vs.

FutureLearn logo
FutureLearn

Course Marketplace

8.5

10

Our winner
Read FutureLearn reviewVisit FutureLearn
Skillshare logo
Skillshare

Course Marketplace

8.3

10

Read Skillshare reviewVisit Skillshare

FutureLearn vs. Skillshare - Complete Comparison

Janosch Herrmann

Written by
Janosch Herrmann

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Overview

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Description
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn

FutureLearn is a British online learning platform that offers courses developed by their more than 175 university partners worldwide. The platform was founded in 2012 and has since attracted more than 10 million learners worldwide.

Skillshare logoSkillshare

Skillshare is an online learning platform with a focus on creative & business skills, ranging from fine art to productivity and everything in between! Today, Skillshare has more than 8000 teachers teaching 35,000+ classes.

Types of courses
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn
BACHELORS DEGREE

Bachelor's Degree

Get a Bachelor's degree from one of FutureLearn's partner universities

$10000 - $30000 USD
10-15 hours per week
MASTERS DEGREE

Master's Degree

Get a Master's degree from one of FutureLearn's university partners.

$10000 - $40000 USD
1-3 years
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

Short Courses

Short courses on a wide variety of topics, created by universities and other institutions

FreeIncluded in subscription
2-4 hours per week
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

Microcredentials

Create specialized courses created by top academic institutions worldwide. Some courses might count as academic credit towards a degree.

$500 - $1000 USD
6–12 weeks
Skillshare logoSkillshare
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING

Skillshare classes

Thousands of self-paced classes, all included in the Skillshare subscription.

Free
Self-paced
COHORT BASED

1-on-1 sessions

1-on-1 sessions with top instructors from Skillshare.

$50 - $300 USD
1 - 2 hours
COHORT BASED

Live sessions

Live classes with some of Skillshare's top teachers.

Free
1 - 2 hours
Subscription plans
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn
PERSONAL

FutureLearn Unlimited

Unlimited access to 1400+ online courses from FutureLearn

$20 - 40 USD per month
Skillshare logoSkillshare
PERSONAL

Skillshare Premium

Access to all Skillshare classes

$15 - 25 USD per month
Pros & cons
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn
    Pros
  • Wide range of courses from top universities
  • Affordable subscription
  • Cons
  • Limited free course access
Skillshare logoSkillshare
    Pros
  • Large course catalog
  • Affordable subscription plans
  • Cons
  • Limited free courses
  • Not much that much learning support
  • Some users report problems getting a refund

General information

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Type
Course MarketplaceCourse Marketplace
Number of courses
2000+28000+
Popularity

Relatively niche

Popular

Available categories
Business Analytics & IntelligenceComplianceData ScienceDesign ToolsDigital MarketingEntrepreneurshipFinanceIT CertificationsLanguage LearningLeadership
3D & AnimationAccounting & BookkeepingAffiliate MarketingArchitectural DesignArts & CraftsBeauty & MakeupBrandingBusiness Analytics & IntelligenceBusiness LawBusiness Strategy
Available languages
English
EnglishSpanishFrenchGermanPortuguese

Evaluation

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Full score

8.5

10

8.3

10

Individual scores
Course quality
FutureLearn
Skillshare
LowHigh
Course catalog
FutureLearn
Skillshare
Less satisfiedVery satisfied
Affordability
FutureLearn
Skillshare
More expensiveHigher value
Career value
FutureLearn
Skillshare
Low valueHigh value
Customer support
FutureLearn
Skillshare
BadGood
Usability
FutureLearn
Skillshare
BadGood

Features

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Support options
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Chat
  • Community
  • Knowledge base
  • Learning support
  • Career support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Chat
  • Community
  • Knowledge base
  • Learning support
  • Career support
Available apps
No apps available...
IOS logo
Ios
ANDROID logo
Android

Company

Toggle
Company name
FutureLearn LimitedSkillshare, Inc.
Company size

Medium

Large

Founded in
20122010
Headquarters

United Kingdom

🇬🇧

United States

🇺🇸
Founders
The Open UniversityMichael Karnjanaprakorn, Malcolm Ong, Aaron Schwartz
External reviews
ios logo
Trustpilot
4.7740 reviews
ios logo
App Store
4.823100 reviews
ios logo
Play Store
4.157000 reviews
ios logo
Trustpilot
1.21621 reviews

Our opinion

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Summary
FutureLearn logoFutureLearn

FutureLearn is one of the few online learning platforms that offer full online degrees. We also like that you can access a lot of their regular courses for free for a limited amount of time, with the upgrade to the paid course being offered as an optional add-on. In contrast to some other similar companies, their offering is also a lot more streamlined and easier to understand, which we think is another benefit of FutureLearn. That said, their catalog isn't as big as that of some of their competitors, which means that you might not find the course you're looking for, especially if it's a bit more niche. Overall, we can recommend FutureLearn for students that want to take full online degrees, as well as students that want to learn with courses from universities, instead of courses from individual instructors.

Learn more about FutureLearnDiscover FutureLearn alternatives
Skillshare logoSkillshare

Skillshare offers a large catalog of courses on both career and hobby-related topics. We particularly like that you can get access to every course on the platform with just one, affordable subscription. You can also book one-on-one sessions with instructors, which is a bit pricey, but a super unique offering that no other online learning platform currently offers. We can therefore recommend Skillshare to anyone trying to learn digital & creative skills, especially if a subscription sounds better than buying individual courses.

Learn more about SkillshareDiscover Skillshare alternatives

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