Skillshare vs Udemy: Are Professional Courses Simply Better?

Skillshare vs Udemy—it’s the ultimate online education platform showdown. These two course platforms are often thought of to be the same, or in direct competition with one another, and there’s some truth to that.

These are user-generated courses, and while they do come with certifications and knowledgeable instructors, there are some striking similarities and stark differences that really set them apart.

What skill do you want to learn? Because they both have massive catalogs of different skills, and dozens—if not, hundreds—of different courses for each skill they offer. The sheer amount of options can be overwhelming, which is why 

Skillshare and Udemy Compared

Skillshare and Udemy are often paired against one another as mortal internet enemies, but is that really true, or do they fill different needs?

We’re going to compare pricing, features, benefits, drawbacks, and the whole nine yards right now.

What is Skillshare?

Skillshare is an online learning platform and community centered around a subscription-based pricing system.

With Skillshare, you can learn hobbyist skills in the creative field, or find new technical skills that you’ve only ever dreamed of learning, and enter a low-priced subscription model to start learning from 20,000+ courses immediately.

Illustration, design, marketing, and more await you through video learning, interactive modules, and a community that’s excited to learn.

What is Udemy?

Udemy is one of the oldest online learning platforms available on the internet. With over 130,000 online courses, they offer training from hobbyist skills like playing piano or learning to sew, all the way to technical Javascript coding and digital marketing. You can develop marketable skills or hone a craft on here.

At its core, Udemy is focused on user-generated content. Anyone can make a course on Udemy, and while that has its pros and cons, it brings diversity that you don’t see in many other structured environments in the online education space. Udemy is here to help you achieve your goals through modular learning exercises, video content, downloadable content, and so much more.

What Courses do They Offer?

Both platforms are variety sites, meaning you’ll be able to learn creative and technical skills.

All courses include video content, but some may include written content, downloadable PDFs, interactive modules, and other ways to learn depending on the skill. With Udemy and Skillshare, you can find illustration classes, Microsoft Office classes, learn photography, coding, and just about anything you can think of.

The only difference between the two platforms is the number of courses they offer, which has a wide gap.

Who Teaches the Courses?

On both platforms, course creators make the platforms and teach them. This gives them an intimate inside-and-out knowledge of how everything works, but beyond that, it also gives them the opportunity to teach you from experience and not just from a script.

With Udemy, there’s a lot of variety. Anyone can sign up, sell a course, and begin teaching people today. Skillshare is a smaller platform, but they still boast good diversity, albeit with tighter restrictions on what courses are and aren’t allowed.

In any instance, you’re still learning from entrepreneurs—people who make courses for the sake of earning a living. This isn’t a bad thing, though; you’re basically being taught by a competitive group of individuals who want to beat one another and make a sale, so they’re constantly battling and improving their courses.

You get the best deals, so no matter what, they’re all competing for your attention. Feels good to be on top, doesn’t it?

Pricing

While both of these platforms offer tons of courses and information, they are priced entirely differently. Find out how each pricing model works and what applies to your current educational needs.

Skillshare