“Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.”~ Brian Tracy
Today, learning anything new isn’t as hard as it used to be.
You don’t have to “go back to school” or shell out major cash for a traditional on-campus degree course to learn something new.
10 years ago, when I was just starting out, I bought a two-day Internet marketing course when attending a local conference for $1000.
I was overwhelmed by the tons of information.
Needless to say, it was a total waste of money and time!
But it’s a stepping stone… Later I found out I can actually get a similar (if not better) course for less than $100 online! 10x cheaper and better!
From then on, whenever I want to learn or upgrade skills, I will surely turn to some of these free online education platforms.
With the online learning platforms, you can now learn almost anything, anywhere, anytime, at your own pace for free or cheap.
Whether you’re looking to master new skills, advance your professional ambitions, get your dream job, start freelancing or explore new hobbies, here are some of the best places to learn the skills that will immensely improve your wealth and your life.
- Many of them are 100% free or at least offer a free trial.
- For beginner to intermediate and advanced level
- Save your time. Get instant access to proven advice, guidance and resources.
What is an Online Learning Platform?
Everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn.
A Learning platform is basically a marketplace where teachers meet students.
Educators, experts and solopreneurs can now create, author and offer their educational material and individual courses to anyone in the world.
On the other hand, students can access a wide range of extremely affordable, world-class, high-quality education programs at the tip of your fingers.
No matter what in-demand skills you want to learn or aspects of life you want to improve, these free online learning platforms can help!
Remember, to earn more, you must first learn more.
7 Best Places To Learn Anything Online For Free
It’s completely free for everyone. Some websites have free trial plan that allows you to access unlimited courses while others offer free plan with some restrictions.
Skillshare Creative Live Udemy Udacity Coursera edX LinkedIn Learning
Main Feature One membership, unlimited learning Free creative classes from the world’s top experts Learn real world skills online for free Earn a Nanodegree recognized by industry leaders Take Online courses, degrees, certifications, specialization from 190+ top universities Take online courses from the world’s best universities Learn technology, creative and business skills.
Is certification available? x x x ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Mobile App ✓ ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ ✓
Get a Free 2-Week Trial of Skillshare Premium Membership Get 1 FREE lesson every day Free video courses Access 200+ courses for completely free Free video courses Free video courses 30-day FREE trial
Paid option $10/mo $13/mo $10-$200 per course Vary, $35 to $2,500/mo Vary, starting at $39/mo $50-$300 per course $29.99/mo
It’s my favorite learning site.
There are thousands of online courses to choose from, such as design, business, social media marketing, productivity, web development, creative writing, photography and more. Courses are delivered in easy-to-digest and super-short videos (between 5 to 25 minutes).
And trust me, learning a new skill at Skillshare is fun and engaging. Because you can join a community of like-minded people. Share your work, exchange ideas, give each other feedback through the group discussions.
What’s particularly great about Skillshare is its Unlimited Learning membership. While there are tons of online learning resources out there, most of them require you to buy individual classes.
Skillshare is different. With one membership, you have unlimited access to their entire library of 22,000+ classes, with no extra charges or hidden fees.
Plus, new Skillshare classes are published weekly.
This means….
If you’re a member of Skillshare, you can take as many classes as you want.
Skillshare’s usually $10 a month, but because you’re a Think Maverick reader, you can get two-week free by clicking here. That’s unlimited access to ALL courses, everything from design, to photography, to marketing, to technology.
Once you create a free account, don’t forget to download Skillshare app on your phone, so you can start learning on the go.
» Get a Free Trial of Skillshare Premium Membership
Creative Live is an online education site to learn and develop skills in photography, art, design, craft & DIY, marketing, podcast, business, and entrepreneurship.
What I like about Creative Live is that many classes feature professionals in their respective fields, including Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Oscar Winners, and New York Times best-selling authors, thought leaders, and legendary entrepreneurs.
Unlock your passion and learn real-life skills from world-renowned experts so you can get paid to do what you love.
Some of the best-sellers are:
- The 4-Hour Life With Tim Ferriss
- How to Make Money With Ramit Sethi
- How to Break the Habit of Self-Doubt and Build Real Confidence with Mel Robbins
- Writing Your Story with Joyce Maynard
What’s more, every course is live-streamed in real-time and completely free. Check Out CreativeLive’s Free On-Air Classes.
You can ask questions and the expert instructors will actually answer them in the workshop.
However, if you miss a class, you can’t access the video lessons again for free. Though, there’s a paid option that allows you to access the course videos. You can either pay for the particular course as you go or buy a Creative Pass membership to get FULL access to all the classes.
If you’d like to purchase a single course, it typically costs $50-$300 (keep an eye for sales).
To get the most off of Creative Live, you may consider subscribing to their (monthly or annual) Creative Pass, for less than $13/month!
With the Creative Passive, you can stream all the 1,500 top classes, anytime, anywhere all at your own pace without worrying about missing a class ever again.
Create a free Creative Live account today and you’ll get one free lesson of your choice every day.
» Get one FREE Creative Live course, each and every day
No list of online education site is complete without Udemy.
This is one of the most popular sites for learning specifics real-life skills that you can implement right away.
It has more than 100,000 online video courses covering 2,000 topics. There’s tons to explore.
Udemy not only covers general topics such as Freelancing 101, it also offer tightly focused niches which you can hardly find on other education sites. How to Import from China and Ship directly to Amazon FBA, Airbnb Automations, Start a T-Shirt Business, just to name a few.
Unlike Skillshare, Udemy is not subscription-based. You have to pay for each course. Courses range from $10 to $200 and fortunately, many of them are free.
Once you find the right course, you can start watching video classes on your own schedule, through the Udemy’s app as well as its website.
If you have a good knowledge and depth of understanding of certain topics, you can also create and sell your course through Udemy Instructor for free. This way, you’ll get instant access to a large user base who are ready to pay for your course.
» Get FREE Online Courses on Udemy
If you’re interested in artificial intelligence (AI) and the latest technologies, Udacity will soon become your favorite learning site.
Udacity is a platform with a strong focus on technology-related skills such as web development, programming, blockchain, cloud computing, Android, iOS development and more.
Currently, Udacity has about 200 completely free courses that’s part of a paid micro-credential known as Nanodegree. Do note that they don’t offer a certificate for free courses.
You can also apply for the Udacity’s tech and analytics scholarships. These skills-based learning programs are sponsored by Google, AT&T, Lyft and Accenture.
It’s a great opportunity to learn new skills, launch or advance career, and unlock your potential in rapidly evolving field of tech for free.
» Learn the Latest Tech Skills on Udacity
5. Coursera
Want to join online college classes from the world’s best university for free?
Yes, you can.
Founded in 2012 by two Stanford computer science professors, Professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, Coursera aims to democratize professional learning by providing anyone, anywhere with access to the world’s best education.
On Coursera, you can find online courses, degrees, certifications, specialization from 190+ top universities, organizations and companies such as the University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Duke, Stanford, Yale, Google, IBM.
There are hundreds of free courses on many different topics to choose from, including: data science, mathematics, business, personal development, computer science, language learning, and more.
Every course is taught by top instructors. It can take about 4-6 weeks to complete. The free courses come with video lectures, homework assignments, and group discussion forums.
If you’re serious about your academics, I recommend you pay a small fee to get a shareable Course Certification upon completing a course.
» Learn new skills for free with Coursera
6. edX
If you are looking to take online courses from the world’s top universities and have no luck finding one on Coursera, then you should give edX a try.
edX is similar to Coursera, hosting online university-level courses in a wide range of disciplines to international audience.
Many courses are free of charge.
It’s known for its informative and interactive online courses from best universities and industry experts including: MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, Standford and Boston.
You can find courses in art, biology, business, chemistry, communication, computer science, economics, finance, electronics, engineering, food and nutrition, history, humanities, law, literature, math, medicine, music, philosophy, physics, science, statistics and more.
edX makes it possible for everyone to earn a verified certification from world renowned institution without spending a hefty sum.
» Get Free Courses by Harvard & MI
7. Lynda (LinkedIn Learning)
However, they do have 15,000+ courses in a wide variety of subjects that cater to everyone.
Learn from the industry experts in business, leadership, management, IT, programming, marketing, animation, finance, photography, graphic design and much more.
Simply sign up a free account with LinkedIn Learning and you can access all the courses for 30-day free. When you complete a course, you’ll earn a certificate!
After your 30-day free trial, you can decide whether it’s worth the investment. For whatever reason, if you’re not ready to make a commitment, make sure you cancel your subscription before it ends, or else you’ll be automatically charged $29.99/month.
Conclusion
There you’ve it, 7 best websites to learn new skills online for free.
Each education platform offers different courses, features and benefits.
Take advantage of all the amazing websites that can help you learn something new in the shortest time possible.
What do you think?
Which is your favorite site to learn something new?
Do you have any favorite free online education sites that I didn’t mention in this post?
Tell me in the comments!
Related reading:
- 10 Best Work From Home Jobs That Take Little or No Experience
- 49 Best Freelance Websites To Find Online Jobs and Start Working from Home Today!
- 10 Best Websites That Pay You Well To Write From Home
- The 100 Rules for Being A Maverick in Life & Business
And lastly, if you liked this post, don’t forget to share it on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
If you are interested in learning more about my entrepreneurial journey, Check this out.