What are the best online learning platforms? Do you want info on top free online learning platforms? I know, it can seem confusing. Terms like “online learning platforms” and “free online learning platforms” are used a lot but explain very little. That’s why we created this article. We want to help you find the best platform that fits your needs. For people who want to learn through the internet, there is so many options, but not all of them are free. Some are paid and some of these paid suites are very expensive. In this guide we will list the top online learning platforms in terms of their price.
There are many online learning platforms, and many of them are not that good. Sometimes there is a monthly fee, sometimes you need to pay for each lesson. So the best thing is get access to these online learning platforms resources and learn more about best online learning platforms.
Coursera
As one of the top providers of massive open online courses, Coursera partners with universities and organizations around the world to provide a wide range of in-depth courses, both paid and unpaid to learners across the world.
Coursera has one of the largest numbers of university partners, courses, specializations and degree programmes available.
With nearly a thousand courses free, Coursera courses include recorded video lectures by experts from top colleges and organizations. Most of these courses provide a certificate of completion at the end of the course
Udemy
Udemy is among the most popular online learning platforms and offers courses in various professional fields as well as specific skill development courses taught by expert instructors. These online courses are a combination of free and paid content.
The paid courses on Udemy range from $13 to $500, with frequent discounts and class specials, depending on the level of specialization.
Udemy adopts a concept similar to Coursera for their free courses and also allows learners on the platform to build custom courses from lessons. Experts in various fields can create and launch their courses on Udemy for learners on the platform’s massive user base.
LinkedIn Learning
Formerly popular by the name Lynda, LinkedIn Learning is one of the top online learning platforms that offer extensive courses and a tutorial library that covers topics in business, creativity and technology.
This is also another learning site that offers both free and paid content by experts. These courses range in expertise from beginner to advanced level, awarding certificates upon completion of a course. With subscriptions starting at $20 per month, LinkedIn Learning offers a free 30 days trial for new users to test the waters.
edX
edX is one of the most prominent global nonprofit online learning platforms, it was founded by Harvard and MIT. Through its collaboration with top universities and institutions around the world, edX, seeks to remove the barriers of cost, location and access, from traditional education while providing high-quality content.
Most of edX’s courses are free, however, there is a fee for getting a verified certificate upon completion of a course.
Udacity
Udacity is one of the online learnng platforms with a strong focus on technology, offering free courses in programming, data science and web development.
This platform offers online courses and credentials that teach students the skills that are currently in demand by industry employers. Udacity provides a nanodegree programme for learners who want to master a skill set or start a career in tech. These courses include real-world projects and are taught by experts who provide feedback on tasks completed.
Academic Earth
Academic Earth is another of the top online learning platforms that offers a collection of free online courses from high-ranking universities and colleges across the world.
This site allows you to find specific courses by universities or subjects on the search list. Academic Earth collection of courses are designed to suit both personal and professional needs.
Alison
Alison offers free online courses in education and skill training created by experts in various fields. The platform provides resources designed to suit the needs of students, job seekers, and other types of learners. It targets all kinds of learners, from professionals and managers to teachers and freelancers. Alison also allows you to track all your courses to observe your learning progress.
There are so many online learning platforms offering courses across various disciplines. These sites offer courses to complete a degree, earn a certificate, learn some skills to advance in a career or gain knowledge in an entirely different field. Online courses are a perfect way for people to learn at their own pace with access to endless resources.
Thinkific
Best Overall Online Course Platform (Free or $49/mo)
Thinkific is the best overall platform to sell online courses.
It’s my #1 choice because the pricing is exactly in line with other affordable options on this list and it can deliver a high-end course experience.
- Course websites can be customized and you’d never guess they were Thinkific.
- Sales pages are highly optimized and look great.
- Student dashboards look nice and are customizable (you can add videos, text, and any downloadable file type to the same page).
- You can either send your entire course at once or drip it out over time.
- Free Wistia video hosting (a huge value).
That’s honestly all that you need for an optimized course website.
In fact, even though Thinkific plans start at just $49/month, huge brands like Fiverr use Thinkific to sell online courses.
I would have never guessed that this massive learning database was a Thinkific site until their team told me:
Their best (and most popular) Pro Plan offers a one-month free trial to get started.
First, this plan gives you the ability to create unlimited courses. It also features memberships and bundles, advanced pricing options, landing pages, certificates, and marketing tools.
Here’s a little preview of the experience creating a Thinkific course.
All that you do is create and customize your course with their drag and drop editor:
Pros of Thinkific:
- Marketing automation and email features.
- Simple free plan to get started.
- Can fully edit the code of your course site.
- Customizable course certificates.
- Custom domains.
- Affiliate marketing help and reporting.
Here’s what people are saying about Thinkific:
- “You need to get on Thinkific. The team is creative, reliable, and offers unbeatable support. They always make sure all my bases are covered and, as a business owner, that’s invaluable.” – Lewis Howes
- “By teaching our audience how to scale and grow their business through online training, we’ve grown ours. We couldn’t have done it without Thinkific.” – John Lee Dumas, Entrepreneurs on Fire
- “I seriously can’t be more impressed with your customer support team. They are the perfect blend of efficient and personable. It’s like having my very own IT department.” – Kim Garnett
Thinkific Pricing:
- Basic ($49/month): Unlimited courses and students, drip (scheduled) content, custom domain, email integrations, and coupons.
- Pro ($99/month): Basic features, plus memberships and bundles, private courses, certificates, advanced HTML and CSS editing, assignments, live lessons via Zoom, and priority support.
- Premier ($499/month): Pro features, plus 50 course admins, onboarding package, and unlimited growth package (best for big teams).
Overall, I recommend the Thinkific platform as my #1 choice for course creators and entrepreneurs who are serious about creating, marketing, and selling their own course content.
Learnworlds
Best Course Creation Software for Interactive Learning ($24/month)
Learnworlds is a platform that’s best for course creators looking to interact in unique ways with their students.
Think quizzes, gamification, interactive videos, etc.
While the student experience isn’t as nice looking as a Thinkific course, it’s unique in that it offers students more interactive eLearning content.
Pros of Learnworlds:
- Interactive videos, e-books, gamification, and downloadable attachments.
- You can offer free courses.
- Can extract transcripts from your courses.
- A custom domain name and white-labeled content.
- Students can take notes and highlight important points.
- Certificates of completion.
- Custom mobile app on iOS for course.
- The ability to create coupons and discounts.
- Social media integrations.
- A new analytics platform to optimize your sales.
- The ability to create membership sites.
- A strong knowledge base.
- 24/7 support.
Pricing:
- Starter ($24/month paid annually): one admin, $5 fee per course sale, custom domain, unlimited courses, page builder tool, 4 payment gateways, coupons, and drip feed courses.
- Pro Trainer ($79/month): Starter features, plus no transaction fees, 5 admin accounts, subscriptions and memberships, custom checkout pages, live classes via Zoom and Webex, assignments, and affiliate management.
- Learning Center ($249/month): Pro Trainer features, plus a branded corporate academy, premium cloud servers, flexible invoicing, premium support, and premium account manager.
Kajabi
Best High-End Online Course Platform for Professionals ($119/month)
Kajabi is the best high-end course builder tailored toward information business, not tiny course creators.
It’s best when it comes to email marketing automation. Automation is a crucial component of pre-sale, pre-webinar, drip course, and upsell emails – and Kajabi does it best.
Their “Pipelines” feature lets you create fully-automated marketing campaigns and funnels. These are pre-built frameworks for lead generation, with pre-written copy optimized for conversions.
It also features powerful course site themes, the ability to sell digital products, a customizable checkout, and blogging functionality.
Overall, it’s the best high-end course platform with more built-in tools and features, but it costs a little more than others on the list.
Kajabi Pros:
- Best all-in-one software for a true information business.
- Wistia video hosting is excellent.
- Major focus on sales and marketing tools.
- More built-in tools than other platforms.
- Can offer monthly recurring subscriptions.
- Integrated with Stripe and PayPal.
- Big names use Kajabi, including Amy Porterfield.
Kajabi Pricing:
Kajabi pricing is mainly based on the number of courses and active members you have:
- Basic ($119/month): 1 website, 1 admin, 3 products, 3 pipelines, 10,000 contacts, and 1,000 active members.
- Growth ($119/month): 1 website, 10 admins, 15 products, 15 pipelines, 25,000 contacts, 10,000 active members.
- Pro ($319/month): 3 websites, 25 admins, 100 products, 100 pipelines, 100,000 contacts, and 20,000 active members.
Where Kajabi really excels is its marketing automation tools. You can segment users in your list, send emails at certain times based on advanced triggers, and send professionally branded messages.
If you’re an established business and want to try one of the more advanced platforms on the market, Kajabi is a solid choice.
Start your free 14-day trial of Kajabi today.
Conclusion:
There are so many online learning platforms out there. Some of them are good, but others have nothing to do with web development, mobile development or any other relevant and useful fields. That’s why it’s important to do your homework and find the right learning platform.