With their flexible nature, online learning platforms provide an opportunity for students to learn at their own pace. Also, these courses are much cheaper when you compare them to university and college fees. Other than learners, these courses benefit educators by allowing them to share their knowledge with a global audience. Read this article to find out about the best online learning platforms to gain knowledge and skills.
Top 10 Online Platforms for Learning
After acknowledging the importance of e-learning online platforms, you may want to know about the best options available. Worry not because we have identified the top online platforms that can help you gain knowledge and acquire new skills. So, go through these top online learning platforms for students and professionals to start your journey.
1. Udemy
Students and teachers can take advantage of this online platform for learning and knowledge sharing. On this platform, you can also subscribe to the Udemy Business plan to train your workforce with over twenty thousand courses for working professionals. Other than that, it has over 62 million students in 180+ countries, making it a perfect platform for teachers to reach learners globally. Plus, students can find courses belonging to different categories to boost their knowledge.
| Metrics | Udemy |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | Around 210,000 |
| Top Categories | Design, Development, Marketing, IT and Software, Business |
| Pricing Range | Approximately $10.00 to $199.99 |
| Ratings | 4.5 on G2 with 595 Reviews |
2. Coursera
With several free courses available, Coursera has become a top online learning website for students of every kind. Moreover, it gives you the option to save over 100 dollars on paid courses during your first year of learning. This advanced learning platform even allows you to get online master’s and bachelor’s degrees without physically going to college. Plus, the certification offered by this platform proves to be valuable in professional settings.
| Metrics | Coursera |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | Over 7000 |
| Top Categories | Data Analysis, IT, Business, Computer Science |
| Pricing Range | Guided Projects: Starts from $9.99, Professional Certifications: Starts from $39.99, Degree Programs: Starts from $9000 |
| Ratings | 4.5 on G2 with 348 Reviews |
3. edX
edX collaborates with over 260 international institutions to provide students with access to global knowledge. It is an award-winning online education platform recognized for its contribution to career development. Using its enterprise solutions, businesses can also upskill their employees with extensive training solutions. In addition to that, this platform provides students with online quizzes and assessments to help them learn better.
| Metrics | edX |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | 4000+ |
| Top Categories | Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Finance, Cybersecurity |
| Pricing Range | Within $50 to $300 |
| Ratings | 4.5 on G2 with 110 Reviews |
4. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is an innovative learning platform that targets young students to help them take initial steps towards success. Within this best online education platform, you will find courses for early graders, from 2nd to 8th grade. Also, students preparing for college tests can benefit from the MCAT, LSAT, and other relevant courses. This platform also allows teachers to identify gaps in students’ learning and push them toward professional victory.
| Metrics | Khan Academy |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | Over 20 Courses per Category |
| Top Categories | Test Preparation, Computing, Science |
| Pricing Range | Free of Cost |
| Ratings | 4.5 on G2 with 179 Reviews |
5. LinkedIn Learning
Using this job-hunting platform, professionals can even hone their skills to get better opportunities. You will be able to learn from industry experts about all the secrets to be successful in the relevant field. Also, this platform for online learning lets you get professional knowledge free of cost for the starting month. Other than that, you can benefit from project files and online quizzes to get practical experience.
| Metrics | LinkedIn Learning |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | 20000+ |
| Top Categories | Adobe Software, Electronics, HTML, Data Analysis, Excel |
| Pricing Range | Personal: Starts from $19.99 per month, Teams: $379.88 per year per seat |
| Ratings | 4.4 on G2 with 654 Reviews |
6. OpenLearning
OpenLearning is an AI-integrated online learning platform that allows users from worldwide to acquire knowledge and skills. With this platform, you can also create your courses with elements like activity-based learning. Learners will be able to find short courses on this online learning site to explore new subjects quickly. In addition, you can acquire new skills practically through its innovative OpenCreds framework.
| Metrics | OpenLearning |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | 300+ Public 4250+ Private |
| Top Categories | Arts and Design, Education, Health and Medicine, Engineering |
| Pricing Range | Starter: $1170 per year for 2 Educators and 100, Learners Institution Plan: $4485 per year for 10 Educators and 500 Learners |
| Ratings | 4.6 on G2 with 5 Reviews |
7. Udacity
Young professionals can utilize this e-learning online platform to develop new skills and prove their worth in work settings. While learning on this platform, you get to demonstrate your skills on their open-ended projects. After completing the project, you will receive personalized feedback from industry experts. Also, there are mentors available on this learning website who will guide you through your mistakes.
| Metrics | Udacity |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | 350+ Courses370+ Real-World projects |
| Top Categories | Cloud Computing, Programming, Data Engineering, Autonomous Systems |
| Pricing Range | Month-to-Month: $249, 4 Months: $846 |
| Ratings | 4.5 on G2 with 736 Reviews |
8. MasterClass
MasterClass is pretty different from other online platforms, as it has short-in-length video lectures. You can get access to courses that fit your needs by filling out a personalized survey when you first visit this online learning platform for students. The development team does its best to add new courses every month to provide new learning opportunities to students. In addition, students can watch the Skill Builder series introduced by this platform to hone their skills through entertainment.
| Metrics | MasterClass |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | Over 200 Courses across 11 Categories |
| Top Categories | Acting and Performing Arts, Digital Content, Music, Design and Creative Arts |
| Pricing Range | Standard: $6 per month Plus: $15 per month, Premium: $20 per month |
| Ratings | 4.3 on G2 with 13 Reviews |
9. SkillShare
Students wanting to learn creative skills to add flavor to their lives can benefit from SkillShare. With this online education platform, you can connect with thousands of creative artists, including YouTubers, Illustrators, and Graphic Designers. Plus, this platform is very different from conventional learning sites that only focus on professional learning topics. Also, there is a team plan available for businesses to train their employees for a creativity boost.
| Metrics | SkillShare |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | 35000+ Classes |
| Top Categories | Animation, Creative Writing, UI/UX Design, Music, Graphic Design |
| Pricing Range | Premium: $168 per year |
| Ratings | 4.8 on the Apple App Store |
10. FutureLearn
FutureLearn is an all-in-one online learning website for students and professionals with courses from every industry. It is affiliated with over 200 hundred world-class universities and teachers to deliver the best learning experience to students globally. Plus, students can get access to online undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to get professional education from their homes. Additionally, you will be able to gain insights into any desired field through its short courses.
| Metrics | FutureLearn |
|---|---|
| Number of Courses | Over 1400 |
| Top Categories | Healthcare and Medicine, Teaching, IT, Business Management |
| Pricing Range | Monthly Plan: $39.99 per month, Yearly Plan: $29.17 per month |
| Ratings | 4.4 on G2 with 19 Reviews |
How to Create Online Education Platforms Like Udemy?
Now, you know about the top online platforms for learning that are accessible to every student globally. If you are inspired by these platforms, you can create them using a simple strategy. For this purpose, you have to follow the step-by-step method explained below.
1. Research About the Niche of Courses
Educators excited about delivering lectures worldwide should first select the niche of courses they want to upload on their learning platform. So, they have to identify their area of expertise and research if they can find enough teachers related to this niche.
Also, you need to determine the demand of the online courses you are thinking of providing to the online students. All these factors will help you choose the perfect niche of courses for your online learning platform.
2. Select a Business Model for Your Online Platform for Learning
Once you are satisfied with your niche, you need to choose a business model to earn revenue from online courses. Educators can go for the paid certificate model if they want their students to access courses for free.
In addition, they can go for a subscription-based model to give students access to all courses at a certain price. However, starting with a paid courses model is recommended to let students only pay for the courses they want.
3. Determine All the Features of Your Learning Platform
Before starting the development process, you should also outline all the features you want to add to your online education platform. For this purpose, you need to decide what courses to insert in your most recommended section.
Also, you have to choose the type of content and UI/UX elements to be added to the courses. Finally, educators can select the payment methods and dashboard features they want to add to their site.
4. Start the Development Process and Integrate ZEGOCLOUD APIs
Upon completing the planning process, it is time to turn your ideas into practical e-learning online platforms. For this purpose, you can either start from scratch or utilize custom-made APIs to integrate several features into your website. If you are new to development, we recommend you use ZEGOCLOUD APIs to boost the functionality of your learning platform. With its video-calling SDKs, educators can add a 1-on-1 tutoring feature to their learning application.
Moreover, you get to integrate live-streaming APIs into your online learning website for teaching a large group of students. Using this API/SDK provider, you will be able to deliver real-time learning experiences to students with ultra-low latency rates. After integrating these APIs, you can work with other developers to improve the user interface of your website and deliver the best courses to your students.
5. Collaborate with Professional Educators
After creating an online platform for learning, you need to reach out to quality educators to get more study material on your website. The content of the courses matters the most, so you really have to focus on this area of the education platform creation process.
Our Development Experience of E-learning Online Platform
Recently, we helped TAL, our client from China, integrate live streaming and 1-on-1 interactive classes into their online learning platform. TAL is an educational group that works towards improving the educational system by providing innovative solutions. However, they were facing a challenge in integrating live streaming big classes and small interactive classes into their educational system. So, ZEGOCLOUD comes to the rescue with its multi-functional APIs and SDKs.
To solve their problems, we integrated our video and audio calling APIs into their educational system to help them implement a small class model. Also, with our ultra-low latency live streaming APIs, ZEGOCLOUD helped them carry out real-time live stream classes to reach students worldwide.
Conclusion
Throughout this article, we have learned about different online learning platforms to help gain knowledge and skills. Students and professionals can utilize any of these best online education platforms to excel in their careers. Moreover, we have introduced educators who are willing to create their learning platform with an advanced API/SDK provider. With ZEGOCLOUD APIs, you can deliver real-time lectures to students with video and live-streaming features.
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