Skillshare vs. Udemy – The Most Eye-Opening Comparison 2022

Today, I’m sharing my Skillshare vs. Udemy comparison to help you choose the right online learning platform.

Is Skillshare better than Udemy? Is Udemy the industry leader when it comes to learning and implementing new skills? These and more are the questions I’ll answer in this guide. 

Are you ready to learn a new skill to improve your life and business? Let’s dive right in. 

1. Skillshare vs. Udemy At A Glance

Both online learning platforms help you explore your creativity and learn a new skill in the comfort of your home. 

Skillshare is an awesome learning portal with thousands of different types of courses. There are both video and audio classes: Skillshare has 22,000+ courses while Udemy boasts 130,000+ courses from expert instructors. The goal is to help you explore new skills, deepen your passions, and get enveloped in creativity. A quick glance:

4.8	4.5
Best Overall. 2000+ free and premium courses. Workshops and scholarships. Try for free.	Best for beginners. Free courses and completion certificates. Email campaigns. Starts at $99/year.
Try Skillshare	Try Udemy

What makes Skillshare better than Udemy? Which online learning platform will help you hone your creativity and passion? I did some research and analysis and here’s what I discovered:

Skillshare is the best online learning platform for intermediates and advanced learners who want premium courses and leading experts, while Udemy is ideal for beginners who want to have access to on-demand courses from expert instructors. Skillshare’s Team plan costs $99/user/year, while Udemy’s “Team” plan costs $360/user/year.

2. Who Is Skillshare Best For?

Skillshare is recommended for individuals, professionals, and teams who want to explore their career paths and learn new skills from leading experts in the industry. 

3. Who Is Udemy Best For?

Udemy is the world’s largest collection of courses. It’s best suited for beginners who want to expand their careers by learning a new skill. It’s also a great online learning platform for teams and businesses that want to upgrade their knowledge in order to compete favorably in emerging business environments.

4. A Close Look At The Features Of Skillshare and Udemy

If you want to make smart decisions on the most useful online learning website to use, we’ll take a closer look at the features of Skillshare and Udemy side by side. A quick summary of the key features:

Features
Offer free courses
Lifetime access to purchased courses
Provides course completion certificates
Has university accredited courses
Offers premium courses for teams
Allows learning at own pace
Allows any leading expert to teach and earn extra income
Get started	Try Skillshare	Try Udemy

5. Key Features Of Skillshare

Is Skillshare the best online learning platform for you and your team? In this Skillshare review, I will present 5 key features of the platform to help you make well-informed decisions.

#1 Free Online Classes 

To begin your learning adventure, Skillshare lets you browse and learn from 2000+ free online classes for creative and determined people.

The major topics you might want to consider include Graphic design, Illustration, Photography, Marketing, and more.

Whether you’re just getting started or you’re a pro, it’s easy to tap into the rich deposits of free and insightful courses on Skillshare. 

These free creative courses are taught by leading experts and working professionals (such as Rand Fishkin, Parker Gard, Brian Peters, Pat Flynn — and the tutorials are broken down into short lessons for your benefit.

#2 Skillshare Workshops, Projects, and Groups

Skillshare has redefined learning as we know it. It now offers Workshops, Projects, and Group collaborative classes to students worldwide.

Skillshare workshops consist of curated classes (usually 2 – 3) on the same subject, which also complement each other. 

These curated classes must be designed to work in sequence. Students can enroll in these workshops — which can typically last 3 – 4 weeks. 

They can receive dedicated marketing training, and a community manager will be responsible for posting regular updates and engaging with the students.

The goal is to ensure they’re on track with deadlines. 

Students looking for a more intensive and immersive learning experience can benefit from Workshops. It also gives students access to teachers and better feedback.

#3 Skillshare Originals

With over 8,000 instructors and 12 million registered members globally, Skillshare is taking the online learning industry by storm with its Originals.

After raising $66M this year, Skillshare has shown a renewed focus on creative skills and delivering the best online learning experiences.

Although Skillshare started out as a user-taught e-learning platform, it’s now delivering Skillshare Originals.

Some of the outstanding Original classes include a “Color Masterclass taught by Victo Ngai,” “Discovering your creative voice taught by Shantell Martin,” and so on.

These “Originals” classes will also receive a particular badge to differentiate from courses that are not produced in-house (e.g., by the instructors)

Skillshare hasn’t given up on producing in-house classes, despite the current economic downturns. 

It continues to produce Originals by sending instructors “a huge box of gear” and then taking the responsibility to supervise the shoot remotely. 

You’ll often notice that an “Original” Skillshare class will be promoted to the top of the page in each category. That’s massive awareness right there.

Skillshare Workshops bring interactivity and real-time learning experience to students. It’s better than the lesson-based classes offered by Udemy. I love the fact that students can ask questions, leave comments, and the instructor will respond in real-time.

Burkhard Berger

#4 Skillshare Scholarships

Skillshare is arguably the only online learning platform that seeks to unlock creativity around the world — by giving students the opportunity to get scholarships to take their learning adventures even further.

The Skillshare scholarships work in 3 steps:

• Apply for a scholarship: You need to be eligible to apply for a scholarship. Take a look:

• Enjoy your Premium scholarship: Once you get the scholarship, it gives you unlimited access to all classes, offline viewing, and several supporting privileges for teachers.
• Become a Benefactor: Step out and inspire others to be creative and embrace a learning culture. You can easily fund scholarships to give others access to all of the benefits.

Here are some of the scholarship opportunities available right now:

Most students are eligible for the Skillshare Scholarship program. This feature isn’t available on Udemy — and it’s something to recognize and applaud. 

#5 Teach on Skillshare and Earn Money

There’s a fulfillment that comes when you help others along their creative journey. The rewards go beyond being applauded, you also get to make some money.

Yes, by teaching on Skillshare, your chances of growing your online following are huge. You can create a community, engage students, give back what you already know by way of teaching, and earn money. 

Image source

The top-earning teachers on Skillshare earn $100,000+ per year. 

How Teaching Works On Skillshare:

• Create your first class: Record your video classes and use the easy class upload tool to publish them on Skillshare. 
• Grow your following: Skillshare has millions of users to tap into and build your community.
• Start earning: You’ll be paid each month for each new member who takes your classes, for life.

If you’re eager to share your expertise, if you’re an experienced creative with unique tips and advice, and you have great teaching and demonstrative skills, you can become a teacher today.

Skillshare offers an extensive suite of resources and reliable support to help you create classes that educate, inform, and inspire people.

6. Key Features Of Udemy

Why is Udemy trusted as one of the leading online learning platforms? We’ll take a closer look at the 6 key features, so you can decide whether or not Udemy is worth your time and investment.

#1 Free courses

Here’s why Udemy stands tall among other learning platforms and has become a delight for beginners:

It offers 2,000+ Free courses.

Yes, Udemy has the largest learning resource for those who want free courses. If you’re new to online learning, you might not want to pay $9.99/month yet.

You’ll benefit from Udemy’s free courses. If you want to learn Python programming, for example, there are premium courses that cost $129.9 for complete access, however, Udemy lets you begin with the free Python classes taught by seasoned Python programmers. 

When you’re ready to learn more advanced lessons, then you can invest in one of the premium courses. 

#2 Certificate of Completion

Aside from having the largest pool of 130,000+ courses offered by leading instructors, Udemy also awards certificates upon the completion of any course. 

The instructor can send this certificate to the graduating students after that, the students must have updated their names and the preferred language they want.

Students who sign up for an Udemy course will receive certificates of completion for the majority of the paid courses. Bear in mind, though, that these certificates lack independent verification of subject mastery. 

This also means that the credibility and value of a certificate from Udemy may be questioned, especially by businesses and teams outside of the online learning spaces, as well as professionals who don’t know about Udemy. 

Note: Some Udemy courses have received approvals for professional continuing education credits. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of every student to verify the status of such credits before investing time and money into any course on the platform.

#3 Teach on Udemy

Udemy isn’t just for teaching and inspiring students and businesses. It’s also for making extra income each time a student enrolls in your premium course. As an instructor, Udemy pays you via PayPal or Payoneer.

Udemy is the go-to platform for both students who want to learn new skills and instructors (teachers) who want to earn an income from their passion and teachings. 

Are you confident in teaching a particular course or subject? If yes, then Udemy can help you create, publish, and make money from your courses.

To succeed at Udemy as an instructor, you need to create a series of useful and interesting videos that provide step-by-step instruction on a particular subject/topic(s). Here are the top categories on Udemy:

If you haven’t created an online course before, don’t worry. Because Udemy has a collection of articles, videos, and examples on how you can get started. 

Udemy also offers 24/7 support via email. More importantly, Instructors can easily sign up and create a course on Udemy for free. No registration fee or setup fee is required. 

If you need extra income, become a Teacher and an Instructor today on Udemy. You can create video courses and make them available to students all over the world and get a revenue split from student enrollments. Skillshare also offers this opportunity, but Udemy does it better.

Burkhard Berger

#4 Email Campaigns and Search & Discovery Feature

Udemy is designed to be easy and fun to use. This makes it a great online course creation platform for instructors and an amazing learning portal for students. 

The email capability is one of the features that set Udemy apart from Skillshare. Because students receive email campaigns based on how they behaved on the platform and the courses they’re enrolled in. 

So their past purchases and interactions are tracked to help facilitate email marketing campaigns. Udemy is great for discovering relevant courses that will impact the student’s career.

#5 Easy Revenue Sharing and Creator Pricing Control

As an Instructor on Udemy, you will gain access to features and tools to maximize your income. For example, an instructor can get paid in multiple ways (after setting a retail course price).

The instructor receives 100% of the tuition fee from sales to new students. But when an existing student buys another course, they earn 50% of the tuition fee. Instructors are paid via PayPal or Payoneer.

There’s another feature that’s designed for Udemy Instructors:

The Pricing Control. 

When the Pricing Control feature is activated, it lets Course creators/Instructors to determine what the market price for their courses will be. 

In general, $10 – $30/hour is the standard recommendation from Udemy for most standard courses, while a 4-hour course would be priced anywhere between $40 and $120.

#6 Lifetime Access to Courses

When students enroll in a course on Udemy, they can choose to take the course right away or come back later. It’s become their learning resource — and they have lifetime access to the course or courses.

This lifetime access to courses is applied to both new and existing students. Even for the free courses that students enrolled in, they also have lifetime access to them. Simply archive your courses on Udemy to make them easier to find later.

Students can access their Udemy courses regardless of what device (desktop or mobile phone) they’re browsing with, or their geographical location.

They can access the same course from their Learning center. Interestingly, students can learn at their own pace, while on the go, when they download and install Udemy mobile app. 

At Udemy, the courses are not deleted outright by the instructors or Udemy’s management team. If a course you purchased requires an upgrade, you’ll be notified via email as to what you should do. 

7. Skillshare vs. Udemy – Pros And Cons

Here, we’ll summarize the pros and cons of Skillshare to help you decide if it’s your preferred online learning platform.

Skillshare:

Pros	Cons
It offers a 30-day free trial (access to all premium and free courses. So you can learn a skill without paying for the first month)	Most of the Courses are designed for advanced learners in their fields (not for beginners)
Skillshare is cheap (pricing starts at $8.25 – $12)	The Course filter feature often serves the wrong courses
Get accredited degrees from Universities when you complete a course	The instructors are not vetted to proof their expertise
Download course material and learn offline, at your own pace	No certificate of completion is awarded to graduating students
Courses are taught by leading experts and academics in their chosen fields
Flexible timetables to match your schedule
Skillshare is great for interactive courses (a better way to learn a new skill)
Access to Audio classes so you can listen and learn at will

Here’s a list of the pros and cons of Udemy to help you decide if it’s the ideal online learning platform for you: 

Udemy:

Pros	Cons
Udemy is quite affordable (courses range from $11.99 – $99)	The certificate of completion isn’t accredited by any University or company
Gain access to 6,700+ free courses to learn new skills and improve your career	With few exceptions, the majority of Udemy courses are not suitable for advanced learners but for beginners with little or no experience in a particular field.
Gain lifetime access to every paid or free course you’ve purchased or taken
Receive a certificate of completion after taking each course

8. Where Do I Get The Most For My Money?

What are the pricing structures like for Skillshare and Udemy? Let’s find out.

Skillshare Pricing Plans

Skillshare has a rather complex subscription model. There are two versions of Skillshare:

• Skillshare Basic ($0.00): This plan is free, and lets you access 2,000+ free classes with videos and tutorials. You also get access to the community, where you can create projects, engage in discussions, and interact with other students. 

While the Skillshare Basic gives a ton of features, there’s a limitation. It doesn’t give unlimited access to all 30,000+ online courses, and you can’t download and save classes to your mobile device for offline access.

• Skillshare Premium ($15/month): As a premium monthly subscription user, Skillshare offers a lot of features such as The good news is that if you choose to pay for a yearly membership, the cost drops to $8.25/month or $99/year.

However, if you opt to pay for an annual subscription, the cost drops to just $8.25 per month… or $99.00 per year (billed once annually).  

Scholarship contribution, special perks for users who have the annual premium membership, teacher support, no advertisement, unlimited access to all 30,000+ online courses, download and save classes to your tablet and mobile device for offline participation, etc.

Skillshare Team Plans

Skillshare has plans for teams and businesses, no matter their size, shape, and growth stage.

There are 2 distinct Team Plans: 

• Starter ($99/user/billed annually): This starter plan is for teams of 5-49 persons. It gives your team unlimited access to 22,000+ classes, collaborations via (workshops, projects, groups), admin functionality and user management, mobile, casting, and offline capabilities.

• Enterprise: A team of 20+ members can benefit from this Enterprise plan. You need to speak to the Skillshare sales team to get a price estimate. It comes with all of the features of the Starter plan, plus Integrations and API, Curated Learning Paths, Engagement and analytic reports, a Dedicated customer success manager, etc.

Note: Both The Starter and Enterprise Plans give you unlimited access to 22,000+ on-demand classes, unlimited access to Skillshare Originals, Class Lists by topic/skill, Digital workshops, Teacher and peer feedback, and more.

Udemy Pricing Plans

On the surface, it’s a bit daunting to understand Udemy’s pricing structure. In general, most of the courses cost anywhere between $11.99-$99 for individuals who want to learn a new skill or upgrade their academic prowess.

Udemy for Business

Udemy for Business caters to organizations with diverse learning needs, regardless of the size or model.

There are two Business plans:

• Team ($360/user/paid annually): This is best for a team of 5 – 20 people. This “Team” plan gives your team access to 5,000+ premium courses, branded learning dashboard and URL, casting capabilities, and offline learning capability via the Android app. It also comes with a 14-day free trial.

• Enterprise: The “Enterprise” plan is ideal for 21+ team members. It gives them access to 5,000+ top-rated courses, the ability to create and share customized learning paths, design custom categories, and access to native courses in French, German, Spanish, etc., in addition to other features included in the “Team” package. You need to contact sales for custom pricing.

9. Conclusion – Which Is Better: Skillshare Or Udemy?

Did you enjoy this Skillshare vs. Udemy comparison?

Truly, Skillshare can be seen as the “Netflix” for online courses. It’s great for businesses, students, and entrepreneurs. It delivers some of the most interactive and hands-on learning experiences. I used it to learn video editing, it was amazing!

Students gain instant access to more than 22,000 premium and free classes to improve their career, business, and skill. 

You can follow along by sharing your project in the class, collaborating, and getting feedback from Skillshare’s vibrant community. 

Yes, Udemy truly has the largest collection of courses and online classes. It’s free and best suited for beginners who want lesson-based courses. 

In this battle of Udemy vs Skillshare, Skillshare is a better online course platform because the courses and classes are interactive and easier to understand and master in a short while.

10. Skillshare vs. Udemy – FAQ

Both Skillshare and Udemy offer a ton of online courses and classes to improve your learning experiences. Given the popularity of these platforms, many aspiring course creators are asking a ton of questions. 

Here are 4 of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs):

Question #1 Is Skillshare worth it?

Yes, Skillshare is totally worth your time and investment. You gain unlimited access to high-quality courses that will teach you new skills in real-time. Skillshare classes are taught by instructors in their chosen fields, whether that’s social media marketing, web development, personal development courses, and many more. You will see leading experts such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Mary Carr, Jessica Hische, Aaron Draplin, etc.  

Question #2 Is Skillshare accredited

No, Skillshare courses have no accreditation from any University or Organization. However, the courses are interactive and will transform your online learning experience. You’ll become better at your field in a short while.

Question #3 Are Udemy courses really worth the money?

Udemy offers a great learning experience for beginners. A variety of courses are taught by industry-recognized instructors, business leaders, professionals, and experts. The courses are worth it, although they’re not accredited by Universities or companies. 

Question #4 Are there free courses on Udemy?

Yes, Udemy offers 2,000+ free courses that are taught by leading professionals and industry experts. You can take these courses at your own pace — especially for individuals. Business teams are required to upgrade to the Business plans to access the premium courses.