Is Skillshare Worth It? Find Out In our Review

In this Skillshare review, I go through what I like about it, what I don’t like about it, and if it’s worth your money.

Do you want to learn complex skills like creative writing, animation, and web design within hours? Skillshare may be the online course platform for you.

I spent a few weeks taking courses on Skillshare, and I can’t remember the last time I learned so much in such a short time frame. The classes are hooking and full of tips and techniques to learn new skills or improve old ones.

A wide variety of classes like fine art, content writing, graphic design, music and more are available here.

If you’re looking to learn a complex skill and don’t know where to go, Skillshare is perfect. The classes are fast-paced and easy to understand, so you never feel bored.  

In this Skillshare review, I’ll go through what you need to know about Skillshare and if it’s for you.

Let’s dive in!

What Is Skillshare And Why Should You Use It?

Skillshare is an online learning community that allows professionals to submit high-quality video classes. Students can take a class on almost anything by participating in almost 30,000 classes. Some popular topics include:

• Writing
• Photography
• Interior design
• Entrepreneurship

You can also get feedback from instructors and peers then use that to improve your work. The interface is easy to navigate. You can learn from home, work or even when commuting.

The instructors are experts at the skills you’re trying to master. Also, Skillshare creators must follow strict guidelines that ensure you get value for your money.

Some instructors give an inside view on how they work on their own projects. Most creators also share their experiences and mistakes, so you can avoid and learn from them.

What I like about Skillshare is that it isn’t a transactional online learning platform such as Udemy where you pay for lessons. It’s a community of dedicated students and teachers helping each other better themselves. This interaction is one of the most compelling benefits because you can ask someone on the platform for help if you’re stuck.

Who knows? Maybe after taking a few classes, you will decide to teach your own course on Skillshare.

How Does Skillshare Work?

Once you’ve signed up, Skillshare will take you to the homepage. There you’ll see different panels. Each panel represents a class. It shows the creator, the subject of the class, how many students have taken the class and how students rate it.

When you click on a class you like, the panel shows an about page that provides more information. This includes what you’ll learn and if it’s for beginner, intermediate or advanced students.

Each course is divided into several video lessons because nobody wants to sit through a four-hour-long course. Everyone can see the first lesson. However, to watch the remaining videos, you’ll need to buy a premium membership.

This platform is similar to Masterclass since the tutorials are easy to digest. The online classes are detailed yet entertaining, and participants never walk away from a class feeling they’ve learned nothing.

Also, some Skillshare instructors create practice projects for you to do. This way, you’re not only learning a new skill but also putting the techniques into practice.

A helpful Skillshare feature allows you to create notes while watching the video. Other students can see these notes, so they help if you’re looking to skip to an exciting part of the video.

How Much Is Skillshare?

When you sign up for Skillshare, you’ll get a seven-day free trial. You can get a feel for the platform, watch the first session of classes free, and find out which instructors you like. After your free trial is over, you can get access to all Skillshare’s courses with the premium membership.

You can choose from two billing options when signing up for the premium membership. You can pay either $99 annually or $19 monthly. 

The billing option that’ll suit you best depends on your needs. Personally, I prefer to pay annually because it’s far cheaper. If you pay monthly, you’ll spend an additional $114 by month six, and over twelve months, you’ll have shelled out an additional $128.

What I Like About Skillshare Premium

I appreciate any platform that allows me to learn new skills while sharpening old ones. Skillshare is more than that because of the community that’s always willing to assist. This saved me several times when I was learning something and got stuck along the way.

Skillshare Premium also provides other incredible benefits like:

• Unlimited access to all classes
• Unique features
• Ease of use
• A helpful option for teams
• Casual video lessons

Unlimited Access To All Online Classes

In my opinion, the biggest perk to Skillshare is the sheer amount of online courses available. As a premium member, you can take classes about nearly anything.

Ten percent of the classes are free, meaning you can watch about  2,700 video lessons without paying a cent.

Unique Features

The number of features on Skillshare is overwhelming. The shared learning experience feature lets you learn with friends or other students. After a few group sessions, you’ll find that learning in a group of like-minded people can help you digest information faster.

You can also contact the instructor with questions and feedback. They also like to know what you enjoyed about the class and where they can improve. 

This is where Skillshare has an advantage over Masterclass. The instructors on Masterclass rarely have time to answer questions, but the instructors on Skillshare aren’t world-renowned. That makes collaborating with them easier.

Ease Of Use

Skillshare’s simple interface makes finding the niche or class you’re looking for easy. All the lessons are neatly laid out in order of most popular to least popular.

You can access all your previous video lessons by going to the history tab.

A Helpful Option For Teams

If you manage a team of employees, you might think that Skillshare isn’t an option. However, Skillshare caters to teams too. You don’t have to buy an annual membership for each employee. That would be expensive and inconvenient.

Instead, Skillshare offers two team plans:

• Starter Plan for teams
• Enterprise Plan for teams

The Starter Plan allows for 5 to 49 users, while Enterprise caters to 20 or more users. Both plans give access to unlimited video lessons, offline classes, exclusive instructor-student feedback and advanced tech support.

The Enterprise Plan includes unique features like engagement tracking, analytic reports, API (Application Programming Interface) and integration features. Depending on your business needs, these features can be a lifesaver.

The team plans don’t have a fixed price, but Skillshare advises interested individuals to contact them at teamhelp@skillshare.com to upgrade to a team plan.

Casual Video Lessons

What I like about Skillshare compared to other video lesson platforms like Masterclass or Udemy is that the tone of these classes is casual.

This makes the lessons easier to understand, and it captures your attention better.

What I Dislike About Skillshare Premium

Although Skillshare is one of the best platforms on the internet to learn new skills, I dislike some things about it. These include:

• It offers too much information for beginners.
• Anyone can create a course.
• You don’t own the course.

Too Much Information For Beginners

If you’re a complete beginner trying to learn a skill, Skillshare can make mastery difficult by including too many classes. It’s easy to experience information overload.

I always wanted to learn to code. When I searched for coding classes on Skillshare, I found hundreds of courses. Instead of sticking to one and finishing it, I hopped around until I realized I wasn’t learning anything.

As a beginner in a specific field, be aware of all the information on Skillshare. Stick to one course and take another only after you’re finished the first.

Anyone Can Create A Course

Unlike Masterclass, where every instructor is a famous expert, anyone can create a course on Skillshare. This leads to less quality information and more generic advice.

Some top-notch advice in Skillshare proves difficult to find anywhere else, but not everything can be taken to heart. Some courses provide little information and practical tips, while others are mediocre at best.

Even if you aren’t a premium member, you can still read reviews and feedback. This way you know if the class you’re about to take is worth it.

You Don’t Own The Courses

Unlike Udemy, where you purchase the courses, Skillshare, Masterclass and LinkedIn Learning don’t allow you to buy courses. 

You can watch unlimited lessons while your subscription lasts, but when it expires, you lose access to all classes.

Still, Skillshare is more affordable because courses on Udemy cost anywhere from $20 to $200. This means some Udemy courses are double the price of a premium membership. You also can’t watch unlimited video lessons on Udemy.

Who Is Skillshare For?

Most people can benefit from taking a few classes on Skillshare. The instructors are helpful, and they go into detail about how to master the craft. In addition, you can take advantage of classes in several different niches.

Content And Copywriters Of All Experience Levels

If you’re a freelancer who writes blog posts, landing pages, email, or website copy, Skillshare is a fantastic tool to improve your skills. Classes are designed for different levels of experience, from beginner to intermediate and advanced.

Even if you know nothing about writing and want to get into the industry, Skillshare provides video lessons explaining the basics.

Writing is only part of being a successful freelance writer. You need to market yourself, find high-quality clients, and manage those clients. This is where Skillshare video lessons on entrepreneurship are incredibly helpful and easy to digest. 

After taking a few courses on Skillshare, you’ll have the knowledge to stand out in the business world.

Creative Writers

If you’re not into the nonfiction side of writing and prefer creating your own stories, several authors teach storytelling on the platform.

They also detail how to create compelling characters and write engaging plots.

Although the platform doesn’t have the caliber of instructors in Masterclass, such as James Patterson or David Baldacci, you can learn the basics. Skillshare’s classes are shorter and more bite-sized, which makes them more entertaining.

Those Looking To Learn A New Skill

Even if you’re not into copywriting, content writing or creative writing, you can learn other helpful skills on Skillshare. 

For example, if you’re interested in learning a new skill like painting or cooking, then Skillshare provides hundreds of classes to choose from.

How Does Skillshare Compare To Linkedin Learning And Masterclass?

According to Rolling Stone, Masterclass, Skillshare and LinkedIn Learning are the top three e-learning platforms on the internet. So it’s interesting to see how they face off against one another.

A simple rule of thumb is: Masterclass offers quality, while Skillshare offers quantity.

Masterclass includes fewer instructors than Skillshare, but they all are world-renowned. This ensures you’re learning from the best in the industry. Some celebrities on Masterclass include:

• Margaret Atwood
• Judy Blume
• Neil Gaiman

But if you’re looking to learn from a variety of courses, then Skillshare has thousands to choose from. 

Compared to LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare is considerably more casual. The instructors are easier to understand, and the video lessons are much shorter.

LinkedIn Learning has more than 5,000 courses and focuses mainly on professional skills like:

• B2B Marketing
• Leadership Management
• Project Management
• Business Analytics

You won’t find classes on interior design or Photoshop on LinkedIn Learning, so if those are something you want to learn, stick with Skillshare.

Now that we understand the differences between each online learning platform, let’s look at the pros and cons of Skillshare.

Is Skillshare Worth It?

If you’re looking to learn a new skill fast, then Skillshare is worth it. Instructors teach a multitude of classes from coding to website design and creative writing. 

If, however, you want to learn from world-renowned experts, then Skillshare isn’t for you. Most instructors on Skillshare aren’t celebrities. You won’t learn storytelling from Joyce Carol Oates or scientific thinking from Neil deGrasse Tyson. For this, opt for annual membership to Masterclass.