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Best Online Learning Platforms in 2024. Coursera - Best Subscription-Based Platform for Online Classes; Udemy - Best for Casual Learning and Niche Topics; Udacity - Best for Career Growth; edX - Best Free Online Learning Platform; Skillshare - Best for Courses on Creative Skills; Khan Academy - Best Free Platform for Learning Math
- Henry Blodget
- The best online learning platforms for accredited university courses and degrees. Coursera, edX, and FutureLearn are three popular online learning platforms that offer courses, certificate programs, and even master's degrees from top universities as well as well-known companies and non-profit organizations.
- edX. Cost: Individual courses are usually free to audit for a limited amount of time; certificates and longer programs vary in price. Pros: You can most courses for free, including ones in longer programs (great for testing out a longer certificate program before committing to it); financial assistance is available.
- Coursera. Cost: Individual courses are usually free to audit; certificates and longer programs vary in price. You can also sign up for an annual Coursera Plus subscription ($399) and get access to 90% of Coursera's offerings.
- FutureLearn. Cost: Individual courses are usually free to audit; certificates and longer programs vary in price. You can also subscribe to FutureLearn Unlimited for $189.99 annually to get unlimited access to courses.
- Udemy. Udemy, a widely popular online learning platform, offers a vast array of courses on diverse topics, making it suitable for both professional development and hobbyists.
- OpenLearning. OpenLearning, an Australia-based online learning platform, distinguishes itself through its social learning approach and collaboration features.
- iversity.org. iversity.org, a Berlin-based online learning platform, offers courses from universities and organizations. Covering both academic and professional subjects, iversity.org brings a European focus to its course catalog.
- SkillShare. Skillshare stands out as a creative online learning platform, offering courses in design, photography, writing, and more. The platform adopts a community-driven approach, emphasizing project-based learning.
- Overview
- The best online learning platforms of 2024 in full:
- 1. Moodle LMS
- 2. Adobe Captivate
- 3. Acorn LMS
- 4. Canvas LMS
- 5. Google Classroom
- 6. Thinkific LMS
- 7. 360Learning
- 8. Blackboard Learn
Best
By Brian Turner
Contributions from
Stefan Ionescu, Jonas P. DeMuro
last updated 4 January 2024
Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLE)
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Reasons to buy
+ Open-source + Free to use + Available smartphone apps + Included text editor
Reasons to avoid
- Limited support options - User reports bugs in mobile apps - Certified Service Provider may be needed at additional cost While commercial software has its place, sometimes it is truly impressive what an open source project can achieve, such as in the case of Moodle LMS. This open source learning platform can be downloaded and used for free. While direct support is lacking (although an organization can engage one of 80 Certified Service Providers to remedy that deficit), there is still plenty here, including documentation such as guides on how to use this platform. Learners and teachers are sure to like the expansive feature set, such as interaction with multiple choice questions in the content, an integrated text editor, and support for 3rd party cloud storage providers, such as DropBox to submit assignments. It is also multi-language capable, and supports open standards such as SCORM. We also like that teachers can make comments on assignments, and the integrated all-in-one calendar. With so many features, it may be open source, but it hardly will feel like it, which explains why it has over 200 million users. Read our full Moodle LMS review. •^ Back to the top
Reasons to buy
+ Free trial + Choice of acquisition options + In software image editing + Supports VR projects
Reasons to avoid
- Cancellation fee on monthly plan - Limited support options - Higher price Adobe Captivate is a professional platform for creating learning content. This can be incorporated from a variety of sources, including images that this software can edit, screen captures that can be done automatically, and by importing PowerPoint presentations. We are impressed with the support for VR projects, and users are sure to like the choice of acquisition options along with its use of templates to streamline project production, and provide consistency. Users do have issues with the stability of the app, the limited options for direct support and the cancellation fee for the monthly plan will undoubtedly irk some out there. Quibbles aside, Adobe Captivate is a mature piece of software that has endured with good reason, and is well worth a closer look via the 30-day trial that is longer than most of its competitors. If you want to go ahead and buy the software, the price of subscription is around $34 / £30 / AU$50 per month. Read our full Adobe Captivate review. •^ Back to the top
Reasons to buy
+ Generous 60-day trial + Transparent pricing + Direct contact support options + Imports video content
Reasons to avoid
- Lacks advanced support options - Limited user reviews - No Android app For those that are looking for some upfront pricing, Acorn LMS- unlike some of its competition- answers that need. Rather than keeping potential users in the dark, Acorn LMS is upfront offering both a tier without content and another with content The company also offers a flat fee for the first 100 users and an additional student fee for each user thereafter. Beyond that, this platform has a number of strengths that impress us, such as the ability to make individualized student pathways via LinkedIn Learning content, the white label approach to foster customization of the site for consistent branding at an organization, and support for multiple tendencies allowing an administrator to easily manage multiple acorn LMS accounts via a single set of sign on credentials. While nothing is perfect, and we should point out the lack of an Android app in the Google Play Store, the dearth of user reviews, and that there are no advanced support options such as a forum or a FAQ, overall it is an attractive package worth the 60-day free trial. If you want an LMS that does the fundamentals of an LMS really well, you can opt for the Core LMS option with a flat rate of $400 / £250 / AU$400. Read our full Acorn LMS review. •^ Back to the top
Reasons to buy
+ Free trial and free teacher plan + Highly rated smartphone apps + Automated grading + User support community
Reasons to avoid
- Opaque pricing - No app dark mode - Some sign on issues with apps - Lacks gamification The Canvas LMS is used by top institutions worldwide, and it can boast it has over 6 million users with an over 90% satisfaction rate. Users are sure to be impressed that it integrates well with popular apps that students use, such as those from Adobe, Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams. We also like the robust community forum, with thorough answers for common user issues, and the multiple communication options covering the spectrum from messaging (individually and as a group), to audio, and video. Some areas we would like to see improved would be support for gamification, and some transparency in the pricing. Teachers will also be pleased to see the support for automated grading via integration with SpeedGrader. While the opaque pricing is frustrating, we appreciate both the free 30 day trial, and also the lowest ‘Teacher Tier’ plan that is free long term for both teachers and students to allow for education of all. Read our full Canvas LMS review. •^ Back to the top
Reasons to buy
+ Clean interface that’s easy to learn + Powerful media sharing tools + Integration with Google Workspace
Reasons to avoid
- No direct contact for support - Can’t be licensed separately Google Classroom offers a cloud based learning environment to enable remote education for learners from pre-K through the university level. We appreciate that it pulls together a number of Google tools, such as Google Meet, Google Drive and Google Docs all in one place to enable learning. Teachers can put in assignments as all types of documents, including .doc and .pdfs, students get the notification, complete the assignment and submit it. Teachers then grade the assignment, keep a virtual gradebook and can give classroom style lectures via the Google Meet function. Google offers this via several tiers of features, but we can appreciate that the free tier is plenty powerful for budget conscious school districts. The platform is also cross platform to allow learners to function with it with whatever their device of choice is, including laptops, Chromebooks, and both smartphone platforms- although the Android one garners complaints from the users. Read our full Google Classroom review. •^ Back to the top
Reasons to buy
+ 30-day guarantee + Choice of tiers, including free tier + No transaction fees + Integrates website builder
Reasons to avoid
- No smartphone apps - Few reviews - Certificates issued are too basic - Missing direct support options Thinkific is an online platform that has enjoyed meteoritic success as a relative newcomer to this space. It has useful functions, such as the ability for educators to build a website, and templates are provided to facilitate this for newcomers. We also like that this platform can be used to issue certificates of completion. It is used worldwide, and can accept payments from learners signing up for courses from over 100 countries. Some omissions, such as the lack of a direct phone number or email for support, and no smartphone apps for either Android or iOS show the immaturity of the platform. We also wanted to see more user reviews than what we found online. However, with a choice of tiers starting with a free one, and a track record that has already earned its experts over $650 million dollars, it is seriously hard to dispute. Read our full Thinkific LMS review. •^ Back to the top
Reasons to buy
+ Choice of tier plans + Available smartphone apps + Extensive knowledge base + Free trial + Streamlines course creation
Reasons to avoid
- Semi-opaque pricing - Multiple features reserved for top plan - Few options for direct support 360Learning meets the challenge head on of streamlining the task of project creation. Users are sure to benefit from the integrated tools such as the video editing software, the included templates that are branded as ‘Cheat Sheets,’ and the option to include ten different types of questions to test learners. We also appreciate the free 30-day trial without credit card info, and the choice of tiered plans. However, we were less impressed that there are few options for direct contact, with some features reserved for the top plan (like support for course attachments), and that the Android app has a significantly lower rating than the iOS version. We also like the ‘Collaborative Authoring’ approach that lets even inexperienced users create a course in minutes, rather than months. Read our full 360Learning review. •^ Back to the top
Reasons to buy
+ Free month trial + Available smartphone apps + Trackable progress + Fosters student and teacher interaction
Reasons to avoid
- Lacks free tier - Opaque pricing Blackboard Learn is a learning platform that is used for learners of all levels from pre-K to university and beyond such as in government and industry. It has some shortcomings such as the opaque pricing, the limited direct support options and the multiple bugs that users report in the apps, especially the Android version. Balance that against the integrated tools that some competing solutions charge for, such as a plagiarism checker to check student assignments against. Also factor in the accessibility tool to be ADA compliant, and the other items to foster communication between students and professors, and the tracker to keep students on track with submitting their assignments. Additionally, the 30-day trial is longer than most others, and the iOS app is highly rated, so organizations that need a full fledged solution will see quickly why this learning platform enjoys its popularity. Read our full Blackboard Learn review. •^ Back to the top
Apr 30, 2024 · Start FREE Trial. What is an Online Learning Platform? An online learning platform is an information system with a learning environment where learners can access educational content. Modern learning platforms support a variety of interactive learning and offer tools for educators to promote their courses. Course Marketplaces.
Jan 3, 2024 · Courses & Education. The 12 Best Online Learning Platforms (Updated for 2024) Kris Freeman. Jan 3, 2024. Updated by Tara Malone. Reviews are mixed regarding online learning, largely because it challenges traditional face-to-face instruction.
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Aug 28, 2024 · Quick facts: Top online learning platforms; The value of online learning platforms; How to choose the best online learning platform; The difference between online learning platforms and learning management systems; 10 best online learning platforms. Thinkific; Coursera; LinkedIn Learning; Skillshare; edX; OpenLearning; Udemy; Treehouse ...
