In this Skillshare review, we will take an in-depth look at what the platform has to offer, like its pricing, target audience, and the quality of its courses to help you determine if it’s the right fit for your learning needs.
Online learning platforms have gained massive popularity over the years, offering individuals the opportunity to learn new skills and expand their knowledge from the comfort of their own homes.
One of these platforms is Skillshare, an online learning community where users can access thousands of high-quality video lessons and tutorials taught by industry experts. With its growing popularity, many people are asking themselves what precisely is Skillshare, and if this platform is worth subscribing to.
Just a heads up, our articles may contain affiliate links in order to help cover the costs of running this review site.
What is Skillshare?
Skillshare (skillshare.com) is an online learning platform that offers 34,000+ classes in subjects such as graphic design, web development, creative writing, and entrepreneurship.
It provides its users with unlimited access to a vast library of in-depth tutorials and lessons, taught directly by professionals in their respective fields.
Like many other online learning platforms, learners follow along with their instructors and complete projects at their own pace, making it extremely flexible and easy to pick up in your spare time. It is perfect for beginners looking to grow their artistic knowledge as well as those looking to advance their skills.
Skillshare also offers written transcripts of their video content and subtitles/closed captions in English, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese.
What can you learn with Skillshare? ✏️
Skillshare offers lots of courses but the vast majority of them are art or design oriented. From Illustration and Sewing to Music and Photography, the creative possibilities are endless in Skillshare.
Although they have less variety in content topics, this in turn allows them to create a more specialized library for the topics they do share.
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, here you’ll find high-quality, in-depth video lessons and tutorials that will help you develop your skills and learn new techniques.
All courses are unique, some might be shorter and in a lecture format, and others might be a couple of hours long with multiple activities to follow along or a final project, which you can share upon completion with other learners of the course.
On the preview page of each course, you can preview the activities and additional resources under the “Projects and Resources” tab.
What do courses in Skillshare look like?
Skillshare structures its courses in a traditional online learning format but with added features to enhance the learning experience. The video playback screen displays video lessons on the right, allowing learners to easily switch between lessons or view the course structure.
Under the video playback screen, there are five sections for further learning:
About 📝
This section gives a summary of the course. Some courses also specify the intended audience, which can help you when searching for new courses to take.
Reviews 🌟
When looking for new courses, this section can be particularly useful. The platform displays reviews and opinions from past students, indicating who the course is best suited for, what students enjoyed the most, and whether the course met their expectations
Transcripts ✍️
This section is helpful for those who prefer to read along while listening, or for people with hearing difficulties.
Discussion 🎙
In this section, students can post questions and request feedback from each other. Sometimes, the Skillshare instructor will also join in and answer comments. This group learning aspect is beneficial for learners who want to gauge their progress.
Projects and Resources 📎
Every Skillshare course comes with a hands-on project or activity that provides a practical application of the skills learned in the class. The project section includes a clear description of the assignment, as well as any additional resources provided by the instructor.
By completing the project and sharing pictures of their work, students have the opportunity to showcase their skills and receive constructive feedback from both peers and the instructor in a real-world setting.
Skillshare Pricing: How much does Skillshare Cost?
Individuals 👤
Skillshare definitively hides its pricing options by making you create an account before knowing how much it would be to sign up. At the moment, Skillshare no longer offers a monthly subscription, and only has available an annual plan.
The Premium Membership costs:
- $165 per year ($13.75 per month) as part of their annual plan.
There is a 30-day free trial available upon selection of your preferred billing plan, and you are able to cancel without any penalties within this timeframe. Please note that upon cancellation, you will keep the premium access to the courses until the end of the original free trial.
Does Skillshare offer any free courses?
There used to be courses offered for free in Skillshare, but that is no longer the case. The only way to preview any of their content “for free” would be to sign up for one of their free trials.
Team Plans & Alternatives 👥
If you are an organization or company, Skillshare offers a Team Membership. The company bills Team Plans on an annual contract basis only, with a cost of $159 USD per user per year, and requires payment to be made all at once
Team plans include admin capabilities with detailed reports and analytics.
The Team Membership is not so flexible though. For example, you are unable to reduce the number of seats during the year term, but you are able to shift the seat to another individual if someone leaves your team and you have a new member.
Gift Cards ✉️
Another available option for teams is corporate gift cards. They provide the recipient with either 3-month or 6-month unlimited access to a Skillshare Premium Account.
The minimum amount of memberships you need to get in order to buy corporate gift cards is 25. And, the recipient would have full reign on their account, meaning there are no admin tools or reports on their use.
Friend Referrals 🎈
Friend referrals are a great way to save on Skillshare. As of writing this article, you can share one free month with others and earn one free month in return once your friend or family member is billed for the first time, meaning, after they’ve completed their free trial.
In order to successfully credit your friend’s registration as your personal referral, you must scroll down to Skillshare’s footer section and click on “Refer a Friend”. There, you will be given two options:
- Enter your friend’s email address and click send, which will send them an email letting them know that a free trial is waiting for them.
- Copy a unique link to share directly.
Accepted Payment methods
Skillshare currently accepts the following payment methods:
- Visa
- MasterCard
- American Express
- Discover
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Google Pay (on Android devices)
- SEPA
Skillshare’s Refund Policy 💲
If you were charged for Skillshare’s Annual Premium Membership, you can request a refund within 14 days of being charged. However, if you are being billed monthly for the Premium Membership, you are unable to request a refund.
Additionally, only one refund per customer is allowed.
If you’d like to learn more about Skillshare’s refund policy, click here.
Perks At Skillshare 🎉
As a fan of great offers, I was excited to discover the perks available to Skillshare’s Annual Premium Membership. Upon signing up, you gain access to exclusive offers in creative services and products, such as:
- 20% off Adobe Premiere Pro’s Yearly Plan
- 20% off Squarespace annual subscription
- 3 months free of Todoist Premium
- 6 months free in InVision’s Starter Plan
You can easily redeem these perks and enjoy pretty good savings by visiting skillshare.com/perks after signing up for your Skillshare Premium.
Skillshare’s Pros and Cons
Pros
- Best design-oriented online learning platform out there
- Affordable pricing: Skillshare’s subscription model provides access to all of its courses at an affordable monthly or annual price.
- Mobile app is easy to use and you can download classes to view offline
- Captions/ Subtitles in English, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese.
- Learning feels more friendly and less stressful
- Community motivated. The discussion forums have a positive ambiance and the engagement is actually positive to your learning experience
- Refer a friend is actually quite nice, especially when you have fellow art friends who would enjoy the platform as well
- Perks allow you to have other services at a discounted price
Cons
- Limited interaction with instructors. Although there have been a couple of courses where an instructor actively engages in the discussion forum, it is a bit rare.
- Most courses are short
- Variable course quality. As Skillshare allows anyone to create and upload courses, the quality of the content can vary, but since it is an unlimited access membership, you can steer away from the courses you do not like.
- Unable to browse courses without creating an account
- Strict refund policy
- Lack of a pricing page
Top Skillshare Courses 🎬
There are thousands of courses available on Skillshare, so it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are some of the top Skillshare courses to help you get started:
1. Notion Masterclass: Maximize Your Productivity & Organization
Master the art of productivity with this comprehensive Notion course. Dive deep into this versatile tool, learning to create dynamic databases, collaborative workspaces, and visually appealing notes. Uncover advanced techniques for project management, task tracking, and data organization.
2. Figma UI UX Essentials
Discover the essentials of UI and UX design with this Figma course given by an Adobe certified trainer. Gain practical insights into user interface elements, interactive prototypes, and collaborative workflows. This course offers a balanced approach, focusing on fundamental concepts and hands-on skills. Perfect for beginners and those looking to enhance their design proficiency, this course provides a structured learning experience in a user-friendly platform. Join us to develop your UI and UX expertise efficiently.
3. Adobe Illustrator CC – Essentials Training
Acquire essential skills in Adobe Illustrator CC through our comprehensive training with an Adobe certified trainer. This course provides a practical and structured approach to mastering Illustrator’s key features. Learn vector graphic creation, image manipulation, and design techniques. Suitable for beginners and those seeking to refine their skills, this training offers a methodical exploration of Adobe Illustrator CC. Enhance your graphic design capabilities with our focused and user-friendly course
8 Tips to Find The Perfect Skillshare Class 🎯
Discovering the ideal Skillshare course requires more than just checking out student reviews. Here are some tips to help you find the best fit for your learning needs:
Use Filters
Narrow your search to the most recent content and its difficulty level, as well as the amount of time you’d like to devote to it.
Check “About this class”
The course landing page’s “About this class” section details the intended audience, learning objectives, level of the class, and skills to be acquired upon completion. Additionally, includes information about the instructor’s qualifications
Review Available Projects
Skillshare offers project-based classes and allows you to preview the projects before enrolling.This can give you a clear idea of what your end project will look like after completing the course.
Read reviews
Check out what past students have to say about the course through the review system. You can see a breakdown of student ratings and read individual reviews. The “Most Liked” section provides information on what students valued most about the course.
Research the Instructors
Each instructor at Skillshare has a page detailing their background, experience, and teaching goals. Check out their pages and their references to websites or social media accounts to learn more about them.
Pay attention to the Course Level
Check that the level of the course matches your experience and that the skills taught align with what you want to learn.
Consider the Instructor’s Approach
Research the instructor to see if their approach to education matches your learning style and preferences.
Don’t like the class you are watching? Well, maybe stop…
Remember that you are paying for an unlimited subscription. If a class is not to your liking, do not force yourself to watch it and try to find a different one instead.
Publishing a course at Skillshare 📸
Publishing a course on Skillshare is a straightforward process and doesn’t require any formal qualifications.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you publish your course:
1) Design Your Course
As a Skillshare instructor, you’ll be responsible for designing your course content and producing the videos and materials.
2) Upload the Course Content
Once you have all your resources ready, you can upload your course content to Skillshare.
3) Payment Options
Skillshare teachers are paid in two ways:
- $10 for every new student you bring to Skillshare.
- Royalty for each viewed minute of your classes.
4) Course Guidelines
Skillshare e-learning platform has provided guidelines for instructors when creating classes which include the following recommendations:
- Create engaging and educational content
- Ensure sound and video quality is good
- Have an introduction/presentation video
- Make classes project-based
- No self-promotion outside the intro and outro of the classes
- Max upload limit of 1 class per week
- Some topics aren’t allowed, such as passive income, other educational platforms (e.g. Udemy), reselling products, mathematics, or medical content. You can read the full list of topics that cannot be covered here
- Minimum class length of 10 minutes
By following these guidelines on how to make online courses, you can publish your course on Skillshare and share your knowledge with a wider audience.
Top Skillshare Instructors 📏
There are many talented instructors on Skillshare, and it can be hard to know where to start. Here are a few of the top Skillshare teachers, based on student reviews and enrollment numbers:
Aaron Draplin
Aaron is a highly-regarded graphic designer known for his attention to detail and minimalist aesthetic. With years of experience in the industry, he shares his design expertise and approach through Skillshare courses.
Daniel Scott
Daniel is a seasoned UI/UX designer who has worked on numerous successful projects. He focuses on teaching how to create user-centered designs, improve website usability, and develop a design process.
Hamza Khan
Hamza is a marketing expert with a passion for helping businesses reach their full potential. He covers a wide range of topics in his courses, including brand strategy, influencer marketing, and customer research.
Daniel Jose Older
Daniel is a celebrated creative writer and storyteller, who shares his passion for writing in his Skillshare classes. He covers a variety of writing styles, from fiction to non-fiction, and teaches how to create captivating narratives and characters.
Emma Gannon
Emma is an entrepreneurial expert who helps aspiring entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into reality. She covers topics like product development, marketing, and fundraising in her Skillshare courses, and shares her own experiences of starting and growing a successful business.
How does Skillshare compare to other online learning platforms?
There are many online learning platforms to choose from, each with its particular pros and cons. Here’s how Skillshare compares to some of these popular platforms:
Udemy
Udemy is one of the largest online learning platforms, with the widest range of courses on many different topics. It is like Skillshare’s eldest sibling. Although it doesn’t have a niche like Skillshare does, it has a massive library of 100,000+ courses. Also, courses can be bought individually and some give certificates of completion.
If you are not interested in the topics covered by Skillshare, Udemy’s library is worth a look.
MasterClass
MasterClass is a high-end online learning platform that features courses taught by famous professionals, such as Serena Williams, Deadmau5, and Gordon Ramsay.
Consequently, the courses are very in-depth and well-produced, therefore, more expensive ($180 annually) . MasterClass does not have a monthly subscription option and does not offer certificates of completion.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is a platform that provides courses related to professional development, including business, technology, and creative skills.
While Linkedin Learning, which includes Acess to LinkedIn Premium, has around the same number of courses as Skillshare, it is more expensive ( $39.99 as a monthly subscription, $239.88 as an annual subscription ($19.99/month) and doesn’t offer the same level of community and interactivity as Skillshare.
Regardless, Linkedin Learning offers different types of qualifications, such as Continuing Education (CEU), Academic Credits (for certain Universities), and Professional Certificates.
Domestika
Domestika would be the platform that most closely resembles Skillshare, but it is way cheaper.
It offers specializes in creative courses such as graphic design, photography, and web development. While it offers high-quality courses, it has a smaller selection than Skillshare and may not be as accessible for beginners.
Domestika allows its users to purchase courses individually, or gain access to a portion of their library for free with Domestika Plus for $83.88 annually, ($6.99/month).
Takeaway: Is Skillshare worth joining?
It depends. If you are interested in exploring new skills or tuning into your creative side, then it is worth it.
Learning on Skillshare feels relaxed and entertaining, and I often found myself saving new courses to watch later. So the topic variety and its relevancy are pretty good. It almost feels like an elevated Youtube to me, where I can spend the entire day just watching videos and courses and completing activities, actually learning about things I enjoy.
Take advantage of Skillshare’s free trial
Skillshare offers a one-month free trial so you can test the platform and its courses. You can cancel before the free trial ends and you will not incur any penalty fees.
Our Skillshare Review Rating
Skillshare FAQ ❓
Are activities graded in Skillshare?
Nope. Activities or projects done in Skillshare are not graded. And there aren’t any quizzes or tests.
Does Skillshare offer any Institution Accredited Courses?
No, Skillshare does not currently offer any institution-accredited courses.
However, this should not deter the quality of knowledge being shared by its instructors
Does Skillshare give Certificates of Completion? 📜
No, right now Skillshare doesn’t offer certificates of completion. But class certificates are slowly being made available and should be online in March 2023!
To keep track of your learning progress in the platform, Skillshare offers Achievement Badges to its users for doing certain actions on the platform. There are 3 types of badges you can earn:
- Community: these badges can be earned by interacting with other users or instructors on the platform.
- Milestone: by learning and engaging with the platform, you will complete actions that might be considered milestones. For example: completing 3 classes.
- Lifetime: earned by completing core aspects of the learning experience. For example, completing your first class.
Who teaches Skillshare Classes?
Skillshare’s instructors include professors, professionals, artists, and other creatives with notable experience in their respective fields. Additionally, Skillshare allows anyone over the age of 16 to create a course.
Although some may be concerned about anyone being able to become an instructor, Skillshare’s moderation team reviews new classes within 72 hours of being shared
Who is Skillshare for?
Skillshare is definitively geared toward creatives, artists, or craft hobbyists who are always looking for something neat to do.
With over 30,000 courses to choose from, you will never run out of options on what you can learn or improve on.
Is there a community on Skillshare?
Yes, there is a community aspect to Skillshare. The platform fosters an educational environment centered around skill-building, where skillshare members can engage in discussions, exchange ideas, and share their work with others.
The goal of the Skillshare community is to thrive in knowledge expansion and provide users with a safe and supportive space for learning and growth, which is one of the perks of a skillshare subscription!
Is Skillshare free? Are there free classes?
Skillshare is a paid platform and no longer offers a free membership option. However, it does offer a free trial for its Premium Plan, which is its paid subscription service. To start the skillshare free trial, you will need to sign up for an account and add a credit card. You will have the option to cancel the trial at any time if you choose not to continue with the Premium plan.
Is Skillshare legit?
Skillshare is a trustworthy and established company, with a presence in the industry for over ten years.
How do I cancel Skillshare’s Premium Membership?
If you’re concerned about the hassle of canceling your Skillshare subscription, rest assured that the process is simple and straightforward. To cancel, follow these three easy steps:
1. Log in to your account and click on the Profile icon in the top right corner.
2. Navigate to the “Payments” section and click on “Cancel Membership” in the “Account Settings.”
3. Follow the prompts to complete the cancellation process.
Mind you, around 4 different pop-up messages will try to persuade you from cancelling. And, after canceling, they will even offer you 65% off your second year on the platform if you suddenly reconsider staying.
Is it worth it to become a Skillshare instructor?
Becoming a Skillshare instructor can be a great way to share your knowledge with others and earn some extra money.
To become a Skillshare instructor, you need to have expertise in a specific area and be able to create high-quality video lessons.
To become a Skillshare instructor, start by taking some courses on the platform to get a feel for the type of content that works best on the platformThen, you can start creating your own courses and submitting them for review.
How to access Skillshare?
You can access the Skillshare platform both online through their website and by downloading their Skillshare app from the App Store or Google PlaystoreTo utilize the app or website, you must either sign up for a one-month free trial or log in with an existing account.
Navigation and search for courses are simple and straightforward on the app. To stay informed about new courses offered on Skillshare, users have the option to enable push notifications, which will send updates directly to their mobile devices.
How much does Skillshare cost?
As of writing this article, Skillshare costs $13.75 per month billed annually. So, $165 per year.
Does Skillshare offer a Monthly membership?
No, not anymore. Skillshare only offers an annual subscription at the moment and it costs $165.
