Learning a new skill or doing a course to gain knowledge has never been so easy. One of the perks of living in this technological world is that everything is accessible via the Internet.

Whether it’s learning basic concepts of chemistry or physics to complex skills like astronomy and drawing, you can learn anything you want without enrolling in a coaching center.

Thanks to the websites that I am going to discuss today, you can gain skills, learn your lessons, or increase your knowledge with their courses. However, on your end, make sure your internet is reliable once you start exploring courses on these sites.

Tid Bit: Trust me, it’s frustrating when lectures buffer or even worse, interesting quizzes time out because of spotty internet. The remedy? Bat an eye on a reliable Internet option, like Xfinity. Contact Xfinity customer service to learn about speeds and prices. Anyway, let’s unveil the best online learning platforms!

Drawspace – Best for Drawing

Drawspace believes drawing is a teachable skill, and for that, the platform offers hundreds of lectures.

Features

• Besides video lessons, Drawspace offers e-books with interesting and implementable tips to polish your drawing skills.
• Free users can get 3 detailed video lessons every month. So, even if you don’t want to pay, you can still learn from Drawspace.
• Drawspace offers guided and self-guided lessons. In guided lessons, you get a structured course outline with weekly assessments. In self-guided lessons, you can watch any lecture and complete them at your own pace.
• Drawing instructors can design their curriculums on Drawspace.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
The video lectures start from teaching basics and gradually move to an advanced level, which is particularly helpful for beginners.	The free plan of Drawspace is limited to only 3 videos in a month.
Drawspace offers detailed lectures on how to create homemade colors.	Drawspace’s paid plans may be too expensive for some users.

Coursera – Best for Professional Certification

Coursera is one of the best platforms available if you’re looking for specialized courses, degrees, or professional certifications.

Features

• Courses available on Coursera are self-paced.
• Coursera offers degrees accredited by top universities worldwide.
• Certifications issued by Coursera are sharable on professional platforms, for instance, LinkedIn.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Some advanced courses offered on Coursera are designed by instructors teaching in top universities.	Some advanced courses on Coursera are over-priced as compared to other online learning platforms.
Coursera offers fee waivers and discounts on various courses and degrees.	Most entry-level courses on Coursera may skip or skim through important points.

Udemy – Best for Paid Courses

On Udemy, you can find thousands of paid courses, ranging from basic to advanced levels on various topics taught by instructors around the world. That being said, you can also find a few mini-courses that are free of cost.

Features

• You can directly connect with your instructor to clear your topic-related confusion and queries on Udemy.
• Besides video lectures, Udemy offers lectures in video-PDF and article format, so you can learn in any way you want.
• Udemy frequently tests your learning via practice tests, assessments, and quizzes.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Udemy offers lifetime access to courses once they’re bought.	The quality of courses may vary as becoming an instructor on Udemy is easy and there are few quality standards that instructors have to pass.
Udemy offers interactive sessions, for instance, Q&A sessions to engage with your instructor and the rest of the course participants.	Courses price on Udemy change consistently, which may be confusing for some people.

Khan Academy – Best for Free Learning

Khan Academy is run by a non-profit organization where you can learn various subjects via video lessons, assessments, quizzes, and more.

Features

• From basic to advanced courses, everything is free at Khan Academy.
• Khan Academy offers a personalized learning dashboard where you can analyze your learning progress.
• Khan Academy’s video lectures are translated into more than 36 languages which makes it more accessible to a global audience.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Khan Academy does not charge anything unless you decide to donate to their free learning cause.	Advanced courses on Khan Academy may lack in-depth knowledge.
Basic courses at Khan Academy are detailed and well-explained.	Khan Academy does not offer any certification upon course completion.

Skillshare – Best for Creative Skills

Skillshare offers detailed video lectures on creative skills like painting, music, creative writing, and more.

Features

• Courses on Skillshare are curated by famous artists, YouTubers, and podcasters and they share their knowledge with the audience.
• Skillshare offers a vibrant community where you can interact with instructors and students, and share your projects to get their feedback.
• You can choose more than 30,000 free and paid courses on Skillshare.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Skillshare offers a wide variety of interesting courses on creative topics to learn from.	The quality of video lectures on Skillshare varies from one skill to another.
Skillshare offers a free one-month trial period for every new user.	Skillshare does not offer live chat support. You can only get help via online ticket submission which may take some time to respond.

Online Platforms Where You Can Find University-Accredited Courses

While on the above platforms, you may find courses designed by independent creators and instructors, the following platforms are the best to explore courses curated by the world’s top universities.

• Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative: The independent learner courses offered by Carnegie Mellon University put most of its classes online, and you can find multiple free courses on the website.
• Harvard Online Courses: You can find Harvard University’s some of the famous projects on math (STEM), business education, technology, science, and more on this platform.
• MIT OpenCourse Wave: You can find numerous courses on this platform designed by MIT and even find free e-books referred by top instructors and teachers teaching at the institute.
• Open Yale Courses: Top courses that are taught at Yale by seasoned instructors in their field are frequently uploaded on Open Yale Courses.