These days, it’s never been easier to pick up a skill online. If you’re an influencer looking for new ways to take your Instagram photos, or an online business owner wondering how to get your site off the ground, there are dozens of platforms to help you learn these important skills.

But with so many online learning platforms, how do you decide which site to choose? 

Today, we will be taking a look at two major competitors, Skillshare and Coursera, so you can pick where to start your online classroom journey.

Skillshare Vs. Coursera – Comparison For Digital Creators 

Skillshare

What is Skillshare?

Skillshare is an online learning platform that was founded in New York in 2010.

 The site allows anyone to learn new employable skills and hobbies through educational videos, mimicking that of a real classroom. The courses are not accredited and are only available through a paid membership.

The main course topics are arts, design, entrepreneurship, lifestyle, and technology, though more courses are created every day.  

There have even been famous course leaders, such as Guy Kawasaki and Paula Scher 

How does Skillshare work?

As of 2023, there are no free plans available on the platform, so you will have to subscribe to a premium plan. There is a 30 day free trial so you can check out the platform before making a commitment. 

Skillshare has two plans you can choose from, individual or team. If you run a business and want to connect your team to these online courses, you can get a discount. Otherwise, you can subscribe to the individual package, which is $13.75 USD a month.

Once you sign up, you can begin to browse classes. As a member, you have full access to the Skillshare catalog.

Skillshare divides its courses into the following categories:

• Advertising
• Business
• Design
• Entrepreneurship
• Fashion and style
• Film and video
• Food and drink
• Gaming
• Music
• Photography
• Social media
• Technology
• Writing and publishing

Each course comes with an instructor or an entrepreneur, with teachers coming from all around the globe.

Your class will come equipped with short lessons you can go through, then a hands-on project you can work on. You can even share your project with the class to get feedback from your peers and other creatives.

There are over 30,000 courses available to you, so you’ll never run out of classes to take. 

Taking A Course

Each class may be structured differently. Some classes take only 20 minutes to complete, while others may take weeks or months, depending on the difficulty of the course and how much time you spend. 

Before you begin, you should always read the About Class so you can have an idea of what the class will entail, the project you will do, etc. This is also where you can see the instructor’s personality. Oftentimes, there will be a preview video to watch.

Below is an example of a course description. 

You can also see reviews from students who took this class before. This is where you can see if a course is at, below, or above your skill level.

Once you pick a class, you will automatically be signed up. You can see all your classes on your dashboard.

There is currently no limit to the number of classes you can be signed up for at one time. However, remember these are real teachers behind the screen who will be reviewing your work and project, so you don’t want to fall behind.

As you go through the course, you can join group discussion boards with peers from your class, as well as join workshops to communicate with other students about future projects and what you’re working on. This is a great place to network!

Become A Teacher on Skillshare

Are you already an expert in a particular skill or hobby and want to try and monetize this? You can become a teacher on Skillshare just as easily as you can become a student.

According to Skillshare, their top instructors earn $100,000 a year. However, it’s reported that most teachers make between $0.05 to $0.10 per minute watched. The more people you recruit to watch your courses, the more you will get paid. 

If you’re unsure about teaching, Skillshare offers a step-by-step guide on how to create an engaging online course for the community, including ways to improve your video setup and also how to promote your course through SEO and marketing tools.

Coursera

Coursera was founded in 2012 and today is a global platform for learning. You can earn online degrees from several leading universities and colleges, as well as take individual online courses. 

Coursera has helped over 113 million students, and over 7,000 businesses, campuses, and governments. Some of these colleges are Yale, Duke, Imperial London College, and more.

Courses are available in a range of languages and range from topics of technology and coding to personal development and arts and humanities. 

How much does Coursera cost?

There are several different Coursera plans, depending on your need and what you want to accomplish.

The free plan allows you to explore several courses, including introductory to statistics, psychology, and financial markets, all from Ivy League schools.

These courses could take you a few weeks or a few months, depending on your skill level.

Just because a class is free, doesn’t mean you can join at any time. 

Due to the nature of many of these courses being taught by real professors or universities, you have to check the date and make sure you sign-up on time and remember to keep tack of your work.

The paid plans offer multiple different packages, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Guided Projects 

The guided projects package is 9.99 USD a month and allows you access to hundreds of courses that allow you to complete a hands-on-project, such as learning to code a website or using AI for market research.

You can always view the ratings, as well as the skill level needed to take this course.

Guided projects work by allowing you to use a split screen with your instructor.

Specializations

Specialization courses will cost you $39 USD a month. These courses are if you are looking to master one specific skill, such as learning a language.

Professional and Master certificates

Professional and Master certificates are longer courses that will result in an accredited certificate you can show a university or an employer.

The professional certificates package starts at $39 USD a month, while the Master certificate starts at $2,000 USD.

If you want access to more than 7,000 courses, you can subscribe to Coursera+.  This will come with a combination of courses, certificate programs, and guided projects to choose from. 

Coursera + costs $59 USD a month. You can earn unlimited certificates, have access to more than 1,000 hands-on projects, and get certified by companies such as Google or Meta. 

You can even earn an entire Bachelor’s or Masters’s degree online from schools from around the world for a deeply discounted price, such as Master of Engineering Management from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Which online course platform will you choose?

For shorter skills that you don’t need to be certified for, Skillshare could be your best bet due to the low monthly price. However, if you are looking to change your career, earn a degree, or become certified in a specific skill, Coursera will be your best bet.

Let us know what platform you will use down below.