These 12 Sites Offer the Best Online Classes for Adults

Best Variety: Udemy

Key Specs

• Price: $15–$200/class or $16.58/month
• Length of class: 30 minutes to 5+ hours
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

When it comes to sheer variety and breadth, Udemy is one of the best platforms for online learning. The enormous course catalog comprises over 210,000 classes and counting, with an equally enormous range of categories and topics. You'll find everything from guitar and watercolor classes to data modeling and business analytics.

There is truly something for everyone among Udemy's classes, and many of them come at highly affordable prices. Some classes are even free, while others are included as part of a monthly subscription. A subscription isn't truly "unlimited," though; it only gives you access to around 8,000 curated classes in the tech, business, and personal development categories. Purchased courses are also available for life (as long as Udemy holds a license to the course), meaning users will have full access to all their learning materials. 

Although many of Udemy's instructors are very qualified, experienced professionals, it has a relatively open policy for instructors, and there's little oversight or quality control from the company itself. Additionally, most courses are fully prerecorded, so you may not have much (or any) opportunity to practice your new skills for expert evaluation and feedback. 

Best for Hands-On Learning: Skillshare

Key Specs

• Price: $13.75/month (billed annually)
• Length of class: 20 minutes to 2 hours
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

With a vast library of classes and a focus on practical learning, Skillshare is an excellent online learning platform for anyone who wants to hone their skills without a huge time commitment. Skillshare's course library is one of the largest, with over 34,000 classes on the site currently and new classes being added all the time.

For hands-on, practical learners, Skillshare's format is particularly useful. Classes typically consist of a handful of small, bite-sized lessons. One of the few universal requirements for instructors on Skillshare is that its classes must have a practical "class project" component, where students can apply the skills they've learned and upload their projects for peer and/or instructor feedback. 

Skillshare does not offer any sort of formal certification, and most of its classes are under two hours. While its teachers do include high-profile, highly qualified leaders in a variety of fields, it has a relatively low bar for would-be instructors to qualify and upload a course. Classes are not sold individually but rather as part of a single subscription for unlimited access.

Best for Online Degrees: edX

Key Specs 

• Price: $50–$300+/course
• Length of class: 3–40+ hours
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

One of the best places online to get a whole degree or certification online is with edX, thanks to its robust course offerings and partnerships with reputable colleges and universities. With over 3,000 individual classes to choose from, edX functions like a streamlined version of an online college, complete with professional, expert instructors. 

Students can choose to take individual courses from edX, and in many cases, they can audit a class for free. The platform's biggest strength, though, is in its programs and degrees. This includes boot camps, professional certificate programs, and even full-fledged degrees, courtesy of partnerships with accredited colleges and universities like the London School of Economics, Arizona State University, and MIT to name a few.

Along with more traditional offerings like master's degrees and professional certifications, edX has a signature "MicroMasters" set of programs designed to help individuals deepen their knowledge with graduate-level studies on smaller, more specific topics than a full graduate degree.

Best for Short Courses: FutureLearn

Key Specs

• Price: $40/month or $50+/course
• Length of class: 4+ hours
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

Sometimes, learning doesn't have to take a huge time commitment, and that's where FutureLearn shines. The focus is primarily on their "short courses," which are designed to be consumed in short, bite-sized pieces, giving you the chance to integrate learning into a busy schedule with ease.

Along with individual courses, FutureLearn offers ExpertTracks and microcredentials, both of which bundle a handful of courses together to focus on developing specific skill sets. The main difference between the two types of programs is that microcredentials are typically accredited through partnerships with universities, giving you a clear credential to put on a resume while ExpertTracks do not. 

The pricing can be a little tricky to navigate when you're first getting used to FutureLearn. You can join many short courses through a free option, but you will only get limited access for a certain amount of time, and you won't get a certificate of completion. You can also purchase classes individually, or you can subscribe to an Unlimited subscription. However, some ExpertTrack courses and all microcredentials are not part of the unlimited subscription.

Best for Creatives: CreativeLive

Key Specs

• Price: $149/year or $29–$200/class
• Length of class: 1–24+ hours
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

Anyone looking to embrace their creative side will appreciate the course offerings on CreativeLive. Its course catalog spans over 2,000 classes, which range from short lessons of around an hour to in-depth classes with dozens of hours of instruction. While CreativeLive does offer a few non-artistic classes in its "Money & Life" category, many of those are still geared toward creative professionals, with self-improvement and entrepreneurship among the categories. 

Most individual courses are prerecorded, with instructor feedback and "homework" components varying from class to class. CreativeLive also has daily, livestreamed classes, with some being free to users. Most classes are available to be downloaded for offline viewing after purchase, and subscribers have exclusive access to "Fast Classes," or shortened, highlights-reel versions of longer classes.

Students can either purchase classes individually or sign up for a monthly or annual subscription, which gives subscribers unlimited access to the full catalog of courses on the site and access to replay livestreamed events.

Best for Notable Teachers: MasterClass

Key Specs 

• Price: $15–$23/month (billed annually)
• Length of class: 1–5+ hours
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

MasterClass has earned a more glamorous reputation than many other online learning platforms, and that's largely down to one element in particular: its all-star cast of instructors. This is the place where you can take a science class from Bill Nye, acting from Helen Mirren, filmmaking from Spike Lee, TV writing from Shonda Rhimes, and more. 

Most classes last under five hours total, and they're all broken down into smaller, bite-sized lessons, making it much easier to learn on your own schedule. The specific topics are often interesting and creative, and the courses skew heavily toward creative pursuits, practical advice, and personal development rather than more traditional academic courses. MasterClass does not offer individual classes for sale. Instead, you simply sign up for a subscription, which gives you access to over 180 individual classes.

Best for Languages: Berlitz Corporation

Key Specs

• Price: Varies
• Length of class: 6–12 months
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection, video, and audio input

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

Berlitz Corporation is one of the best-recognized names in language learning and with good reason. For years, it's been the go-to place for businesses, governments, and curious individuals to get in-depth, immersive language instruction. 

Berlitz provides online, live classes, with options for group sessions and one-on-one tutorials. While the lessons can feel rather formal at times, they're also structured with an immersive component designed to focus on practical, useful lessons. It's a serious time commitment, with a more rigid schedule than many online courses, but it's also structured to leave you with a strong grasp of the language and a certification to prove your proficiency.

Berlitz's class (and pricing) models are a little more opaque than most other online learning platforms, which can be frustrating. Getting a quote generally requires filling out some information and getting in touch with a company representative. On the flip side, this does allow students to get a more accurate picture of their learning needs and customize their learning plan to suit their goals.

Best for Tech: Udacity

Key Specs

• Price: $100–$1,000+/course
• Length of class: 1 week to 4 months
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

Today's tech world seems to be moving at lightning speed, but with Udacity, it's easier to keep up with the changing times. The online learning platform focuses specifically on the latest topics in technology like machine learning and robotics software engineering. With a focus on professional upskilling, Udacity is not so much for the casual learner or curious hobbyist, but it does provide excellent, thorough courses from qualified, expert instructors.

Udacity offers hundreds of courses at a variety of skill levels and price points. Among those offerings are approximately 200 free courses, taught by skilled, experienced professionals in their fields. Other individual courses can range from around $100 to over $1,000 for a single class, and most classes last between one to four months. 

For learners looking for a more in-depth exploration of certain topics, Udacity also offers "nanodegree" programs. These programs include tutoring, student support, homework and projects, instructor feedback personalized to your work, and more. Prices for nanodegrees start at around $399 per month, with most programs lasting around four months.

Best for Business Topics: LinkedIn Learning

Key Specs

• Price: $20/month (paid annually) or $20+/course
• Length of class: <10 minutes to 3+ hours
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

LinkedIn Learning focuses on the topics most relevant to today's business professionals. The platform has over 21,000 courses and counting, divided up into three major areas: business, technology, and creative. Some topics are also included as "learning paths," which group multiple courses together as recommendations for business learners looking to upgrade a particular skill.

Busy professionals will appreciate the bite-sized learning opportunities, with some mini-classes lasting less than 10 minutes. Most classes, though, clock in under three or four hours total. Most classes typically don't include any sort of homework component, which means you won't be getting any personal feedback or opportunities to actively test your learning.

LinkedIn Learning courses can be purchased individually, with most costing between $25 and $35 per course. You can also subscribe to the platform for $20 per month (paid annually), after a one-month free trial.

Best for Career Development: Coursera

Key Specs 

• Price: $10/guided project to $9,000+/degree
• Length of class: <2 hours to 1+ year
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

Career development is a key reason why many people pursue continuing education after they've graduated from college, and Coursera caters particularly to those people looking for new skills and career moves. Students can choose from over 2,700 free courses, although the free learning comes at a different cost: These classes typically lack access to homework and practice assignments, instructor feedback, and a formal certificate or accreditation at the end. But for those on a budget seeking to advance their career, the free courses can be a helpful introduction to a new industry. You can also partake in ”Guided Projects,” which are mini-courses designed to help individuals develop specific, job-ready skills with tutorials of two hours or less.

Coursera also partners with major universities like the University of Michigan and companies like Google to provide classes, study programs, and degrees, many of which are specifically geared toward career development tracks. The costs can range from very low ($10 for Guided Projects) to high ($9,000 or more for a degree program), but you can be sure you're getting significant and quality instruction for the cost.

Best for Coding: Codecademy

Key Specs

• Price: $17.50–$30/month (billed annually)
• Length of class: 2 hours to 2+ months
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

Learning to code is increasingly of interest to more and more people, and Codecademy is ready to help novices and experienced coders alike expand their skills. Codecademy is all about customizing the coding journey, with a particular emphasis on welcoming newbies to the field.

Codecademy's courses cover 14 different programming languages, as well as several designated career paths that group together the necessary skills for pursuing specific jobs. Every self-paced class features interactive learning, opportunities to build your portfolio, and access to a community of peers and advisors to help you grow your career and skills in the direction you want.

Codecademy does not offer its classes as individual purchases, only through subscriptions. With a Basic free account, access is limited; not all classes are offered for free, and you won't get some features like quizzes and personalized practice. The Plus tier adds unlimited course access, plus other features like quizzes and personalized practice assignments, while the Pro tier adds access to the career paths feature, professional certifications, and other perks geared toward advancing your career.

Best for Free Classes: Harvard Online Courses

Key Specs 

• Price: Free–$2,250+
• Length of class: 1–12+ weeks
• Equipment needed: Device with internet connection; other equipment varies by course

Pros & Cons

Why It Made the List

The name alone makes Harvard Online Courses worth taking notice of, and it's even more appealing when you learn that around 20 percent of the courses offered are totally free. Its catalog features over 500 courses across dozens of topics, with courses that range from professional skills like coding, business, and marketing, to personal health and development workshops, to academic, niche explorations of intriguing topics designed to satisfy your curiosity about any number of ideas.

Most classes are taught online, although a handful offer in-person learning as well. The price points can vary enormously, though. Over 100 of the classes in the catalog are offered to anyone, completely free, while some short courses cost as low as $30 or $40. On the other hand, some classes can cost thousands of dollars to take. All classes feature instruction from qualified, credentialed Harvard instructors, but the amount of interaction you'll get will vary.