Online learning has become a modern-day phenomenon. Many eLearning platforms have come to prominence in recent years, offering courses on almost everything, from arts and crafts to highly sought-after professional skills.
With the wide variety of eLearning platforms available today, learners are certainly not short on choices, regardless of whether they want an official qualification or to take up a new hobby.
For this reason, determining which online learning site is best for you isn’t always a straightforward task.
To help you along, we’ve compiled a list of the best eLearning websites by looking at the scope, variety, and quality of their courses.
Whether you’re looking to learn skills that will expand your career opportunities or simply want to learn about a topic that interests you, you’ll have a better idea of where to find the right courses by the end of this guide.
The Best Online Learning Platforms to Consider in 2022
Some of these online learning platforms feature basic, advanced, and professional-level courses, while others allow learners to obtain widely recognized certificates and qualifications.
The list is designed to give you a thorough overview of each platform at a glance, making it easier to decide where to begin your online learning journey.
1. Coursera
Best For: Learners looking for easier access to quality education, certifications, and university-level lectures.
Key Features
- Courses from esteemed universities and institutions
- Expert lecturers
- Relatively inexpensive
Coursera has a plethora of courses that cover topics like computer and data science, business, IT, arts, and personal development. Many of those courses originate from the website’s partnership with top universities, as well as industry-leading companies. The material provided by these reputable sources is of very high quality and educational value. Furthermore, the lecturers are mostly led by university professors and experts in their respective fields who bring practical skills and knowledge to their courses.
Most of the best courses on Coursera require either a one-time fee or monthly payments. The courses requiring a once-off fee can cost up to $100. The monthly payments, however, are primarily reserved for Specializations, which include several modules on a particular subject. The monthly price for a Specialization ranges from $29 to $49.
Finally, avid learners might benefit the most from a full subscription, which gives you access to thousands of paid courses. The yearly price for this subscription is $399. Besides paid courses, Coursera also has plenty of free courses and resources – you just won’t receive a certificate upon completion.
Both individual courses and Specializations feature video lectures and downloadable learning material. The certificates provided upon completion are widely recognized. In addition to professional certifications, the platform offers credits that can count towards a university degree and even a bachelor’s or master’s degree from world-class universities. Coursera is one of the few eLearning platforms that offer general certifications as well as full degree programs, making it a top choice for students of every level.
2. Udemy
Best For: Students looking for a wide variety of short courses ranging from hobbies to professional skills.
Key Features
- 180,000+ courses on hundreds of different topics
- Lifetime access to all purchased courses
- Affordable course prices
Udemy has thousands of courses available at affordable prices that cover a vast number of subjects. These range from beginner-level to advanced classes, meaning you can find what you’re looking for on this site regardless of your level of proficiency or current knowledge.
Although Udemy offers certificates, these aren’t as widely recognized as some other platforms. This platform is more geared towards enhancing a learner’s general skillsets, not certifications, making it ideal for professionals who want to explore a career change.
The courses on this platform are presented in a video format, which has become the standard across most eLearning sites. Due to the wide range of skill levels that Udemy courses cover, pricing is largely determined by course difficulty and duration. You can easily find hundreds of free courses, while others will cost anywhere from $11.99 to $199.99.
It’s worth noting that the website doesn’t set the course prices. Instead, the course instructors are the ones determining the pricing, with their reputation playing an important role in that regard. Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that Udemy courses are constantly discounted by a significant margin, up to 95% in some instances.
Udemy also has a business online learning feature, where organizations can enhance team skills. This feature includes three plans: Team, Enterprise, and Leadership Development. Signing up for the first two gives teams access to some of the best online courses, websites with custom URLs, and around-the-clock support.
3. Udacity
Best For: Students wanting to learn technology and programming-related skills.
Key Features
- Strong focus on highly sought-after professional skills
- Partnerships with industry-leading organizations
- Bonus career services
Udacity’s Nanodegrees give students the chance to learn tech-related skills from proven experts. This online learning platform creates many of its courses in partnerships with giants such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, and others.
While the course choices are somewhat limited, they do focus on business and technology, making them a valuable commodity for people looking to land a job in some of the best-paid professions.
The Nanodegree programs start at $399 and are charged in two ways. Learners can pay monthly on the go, which means they can drop out of the program at any time and cancel their subscription. Alternatively, the entire duration of the program can be charged upfront, providing full access to the courses within their estimated duration.
The duration of Udacity programs isn’t fixed and will depend on individual learning pace. If you end up exceeding the estimated time covered by the full access plan, you can revert to monthly access until you complete the program.
Upon completion, Udacity courses include career-boosting perks. Nanodegree graduates will have the opportunity to get their cover letters, resumes, and professional accounts such as LinkedIn reviewed by experts. They’ll also receive valuable advice on improving their chances in the work marketplace.
4. Skillshare
Best For: Students who want to broaden the scope of their creative skills.
Key Features
- Fresh, updated content
- Courses for different skill levels
- Ease of use and an active creative community
Skillshare is widely considered among the best eLearning platforms due to its variety of subjects and ease of use. The courses are organized into three categories: Create, Build, and Thrive.
The Create category includes lectures on photography, animation, writing, music, video, and other creative skills. The Build category features business-oriented courses such as management, entrepreneurship, marketing, and analytics. Finally, the Thrive category is reserved for classes teaching productivity and lifestyle skills.
Out of these three categories, there are more course options under Create than the other categories, which is why this platform is so popular among creative professionals.
Skillshare focuses on providing its students with practical and applicable skills and knowledge using pre-recorded video lessons. There is also a mobile app if you would prefer to learn on the go. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t offer any certifications.
There are many free courses on Skillshare, however, the entire catalog is only available to premium members. This membership is priced at $15 per month on a monthly plan or $99 per year with an annual plan.
5. edX
Best For: Learners who want to attain an accredited certification with a particular focus on STEM fields.
Key Features
- Courses provided by leading universities
- Quality learning material
- Widely recognized certifications
With edX, learners have access to a great number of courses that were created in partnership with institutions such as Harvard University and MIT, ensuring high-quality content.
Besides science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) categories, which can be considered the platform’s centerpiece, edX also offers courses on other subjects, including law and communication.
As a nonprofit organization, edX provides all courses for free by default. This option is called the Audit Track, and it includes all of the videos and materials in the course. However, there’s an alternative Verified Track that has several advantages worth considering.
With the Verified Track, learners will receive graded assessments to evaluate their progress, unlimited access to any course, and, most importantly, a certificate. edX certificates come directly from the institutions responsible for the course in question. This includes institutions such as MIT, IBM, and Harvard.
Furthermore, edX offers full master’s degrees, as well as recognized MicroMasters and MicroBachelors certificates.
Unlimited access to courses is another significant feature of this eLearning site. Free courses are only available for the complete duration of the classes, which is, in most cases, around four weeks. Being able to revisit the entire material after that period could prove quite useful if you want to refresh your knowledge.
The price for the Verified Tracks depends on the course and can range from $30 up to several hundred dollars.
6. LinkedIn Learning
Best For: Established or upcoming business professionals looking to upgrade their existing skills or learn new ones.
Key Features
- Self-paced offline and online learning
- Instructors are industry experts
- Shareable LinkedIn certification
LinkedIn Learning has its foundation in Lynda.com, which counts as one of the pioneering eLearning platforms. The site features more than 16,000 courses, covering various subjects within the broader technology, business, and creative skills categories.
LinkedIn Learning courses are presented in a video format with additional downloadable quizzes and practice files. These have the advantage of being available offline, both on computers and mobile devices.
Learners with existing LinkedIn accounts will have a slight advantage in that LinkedIn Learning will offer personalized recommendations that are based on their profiles. The courses are designed to enhance your LinkedIn profile since you can immediately add your certification to your profile upon completion of each course.
When it comes to pricing, LinkedIn Learning has an option of purchasing individual courses for varying prices up to $40 and two subscription plans, which provide access to all courses. You can take a monthly subscription, which costs $29.99 per month, or the yearly variant for the annual fee of $239.88.
Learners can also sign up for a free trial that lasts for a month. However, if you don’t cancel the trial before it expires, it will default to a regular subscription plan. Paid subscriptions have the benefit of unlimited access to courses with no time limit, which extends to one-time purchases too.
7. FutureLearn
Best For: Learners looking to advance their undergraduate or postgraduate degrees or earn professional accreditation.
Key Features
- Accredited courses from world-class institutions
- Quality, university-level material
- Variety of degree options
FutureLearn began as part of the Open University, which is a renowned online learning institution based in the U.K. This platform’s courses come from acclaimed international schools such as the John Hopkins University, Shanghai International Studies University, University College London, and others. Besides these institutions, FutureLearn also collaborates with high-profile tech companies.
FutureLearn courses each have varying completion times and certification levels. Short courses can last anywhere from six to seven weeks, in-depth programs range from several months to a year, and degrees are full undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Depending on the type of course, you can earn college credits, certificates of completion, and accreditation from leading professional institutions. Additionally, micro-credential programs are online certification compliant within the recognized EU framework. As one of the rare eLearning platforms that meet these standards, FutureLearn can be counted among the best online learning sites around today.
FutureLearn’s pricing is entirely dependent on certification. Most of the courses are free with unlimited access to learning materials both during the course and for two weeks after it’s ended. These materials include text and images, as well as discussion boards. Micro-credentials, premium courses, and online degrees are exclusive to paying students and aren’t available for free.
None of the free courses make you eligible to receive a certificate. The only way to get FutureLearn’s accredited certification is by purchasing either the Upgrade or the Unlimited plan. The first relates to individual courses, while the second functions as an annual subscription with full access to short courses.
Most courses on FutureLearn cost up to $99, while premium options can reach $400. Microcredentials are without a doubt the costliest, starting at $600. Finally, if you opt for the annual Unlimited plan, you’ll gain unlimited access to select courses as well as the appropriate certification for $269.99 per year.
8. Treehouse
Best For: Learners focused on building a career in technology and programming.
Key Features
- Courses taught by in-house experts
- Applicable knowledge and skills with real-life projects
- Self-paced, flexible programs
Treehouse is an online learning platform specializing in technology and coding. It offers hundreds of workshops and courses designed to upgrade your knowledge and skills across topics such as data analysis, computer science, and machine learning.
If you’re unsure about which course is right for you, simply answer a few simple questions on the Treehouse homepage. The site will then recommend the most relevant courses for you.
All course lecturers are employees at Treehouse, which means that they’re fully dedicated to keeping the quality of their lectures up to the highest standard. The courses are interactive and feature various workshops and challenges, videos on demand, and quizzes. It should be noted that since this eLearning platform is dedicated to practical knowledge, it doesn’t offer any accredited certifications.
All learners have access to a free trial for seven days. After that, you can opt for one of three plans, each with increasing amounts of content and support.
The basic Courses plan offers courses, learning tracks, challenges, and interactive quizzes. The Courses Plus plan expands on the previous one, adding more content and making video lessons downloadable. Finally, the Techdegree plan features everything included in Courses Plus, as well as curated projects, reviews, and access to the exclusive Treehouse online community.
The Courses, Courses Plus, and Techdegree plans all function as monthly subscriptions and cost $25, $49, and $199, respectively. The Techdegree plan comes with a final exam intended to test career readiness.
9. Shaw Academy
Best For: Students looking to build a business, career, or hobby and receive an accredited certification that’s globally recognized.
Key Features
- Well-structured, quality courses
- Features popular, niche courses
- Certificates accredited by recognized organizations
Shaw Academy provides courses on a range of subjects while ensuring the knowledge offered is updated and relevant. This means learners can gain new skills as well as refresh existing ones.
The course lecturers include professionals with practical and academic experience. This online learning platform is recognized globally and has active partnerships with institutions such as the International Council of Specialized Online Certifications and the International Accreditation Organization. These organizations have provided their guarantees concerning the quality standard of Shaw Academy courses.
The courses on this eLearning platform are organized into modules, and students are only eligible to receive a certificate upon completing four modules. In other words, if a course comprises less than four modules, you won’t receive a certificate. Shaw Academy sends its diplomas electronically but can issue a hard copy upon request.
When it comes to course categories, Shaw Academy has a wide selection that features business, technology, finance, marketing, design, photography, music, arts, and several more categories.
The interesting part is that, besides the practical, career-oriented skills, Shaw Academy courses also cover some niche topics like crystal healing and tarot. In fact, most of these unique subjects are given the same level of attention as the more conventional subjects.
For a single course, the fee will be modular. Taking the course will cost $45 for every month of lectures, and you’ll need to pay an additional $49 for the end assignment. The fee for the hard copy diploma is $59.
Alternatively, Shaw Academy offers premium memberships across three tiers with increasing benefits. The lowest-priced membership costs $22, while the other two have prices of $32 and $39. These fees are charged monthly.
10. MasterClass
Best For: Students interested in learning from thought leaders, celebrities, and industry experts.
Key Features
- Celebrity and industry expert instructors
- Outstanding video lecture quality
- Access to bonus learning materials
MasterClass has managed to stand out in the eLearning market by adopting a unique approach. The staple of this platform is that all courses are taught by renowned instructors who have reached celebrity status in their fields. For example, Serena Williams teaches tennis, Gordon Ramsey gives cooking lessons, Neil Gaiman is the writing lecturer, and Neil deGrasse Tyson instructs learners in science.
Classes on MasterClass are taught in a video format. These videos are pre-recorded and come with an abundance of additional material in the form of assignments and workbooks. Furthermore, students can also access the MasterClass community where they can exchange experiences with their peers and get valuable advice.
Video production quality can’t be overstated, and that feature alone qualifies MasterClass as one of the best online learning sites. The format of these videos will depend on the subject. Some will feature practical demonstrations, while others will be based on the lecturer’s narration. This material is only available online and isn’t downloadable. However, you can download PDF workbooks that summarize the entire class and provide hands-on assignments and additional resources.
The MasterClass community offers even more interaction. You can upload demo material, discuss course topics with other learners, and even practice some of your newly acquired skills in real-time.
Pricing for MasterClass is quite straightforward and consists of a single plan called the All-Access Pass. The price for this plan is $15 per month, and it’s charged annually. The All-Access Pass allows you to take lessons at your own pace and use all of the material provided in the course. MasterClass doesn’t feature subscriptions or free trials.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is no shortage of options if you choose to start learning online. There are options for learners of every level and each of these platforms caters to various learning goals and budgets too.
In the end, the choice of your ideal online learning site will mostly depend on your individual goals as well as your availability.
If you’d like to take a deeper dive and explore any of these platforms in-depth, full reviews are available on the Coursary blog. You can also browse the Coursary site for specific course recommendations.