Best Online Learning Platforms 2025
23 Best online learning platforms to upskill and advance your career.

Based on the idea that anyone can learn from wherever they choose, whenever they want – online learning platforms assist users in their academic or professional endeavors without charging an arm and a leg for imparting education and/or training.
However, the number of platforms offering these services has skyrocketed, making the process of selecting a particular provider a tedious one. Thus, here is a list of the best providers that offer online courses to help make your decision more straightforward and well-informed.
Best Online Learning Platforms 2025
MindValley | Udacity | GetSmarter | MasterClass |
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from $49/month | from $11.99/course | from $799/class | from $15/month |
Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website |
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure at the end of this post.
Note: This list aims to cover the top online learning platforms. We cannot claim comprehensiveness as many other eLearning providers are available online.
1. Mindvalley

Mindvalley (visit website) is one of the best online learning platforms for enrolling in personal growth programs. Its mission is to teach individuals the skills and knowledge necessary to help them reach their personal and professional goals.
A membership provides access to 100+ classes, including personal growth, wellness, spirituality, productivity, mindset, meditation, and entrepreneurship. The programs are designed to suit every level of expertise. Mindvalley also offers access to an engaging community of like-minded individuals worldwide.
Mindvalley’s Mentor Program also provides one-on-one advice from industry experts who have succeeded in their chosen fields of expertise. Mentorship can help guide you through anything from career advancement to financial investment planning.
Level: All ages | Type: Personal Growth | Rating: 4.9 ★★★★★
Price: $49/month or $399 annually. Access to all 100+ online courses.
Info: View website for details and discounts. Nest Mindvalley Courses.
2. Udacity

Udacity (visit website) has a wide variety of classes to choose from but maintains a focus on development, artificial intelligence, and programming courses, among others. Their mission is based on the belief that classes should be created by the people offering jobs to candidates with that skill set.
Hence, all knowledge imparted at Udacity is supported and provided by collaborations between industry giants such as Google or Uber. Udacity courses are structured into nanodegrees programs and require a monthly subscription fee to gain unfettered access to all the course material.
Additionally, their confidence in these learning methods is high. They offer a premium plan that guarantees a job in your chosen field within 6 months of completion, failing which you can claim a full refund. They are one of the best online learning platforms for business and technology skills development and offer widely recognized online degrees.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced | User Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Info: View Website. Check for discounts. | Best Udacity Nanodegree programs
3. GetSmarter

GetSmarter (visit website) is a recognized course provider for career development and offers career paths in business, finance, law, HR, and technology. Their courses aim to help individuals gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the workplace.
GetSmarter works with leading universities, businesses, and organizations to deliver world-class learning experiences to help learners stay ahead of the curve. Programs range from graduate certificates and diploma programs to shorter, specialized online courses covering leadership, marketing, machine learning, software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, Web3 technology, project management, politics, and economics.
GetSmarter is among the top online learning platforms for those seeking certified education from universities such as Harvard, MIT, Oxford, or Yale to advance their career prospects. All programs provide tools such as study plans and forums for peer support from course participants. Classes take about 8-12 weeks to complete.
Level: Professionals, Career Development | Style: University education
Certificate: Yes. | Pace: Instructor-lead | Price: from $799 to $8,999.
Info: Visit website. Get free prospectus for each program. Best GetSmarter Courses.
4. MasterClass

MasterClass (visit website) offers a unique learning journey if you wish to tap into the knowledge, mindset, and wisdom of the people who belong to the best in their fields or have achieved impressive results in their area of expertise. If you love reading biographies, MasterClass offers the visual equivalent.
Launched in 2015, MasterClass hosts 200+ instructors covering various subjects from business, science, and entertainment to food, arts, sports, and design. Want to learn cooking with Gordon Ramsay, filmmaking with James Cameron, or photography with Annie Leibovitz? That’s all possible. An excellent selection of some of the world’s most influential thinkers and voices is available on the platform.
Membership starts from $10/month, giving learners unlimited access to all 200+ classes. New courses are added every month. If you’re looking for inspiration, guidance, and motivation to unlock and develop your potential, this is one of the best online learning platforms.
Level: All | User Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Info: Visit Website. | Review of Best MasterClass Classes
5. Udemy

Hosting one of the largest collections of online courses on the internet, Udemy has topics ranging from software development and finance to business and even health, art, or personal growth.
Since the content on Udemy can be created by anyone willing to put in the effort to prepare the material, the quality tends to vary with each class. However, the website features a full virtual classroom system design, making it easy for students to interact with their instructor and other students and get any assistance they may require.
This is a popular provider for business, general skill development, creativity, and personal growth. You can enroll in individual classes starting from $14.99. No subscription is needed. There are also free tutorials available.
Level: Beginners to advanced students | User Rating: 4.5 ★★★★☆
Info: View Website | Review of Best Udemy Courses.
6. Domestika

Domestika (visit website) is among the fastest-growing educational platforms for building creative skills. Each course is curated by recognized experts in the creative industry, who teach what they do best with clear guidelines, genuine passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
With production studios dotted across major international cities, they provide students with high-quality courses produced in-house by Domestika. There’s a wide range of subjects like photography, graphic design, marketing, writing, crafts, architecture, and more.
Contrary to other top online learning platforms, Domestika is not subscription-based. Users pay a one-time fee per course ($11–$19) that includes a signed certificate upon completion. Participation in the community is free, with access to high-quality content on their blog, weekly Lives, and interviews with creative legends in their “Maestros” series.
Level: Beginner, Intermediates, Advanced | Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Info: Visit website. | Review of Best Domestika Courses
7. Coursera

Coursera comprises a collection of courses produced, sponsored, and posted by renowned colleges worldwide. These classes are aimed at students who wish to gain access to university resources and materials without having to bear the exorbitant expenses usually bundled with a college.
Although this online learning platform is not yet a replacement for college classes, it is an excellent tool for gaining new knowledge or supplementing your pre-existing knowledge. Coursera offers individual courses and learning paths, whereas students can usually enroll for free. Recognized professional certificates are available for a fee.
Level: Beginner to Advanced | User Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Info: View Website | Review of Best Coursera Courses
8. edX

EdX was founded by two of the most renowned institutions in the world – Harvard University and MIT, in 2012. All the courses in EdX are highly intuitive and put together by educators with a wealth of experience in their fields and teaching.
Moreover, EdX is known for its ‘MicroMasters’ programs that offer graduate-level education to their students. Additionally, you can pay for a certificate that showcases and verifies your knowledge of the successful completion of the class. They offer a great variety, diversity, and skill levels. It is one of the best online learning platforms for advanced learners and professional certification.
Level: Beginners, Intermediates, Advanced | User Rating: 4.7 ★★★★☆
Learning Resources: Review of Best edX Courses
Tip: Interested in 1-to1 lessons? Explore our list of the best online tutoring services.
9. Skillshare

Relying on the community to contribute to education’s learning and teaching aspects, Skillshare is a unique online learning community compared to its peers.
Since they host a variety of classes, ranging from cooking, creativity, and design to web development and business, Skillshare ensures that almost all passions are covered.
One of its best features is that all material is structured into bite-sized content, which somewhat alleviates the common monotony problem that students in classes tend to complain about.
Again, this is an all-in-one service. However, the annual fee is very affordable, starting from $99/year. If you aim to develop your creative skill set, this is one of the most popular online learning platforms. A free trial is available to test it out.
Level: Beginner to Intermediate | User Rating: 4.7 ★★★★☆
Info: Visit website and get a free 1-Month Premium trial.
Browse: Review of Best Skillshare Classes
10. CreativeLive

CreativeLive – as the name implies – is a popular course provider for developing your creative skills and mindset. For $149/year, students can access all classes, workshop courses, and live events curated and delivered by experts in music, photography, filmmaking, design, art, business, and entrepreneurship.
CreativeLive also provides access to free content such as podcasts, live streams, Q&As, and hands-on challenges. Through their platform, the team at CreativeLive strives to provide its students with creative tools and resources that empower them to unleash their full creative potential. Here’s our list of the best CreativeLive classes to get started.
They also offer group classes that enable multiple members to learn together in a virtual classroom environment in real time. It is one of the best options to hone your creative mind and if you want to customize your learning experience to your specific needs and goals.
Level: All levels | Topics: Creative Art, Lifestyle, Business, Photography, Film
Rating: 95% ★★★★★ | Plans: Access to all classes or single purchase.
Info: From $149/year or 39/month.
11. LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning takes a different approach to self-paced learning, preferring to allow industry professionals to conduct courses on their platform. Moreover, they are relatively shorter courses aimed at students who want to learn about a particular skill quickly.
They house various classes in several fields – web development, programming, business, photography, and design. Those interested in switching or starting careers can also sign up for learning paths with several classes and programs.
This best online learning platform works on a subscription-based model starting at $26.99/month. Access as many classes as you want. It is possible to purchase individual courses, though this approach would be more expensive.
Level: Beginners, Intermediates to Advanced | User Rating: 4.6 ★★★★☆
Info: Browse the best LinkedIn Courses.
12. DataCamp

DataCamp is one of the top online learning platforms if you want to learn web development skills and pursue a career in technology. It targets a similar audience as Pluralsight and Udacity by offering education to learn programming languages and data analysis to land a job, for example, in data science or as a business analyst.
The catalog offers hundreds of courses that can be taken individually. However, students get the most significant benefits from enrolling in so-called SkillTracks, which will teach a skill from A to Z and issue a certificate likely to be recognized by potential employers.
Many companies, such as Google, Uber, Intel, and PayPal, have signed up with this platform to educate their employees further. The instructors are all experts from many fields in technology, data science, business, and academia, building the trust many have in this best online learning platform.
Level: Beginners to Advanced | User Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Info: Visit Website. Get a discount or free trial. Review of Best DataCamp Courses.
13. Pluralsight

Pluralsight provides individuals and businesses with courses in technology, design, and business. Experts arrange all their courses into paths, taking the guesswork out of learning.
This approach ensures that anyone choosing a path will gain considerable insight into the subject. It is aimed at businesses and individuals who want to keep abreast of the latest technologies or learn a new skill/technology.
This online learning platform is slightly pricier than others, with subscriptions starting from $29/month to $299/year. However, many students say it is worth the money due to the in-depth quality of content and learning options.
Level: Beginner to Intermediates | User Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
14. Brilliant

Brilliant is a popular online learning platform and app that offers STEM-based online courses. The primary learning goal is building critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills through hands-on puzzles, interactive lessons, and exercises.
More than 9 million students have joined Brilliant to advance their skills in mathematics, science, computer science, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability, scientific thinking, physics, mechanics, and even artificial neural networks.
Brilliant is one of the top online learning platforms to build STEM and critical thinking skills. The platform’s mission is to encourage learners to experiment, make mistakes, and thus understand STEM topics from the bottom up. Premium membership gives you access to 60+ courses.
Level: All. Age 10-100. | Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Info: from $12.99/month. Visit website.
15. Khan Academy

Although it started as a platform for students to study subjects such as Mathematics and Science for school, they have recently branched out into more advanced and college-level topics. They excel in teaching science, mathematics, and computer science as each course is taught by subject experts, vetted, and hired by them after careful consideration.
Moreover, this MOOC platform is entirely free, and thousands of students who cannot afford to pay for other platforms have flocked here to receive training and education in various fields. It is one of the best online learning platforms to get free education.
Level: Beginner to Advanced | Rating: 4.7 ★★★★☆
Reading: Best Khan Academy Courses
16. Thinkful

Featuring basic to advanced level web technologies, Thinkful guarantees, you’ll be offered a job after completing their unique 1-on-1 mentorship program.
Although this is one of the priciest online learning platforms on the market, their methods have been proven to work with countless raving reviews by former students. The mentorship style of teaching ensures that each student can keep abreast of the teaching material, clear doubts, and get tips from people who have been in the field for years.
Level: Beginner to Intermediate | Rating: 4.5 ★★★★☆
17. General Assembly

General Assembly offers courses online and in-person in 15 locations across the world. Their classes are, as past students say, highly intuitive. Course topics include web development, mobile development, product management, and data sciences.
Moreover, they partner with several well-known companies, which help students land new job opportunities. Even though their focus remains on individuals and college students, General Assembly also provides a corporate training scheme for businesses that want to conduct in-depth training for their staff and employees.
Level: Beginner to Advanced | Rating: 4.5 ★★★★☆
18. FutureLearn

Another novel idea in the online learning market, FutureLearn, offers students the opportunity to choose from various courses provided by renowned universities worldwide. Students can take their time and study the subject of their choice at their own pace.
Additionally, a certificate of completion is available for purchase after finishing the course material. FutureLearn aims to emulate an open university that provides access to online classes in various fields ranging from Business Management to Literature. It is one of the UK’s most recognized and top-rated online learning platforms.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced | Rating: 4.5 ★★★★☆
Info: Best FutureLearn courses.
19. Alison

Featuring one of the largest varieties of courses on the internet, Alison encourages established publishers to produce free content for courses on their website. Popular fields of study on Alison include programming, career development and engineering. Moreover, they also offer diploma programs that offer detailed instruction and training in professional subjects such as project management, entrepreneurship, web design, etc.
Level: Beginner to Advanced | Rating: 4.6 ★★★★☆
Info: Best Alison courses.
20. OpenLearning

OpenLearning is an online learning platform offering educational and developmental courses to individuals and corporations. Featuring subjects as basic as ‘How to set up an online course of your own’ to advanced computing topics such as Big Data and Cyber Security, OpenLearning caters to individuals and corporations of any skill level. However, since OpemLearning allows anyone to post content on their platform, this might lead to quality issues in a few classes.
Level: Beginner to Advanced | User Rating: 4.4 ★★★★☆
21. Codecademy

Two of the most common problems reported by students enrolled in online courses are boredom and a lack of motivation. Codecademy takes a unique approach to teaching (mainly programming languages) their students by structuring material through challenges and games. This has proven an effective teaching method, and testimonials reflect their success. Codecademy is still one of the most popular and best online e-learning platforms for learning to code.
Level: Beginner to Intermediate | Rating: 4.6 ★★★★☆
22. Stanford
Started by one of the most renowned universities in the world, Stanford Online is one of the most recognized educational providers. Instead of relying on outside help, courses on this platform are created by Stanford’s respected faculty, who offer a wealth of experience and insight into the subject. Covering a wide variety of subjects, Stanford Online is a great place to gain new knowledge or even learn advanced topics to further your pre-existing awareness.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced | Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Website: View
23. MIT Video
MIT Video aggregates and curates the video content produced by the departments of this prestigious institution. It provides past and current courses taught at the university as free learning resources so that students worldwide can experience and widen their educational horizons.
Most of the content here is based on advanced engineering topics, ranging from undergraduate to graduate-level courses in biology, chemistry, physics, computing, etc.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced | Rating: 4.8 ★★★★★
Browse courses: MIT courses.
Other online learning platforms
- Upskillist
- BitDegree
- SimplyLearn
- Springboard
- Canvas
- Moodle
- Edmodo
- HighBrow
- iTunesU
- Canvas Network
- Google Classroom
- iversity
- Showbie
- Sakai
- Schoology
- Cognitive Class
- Kadenze
- ed2Go
- edureka
- SkillCrush
- SitePoint
- Treehouse
- GoSkills
Online Learning Platforms 2025 – Summary

Online education has morphed into a viable option in the past decade and an increasing number of people are turning towards these online e-learning platforms for schooling instead of costly and traditional college programs.
However, the vast number of top online learning platforms sprouting up all over the internet has made it impossible to select a specific provider as the absolute best or worst.
Nonetheless, assessing your requirements, current skill levels, and end goals and reviewing each platform’s overviews should help you decide the option that will most likely advance your education, career, or business.
Best Online Learning Platforms 2025
- Mindvalley
- GetSmarter
- CreativeLive
- Udemy
- Udacity
- Skillshare
- MasterClass
- LinkedIn Learning
- Coursera
- Domestika
- Pluralsight
- Brilliant
- GoSkills
- edX
- DataCamp
- Treehouse
- Khan Academy
- SitePoint
- Thinkful
- General Assembly
- FutureLearn
- Alison
- OpenLearning
- Ed2Go
- SkillCrush
- Codecademy
- Stanford
- MIT Video
What is an online learning platform?
An online learning platform is an interactive system of learning resources and courses. It allows students to learn the skills they need to land a new job, change careers, advance existing skills, or get professional certification. They commonly offer video lectures, assignments, exercises, capstone projects, and discussion forums to facilitate the virtual learning experience. There are free courses and paid resources available.
What are MOOCs? (Massive Open Online Courses)
MOOC is the acronym for massive open online courses that allow an unlimited number of participants to enroll in interactive online classes and access lectures, materials, resources, discussions, forums, and exercises. It’s the most common type of distance learning and education.
What is an online course platform?
An online course platform provides the tools and resources for teachers and instructors to create, host, manage, and sell online classes. Thinkific, Wiziq, LearnWorlds, Kajabi, LearnDash, or Teachable are popular platforms in this field.
What is the difference between online learning platforms and online course platforms?
Online learning platforms provide recourses and material for students to learn a new skill, get a certification, or upgrade existing knowledge. A course platform allows you to create and manage those classes. One takes the learner’s perspective, and the other takes the instructor’s. However, some platforms, such as Udemy, Skillshare, or Mindvalley, offer both options.
Which platform is better for Skillshare vs. Udemy vs. Domestika? That depends on your goals: Udemy and Domestika are great if you want to invest in a single course and skill. Skillshare might be a more suitable online learning platform if you want to access all classes available for a specific topic or skill.
What are the most popular online learning platforms for 2025? Which providers can you recommend? How do you research and manage your online learning resources?
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to some partners. Courselounge may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. It does not add any extra costs. All reviews, opinions, descriptions and comparisons expressed here are our own.
Really a nice article and quite helpful. Recently I also explored Great Learning Academy, an online [learning ] platform that offers free online courses in a wide range of domains. Hope this would also be helpful.
I am a Senior, with limited knowledge of the computer. I would like to advance my knowledge. Do you have any online courses for any basic computer skills?
I have been a teacher for 15 years and I would like to contribute to the education of those who do not have resources. I have seen an online learning platform called Edactis that proposes to give paid but free classes for the teacher. Does anyone have any experience to tell in Edactis?
Edactis is a great project! I’m a teacher and I can tell you it works 😉
This is a great list, however for a business person like me, I use Vonza to create a different kinds of courses I want. You guys should check it out too!
I’ve been going through the list over and over again to explore the variety of online learning platforms; amazing to see how this area has changed over the years…. I’m a bit familiar with LinkedIn/Lynda for a while, but not so much with the others such as Udacity or Coursera. Currently, I’ve opted to go with Lynda, but i hope to come back here after completing my online courses. Thanks.
I’ve recently stumbled upon Skillshare and became intrigued by it. I love the concept of schooling from home and if I knew more about it when I was in high school I would have done it then too. I definitely want to check out Udacity’s online courses. A company that will give your money back if you don’t have a job in 6 months definitely means business. It seems like a big risk to take for them and I’m actually surprised they offer this kind of deal.
Wow, this is one huge list, I had no clue so many platforms offer free online courses as well! Thanks for taking the time to research all of them; there are at least 7 I had never heard of before.
I’ve used Khan for grammar but I didn’t finish the whole course. I also like Udemy very much because you can find all sorts of free courses on almost any topic you can think of. I’ve took a lot of free (and paid courses) here and have learned a lot.