Best Online Learning Platforms in 2025
reviewed by Jessica Kaminski
Updated on October 23, 2024
Looking to get online math help for your child? A certificate to boost your career? Or maybe you just need inspiration for the new hobby you’ve been meaning to start? Luckily, you can do all these with the right online learning platforms.
In this article, we compiled a list of 10 online learning platforms for learners with different needs. These platforms suit the whole family — you will find school help websites, online degree programs, and courses to develop new skills.
Here is a quick summary of the platforms we’ll talk about:
Online learning platform #1: Brighterly – best for personalized math classes
Brighterly is one of the best online learning platforms for children to learn math remotely, thanks to its interactive element. The platform’s secret to creating an engaging learning experience is simple: 1:1 lessons with online tutors. With math worksheets, fun games, and videos, tutors make sure students have fun while learning. As a parent, you can book a demo, buy subscription packages, and track your child’s progress all on the same platform. This saves a lot of hassle and helps you stay on top of things.
Brighterly pricing:
Brighterly has several pricing tiers. All you need to do is decide how many months you’d like to use the platform:
- 1-month package: $211 per month
- 3-month package: $198 per month
- 6-month package: $186 per month
- 12-month package: $161 per month
Brighterly pros:
- 1:1 lessons to make sure your child gets personalized help and attention
- Worksheets, games, and videos to keep children focused throughout the class
- Convenient tools for parents, as it includes free demos, subscription packages, and progress tracking
Brighterly cons:
- Only suitable for children between Grades 1 and 8
Online learning platform #2: Khan Academy – best for free learning
Khan Academy’s mission is to create a free online education platform for everyone. Its courses cover a wide range of topics, from pre-K to college math, science, humanities, economics, and more. Once you sign up, you can access instructional videos, practice exercises, and a personalized learning dashboard.
A big advantage of the platform is its self-paced courses, for children and adults to complete in their own time. Khan Academy has a paid AI tutor feature for personalized tutoring but doesn’t have live tutoring services with human tutors.
For faster results and better topic understanding, opt for tutoring platforms like Brighterly to get 1:1 feedback from math teachers.
Khan Academy pricing:
Khan Academy’s resources and exercises are free. Its AI tutor costs $4 per month.
Khan Academy pros:
- Free resource
- Suitable for various subjects and levels
- Paid AI tutor to generate personalized lessons
Khan Academy cons:
- No live tutoring sessions with humans
Online learning platform #3: Coursera – best for online certificates and degrees
Coursera has over 7,000 online courses, making it one of the most comprehensible digital learning platforms. What makes it stand out is its university and enterprise partnerships — you can get courses from industry-leading companies like Google and IBM. You can also enroll in a degree program — the platform hosts many top-tier universities, such as Imperial College London and the University of Michigan.
Coursera pricing:
Some courses on the platform are free. Others require an extra payment or a Coursera Plus membership for $39 per month. Free courses are audit-only, which means that they don’t include a certificate. If you want to get a certificate to showcase on your CV, you’ll need to pay a fee to upgrade.
Coursera pros:
- Over 7,000 courses and degrees from reputable universities and companies
- Option to get a certificate, which can open up more educational and career opportunities
- Self-paced, flexible learning
Coursera cons:
- Some courses can be expensive, especially if you want a certificate
- Course quality depends on the instructor and the institution
Online learning platform #4: edX – best for career advancement
edX is a great e-learning platform for students all over the world, as all courses are remote and accessible anywhere. Your options on the platform are wide open — you can take a course to improve your skills, general knowledge, or career. Dreaming of working in the cybersecurity industry? Start by looking at free courses or invest in a paid online course. And if you want to get a degree, you can do it from the comfort of your home.
edX pricing:
edX has audit-only free courses. You will also have the option to upgrade to the verified track by paying a one-time fee. The price depends on the course but usually ranges between $50 and $300.
edX pros:
- 3,500 courses and degrees covering AI, cybersecurity, design, finance, and more
- Free and paid courses, with the option to audit courses for free or pay for a certificate
- Flexible, self-paced learning which suits working parents and students living in remote regions
edX cons:
- Doesn’t have as many courses as some of its competitors
- Self-paced learning means less interaction with the instructors
Online learning platform #5: Skillshare – best for creative skills
Skillshare is one of the most popular online learning platforms for students who want to improve their creative skills. Graphic design, music, painting, photography, and marketing — the platform has online classes for all these topics and more. Before you purchase a subscription, you can benefit from a 7-day free trial. Make sure to browse the courses in advance to see if they’re a right fit. With a simple search, you’ll be able to view the course content, level, and the assignments involved.
Skillshare pricing:
Skillshare’s classes require a subscription fee, which depends on the country you’re based in.
Skillshare pros:
- Courses taught by creative industry professionals
- Focuses on creative skills like design, photography, music, and more
- Learners can share their creative projects to get feedback from both peers and instructors
Skillshare cons:
- Only suitable for creative topics
Online learning platform #6: DataCamp – best for data science and AI
DataCamp provides beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level courses for data science and AI skills. Once you sign up, you’ll have two learning tracks: a skill or a career track. The skill track will equip you with a specific skill set or tool, such as Python, SQL, and Power BI. The career track will be more job-focused, training you to become a data analyst, machine learning scientist, or developer. DataCamp is a great online platform for learning data skills and tools but might be too advanced for students who have gaps in foundational math.
DataCamp pricing:
Accessing DataCamp’s full course library costs $25 per month.
DataCamp pros:
- Detailed learning paths focusing on specific data skills or career paths
- Hands-on exercises to learn while doing
- Daily challenges, real-world problems, and assessments to keep learning interactive
DataCamp cons:
- The free version only includes the first chapter of each course
Online learning platform #7: Udemy – best for a course marketplace
Udemy is a course marketplace and online education platform. It has over 220,000 courses covering all sorts of topics, from personal development to business administration. You can find coding classes for your child, Excel courses for your work, or an entrepreneurship course to start your dream business. None of Udemy’s courses are free, but the platform frequently offers discounts and promotions, so keep an eye out!
Udemy pricing:
Udemy courses are sold separately, so the price depends on the course you’d like to buy.
Udemy pros:
- 220,000+ courses on web development, marketing, business, IT, and other topics
- Possible to find affordable courses thanks to the website’s regular promotions
- Self-paced courses to learn in your own time
Udemy cons:
- Anyone can create a course, so it’s important to check reviews and comments
- No 1:1 feedback from instructors
Online learning platform #8: 360training – best for regulatory compliance training
360training is an online training platform specializing in regulatory compliance and safety. It provides over 6,000 courses, aiming to help individuals and companies meet regulatory requirements. For example, someone in the food and beverage industry might be interested in food and alcohol training offered by the platform. This way, they’ll be able to learn how to approach food safety, serve alcohol safely, and manage food allergies while running a restaurant. Other industries include environmental safety, healthcare, real estate, and HR.
360training pricing:
360training’s prices depend on the course and the industry, whether you’re interested in food safety, healthcare, real estate, or other courses.
360training pros:
- Focused training in regulatory compliance and safety
- Over 6,000 courses for individuals and businesses with regulatory needs
360training cons:
- Only suitable for industry-specific training in the US
- Some courses can be quite expensive, which might be costly for small businesses
Online learning platform #9: MasterClass – best for hobbies
Cooking classes from Gordon Ramsey? Acting classes from Natalie Portman? Filmmaking classes from James Cameron? They’re all on MasterClass, one of the best online learning platforms to learn from seasoned professionals. While it has other topics like business, administration, and entrepreneurship, MasterClass is particularly interesting for those who want to develop a new hobby or find inspiration to create a new lifestyle.
MasterClass pricing:
A standard MasterClass membership costs $10 per month. With this membership, you can watch videos from only one device. You’ll need a stable internet connection with this plan.
If you want to unlock the offline mode and use more than one device at the same time, you can upgrade to the two-device MasterClass Plus ($15 per month) or the six-device MasterClass Premium ($20 per month).
MasterClass pros:
- Taught by world-renowned experts and celebrities
- High-quality video lessons
- Covers cooking, acting, filmmaking, writing, sports, and other topics
MasterClass cons:
- Doesn’t have certifications, which may be a drawback for users looking to add formal qualifications to their CVs
- No assessments or real-life applications of skills
Online learning platform #10: Treehouse – best for coding
Treehouse offers expert-led videos, quizzes, and challenges on coding, programming, and design. Both beginners and advanced learners can benefit from the platform. Besides the coding courses, you can sign up for Techdegree, Treehouse’s online coding bootcamp. The platform’s courses focus on skills, while the bootcamp aims to prepare you for one of these coding-related careers: front-end web development, full-stack JavaScript, Python development, data analysis, or UX design.
Treehouse pricing:
Treehouse has several product offerings:
- Courses package for $25 per month: Access to the Treehouse library, quizzes and challenges, and a student forum
- Courses Plus package for $49 per month: All the benefits of Courses, conferences, and additional coding content
- Techdegree bootcamp for $199 per month: All the benefits of Courses, curated curriculum, 1:1 career support, and an exclusive Slack community
Treehouse pros:
- Suitable for both coding enthusiasts and more advanced learners looking to launch a career in coding
- Teaches AI, JavaScript, databases, Python, HTML, CSS, and other topics
- Includes extra resources like CareerToolbox to boost employability and an online support community
Treehouse cons:
- Covers niche topics, which means that it’s not the right online learning platform for learners looking to explore other fields
Conclusion
Consider the learner’s age, knowledge level, and goals to decide on the best online learning platform. For example, if your child needs 1:1 feedback on math topics, Brighterly is a great way to get affordable, personalized classes. If you’re looking to change your career, you might want to check out what’s available on Udemy’s course marketplace, Skillshare’s creative classes, or edX’s online degrees.