The digital lifestyle has changed many traditional habits. The concept of traditional education has changed also as we are stepping into a dreamland of online education.
It also allows you to learn from anywhere in the world and at your own pace. Every student learns differently. Traditional education forces students to adopt the pace of the classroom or be left behind. But online classes provide a more enjoyable experience and flexible study schedule.
We realized the importance of online learning and thanks to the global pandemic situation. The online learning industry has seen a decade of development and now you can do online degrees, diplomas, and various certification courses from home.
Many websites are providing online courses. But we have done extensive research and come with a crafted list of websites for online courses.
So let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Top 15 Websites for Online Courses
1. Coursera
Coursera is a popular online educational platform that offers massive open online courses (MOOCs) on a wide variety of topics. The goal of Coursera is to offer the best quality education to practically everyone.
This platform partners with over 150 leading universities and colleges around the world. Coursera is a home of more than 2,500 courses, hundreds of specializations, short courses, academic degrees, and much more offered to its 40 million learners (and counting).
The course catalog includes courses in arts and humanities, data science, business, IT, languages, machine learning, personal development, and more. All the courses are 100% online and you can complete them at your own pace. Once you purchase a course all the learning materials and resources are accessible.
There are hundreds of free courses available in Coursera. You can just enroll and start learning. However, thousands of paid courses are available and payment is required to access them. Coursera course prices are wallet-friendly and the degree programs are affordable than on campus-based degrees.
2. Alison
Alison is the global leader in online learning. Currently, this eLearning platform empowers over 21 million learners worldwide. It has a diverse catalog of courses that help you to build skills.
If you are looking for an affordable online learning marketplace that is partnered with the world’s top university or organization, then Alison is right for you. All the courses are divided into nine separate subject categories and hundreds of sub-categories. Alison has over 3500 courses in every subject you can think of.
Alison offers a flexible and convenient online learning environment. You don’t have to worry about completing a course by a fixed deadline. Join courses having excellent content quality and boosting your skills. If you are researching a subject and want to grab some knowledge here then enroll for a course now.
Many courses are available on Alison offer certificates. When you complete a course, a free digital certificate will be available for download. You can use the Alison website, Android, or iOS app to join a course. Alison offers free courses for learners around the world. There is also a premium membership that provides access to a few more resources and services.
3. edX
edX is a unique online learning platform and provides quality education to millions of learners. If you are interested in university-level online courses, then edX is best for you. Currently, this educational website offers distance learning to 30 million + students.
edX courses are made by top experts in their field from world-class universities and organizations. It has many high-quality university courses from top universities like Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, Boston, Texas, Yale, London, HEC Paris, Queensland, etc. edX has partnered with more than 160 universities around the globe.
When it comes to course portfolios, edX will surprise you. edX offers quality online courses in 3000+ subjects. There are over 100 different MicroBachelor’s programs and MicroMasters programs to choose from. The company aims to become the world’s leading MOOC – (Massive Open Online Courses) providing sites.
Most of the courses available in edX are paid. Many students claim that edX is putting huge price tags on their courses. The company offers university-level online courses, so the prices do make sense. You would receive a certificate after completion.
4. Udemy
Udemy is a very famous online learning website that offers tons of courses. The company was started in 2010 and more than 35 million students enrolled in various courses. There are more than 180K video courses to choose from.
The user interface of Udemy is incredibly easy and flexible. All the courses include short videos, eBooks, interactive learning exercises, and more. New courses are added every month and make the library big. This website does not have many big-name instructors or university professors. But many Udemy course creators are university students or professionals who are experts in their field.
Udemy has excellent on-site filtering tools. This feature helps you to find a perfect course in just a couple of clicks. You can refine the courses shown by price, skills, job title, video duration, level, language, type, and features. You can see the instructor’s presentation style in the preview videos. Unlike other online educational websites, Udemy also offers courses in 65 languages besides English.
Course price is very affordable and many free ones available also. Udemy does not price the courses listed on the platform but instead leaves those decisions up to the instructor. So you can see a bit of price variation between classes.
5. Udacity
Udacity is another best website for online courses that offer classes for students of any skill level. It offers massive open online courses (MOOCs) and micro-credential programs (Nanodegrees).
The course registration process in Udacity is really straightforward. All the programs were essentially designed to educate students and fill a gap in the job market. Courses in this platform contain video lectures, quizzes, exams, etc.
This platform has partnerships with many well-known tech companies including Google, Amazon, and Facebook. So tech-related courses are very popular on Udacity. This is a recommended website for nano degrees and anyone interested in upskilling.
Udacity offers many free courses. But it doesn’t provide a certificate. Nanodegrees are paid and you can get a discount on upfront payment. You don’t have to wait until a new batch start. Sign up anytime and join a class.
6. Skillshare
Skillshare is a new online learning website providing affordable courses. The company was started in 2010 and now serves more than 5 million users. It is one of the best eLearning websites for working professionals, freelancers, small businesses, etc.
This study platform is completely dependent on the course creators. So the teaching style and course quality vary. But you can find plenty of courses having great content quality. After guying a course Skillshare provides instant access. You can complete them at your own pace.
You can access courses from your computer/ laptop or through the Skillshare app. Use the filters to narrow your searches down and find the right course for you. You would get hundreds of groups inside the platform to connect with like-minded people.
Skillshare offers more than 35K courses in a variety of subjects. There is a free version available with limited courses. The Premium Membership of Skillshare costs $19 per month or $99 a year. You can join the seven-day free trial for Premium Memberships or Team Membership.
7. Khanacademy
Khanacademy is a world-famous nonprofit educational website. It was started in 2006 by Salman Khan with the aim to provide world-class education to everyone. The website layout is very straight forward and you can navigate it easily.
This platform has been providing quality content although it is free. You will have full access to personalized dashboards, instructional videos, study materials, various exercises, and so on. You can enroll in a course and get instant access.
Many courses are designed based on the traditional American K-12 curriculum. You can also find some skill development and placement-oriented courses. Get courses and lectures on a variety of subjects including math, science, geography, history, economics, and computer programming. This platform provides courses in 28 languages.
As Khanacademy is a non-profit organization all the courses available on this platform are completely free. You would not get any ads, promotions between classes. It offers one of the best learning environments without any charge.
8. Class Central
Class Central is an educational platform that provides various online courses. Meet your personal and professional goals using the high-level courses. This website is home to millions of learners worldwide.
You would get the latest courses in subjects like business, arts, mathematics, science, education, etc. There are over 40K online courses on this platform. Discover courses from over 1000 universities around the world including the University of Oxford, MIT, or the University of California, Harvard University, IIT Kharagpur, Columbia University, etc.
Explore all the different categories, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and programs that Class Central offers. Use the filters to fine-tune the results and get what you are looking for. All the courses come with a detailed description, video preview, pricing, feedback, etc.
Class Central offers thousands of free courses from top universities and institutions around the world. However, you would get paid courses with variable pricing. You will receive a certificate of completion after a course.
9. Harvard University
Harvard is one of the reputed universities in the world. Many top-level courses that come with the best content are available now online. The demand for online courses is high and having the Harvard badge on our CV matters a lot.
No need to leave your native country and shift to Massachusetts. Explore hundreds of online courses offered by Harvard and get a chance to learn from world-class faculty. This high-end course is open to anybody who wants to take a class from a top university in the world.
Scan through hundreds of courses in subjects like business, computer science, humanities, mathematics, programming, etc. One of the major benefits of distance learning is the cost. You can save thousands of dollars while studying the same course.
Access free online courses from Harvard University and get a certificate. Paid course price varies and depends on the subject. You can use some filters like price, start date, duration, difficulty, etc.
10. Study.com
Study.com is a leading online course provider in terms of quality, user ratings, and price. The company was founded in 2002 and headquartered in Mountain View California.
Now, this educational website contains over 30,000 video lessons and 60,000 articles, and 30 million students and teachers. The simplicity of the website puts a deep impression on learners. Just type the course in the search bar and navigate through all the listed results.
Online courses are great for sharpening skills without disturbing the daily routine. Study.com works with leading universities around the world. You would get high-quality courses from professional instructors.
Learners can earn college credits on their site. The whole platform is subscription-based and the price depends on the duration. You can also find some free courses and video lessons.
11. Futurelearn
Futurelearn is another well-known platform for enrolling in online courses. This eLearning platform offers a variety of courses for aspirant learners. The company was founded in 2021 and now contains 10 million students.
The clean-cut learning platform provides structured courses. One can enroll for short courses, specializations, post-graduate certifications, etc. You would get video lessons, reading materials, syllabuses, to make the course full fledge. This website has partnered with many online universities from Europe, Asia, or the United Kingdom.
This platform offers more than 500 courses in a variety of subjects including Food & Nutrition, Music, Literature, Law, Science, etc. All the courses come with assignments, quizzes, tests to measure your knowledge. You can interact with a supportive community of co-learners and ask questions.
Futurelearn can be used for free but you can’t get a certificate. The yearly subscription plan costs $269.99 per year with unlimited access to a wide range of courses.
12. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning (formally known as Lynda.com) is an online learning platform for distance learners. As we know LinkedIn is popular as a social media platform for industry professionals. Whether you’re an individual job seeker hoping to add a few skills or an organization looking to expand your employee’s skills, this learning platform will help you.
You would get more than 17,000 online courses with the most demanding skills and content that you need to know. Learn a subject in-depth and gain experience in a specific skill set. At the time of profile creation, this website asks you to a specific interest. Then the platform will send you recommendations accordingly.
This website is very easy to use and start searching for courses after signing up. According to several online reviews, the content quality is good enough. You can earn a certificate after completing a course. The LinkedIn Learning mobile app allows you to download courses for offline uses.
LinkedIn Learning offers a 1-month free trial. It is a subscription-based platform. The premium subscription costs just $29.99 per month. You can also subscribe to 1 year that cuts down the monthly price.
13. Openculture
Take online classes from the world’s top universities using Openculture. As a working professional or job seeker, you should always be looking to learn new skills. Openculture is one of the best online platforms to access hundreds of courses.
This educational organization offers cutting-edge courses that are built in partnership with leading universities and institutions. The course quality is also impressive and updated. Boost your skill and get the attention of a hiring manager. You would also get hundreds of free PDF books for free.
You can also enroll in 100+ online mini bachelor’s degrees, online bachelor’s degrees, online mini master’s degrees, and online master’s degrees. This platform also contains free movies, audiobooks, podcasts, eBooks, language lessons, etc. It is a free learning site that offers MOOCs courses.
If you are searching for free online course websites that provide university courses for free then Openculture is for you. This platform contains courses from universities like Yale, MIT, Harvard, Oxford, and more. Currently, you can find more than 1700 free courses in a variety of subjects.
14. Codecademy
Codecademy is a popular online coding platform. The company was founded in 2011 and now teaches over 50 million learners worldwide. The course catalog contains many programming languages and trending courses.
Students having zero experience in coding can signup and start learning. Codecademy’s outstanding selection of online programming courses with certification enables me to give it a strong recommendation. Some of the programming languages this platform mostly emphasis are Java, HTML & CSS, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, C++, R, SQL, Bash/Shell, C#, PHP, Go, Swift, and Kotlin.
This e-learning platform is very easy to use and comes with an aesthetically-pleasing design. You would get a code editor to practice. Each course comes with quizzes to determine the skill level of learners. Codecademy offers both free and paid courses.
15. Academic Earth
Academic Earth is a very popular study platform for beginners. It was started in 2009 with an aim to provide quality education to all. Now this open-source platform houses millions of students.
You can join several online degree programs in subjects like history, business, education, engineering, etc. You would get some unique collections of courses that build skills in certain subjects.
Academic Earth has partnered with many universities and institutions across the world. Some of the popular university includes New York University, the University of California, Stanford University, Yale University, etc. All the courses available on this website are free to join. Just enroll in a course and start learning.
Why Online Courses are Important
There are numerous advantages of online courses. Let’s discuss some of the major ones.
Flexibility
The primary benefit of online learning is flexibility. You can define the schedule among existing tasks. It provides a different experience from the traditional classroom environment.
The global pandemic was a terrible event that shocked humanity. It has also frozen the entire education processes all around the world, too. At that time, we realized the importance of online learning.
The pace also depends on you. Learn the whole course in one day or complete apart and you would still have time to watch Netflix.
Efficiency
Online classes offer an efficient way to deliver lessons to students. Various study materials including eBooks, videos, notes, provide a great medium to learn new skills.
The online learning process is also effective as a student can directly interact with teachers. Visually rich representation styles encourage learners to stay and grab more skills.
Wide Range of Program
Online course websites come with a catalog of options. Under one umbrella you can access thousands of courses in different subjects.
The demand for distance learning and online degrees has prompted. So universities and institutions around the world have partnered with learning platforms to offer their best-in-class courses, training, exams, and degrees to online learners.
Stay With the Trend
In this competitive job environment, it is essential to stand out from the crowd. You need extra certifications and cutting-edge online courses to present yourself as one of the best candidates to a potential employer. Your current job might give you a satisfactory salary. But upgrading your skills enables you to jump into higher positions and earn more.
Taking the latest industry-standard courses to add an updated skill set. So it will offer you many career advancement opportunities and create a good impression on your employers.
Affordable
Online courses are very affordable than traditional degree courses. Because you don’t have to travel abroad for doing such courses. No need to buy bulky books and spend thousands of dollars on house rent, flood, transportations, etc.
A lot of well-known universities around the world are offering their premium courses online. You can enroll in courses from the home and start learning right away. In addition to that, all the study materials are available online and you can enjoy paperless learning.
Conclusion
So these are some of the best websites for online courses. We are living in a world that’s very technological-based. It’s always a good time to invest in your skills and education. The above websites offer a hustle-free way to join courses. You can choose between a free or paid course and get a certificate after completion.
Choose one of the websites from the above list and start an online course today.