Skillshare vs Udemy – Which is Better?

Skillshare and Udemy are both giants in the field of eLearning.

But which is better: Skillshare or Udemy?

I have extensive experience with both platforms and have completed and reviewed dozens of courses on each.

In this Skillshare vs Udemy article, I’ll compare their differences in terms of course provision, cost, number of students, quality of teachers, and platform features. 

This Skillshare vs Udemy comparison will give you a complete understanding of which of the two better suits your needs.

The review is detailed. But if you’re pressed for time the headlines are:

• Udemy has significantly more users, courses, and categories than Skillshare. You can buy courses singly without committing to a subscription (though a plan is available). Like Skillshare, Udemy is an open platform allowing anyone to upload courses. Unlike Skillshare, it provides sharable certificates of completion.

• Skillshare is a subscription-only platform that allows creative experts to upload courses, and share their skills. It has fewer courses but a stronger focus on creative disciplines. The platform also has a genuine community vibe. So if creativity's your thing and you like to interact with others of a similar mindset, Skillshare may well have more to offer.  

If you’re looking for a one-off course on a specific topic, Udemy is great. However, if you’re a creative looking to upskill, develop new skills, or grow your business, Skillshare might suit you more. 

Quick Summary

This side-by-side comparison table provides an overview of the key differences between Skillshare and Udemy.

	Skillshare	Udemy
# of users	13+ million	64+ million
# of Courses	40,000+ across 3 sub-divided categories	204,000+ across 12 categories
Teachers	Some high-profile teachers but any practicing creative can design and offer a course	Some high-profile instructors but anyone can create and offer an approved course
Pricing	$32 for a monthly subscription or $14 per month billed annually	– Individual courses from $19.99 – Monthly subscription $29.99
Free content	Short samples of some courses	500+ courses
Features	– High-quality video content with transcripts and subtitles – Massive choice of courses focused on creative disciplines -Curated learning with Skillshare picks and suggestions to help guide your learning	– High-quality video content and downloadable resources – Massive choice of courses across a wide range of disciplines – Shareable certificates of completion
Specialization	Practicing creatives can share skills online	Anyone can create and offer courses
Pros	– Passionate instructors with high-profile contributors – Skillshare Perks: discounts for Adobe, Canva, FreshBooks, etc – Active community of fellow learners- Lots of courses to choose from	– Passionate instructors with high-profile contributors – Impressive range of courses – Frequent sales, as well as 500+ free courses – Teaches in-demand professional skills plus many creative and fun courses too
Cons	– Course quality varies – No course certificates	– Course quality varies – Most completion certificates are not accredited
Best for:	– Creatives and hobbyists looking to upskill – Creative businesses hoping to expand – Anyone looking to learn new creative skills – Those who can benefit from the Skillshare Perks	– Anyone who wants access to a wide variety of content from work-related to fun and creative – Those looking for a one-off course on a specific topic – Business managers looking to upskill teams
More information	Visit Skillshare	Visit Udemy

About Skillshare and Udemy

Now let’s take a closer look at Skillshare and Udemy to find out what they’re all about

About Skillshare

The core philosophy of Skillshare is simple: “Anyone can learn anything, at any age, at an affordable cost, anywhere in the world”

And, to prove the point, since being founded in 2011, Skillshare has become the world’s largest online learning community for creatives. It has more than 40,000 courses and 13+ million users. 

Skillshare is renowned for its classes in creative disciplines such as photography and sketching but also offers courses in fields such as business and productivity. 

Many of its courses are taught by industry experts. However, Skillshare is also an open platform where everyday people who have harnessed creative expertise can upload classes, become teachers themselves, and earn an income.

For more details check out our Skillshare review, Skillshare costs, Skillshare discounts, and Skillshare statistics articles.

About Udemy 

Udemy was launched in 2009 with a mission to improve life through learning. It gives everyone the opportunity to create and offer quality online courses on its platform though many of its teachers are high profile contributors. 

It now has over 64 million registered users and offers 200,000+ courses across 13 categories. Udemy is an all-round provider and offers courses in both professional and personal development.

It is the largest Ed Tech company of its kind and 80% of Fortune 100 companies trust it for employee upskilling including Apple, Unicef, PayPal, Samsung, and Unilever.

You can buy courses singly on Udemy.  Each one is individually priced and led by an instructor who practices the discipline. Purchasing a course gives you lifetime access to it, and all of its resources. You can access some courses for free.

Udemy also offers a subscription called the Personal Plan. This gives you unlimited access to a curated collection of 10,500+ top courses for as long as your subscription is active. 

It is the largest Ed Tech company of its kind and 80% of Fortune 100 companies trust Udemy for employee upskilling including Apple, Unicef, PayPal, Accenture, Samsung, Unilever, Instacart, and Okta.

For a more in-depth look at Udemy, you check out our Udemy review.

Summary: Udemy is the older of the two platforms with more users and a greater number and variety of courses. In contrast, whilst Skillshare offers fewer courses, it is closely focused on creative disciplines and this may be more appropriate for your needs. 

User Experience & Interface

When comparing Skillshare and Udemy, both platforms have strengths but differ in ease of use for beginners and experienced users.

User interface:

Skillshare has a simple, clean design that’s easy to navigate. It organizes courses by topic, making it beginner-friendly. Udemy’s interface is more detailed, with a dashboard that shows your courses, progress, and recommendations. 

Sign-up process:

Both platforms have an easy sign-up process. Skillshare offers a free trial, which is good for beginners. Udemy allows free sign-up, but most courses require individual purchases. Udemy’s frequent sales are great for experienced users, while Skillshare’s subscription model might feel limiting since you have to pay upfront for full access.

Course search:

Udemy has a powerful search tool with filters for price, duration, and course level, making it easier to find specific content. Skillshare’s search tool is simpler and less customizable but still effective for finding courses.

Content interaction and usability:

Skillshare focuses on community learning with discussion boards and projects, which helps beginners interact with others. Udemy includes quizzes, resources, and certificates, which appeal more to experienced users focused on career skills.

Mobile and desktop performance:

Both platforms work well on mobile and desktop. Skillshare’s app is easy to use and allows course downloads for offline viewing. Udemy’s app offers similar features, which benefits users who need flexibility.

In summary, Skillshare’s simple design makes it great for beginners, while Udemy’s detailed features and options work well for both beginners and advanced users.

Skillshare vs Udemy Courses

This side-by-side comparison of Skillshare vs Udemy sums up the course offering of each platform:

	Skillshare	Udemy
# of courses	40,000 across 3 sub-divided categories	210,000+ across 13 categories
Categories	Create Build Thrive There are 16 subcategories Each is broken down into skill levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced	Development Business Finance & accounting IT & software Office productivity Personal development Design Marketing Lifestyle Photography & video Health & fitness Teaching & academics
# free courses	Snippets of some courses	500+

Now let’s take a deeper look.

Skillshare courses

Skillshare has three overarching categories:

• Create (animation, creative writing, film and video, fine art, graphic design, illustration, music, photography, UI/UX design, web development)
• Build (business analytics, freelance and entrepreneurship, leadership and management, marketing)
• Thrive (lifestyle, productivity)

Each of these is broken down into sub-categories and courses themselves are generally identified as being beginner, intermediate, or advanced.

Due to the range of instructors, classes can vary quite a bit. That said, you can expect the following from the average Skillshare course:

• Courses are typically 1-2 hours long with bite-sized lessons of around 10 minutes
• A mix of talking head style lessons and/or over -the-shoulder tutorials
• Accessible format with transcripts in a variety of languages

You can find courses by:

• Visiting your curated home page – after completing a short quiz on sign-up the platform loads a home screen of suggestions for you which is updated as you learn.
• Using Browse: the main Skillshare disciplines are listed in the home menu and can be navigated with ease.
• Filtering options by course length and popularity
• Following along with the Skillshare blog and email suggestions

Best Skillshare courses

This is our selection of the top classes across the categories to give you a flavor of what’s on offer:

1. Graphic Design Basics: Core Principles for Digital Design This short course is packed with practical examples and clear demonstrations. It’s quick to take and provides beginners with an excellent starting point for their graphic design journey as well as being a helpful refresher for more experienced designers. 
2. Introduction to Procreate: Illustrating on the iPad (Updated for 2024) Students comment on how they appreciate the instructor's clear, but in-depth, instructions, and the wealth of practical examples. Every feature is covered in an accessible way. And even more experienced users learned new, or better ways to do, things.
3. iPhone Photography: How to Take Pro Photos On Your iPhone The clarity of explanations, the dozens of graphics to illustrate course material, and the handy recap slides at the end of each lesson are just some of the things reviewers loved about this course. Well worth your time and money if you want to take stunning photos or pursue a career in digital photography.
4. Productivity for Creatives: Build a System that Brings Out Your Best by Thomas Frank Thomas An in-depth course looking at cultivating a creative mindset (not against) you and how to practice your creativity like a muscle. 
5. Revolutionary Self-Care: Embrace, Nurture, and Grow Your Authentic Self by Chidera Eggerue This course has been completed by 12,000 students with a whopping 96% feeling that their expectations were met and exceeded. 

Find out more in our article Best Skillshare classes.

Udemy courses

There are over 210,000 courses available on Udemy across 12 categories.

Udemy courses are generally in pre-recorded video format. They can be anything from an hour to over 20 hours long in total and are broken down into bite-size lessons. 

They’re led by your instructor walking you through ideas and skills relevant to your discipline and can be consumed on demand, whenever you like.

There are also additional learning resources available with most courses. These will often be downloadable texts, articles, and other materials relevant to what you're studying. 

You can browse the Udemy catalogue by:

• Category 
• Topics recommended for you 
• Or Search

Categories are accessed from the tab at the top of the home page. Clicking on any one of these will take you to all the courses offered within that category. 

Once you have used Udemy, the site will start recommending courses to you on your home page. 

Finally, if you’re looking for a specific course or discipline, you can always use the Search Bar at the top of the home page.     

Best Udemy courses

To give you the broadest possible overview, I’ve grouped together the best courses from each of Udemy’s main categories below.  And, you can also check out our article, Best Courses on Udemy for more granular detail.

• Development: Complete Python Development Bootcamp: From Zero To Hero In Python. Learn to use Python professionally, ideal for those who have never programmed before.
• Business: An Entire MBA in 1 Course: Award-Winning Business School Prof – Learn everything you need to know about business. From launching a business to growing it to taking it public.   
• Finance & Accounting: The Complete Financial Analyst And Training Course Discover how to pick stocks, manage a portfolio, build a financial model, and much more.
• IT & Software: IT Troubleshooting Skills Training Learn a standard procedure for minimizing problem duration and good practices for problem identification. 
• Office Productivity: Microsoft Excel – Excel From Beginner To Advanced Build a solid understanding of Excel features and how to automate your daily tasks (#1 in our best Excel Courses review)
• Personal Development: Become A SuperLearner 2: Learn Speed Reading And Boost Your Memory Read three times faster than the average college graduate and master tips for processing and recalling vast amounts of info (#2 in our Best Speed Reading courses review) 
• Design: The Ultimate Drawing Course: Beginner To Advanced Learn all the fundamentals including drawing faces and realistic perspective drawing.
• Marketing: The Complete Digital Marketing Course Shows you how to grow a business online from scratch and profit from your digital marketing knowledge. 
• Health & Fitness: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Practitioner Certificate Learn the fundamentals of CBT, one of the most widely used and recognized practices in psychology and mental health. 
• Music: Pianoforall: An Incredible New Way To Learn Piano And Keyboard Progress quickly as you learn the best techniques for reading sheet music and playing-by-ear in a wide range of different genres (#6 in our Best Online Piano courses review) 

Skillshare vs Udemy Teachers & Course Quality

No class is better than the quality of its teacher so this is an important consideration when choosing a learning platform.

Skillshare teachers and quality 

Many Skillshare classes are taught by industry experts including:

• Jonathan Van Ness (celebrity hairstylist and contributor to Queer Eye)
• Aaron Draplin (graphic designer whose clients include Nike and Apple)
• Rebecca Minkoff (co-founder of the global fashion brand)

However, as well as being a publisher of original content, Skillshare is an open platform where any skilled creative can upload and share their course.

This means the quality of teaching can, and does, vary on Skillshare.

That said, Skillshare does require courses to meet certain standards and guidelines and your course will be moderated prior to publication. Plus its review system ensures that the best courses will always filter to the top.

Udemy teachers and quality 

Udemy is a platform that gives anyone who is passionate about what they know and wants to share it the opportunity to create and offer a course on its platform. 

There are guidelines as to what is allowed on the site. For instance, each course must contain at least 30 minutes of video and at least five separate lectures, and there are restricted topics eg: anything to do with dating or sexuality. 

However, it’s not necessary for any instructor to have any formal teaching experience.

That said, a number of Udemy’s instructors are tenured professors, award-winning artists or Tech CEOs. They include:

• Rob Percival – web developer and entrepreneur who has taught over 120k students to code on Udemy
• Victor Bastos – internet developer who has taught over 50k students web development from scratch
• Jose Portilla – head of data science at Pierian Data who teaches the top course, From Zero to Hero in Python 

The process for becoming an instructor on Udemy is to:

• Sign up on the site
• Create your learning objectives and a course outline 
• Produce your course and submit a test video for feedback on quality
• Submit your course for review and evaluation

If the course meets Udemy’s standards and does not violate any of its policies it will be published.

Summary: Both platforms have a selection of top performers teaching classes. However, they are also open platforms allowing anyone to upload a course so the teaching quality can, and does, vary. However, Udemy’s process of evaluating standards is a little more rigorous.

Skillshare vs Udemy Pricing

	Skillshare costs	Udemy costs
Per course	Not available	$19.99 – $199.99
Subscription	Monthly $32 pm Annual $14 pm billed annually	$29.99 per month or $199 for a year for access to 102,000+ curated courses
Free trial	Usually 7 days 30-day free trial of annual membership available here	7-day free trial on subscription
Refunds	Within 7 days	30-day refund on individual courses Monthly subscription can be cancelled at any time
Free courses	Short tasters of select courses	500 free courses
Discount	Skillshare discount codes	Udemy Sales

Summary: Both platforms offer a monthly subscription for a similar price. If you’re willing to commit upfront you can obtain an annual Skillshare subscription for 50%+ off. Plus, Skillshare gives you unlimited access to all its courses, whereas a Udemy plan provides access to only a curated selection of popular courses. However, unlike Skillshare you can buy courses individually on Udemy and, with frequent sales, this can be more cost-effective.

Certificate Value and Recognition

Skillshare and Udemy differ in the value of their certificates, which affects how users can use them for learning or career growth.

Skillshare

Skillshare does not provide certificates of completion for its courses. These certificates show the member’s name, class title, issue date, teacher, class length, and a unique ID. Many of Skillshare’s courses focus on areas like art, design, and other creative fields, which users often take for personal enrichment. 

Skillshare is not ideal for professional growth or career advancement. It’s better suited for learners seeking new skills for personal use rather than for building a formal career portfolio. This makes it more appropriate for personal development, creativity, or hobby-based learning. 

Udemy

Udemy, on the other hand, provides certificates of completion for paid courses. Although these certificates are not accredited by official educational institutions, they can still hold value in a professional setting. Users can add them to their resumes or LinkedIn profiles to demonstrate new skills. 

This can help in career development, as employers might appreciate the initiative to learn independently. While Udemy’s certificates are not recognized as a college degree, they still provide a way for learners to showcase their progress and commitment to learning.

Skillshare is better for personal enrichment, focusing on creative pursuits, while Udemy offers certificates that, though not accredited, can help users improve their professional profiles and job prospects.

Learning Community and Support

Skillshare’s emphasis on community learning

Skillshare uses a project-based learning approach, allowing students to apply what they learned through project completion and sharing. Learners can upload their work onto “Project Galleries,” where they receive feedback from peers and instructors. This method helps students practice skills in real-world scenarios with constructive feedback from their work. 

Also, Skillshare has discussion forums where students can ask questions, share ideas, and connect with others. These features make it easier for people to work together, network, and learn from each other. 

Udemy’s community features

Udemy provides a Q&A section for each course to allow students to ask questions and interact with instructors or other students directly. This feature allows learners a quick way to get quick answers or clarifications on course material.

There are also discussion boards on Udemy where students and teachers can interact about course topics. This adds another level of support, especially for students who need more help or in-depth answers. 

Skillshare vs Udemy Features

Let’s take a closer look at what features each platform offers

Skillshare features

• 40,000+ courses in almost any creative topic you could wish for
• Over 13 million registered users 
• Great quality lessons with transcripts and subtitles available for each class
• Curated learning with Skillshare picks and suggestions to help guide your learning
• Access to a community forum of fellow learners to collaborate, ask questions, and share successes
• Monthly and annual subscription options

Udemy features

• 210,000+ courses including in-demand professional skills as well as many fun and creative options
• Teaching – The opportunity for anyone to create and offer a course on its platform – although, Udemy does have many high-profile instructors, including tech CEO’s and award-winning artists
• Individual courses that you pay for separately 
• A monthly or annual subscription (The Personal Plan) giving access to 10,000 of the most popular courses
• 500+ free courses
• On-demand video lessons accompanied by downloadable learning materials

Skillshare vs Udemy – Which is Best For Businesses?

This side-by-side comparison of Skillshare and Udemy for business sets out the differences and similarities between them.

	Skillshare	Udemy
Small teams	Starter Plan (up to 19 users) $159 per person per year Full Skillshare experience at a discounted rate	Team Plan (up to 20 users) $360 per person per year 6,500 courses + the mobile app
Medium teams	Enterprise Plan (20-50 users) – Custom pricing – As above + reporting facilities and an account manager	Enterprise Plan (21+ users) – Custom pricing – As above + custom topics and the ability to host proprietary courses
Large teams	Revive Plan (51+ users) – Custom pricing As above with extra perks f + a focus on wellness	As above
Leadership		Leadership Development Program – Custom pricing – 100+ Exec level courses from top institutions – Live events and AI analytics

Summary: A Skillshare business plan is significantly cheaper and offers far more to small teams. But Udemy comes into its own if you have a bigger team or are specifically interested in developing leaders.

Skillshare vs Udemy Alternatives

Online Learning is big business and there’s lots of competition in the space so you’re spoilt for choice.

Coursera, GetSmarter, or edX

If you’re looking for accredited, certified courses then you could try Coursera, GetSmarter or edX. 

They have world-class learning partners on board such as Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford. Their offerings are broadly similar to each other but the course library for Cousera is much larger with over 9,000 courses. 

You can buy courses individually on each platform. Costs vary from a few dollars to thousands of dollars depending on the type of course you choose (full degrees are available on both). But there is lots of content you can try for free.

Check out our article, Udemy vs Coursera.

MasterClass

MasterClass offers classes hosted by celebrities in their field. For example, cooking with Gordon Ramsay, writing with Margaret Atwood, and Jazz with Herbie Hancock. The focus is on the experience, rather than academic learning, and the platform is famed for its incredibly high-quality production values. 

MasterClass also offer MasterClass Sessions which are project-led, practical 30-day courses that you start with a cohort of fellow students with whom you collaborate. MasterClass is a subscription-only platform and your annual pass gives you access to every MasterClass and Session. 

You can also check out our article Skillshare vs MasterClass.

CreativeLive

CreativeLive offers a wide range of courses from cake decorating to social media management. All under the guidance of world-class creatives, cultural icons, and even Pulitzer Prize winners. Its tutors include Tim Ferris and Richard Branson. You can read our full CreativeLive review here.

Specialist Platforms

Then, of course, there are specialist platforms out there for particular interests. For example:

• YesChef is just for food
• Brilliant is great for developing math, science, logic, and thinking skills
• MindValley is fantastic for personal development through courses like Lifebook
• Pluralsight, Datacamp, and Codecademy focus purely on tech-related skills

Skillshare vs Udemy Pros, Cons, and Best For

Skillshare

Pros: 

• Classes typically have a great mix of practical and theory
• An active community which can help to motivate and engage learners
• Curated learning makes it easy to continue your learning journey without too much thought into where to go next 
• Identifies courses as beginner, intermediate, or advanced level
• Skillshare Perks: discounts for Adobe, Canva, FreshBooks, and more
• Free trial for you to explore the Skillshare catalogue.

Cons:

• No certification
• Quality can be variable 

Best for: 

• Freelancers looking to upskill
• Hobby artists who want to spend more time learning their craft
• Small creative businesses hoping to streamline their operation
• Anyone looking to learn new skills, whether you have experience in that area or not
• Time-poor hustlers who need to learn things fast
• Graphic designers, illustrators, and visual artists who can benefit from the Skillshare Perks the most (big Adobe discounts!) 

Udemy

Pros: 

• Comprehensive range of courses
• Reasonably priced with constant sales, deals and promotions
• 500+ free courses
• Passionate instructors with many high-profile contributors
• Teaches skills that equip you for the changing nature of work as well as offering many creative and fun courses too

Cons:

• Not all courses are of equal quality
• Course certificates aren’t accredited by any university or institution

Best for those who: 

• Enjoy learning and want access to a wide variety of content – from work-related to fun and creative
• Are looking to develop skills in tech and computing, but struggling to find a way in 
• Those who like to take courses individually, rather than purchase a whole subscription 
• High flyers who can’t seem to fit learning new things in their busy schedule 
• Business owners and managers looking for a wholesale way to educate their team

Skillshare vs Udemy: Which is Best?

In summary, comparing Skillshare to Udemy:

• Udemy’s 210,000+courses are more varied, Skillshare’s 40,000+ courses focus on the creative disciplines.
• Teaching quality is a little more consistent on Udemy as it has a more rigorous screening process for contributors – though both platforms have instructors who are high-profile professionals.
• The cost of a monthly subscription is broadly similar, however, an annual Skillshare subscription is cheaper.
• A Skillshare subscription gives you access to everything the platform offers, whilst a Udemy plan provides access to a curated selection.
• You can purchase courses individually on Udemy and with frequent sales, this can be a reassuring and cost-effective way to purchase course content.
• Udemy is more geared up to serve businesses – particularly larger teams. But Skillshare is significantly cheaper and if your business is in the creative field it may suit you better.

That said, the answer to the question “Which is better, Udemy or Skillshare?” depends on what you are looking for.

If you are a serious creative looking to enhance or develop new skills or streamline your business operation, then Skillshare is your best bet.

On the other hand, if you want a wider selection of courses and the opportunity to purchase them individually without committing to a subscription, then Udemy is for you.

The good news is that both platforms offer free trials and/or refunds so you can explore them both before committing yourself.

Comparing Skillshare and Udemy: Our Methodology

I navigated every corner of each platform to gather relevant information on costs, refunds, and the range and quality of what’s on offer.

I also sampled several specific courses from each. This included courses in topics I felt confident in which helped me gauge the quality of the teaching. And courses I knew little or nothing about to see if claims that no prior experience was necessary were backed up by good introductory content and incremental teaching that kept me engaged and learning.

Finally, I looked elsewhere across the internet to gather other people’s opinions on each platform, and to explore potential alternatives.

Relevant articles: Skillshare vs MasterClass, Udemy Alternatives, Udemy vs Coursera, Udemy vs LinkedIn Learning, Udemy vs Codecademy, Pluralsight vs Udemy

Udemy vs Skillshare -FAQ: