera, MasterClass and LinkedIn Learning

Udemy

Udemy is a platform that offers courses ranging from software development, finance to business and even health, art or personal development which really does have something for everyone. Founded in 2007 it has grown to one of the largest learning platforms around, available in over 60 languages and with learners from over 190 countries. It owns more than 185,000 courses now and has helped more than 49million learners. Unlike Skillshare, MasterClass, and LinkedIn Learning, Udemy doesn't have unlimited subscription plans, you have to purchase each course individually.

Udemy supports instructors and learners and enables anyone to share their knowledge.Since the content on Udemy can be created by anyone who is willing to put in the effort of preparing the material, the quality does tend to vary with each class. However, the website features a full virtual classroom system design, making it very easy for students to interact with their instructor and other students and get any assistance they may require. It is worthing mentioned that Udemy is not an accredited institution, but you get a certificate of completion after you take a paid course.

Skillshare

Relying on the community to contribute to both the learning and teaching aspects of education, Skillshare is a unique online learning platform compared to its peers. It has a massive collection of over 27,000 classes that are divided into three categories: Thrive (Lifestyle, Productivity), Build (Business Analytics, Freelance & Enterneuprenship, Leadership & Management, Marketing), and Create (Animation, Film & Video, Graphic Design, Music, Creative Writing, Photography, Web Development, and more).  Its focus is on teaching practical skills that students can then use to create their own projects.

One of the best features of this online learning platform is the fact that all material is structured into bite-sized content, which somewhat alleviates the common problem of monotony that students enrolled in classes tend to complain about. Skillshare has a subscription model, rather than a per-course payment plan.That being said, the platform does offer a set of free classes as well, from short, 20-minute videos to longer tutorials of an hour or more. They’re not as in-depth, but they’re a good way to try out potentially interesting topics. Keep in mind, that even though there are tons of superb courses on Skillshare, none of them are accredited by any institution and Skillshare does not offer certificates of completion. It's a place to learn new skills and expand your knowledge, not get a degree.

Coursera

Coursera is an online educator that also focuses on college level education, and has partnered with leading universities including Arizona State University and Duke University, and also has alliances with many Fortune 500 companies. The platform offers over 5,000 courses, including over 40 certificate and 25 online degree programs. Most courses consist of video lectures, assignments, reading materials, quizzes, projects, and group discussions. There are courses available in many languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, French, German, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and more.

The price for individual courses varies from $29 to $99. However, there are thousands of courses that have the Audit option which allows you to take it for free. If you choose to audit the course, you won't receive graded assignments, a certificate, and bonus materials. What sets Coursera apart is that it’s extremely structured. You can choose one course, or choose to take a series of classes to earn a professional or MasterTrack certificate,  and put on your resume which can then potentially lead to professional benefits like raises, promotions, and more.

MasterClass

Launched in 2015, MasterClass now hosts 100+ instructors covering a wide range of subjects from business, science, and entertainment, to food, arts, sports, and design. While some platforms have courses by the thousands, MasterClass offers less, in numbers, with just over a hundred courses on offer. However, what it lacks in breadth of subject matter, it more than makes up for with its list of educators. This online learning platform featuring courses and classes taught by world-famous celebrities and experts. You can learn acting from Natalie Portman, filmmaking from Martin Scorsese, singing from Christina Aguilera, cooking from Gordon Ramsay, writing from Dan Brown, etc.

Instead of offering individual courses, MasterClass has a flat subscription fee of $180 per year, which works out to $15 per month. The subscription allows you to take as many courses as you’d like with no limitations, including new classes that become available while you’re a subscriber. Classes include high-quality video lessons, assignments, workbooks, and community activities. You can also join discussions to ask questions, get feedback, and connect with other students.  But MasterClass doesn't offer certificates of completion.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn is a social networking site where business and corporate professionals may connect with others in their field. A few years ago, LinkedIn acquired one of the oldest e-learning sites called Lynda, and transferred all content to its own platform - LinkedIn Learning. Now LinkedIn has also emerged as an open-source learning platform which offers thousands of high-quality courses for all levels, from beginners to advanced, covering a wide array of subjects, including Web Development, Software Programming, Economics, and Business Management.

 LinkedIn Learning takes a different approach to self-paced learning, preferring to allow industry professionals to conduct courses on their platform. Moreover, they are relatively shorter courses and are aimed at students who want to gain quick working knowledge of a particular skill. The content is quite professional, with the education conducted via expert instructors in their fields. The plan is simplified, with only a single tier, but it can be subscribed to either annually or monthly.It is not accredited, but most courses offer a Certificate of Completion that you can later add to your LinkedIn profile.

Udemy vs. Skillshare vs. Coursera vs. MasterClass vs. LinkedIn Learning: Detailed Comparison

Quantity and Quality of Courses

Udemy has the world’s largest selection of courses. There are over 185,000 Udemy courses sorted into 13 categories. Many of them aren’t offered directly by Udemy, as anyone can publish a course. Learners can rate them, which helps them determine the quality of their content. Udemy regularly removes courses that don’t contain valuable content.

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.

Coursera offers 5,000+ courses in total. 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.

Only around 100 courses are available on MasterClass, but its instructors are the best of the best. This learning platform's courses provide quick tips, inspirational content, and answers to learners’ questions added to a comprehensive FAQ section.

LinkedIn Learning offers 16,000+ courses in creative, business, and technology fields. Courses older than two or three years are regularly replaced with new ones. One of the handy LinkedIn learning features is that users can set their weekly goals and learn at their own pace. However, levels of course difficulty are not always accurate.

Subject Areas

Udemy: programming, web development, data science, IT and software, business, music, photography, personal development, and more.

Skillshare: creative skills, including photography, writing, and music. Business and marketing, productivity, and lifestyle.

Coursera: computer science, business management, information technologies, health, arts and humanities, and more.

MasterClass: arts and entertainment, home and lifestyle, business, food, music, design, sports, wellness, community and government.

LinkedIn Learning: software development, design, business, web development, photography, design, and marketing.

Pricing Plans

Different platforms specialize in different types of courses. As a result, it’s also a good idea to go over different courses on multiple platforms.
: there are no subscription options for individuals, and users pay per course. Some courses start at $11.99 and others go up to $199.99. All of Udemy courses are a one-off payment which is made when you purchase the course, and you get given lifetime access, so even after completing the course, you can go back as many times as you wish. Most of the time its courses are on a constant year-round promotion of 90% to 95% discounted off the original price. For example, some courses originally priced at $194.99 and are now $13.99.There are subscription plans for businesses, which give you access to over 5,500 courses for staff training and development. For small teams of up to 20 learners, these cost $360 per user per year plus taxes.

Skillshare only offers one subscription payment for its premium membership which costs $167.88 per year which works out at $13.99 a month. A free 7-day trial is available when you first sign up for a Skillshare Premium plan. Skillshare for Teams are made up of 3 different plans, Starter, Enterprise and Revive. The Starter is $159 per user, per year, and best for (2 to 19 students). The Enterprise is great for larger teams (of 20+) and the 3rd plan Revive is for (50+ or more) each of these plans are custom priced.

Coursera offers a wide variety of Learning Programs. It offers courses which can either accessed for free or you can upgrade and purchase the course to receive the certificate that start at $29. Its Guided Projects take no more than 2-hours to complete, start at $9.99. In addition, they have its Specializations and Professional Certificates that start at $39 a month and can take up to 6 months to complete. The MasterTrack Certificates start around $2,000 and take less than a year to complete. Then there is the online degrees (Bachelor and Masters) that can take up to 4 years to complete and start at $9K and go up to $50+K. Finally, there is Coursera Plus, a subscription plan which you can pay for in monthly installments of $59 or an annual fee of $399.

MasterClass offers 3 different annual subscription plans: Individual, Duo and Family. The cheapest option is the individual plan at $180 annually (working out at $15 a month). The Duo is one account but for 2 devices at the same time costing $240 annually (working out at $20 a month). Finally, the Family account is for 6 devices at the same time costing $276 annually (working out at $23 a month). You are entitled to a 30-day refund policy if you decide the platform isn’t for you.

LinkedIn Learning pricing model is subscription-based which can be paid for annually or monthly. The annual plan is $323.88 (working out at $26.99 a month) or the monthly plan is $39.99. When you first sign up to either of these plans you have a 1-month free trial to explore the platform which you can cancel before the renewal date, and you won’t be charged anything. There are team and organization plans available, the team plan is for 2-20 seats and costs $379.99 per seat and the Organization plan for 21+ seats, and you will need to contact LinkedIn Learning for a custom price.

Verdict

With no doubt, different platforms specialize in different types of courses. Udemy is the best for people with many hobbies, as you can find a course about almost anything (it’s even a good platform for learning languages).  However, it’s probably not the best choice if you want to advance your career due to the lack of accredited certificates and courses with low ratings.

Skillshare is an attractive option for those people who aren’t bothered about getting accomplishment certificates but want to keep developing their skills or learn new ones at an affordable cost.

Those looking to acquire some job ready skills, whether in the form of a certificate, a degree or an advanced degree, from a name brand university should take a look at Coursera.

MasterClass is mostly for creative professionals, students, and those seeking motivation and valuable pieces of advice. If you're looking for inspiration, guidance, and motivation to unlock and develop your potential, this is one of the best online learning platforms worth considering.

LinkedIn Learning is one of the best online learning platforms for career advancement that can help you jumpstart your career or achieve professional goals.

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