Nowadays, there are numerous platforms that offer online courses. However, having a wide variety of options can make it quite difficult for you to choose any one platform to take up the courses. This article looks into two platforms - Skillshare and Lynda. At present Skillshare offers 2 months of trial free of cost.
You could try using this platform now to understand more about it. Both the platforms are very unique and they have plenty of courses to choose from. It could get quite tough to distinguish between the two and decide which one is better.
However, you must look into your budget, time constraints, and requirement regarding the learning. If you pay and want to have many courses for that price you can opt for Skillshare. This platform looks into different subjects that are related to nutrition, fitness, crafts, alternative medicines, improving mental health, and many other areas. Lynda, on the other hand, has a wide range of courses in web development, business, photography, design, professional development, etc. This article looks into various elements of these two platforms and gives you a comparison. Read through this article to decide which platform is best suited for you.
Skillshare Vs Lynda 2020 | The Ultimate Comparison ( Pros & Cons)
SkillshareSkillshare is an e-learning platform just like the endless platforms available in the marketplace as of now. Through this platform, students can learn various skills that can be used in their personal lives, or even their career, whenever needed. The best part about this platform is that there is no emphasis on a specific area.
For instance, though many platforms offer e-learning and have a huge number of different courses. T hey recommend and promote just a few courses like IT or business. On the other hand, Skillshare concentrates on the variety rather than selecting a single area and it does not neglect other topics. This is a great concept and it promotes a wide range of subjects to the user.
LyndaLynda is a very popular platform when it comes to online learning. It has a different and huge user base that includes people from various organizations across the world. Lynda has various classes on the development of skills, like software, technology, web design, web development, business development, and many creative topics like photography are also covered. Lynda was designed to assist learners in achieving professional as well as personal goals easily.
The online platform has been in the market for about 20 years and currently, there are about 10000+ organizations that benefit from Lynda's online training system. You can access the tutorials on Lynda in five languages - English, Spanish, Japanese, German, and French.
Skillshare is one such online learning community where there are thousands of classes on it for all those who wish to learn and expand their creativity. They have a wide range of topics like illustration, photography, design, video, freelancing, film, music, graphic design, UI/UX design, lifestyle, culinary, business, leadership, etc.
There are plenty of free classes and you can opt for any based on your preferences. New classes are being added regularly and the 2 month free trial period will be the best time for you to try these out.
This online platform is quite popular for its topics like photography, creative writing, graphic designing, etc. There are about 5467 courses offered on Lynda. A lot of these courses will be taught in English and people can also opt for a different language - German, Japanese, Spanish and French.
Lynda
The videos could range anywhere between seconds to minutes and they are not lengthy and very comprehensive. The courses also offer you a certificate on completion of the skill development course.
When you choose an online platform, content, and quality of content is very important. The content quality determines the quality of the education platform. When we talk of Skillshare, there are many positive opinions regarding content quality. Some users have indicated that the courses are pretty standard ones.
Skillshare
Also, the instructors on this platform, do not mark their courses as courses for beginners or advanced users. This is an aspect that the platform must take into consideration, as then the users can decide on the course if it is best suited for them. The course descriptions are quite vague too. These are just minor issues and otherwise, the courses have been created in a professional way and are informative. Many people are satisfied and happy with the quality of the courses which are offered by Skillshare.
The site has a very attractive appearance and more of a professional look. However, what actually matters is the features of the site. Many users do not appear to be happy and satisfied with the quality of the course content quality offered on Lynda. There are certain claims made by people that the site also has some outdated content along with irrelevant course topics. This is mainly found in IT courses and lectures. When Technology has been advancing at a very fast rate, it can get tough for any platform to match the trends, updates, and changes.
However, this cannot be an excuse for any platform offering education or skill courses. When a platform is charging a good sum of money for the courses offered, they have t make sure that they stay updated and offer all the latest courses which are relevant. Another problem that is faced by many users is some of the courses on Lynda are quite slow and a simple topic will go on for more than 10 minutes, which can be quite frustrating. Despite the minor issues, a lot of students love the experience that is being offered by this platform.
Skillshare is a very unique platform and it has a very interesting concept when it comes to courses that are team-based. Now, these courses are created particularly for businesses and organizations so that they can create some amazing team-building exercises and also focus on efficiency management. This is one platform that offers the user the chance to work on various projects which are team-based.
This feature is great for all those who doubt this platform's authenticity and question it. The projects offered by this site are worth mentioning. Skillshare promises that students will have to work on practical projects in whatever course they take up as this feature passes on knowledge as well as gives a practical exposure to students. Students are encouraged and motivated to learn the subject well, pay attention, and develop an interest in that particular subject.
SkillshareThis online platform has a distinct feature called the learning path. This is where a lot of courses come under the "umbrella" course. For example, if you are into creative writing and are looking for a learning path that totally concentrates on writing, you could find a course that is taught by three different teachers and they will cover different areas, topics, and themes.
Some courses can be distinct to the learning path, and some others may be just gathered and formed into a learning path. Now, you require a lot of time to complete these Learning paths successfully. They are quite tough in comparison to the normal course. On Lynda, you can find a lot of learning paths to choose from. Also, in case you choose to go in the direction of the learning path, it is on the lines of studying a certain subject in college for credits. You can also access the courses offline, which is a great feature for students.
This point focuses on the user-friendliness and the accessibility of an e-learning platform. There are many categories of topics when you reach the main page of the website. The home page or landing page is very inviting and also very interactive. The design of the site is simple and straightforward. It has an interactive video as well. Once you are here, you can check out all the courses being offered by Skillshare. The website has done a good job in terms of simplicity and you will not find flashy pages anywhere.
Lynda
On registration on the platform, you have to choose a course. Once you do this, you will get an introductory video that has been prepared by the instructor to greet you and you will also get the lessons that are offered in the course you have selected. If you scroll ahead, you can read through the course description, details about your course instructor and you also get details on many related courses, which you can consider taking up.
The interface of this website is very simple. You can navigate this site very easily. Now, there is one tiny feature that can be distracting and annoying - students are permitted to leave their comments or feedback on the timeline of every video. This might be a popular thing nowadays, however, it is a bit distracting. Overall, Skillshare is an intuitive platform and does not have fancy pop-ups, banners, or buttons.
SkillshareWhen you reach the landing page of Lynda, you can see some courses and subjects being previewed. Now, you will also see the promotional offer of a free trial month. On scrolling down, you will find sections on top courses, reviews, partner lists, self-promotion, learning paths, etc. This might be pretty basic information and you can find this on every e-learning platform, however, on Lynda, this has been well-presented. The homepage has a professional theme in black and white.
Every section on the site is simple, but very appealing and is not very "generic". You can browse through the various categories, subjects, courses, etc. When you register yourself on this website, you will get access to the courses and select from the wide range of offerings. ON selecting a course, the page gives you an overview of the course, the list of lectures, the description of the course, or even instructor notes and many more things.
Now the pricing of the site is pretty interesting. The pricing of Skillshare is very unique in contrast to other platforms that are found in the marketplace. Most of the major e-learning platforms that offer educational courses allow users to buy single courses and the price of each course is fixed by its creator and instructor. However, in Skillshare, the pricing model is based on the subscription model, which means to access the courses, you must subscribe to any plan offered by this platform. Once you do this, you can access as many courses that you desire. Skillshare offers 2 subscription plans - Free and Premium.
Lynda
If you opt for free "subscription", you will get access to only the free content on this site. There are very few free classes. However, if you choose the premium plan, you get access to all the 25000+ courses. This premium subscription comes at a price of $16 USD a month, the annual subscription plan being $96 USD. The deal is great as you get to try our as many courses as you want.
On the Lynda platform, it gives you a free one month trial. Once this trial month is over, you can select any plan that you wish. The monthly subscription on this platform is around $19.99 a month and the premier subscription plan costs about $29.99 a month.
Skillshare
You can make your choice based on what you wish to learn. Note that once the trial period ends, the membership gets renewed automatically, and in case you do not wish to continue, you must do so before the end of the trial period. In Lynda, even an employer can make payments for their employee's courses and offer them skill development training.
When we talk of Skillshare, courses have been created by many people, and many times, even people who are not capable of creating courses as well as teaching, do so. Hence, the standard of instructors on this platform could be varying. However, the site has a system of peer reviewing and this makes it simple for users to concentrate on only the best and top-quality courses. Skillshare's monthly payment is pretty less, and this also is an indicator that all courses on this site could not be of great quality.
Whenever you select a course, the first video itself will give you an idea about the quality of the course and whether you must invest your time in it. If no, you can go to other courses. Overall, the teaching standards can be considered to be good on this platform and this totally depends on the instructor. If you find a good instructor, then you could opt for all their courses without worry.
On Lynda, it is not very simple to become an instructor. The process is very complicated because the platform is quite particular when it comes to the skills and qualities of the instructors on their platform. In case you wish to become an instructor on Lynda,
you must fill up a form online and you can send your video lecture to the team of experts at Lynda. Once this is done, you will not be given any information as to how you can become an instructor on Lynda. Only once the application gets processed as well as approved, only then will get be provided all the platform rules and regulations.
SkillshareFor any platform, what matters is the user's learning experience. Though pricing might be another area that is important, this area is quite important when you want to decide on continuing your membership on the platform or not.
Skillshare has a lot of courses, topics, and subjects. This makes it very difficult to give comments on the learning experience. Skillshare also claims that the instructors on this platform are "accredited", which in fact guarantees the user a great experience. If you check out the reviews regarding the site,
users have had a very positive experience of using Skillshare. The courses on this platform are good in terms of content and quality. The courses give you in-depth learning and learners can also work on projects and gain practical exposure.
LyndaSo, is a membership on Lynda actually worth having? When it comes to the reviews on Lynda, there are mixed opinions and feelings. A lot of people have claimed that the site has been very helpful and useful to them.
They also state that the price is reasonable. However, there are a few people who are not satisfied with the course quality of what they have chosen. Some have even complained that the site has outdated courses. Some of the topics are irrelevant as well. However, it is a great site if you are looking for certifications in skill development courses.
SkillsharePros Of Skillshare
Cons Of Skillshare
Cons of Lynda
LyndaBoth the platforms, Skillshare and Lynda are amazing e-learning platforms and you can opt for any of these depending on your budget, the need for certification, and your requirements. Skillshare concentrates on the development of skills and you can find plenty of courses such as fine arts, photography, creative writing, illustration, etc. On Skillshare, there are plenty of courses, and anybody can create courses as well as become trainers, and this could impact the quality of the course, the teaching, and its content. However, if you are able to find a good teacher, you could opt for all the courses being taught by that instructor.
A recommendation would be to go for the premium plan because you get access to many courses. Lynda is a more professional e-learning platform and you can find courses that cater to web development, IT, and a few on photography, etc. If you are looking for a promotion or a new job, then you can opt for a subscription on this platform, as it helps you develop skills and also gives you practical exposure. You can also seek advice from members on LinkedIn. You also get a course completion certificate that can be displayed on your LinkedIn profile, which can give your career the boost it needs.
- This e-learning site is good for learning basic skills
- There is a wide range of courses, topics, and subjects on the platform.
- This platform offers students the opportunity to gain practical exposure by enabling them to work on projects
- The website interface is simple and anyone can navigate through it easily
- It enables anyone to become a course creator and instructor
- Once you subscribe to the plan, you can access all the courses on the site
- It is affordable in terms of pricing
- You can access this site on any device - desktop, tablet or smartphone
- It is quite a user-friendly platform
- Some of the courses on Skillshare have workbooks that can be downloaded
- Few courses are advertised to offer accreditation
- Skillshare has its mobile application
- The content and course quality varies based on its instructor
- A few courses have Bookmarks
- Issues have been faced in its pricing
- The comments, as well as timestamps on videos by students, can be distracting
- You can take the classes only in English
- The course and content quality is pretty good
- The video tutorials have commentaries
- You can watch videos on Lynda at 2x speed.
- A lot of offered here have a practical approach- they encourage the learner to get involved in projects and apply their knowledge.
- Video transcripts can be obtained
- You can check out who has viewed your profile
- A user can also connect with many other members and seek professional advice
- The courses have been created by those having experience and the videos get uploaded only after a thorough evaluation
- You can take up a course in any of the 5 languages offered
- The courses offer a certificate of completion and this can also be shared with your employers
- On Lynda, a company can pay for skill development training courses for the employees
- The company can track the employees progress on the courses they have been enrolled in
- You can also connect with people on LinkedIn
- There are not many quizzes, tests or assignments
- The mobile applications offered by Lynda, be it iOS or Android are not up to the mark
- There is no user community created by the platform
- The courses are quite short
