Ready to level up your skills and learn something new? In the last decade, online learning has exploded in popularity. And thanks to technology, it’s now easier than ever to learn a new skill or two without having to leave the comfort of our own homes.
Websites like Udemy, which offer a variety of courses and lectures ranging from coding to crafting, have become incredibly popular as users can access learning material at any time. This online learning model provides an efficient and convenient way to pick up new skills, whether you’re looking to expand your professional expertise or simply want to try something new.
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Although Udemy is definitely a great option for curious minds, it’s far from the only online learning platform with a wide selection of classes. There are countless other Udemy alternatives out there that offer a wide range of courses and lectures to help you gain new skills or refine old ones.
About Udemy
Launched in May 2010, Udemy has become one of the leading online education platforms. If you’re not familiar, Udemy offers an immense collection of online courses in a broad spectrum of niches. From cooking to coding, makeup to marketing, you can find a course about nearly anything on Udemy.
Udemy is essentially a marketplace of online courses where eager learners can browse and purchase courses from individual course creators on the platform. Once purchased, students get full access to the curriculum of the video lessons put together by the course instructor.
Not sure which Udemy course is right for you? The best-selling Udemy courses often feature student reviews so that you can see what other students have to say! And with over 74,000 teachers teaching over 213,000 courses in over 75 languages, there’s always a new and exciting subject to explore.
Best Udemy Alternatives
If you fancy Udemy alternatives or websites like to Udemy, read on. We’ve rounded up some awesome websites similar to Udemy where you can find interesting and stimulating classes – so grab your laptop and let’s explore.
Table of Contents
Here’s a list of awesome Udemy alternatives that can help you sharpen your abilities from anywhere — no homework required (well maybe a bit)!
1. Skillshare
Skillshare is a popular Udemy alternative that offers an extensive selection of educational video lectures, covering topics ranging from photography and business to art and design. With over 74,000 teachers teaching more than 213,000 courses in over 75 different languages, there is always something new to explore on Skillshare.
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Skillshare allows users to access the entire catalog of courses rather than browsing through individual course listings. The platform also encourages learners to share their skills and knowledge with others, making it great for instructors and students alike.
Cost: Monthly subscription starting at $13.75 per month.
2. MasterClass
Think of Masterclass as the Netflix among learning websites like Udemy. If you’re looking for an online learning platform that offers a huge selection of individual classes taught by some of the world’s most famous and talented experts, look no further than MasterClass.
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MasterClass boasts over 65 courses ranging from political science to sports science, graphic design to writing poetry – and everything in between. Boasting the likes of pros like Naomi Campbell teaching modeling basics and John Legend teaching songwriting, Masterclass is the leaner who values quality over quantity — their videos are beautifully produced and the content is top-notch.
Cost: $180 for annual access to all courses.
3. LearningWithExperts
UK-based LearningWithExperts provides courses from vetted experts in various fields. This learning platform, similar to Udemy, offers courses in various different categories, including floristry, design, cooking, jewelry, and well-being.
What makes LearningWithExperts cool is using the platform tools you can collaborate and interact with your classmates. Additionally, you can test and practice what you learn with inspiring assignments.
Cost: Depends on the course. Courses start around $150 per course.
4. CreativeLive
CreativeLive touts itself as one of the best places for creative people to continue learning. CreativeLive is a Udemy alternative that offers classes on topics like photography, music, design, and how to make money as a creative person. CreativeLive also stands apart by offering courses from some big names like Daymond John of Shark Tank and Virgin Airlines CEO Richard Branson.
Don’t have time to sit through hours’ worth of content? CreativeLive offers exclusive access to “Fast Class” — access to their best course content, condensed to around 1 hour each.
Cost: A subscription to the site starts around at $13 per month.
5. The Great Courses
Partnered with the likes of National Geographic, The Culinary Institute of America, and The History Channel, The Great Courses is a fantastic Udemy alternative if you’re looking for in-depth learning on a wide range of topics.
The Great Courses is less focused on upskilling or earning certifications and more on education and improvement for its own sake. Even with the “world’s greatest professors” teaching its courses, every Great Course goes on sale at least once a year at up to 70% off its retail price.
Cost: Courses start at $9.95 and go up to around $84.95.
6. EdX
Harvard and MIT are among the top universities that make up EdX, a platform with courses taught by professors at some of the world’s best schools. EdX offers online college courses in various subjects to students worldwide.
Students can improve their careers by taking courses and getting certificates from EdX. Students take a self-paced course that worldwide universities with good reputations put together. edX offers more than 2,800 courses in “pathways,” including intensive boot camps, certificates, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Cost: Depends on the program. Courses range from free to $750+
7. Coursera
Coursera is the place to go if you’re seeking a knowledge boost for free. Yup, you read that right! In addition to Coursera’s premeuiem paid courses, this site also currently offer almost 2,600 free courses and certifications on topics like computer science and IT, language learning, and the humanities without charge.
Coursera is partnered with colleges and universities to offer bonafide degrees in addition to shorter certifications and courses — making Coursera a great resource to get some valuable certifications that help you ‘upskill’.
Cost: Thousands of free courses. Coursera Plus is $399 a year.
8. FutureLearn
Expand your knowledge and skillset today with one of FurtureLearns many exciting courses. FutureLearn has something for everyone, from two-week crash courses to ten-week deep dives into a diverse range of subjects.
FutureLearn offers upskilling courses backed by universities and employers in the course fields. Members get unlimited access to courses in four main frameworks: bite-sized learning, upskilling, certifications, and online degrees. The classes are led by industry and academic experts, focusing on social learning and resume-boosting skills.
Cost: Starts at $28 a month.
9. Lynda
LinkedIn Learning with Lynda is a career-focused learning website like Udemy focusing on business, creative, technology, and career certifications. Lynda offers an easy-to-use platform that allows you to learn at your own pace and on your own time.
Whether you’re looking for a certificate or a short course, Lynda is one of the best online learning sites like Udemy around. With your subscription, you gain access to the full library of courses, which are all available on your desktop or mobile device.
Cost: Pay per course or be a LinkedIn premium member (about $19.99 monthly).
10. Google Digital Garage
Google Digital Garage is a nonprofit program designed to help people improve their digital skills. This free Udemy alternative focuses on teaching you digital skills that are seen as crucial in today’s job market including courses on digital marketing, social media, business management, and more.
Want something to show for your newfound skills? Google grants certification upon completion of the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing course (taught by University and Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe).
Cost: Free!
11. Alison
Alison provides free courses that end in you earning a certificate or even a diploma. The site offers 4,000 courses in a wider variety of topics than Google Digital Garage, which includes IT, personal development, and teaching & academics.
Alison, which was started in Ireland to provide free education, partners with industry leaders like Google and Microsoft, as well as prominent universities, to provide the courses.
Cost: Free options. Pay per course options.
12. Pluralsight
Pluralsight is a tech-focused company that offers courses crafted around different kinds of software, apps, and other things that businesses use and their employees need to know about. There are some 7,000 courses available on their premium plan, while their standard plan gives you access to about half of those.
Pluralsight has courses for beginners and experts, but unlike Udemy, the site focuses on technology education. Additionally, this online learning website like Udemy also have software management and professional services as a part of their offerings.
Cost: Standard access ($29 a month) or premium ($45 a month). If your business is trying to upskill the whole team, they offer prorated charges for multiple memberships.
13. Code Academy
Code Academy is an excellent resource for people who want to learn to code for free. The site says most of its users don’t know how to code at all before signing up! There are courses on many different coding languages, and users can even complete projects using the skills they learn from the courses.
They offer an always-free plan that provides access to free courses, community support, and learning resources. Their paid plans have more benefits, like unlimited access to practice on the mobile app, customer support, and courses that can lead to a career.
Cost: Paid plans cost between $18 and $25 a month.
14. Udacity
Udacity is a tech-focused Udemy alternative that promises to teach you the skills for a $100k tech career in 3 months. Its niche is on upskilling in technology career paths. Udacity provides learning for eight main topics, including data science, AI, and cloud computing.
Udacity’s primary differenciating factor is its ‘nanodegree’ programs. A Nanodegree is three to four courses students take at their pace. Nanodegree programs are for learners of all levels, from beginners to experts. For advanced courses, you must already be pretty familiar with the topic.
Cost: ‘Nanodegree’ programs, cost $399 a month.
15. Brilliant
Brilliant provides hands-on math and science lessons for learners of all ages. It starts with foundational math and logic courses and applies them to topics like engineering, statistics, and science.
Cost: Membership costs $24.99 monthly or about $160 if you pay for an entire year upfront.
16. Khan Academy
Many grade schools implement it as part of their lesson plan for eLearning days, but people of all ages can use it. Khan Academy is a non-profit organization that aims to provide a world-class education to anyone free of charge.
Khan Academy has practice problems, videos that explain how to do things, and a personalized learning dashboard that lets students learn at their own pace in and out of the classroom.
Cost: 100% free.
17. Audible
Audible is one of the most prominent places online for listening to audiobooks and podcasts. This alternative to Udemy provides a great way to learn something new without having to read or watch a video.
Audible has an extensive selection of genres and topics, from self-help and business to science fiction and fantasy. On top of that, Audible offers access to the bestsellers on everyone’s to-read list, often narrated by the author or well-known personalities.
Cost: 30-day free trial, then $7 to $14 monthly fee based on how many titles you want to listen to per month.
18. Blinkist
Blinkist is kind of like CliffsNotes or SparkNotes for people who would rather listen than read. When you sign up, the site prompts you to set a goal, with statements like “I want to be a thought leader” or “I want to grow in my career.”
Additionally, you’re asked questions about your interests to narrow down suggested titles from their catalog of 5,500 books in 27 different categories.
Cost: Get one week free, and then pay about $9 a month for unlimited access to their abridged versions of nonfiction books and podcasts.
19. Listenable
Like Blinkist, Listenable offers bite-sized courses on improvement in many regions, from relationships to language learning. They curate the lessons into themes – for example, “Mastering Your Conversations” is 1 hour and 10 minutes long, but it’s ten lessons total.
Cost: The site has a weeklong free trial, then charges $7.50 a month.
20. Mindvalley
Mindvalley invites you to “level up your life” with a similar human development focus to Blinkist. The site touts some 17,000 success stories and case studies of members improving their minds and their circumstances with the lessons taught through video seminars.
Mindvalley focuses on lessons from prominent speakers, philosophers, and thought leaders on buzzy topics like conscious uncoupling. There are some free lessons, but most are behind a paywall. Mindvalley offers two membership plans.
Cost: The annual subscription costs $499 per year (or $41.60 per month), and the monthly subscription costs $99.
Udemy Alternatives — Takeaway
If you’re looking to learn something new, there are many great resources and websites like Udemy to help you do so. Whether you’re interested in math and science, careers, or personal development, there are many Udemy alternatives available to suit your needs. So don’t be shy, explore these sites and start learning today!
