Eight great sites that offer online classes (2024)

If you’ve already streamed your favorite series for the third time, and you’ve hit a wall with your latest game, what should you do while you’re sheltering at home? Well, maybe pick up a new skill or hobby by taking a class.

There is a huge number of courses available online, from coding to history to languages, and a lot of different resources to choose from. Below, we’ve listed some of the major sites where you can find online classes, some you can attend in real time and others you can pop into at your leisure.

While many of these websites charge fees for memberships or specific classes, we’ve indicated which ones also offer free courses.

Eight great sites that offer online classes (1)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (2)

Code Academy offers courses on computer science, data science, and web development. You can sign up for the free plan, which gives you access to 25 courses, or you can opt for the Pro level for $19.99 a month, which comes with 65 courses as well as exercises, quizzes, and projects. Signing up for the Pro subscription also gets you access to Code Academy’s “paths,” class sequences that can help you prepare for a specific career or learn a specific skill.

Eight great sites that offer online classes (3)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (4)

Coursera is one of the most well-known platforms for online classes, and its catalog is so extensive that you could even complete a degree on the site. It hosts courses from institutions and organizations, including Google, Stanford, and, more recently, MoMA in a broad range of subjects. You can join Coursera for free, and you can audit many of the classes for free, but you will have to pay if you want a course certificate, to submit assignments, or get grades. Some courses have a one-time fee, or you can pay a monthly subscription fee to access a related set of courses, called a “Specialization.” You can also pay a yearly subscription fee for Coursera Plus, which gives you access to and allows you to earn certificates for most of Coursera’s classes. (Here’s a full list.)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (5)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (6)

edX was founded by Harvard and MIT, and it partners with other universities, including Berkeley, Brown, and Cornell, to provide courses online. The site has a broad variety of classes, including subjects that range from data sciences to the arts and humanities. Most courses are available for free, but you will typically have to pay between $50 and $300 to be able to submit assignments for feedback and to receive a certificate.

Eight great sites that offer online classes (7)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (8)

If you really want to take a Harvard course, the university lists its online courses on its website. (These listings link to edX, which is where you can take the class.) Harvard offers courses on a variety of subjects; the classes go from two to over 12 weeks. The site lets you easily filter the results to find free courses. The paid courses cost anywhere from $30 to over $3,000, and if you want a certificate to prove you’ve finished a free course, that will come with an additional fee. (The ones we looked at ranged from $49 to $169.)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (9)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (10)

Kadenze offers courses on art and technology — everything from graphic design to preparing for a career in media to learning an instrument. While some of these courses are created by Kadenze, others come from institutions such as the Maryland Institute College of Art, Berklee College of Music, Stanford, and Columbia. You can sign up for the free subscription, which allows you to enroll in the courses, but you can’t submit assignments or receive college credit. To get access to additional course content, submit assignments, and receive grades, you can sign up for the Premium plan, which costs $20 a month. In order to earn credit for the course, you’ll have to pay $300 per credit on top of that monthly subscription fee.

Eight great sites that offer online classes (11)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (12)

Khan Academy is a nonprofit designed as a resource to support students from preschool through high school, and it offers all of its courses for free. It includes courses in math, science, and engineering, as well as in the arts and humanities. It does offer some courses that may be useful for people who are no longer students, such as career advice, entrepreneurship, personal finance, and MCAT and LSAT test prep.

Eight great sites that offer online classes (13)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (14)

Like Kadenze, Skillshare offers courses mainly in the arts, with classes in animation, music, photography, and creative writing, but also offers instruction in business, technology, and marketing. Its course catalog is intended to encourage creativity and help people build creative skills into careers. Skillshare has a number of courses available for free, but to access the full catalog of courses, you have to pay for a premium membership of either $19 a month or $99 a year.

Eight great sites that offer online classes (15)

Eight great sites that offer online classes (16)

Udemy has a collection of 100,000 courses available, most of which tend to be career-focused, with subjects such as finance and accounting, office productivity, programming, and marketing. However, Udemy also offers courses on subjects such as music, lifestyle, personal development, and health and fitness. While most of Udemy’s courses have a fee associated, you can filter your results to see the courses Udemy offers for free; however, you won’t earn a certificate or be able to communicate with the instructor like you would in a paid course.

Eight great sites that offer online classes (2024)

FAQs

Which site is best for online courses? ›

  1. Udemy. Best For | Affordable classes for professional skills. ...
  2. Coursera. Best For | On-demand higher education degrees, university certificates, and credits. ...
  3. Masterclass. Best For | On-demand classes from industry experts across fields. ...
  4. edX. ...
  5. Skillshare. ...
  6. LinkedIn Learning. ...
  7. Alison. ...
  8. Udacity.
Jun 21, 2024

What is the best website for free online courses? ›

Online Platforms with Free Courses
  • edX. A pioneer of the MOOC model, edX began in 2012 with 155,000 enrollees. ...
  • Coursera. The world's largest MOOC provider, Coursera delivers programs that reach over 100 million learners worldwide. ...
  • FutureLearn. ...
  • Canvas Network. ...
  • Khan Academy. ...
  • Udacity. ...
  • Udemy. ...
  • Cognitive Class.
Jan 1, 2024

What is the best online learning platform? ›

The 13 Best Online Learning Platforms in 2024
  • Khan Academy.
  • FutureLearn.
  • Coursera.
  • 360Training.
  • MasterClass.
  • edX.
  • Mindvalley.
  • (Bonus) CareerFoundry.
Jan 25, 2024

What is the best website to study? ›

22 Best Study Websites for Students
  • Quizlet. Cost: 7 days free trial, $48 per year. ...
  • Focus To-Do. Cost: Free. ...
  • Photomath. Cost: Free. ...
  • Wolfram Alpha. Cost: Free. ...
  • Futures Channel. Cost: Free. ...
  • Howcast. Cost: Free. ...
  • MentalFloss. Cost: Free. Best Courses: Science. ...
  • Course Hero. Cost: Membership starts at $9.95. ‍Best Courses: STEM and Business.

Which online certification is most recognized? ›

Which online certification is most valued?
  • Cybersecurity Courses.
  • Data Science And Big Data.
  • Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning.
  • Digital Marketing.
  • Web Design Certificate Programs.
  • Google Analytics Certifications.
  • Coding Languages And Computer Science Online Certificate Programs.
  • Aws Certifications.

Which online class is the best? ›

7 top online course providers
  1. Alison. Alison's a free learning platform offering classes in a wide range of topics, including fields such as personal development, health, language, finance and science. ...
  2. Codecademy. ...
  3. Memrise. ...
  4. Pluralsight. ...
  5. Skillshare. ...
  6. Udacity. ...
  7. Udemy.
Dec 12, 2023

Which platform is best for online teaching? ›

10 best online teaching platforms
  1. Udemy. Udemy is a leading online education marketplace, attracting millions of learners and partnering with over 15,000 companies. ...
  2. Kajabi. Kajabi is an all-in-one platform, designed to help you monetize your knowledge. ...
  3. Coursera. ...
  4. Classplus. ...
  5. OpenLearning. ...
  6. Teachable. ...
  7. Thinkific. ...
  8. FreshLearn.
Jul 30, 2024

What is the best skill learning site? ›

Our Top Tested Picks
  • Best for Inspiration. MasterClass. ...
  • Best for Free Academic Learning. Khan Academy. ...
  • Best for Free Access to University Courses. Coursera. ...
  • Best for Quizzes and Games. Kahoot! ...
  • Best for Creatives Learning Practical Skills. ...
  • Best for Programming and Vocational Skills. ...
  • Best for Curious Minds. ...
  • Best for Business Skills.

How do I choose the best online course platform? ›

Of course, this may change as time passes, but if you want to build online courses properly, you need a platform with:
  1. AI features. ...
  2. Learning style adaptability. ...
  3. Financial management tools. ...
  4. Community building and student engagement. ...
  5. Seamless payment processing and progress tracking.

Which online course has the most value? ›

The most in-demand online courses are in fields like Data Science, AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, and Project Management. Which course is best for online work? Courses in Digital Marketing, Web Development, and Graphic Design are excellent for online work, offering flexibility and remote opportunities.

What is the most popular learning website? ›

Most Visited Education Websites
RankWebsiteCategory
1instructure.comScience and Education > Education
2scribd.comScience and Education > Education
3byjus.comScience and Education > Education
4shope.eeScience and Education > Education
46 more rows

What is the best to study online? ›

Newly added Programs
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management (Online) ...
  • The Political Economy of Terrorism. ...
  • Data Analysis in R. ...
  • PGDip/PGCert in Policy Studies (Online) ...
  • International Online Master in Sustainability and Circular Bioeconomy Management. ...
  • Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (Online)

Which is the best site for certification? ›

Best Online Certification Courses Providers 2024
  • Udemy. 3319+ Courses.
  • Edx. 1987+ Courses.
  • Coursera. 1661+ Courses.
  • Swayam. 1623+ Courses.
  • Futurelearn. 1075+ Courses.
  • Mindmajix Technologies. 678+ Courses.
  • Vskills. 540+ Courses.
  • IIT Kharagpur. 317+ Courses.

Which course is best for online work? ›

Popular certifications for freelancers:
  • Google Data Analytics.
  • Meta Front-End Developer Professional Certificate.
  • IBM Data Analyst.
  • Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate.
  • AWS Fundamentals Specialization.
  • Google Project Management.
  • Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design.

What is the difference between Udemy and Coursera? ›

- Coursera: Offers full online degree programs (e.g., master's degrees) from universities. - Udemy: Primarily focuses on individual courses and does not offer degree programs. - edX: Offers Micromasters and professional certificate programs that can count as credit toward a degree at certain universities.

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