The Best Online Learning Platforms in 2024

Online learning platforms have become essential for students, educators, and businesses seeking flexible and accessible eLearning. This article highlights the best platforms of 2024, helping you choose the right one for your needs, whether it’s a marketplace for selling courses, a learning hub, or a learning management system (LMS).

Online Learning Platforms vs. Online Course Platforms vs. LMSs

It’s common to confuse learning platforms, online course platforms, and learning management systems (LMSs). However, it’s important to distinguish between them.

• Online learning platforms are more like marketplaces that center around the viewpoint of the learners, or “buyers.” That’s because they take on the bulk of the work of promoting your courses, expanding your audience, and developing your sales funnel. Therefore, the focus here is on the front-end aspect of your business – the marketplace and the products it offers.
• Online course platforms place a greater emphasis on back-end operations. They typically offer cloud-based software centered around instructors, allowing for the creation not just of courses, but also engaging learning environments. For example, you can upload diverse educational contents and organize them into learning paths. Moreover, you gain control over critical user analytics, branding, and marketing techniques, all designed to amplify your business’s expansion.
• Learning management systems (LMSs) shift their emphasis away from sales and marketing toward the efficient delivery of training to large groups of learners, employees, or partners, for example.

In contrast to educational platforms, many LMSs come equipped with built-in course creation tools, facilitating the development of new online courses. Besides, LMSs allow you to manage users, assign content to them, and track learner progress, all from a single interface.

Also read → 12 LMS Benefits — Expert Opinion

Best Online Learning Platforms in 2024 (Team Picks)

Here are our team’s picks of the top platforms, carefully selected to meet diverse educational needs: 

• Best learning platform for businesses: LinkedIn. LearningIt has excellent quality control to ensure instructors are subject matter experts with excellent teaching skills.
• Best online educational learning platform: edX. This one partners with the world’s top universities and organizations to offer learners programs of the highest quality.
• Best LMS for businesses: iSpring Learn. This one ticks all the LMS boxes, providing automatic grading, learner tracking, insightful analytics, and more.
• Best online course platform: iSpring Market. It provides a perfect balance between offering amazing flexibility and customization in course creation and having great digital marketing features.
• Best learning platform for schools and colleges: Canvas. It has a variety of features that encourage students to take part in online learning, such as communication tools and interactive course content.

Best Online Learning Platforms for Businesses in 2024

Online learning platforms for businesses can help your employees gain new skills or enhance existing ones to serve your business better. Moreover, they can be more cost-effective than traditional training methods.

Here are the best eLearning solutions for businesses:

1. Udemy Business

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (595 reviews)

Udemy Business provides access to over 14,000 training programs for more than 9,500 companies, covering a broad spectrum of subjects.

As a training platform for business, it excels in offering courses focused on skill development. Experts can upload their video courses — including screencasts, talking-head videos, and video presentations — and monitor the progress of trainees, analyze data, and extract valuable insights. Unfortunately, the platform does not have built-in features for creating content; all content must be developed externally.

Udemy Business stands out as an excellent option if you aim to connect with a broad audience as an instructor. Its extensive user base simplifies the process of marketing and earning from your courses. For training managers or businesses seeking to enhance their team’s skills, Udemy Business fits the bill.

Who is it for?

• L&D professionals and business owners
• Instructors

However, if your employees require highly specialized skills specific to your business, there’s no assurance that the available courses will meet these unique needs adequately. Overall, it’s a top online learning platform for business teams seeking more general skills.

Why we picked it

Udemy ranks among the most expensive platforms, branding itself as “the leading global marketplace for learning and instruction.” And since it offers over 213,000 courses to a community exceeding 59 million learners, we think that’s a pretty fair assessment. 

Pricing

Udemy Business offers three pricing plans:

• Team (5-20 users): $360 per user/year
• Enterprise (21+ users) and Leadership Academy (groups of 25 or more):
  Contact sales for a custom quote

Offers a 7-day free trial.

Also read: 5 Udemy Alternatives: What Else is Out There?

2. LinkedIn Learning

G2 rating: 4.4/5 (658 reviews)

The merger of Lynda.com with LinkedIn in 2017 gave birth to LinkedIn Learning. Catering to fields of creativity, business, and technology, this platform provides access to over 16,000 courses to its massive user base of over 700 million individuals. Learners can enhance their abilities in almost any field, whether it’s marketing, course development, or time management skills.

This online learning platform stands out as one of the best training tools that offer certification. Upon course completion, learners receive a certificate, which they can prominently display on their LinkedIn profile. Even though LinkedIn Learning courses lack formal accreditation, the certificate of completion can significantly enhance your profile and open up new business opportunities.

Who is it for?

• Individuals who lead busy lifestyles

Why we picked it

We appreciate the platform’s micro-learning approach and its interactive nature. But the best part is that instructors have to demonstrate expertise and exceptional presentation skills. On this platform, passion alone doesn’t suffice.

Pricing

LinkedIn Learning offers a monthly and annual plan as an all-access pass for individuals. 

• Annual: $26.99/month
• Monthly: $39.99/month

If you’re interested in pricing for teams, you’ll need to contact them for a custom quote.

Offers a 1-month free trial.

3. Skillshare

G2 rating: 3.3/5 (40 reviews)

Much like Udemy, Skillshare is a major online eLearning platform. It offers over 35,000 courses to more than 5 million learners, focusing on creative fields like graphic design, animation, photography, and videography. So, its learner base mainly consists of individuals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. 

Another feature that sets it apart is its emphasis on collaboration and social learning. Learners can share their assignments, allowing others to like, comment, and ask questions. This helps foster inspiration and elevate creative skills.

Who is it for?

• Businesses in the creative industry

Why we picked it

What stands out for us about Skillshare is its focus on community engagement. In contrast to other educational platforms, it encourages learners to interact with each other, creating an experience that resembles an interactive classroom rather than solitary video viewing.

Pricing

Skillshare has a 3-tiered pricing plan:

• Starter (2-19 users): $159 per user/year.
• Enterprise (20-50 users): Contact sales for a custom quote.
• Revive (51+ users): Contact sales for a custom quote.

Offers a 1-month free trial.

Top Online Educational Learning Platforms in 2024 

Whether you’re a student seeking to acquire a recognized degree or certification, or an educational institution representative looking for a platform for course delivery, one of the learning platforms below should fit your needs perfectly.

4. Coursera

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (353 reviews)

Coursera primarily serves as an online educational platform targeting academic institutions. It provides a wide range of degree programs, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees, specializations, and certificates, many of which are accredited by globally renowned universities.

Boasting over 5,000 courses, partnerships with more than 200 businesses and universities, and a community of over 77 million learners, Coursera has significant influence in the eLearning domain. Its course catalog is particularly strong in business and scientific disciplines, including computer science, data science, health sciences, and physical sciences.

Who is it for?

• Students looking for recognized certificates of completion

Why we picked it

We consider Coursera to be one of the most prestigious educational platforms. By collaborating with leading universities and organizations, it offers learning programs taught by top experts in various fields.

Pricing

Coursera Plus Annual (access to all courses): $399/year

Offers a 7-day free trial.

5. edX

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (111 reviews)

If you are seeking formal education opportunities, edX is a worthwhile online learning platform for you. As a mission-driven provider of massive open online courses (MOOCs), edX collaborates with renowned universities and organizations worldwide, such as Harvard, Berkeley, and IBM, to offer exceptional online courses to learners globally.

Just like at a university, you have access to a wide range of course topics, including architecture, art and humanities, sciences, linguistics, medicine, business, and economics.

Who is it for?

• Individuals who want formal education-style learning

Why we picked it

Similar to Coursera, edX is a reputable online platform for education and learning. Its courses are developed and instructed by prestigious universities and renowned companies globally, ensuring exceptional quality, so the quality speaks for itself.

Pricing

• edX: While edX offers free courses, the “Verified Track” route (with paid courses) can range from $50 to $300, depending on the course(s) you enroll in. If you’re pursuing a master’s degree, this can go as high as $10,000–$25,000. 
• edX for Business: For groups (small teams or businesses): $349 per learner/year. For enterprises (large organizations): Contact sales for a custom quote.

6. Khan Academy

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (179 reviews)

Khan Academy is an eLearning platform that provides students with a free, world-class education. Backed by some of the largest foundations and businesses in the world, Khan Academy has taken the world by storm since its fairly recent inception.

Who is it for?

• Students seeking a free resource to supplement their learning

Why we picked it

Khan Academy content is organized by grade level, making it easy to target students at a particular skill level. The platform also has powerful analytical features that enable you to track students’ progress.

Pricing

Khan Academy is absolutely free.

Best Online Course Platforms in 2024

With online course platforms, you can make money by selling your courses. Here are some of the top options:

7. iSpring Market

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (3 reviews)

If you need a comprehensive eLearning solution for marketing, selling, and hosting your online courses, iSpring Market is the way to go. With its intuitive interface and high-converting marketplace, it’s the perfect choice for quickly getting your courses to market.

iSpring Market stands out as a unique online learning platform due to its ability to deliver engaging content in various formats, including audio, video, PowerPoint presentations, and SCORM packages. So, one key aspect of this platform that sets it apart is that it doesn’t limit you to passive learning through video content as many others do.

And what’s even better is that it offers robust analytics and integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics. Detailed reports offer insights on customer acquisition, your earnings, your top traffic sources, and which courses are in demand.

Who is it for?

• Course creators who want fewer restrictions

Why we picked it

iSpring Market is one of the few course platforms that supports SCORM. It enables instructors to deliver rich and interactive content, enhancing the overall learning experience. Besides, the platform offers strong user and content management functionalities, coupled with a comprehensive reporting system. iSpring Market essentially combines the benefits of both an LMS and a marketplace.

Pricing

iSpring Market offers 4 pricing plans:

• 500 users (25 GB): $77/month
• 1,000 users (50 GB): $147/month
• 2,000 users (100 GB): $277/month
• Custom: Contact sales for a custom quote.

Offers a 14-day free trial.

8. Kajabi

G2 rating: 4.3/5 (76 reviews)

Kajabi places a stronger emphasis on selling online courses rather than content creation. Therefore, as an online learning platform, its sales and marketing features are notably more robust than its tools for course development.

As for the course development tools it provides, you can upload video lectures and additional resources, such as worksheets and assessments, to complement each lesson. Furthermore, these tools enable you to create learning pathways with automation capabilities.

But Kajabi’s most notable feature is its “sales pipelines,” which are also referred to as sales funnels. These pipelines direct users through the purchasing process efficiently, allowing you to monitor multiple buyers in a structured, visual, and strategic approach.

Who is it for?

• Creators looking for a platform with good sales and marketing features

However, given its relatively steep learning curve, Kajabi can be challenging for those less familiar with technology.

Why we picked it

There are three things we most like about Kajabi. First, its robust sales funnel builder empowers you to create diverse marketing funnels. Second, the platform’s advanced marketing automation functionalities enable you to trigger personalized emails. Finallly, Kajabi stands out due to its exceptional customization options.

Pricing

Kajabi has a 3-tier pricing model:

• Basic: $149/month
• Growth: $199/month
• Pro: $399/month

Offers a 14-day free trial.

9. Podia

G2 rating: 4.6/5 (21 reviews)

Podia is another all-in-one tool for course creation, marketing, and sales. It offers cost-effective learning solutions that are incredibly user-friendly. One of the reasons it’s made this list of the best online learning platforms is its creator-focused approach.

With Podia, your memberships are seamlessly integrated within your digital storefront. This helps simplify the subscription process for customers and increase conversion rates.

However, Podia comes with no built-in course development tool. To create a course, you need to upload existing content, which can be in the form of eLearning modules, digital downloads like PDFs and audio files, or product bundles.

Podia primarily focuses on the sales and marketing aspects of business.

Who is it for?

• Technologically challenged creators

• Creators seeking a platform with zero transaction fees

However, don’t expect much when it comes to sophisticated marketing tools, branding, and customization options. At its core, Podia is best suited for individuals with simple online course creation and marketing needs.

Why we picked it

Podia has earned its spot on our list as the top choice for people who want to get started with their course selling process. It’s a perfect solution for those who have no coding or design background and want to get the basic marketing tools needed to sell digital products.

Pricing

Podia has 3 pricing plans:

• Mover: $39/month
• Shaker: $89/month
• Earthquaker: $199/month 

Offers a free 14-day trial.

Also read → 5 Podia Alternatives

Best Learning Management Systems (LMSs) for Businesses

A learning management system (LMS) is a comprehensive online platform that empowers you to create and deliver training and track results. Here are the leading LMS options for businesses:

10. iSpring Learn

G2 rating: 4.5/5 (78 reviews)

iSpring Learn is a comprehensive platform, loaded with both basic and advanced functionalities, all wrapped up in a user-friendly interface. Course creators and administrators can upload a wide array of training materials, including videos, audio, reference documents, and interactive SCORM content, making them accessible to learners.

The online learning platform has an impressive array of user management features. iSpring Learn offers a “Rules” feature, which streamlines the assignment of content to learners based on their group, progress, or professional roles and allows you to automate what would otherwise be a labor-intensive process.

Perhaps the most distinctive offering of iSpring Learn is the inclusion of iSpring Suite, an advanced authoring tool. Integrated directly into PowerPoint, iSpring Suite empowers users to create a wide variety of content types, from screencasts and talking head videos to slide-based courses and interactive role-plays.

Besides, the LMS has a built-in course builder that allows you to create page-like courses and quizzes in no time.

Who is it for?

• New and seasoned eLearning professionals

Why we picked it

iSpring Learn stands out by combining advanced functionality with ease of use. Plus, it offers a unique training solution that powers the full cycle of training, including training content development, so you don’t need any extra tools.

Pricing

iSpring Learn has two types of subscription: Start and Business, with Business coming with a set of advanced features and a tiered pricing model:

• 100 users (Start): $2.87 per user/month
• 300 users (Start): $2.29 per user/month
• 300 users (Business): $3.14 per user/month
• 500 users (Business): $2.83 per user/month
• 1,000 users (Business): $2.55 per user/month
• Custom: Contact sales for a custom quote.

Offers a 30-day free trial.

11. LearnUpon

G2 rating: 4.6/5 (131 reviews)

LearnUpon is a renowned player in the LMS industry. It boasts an array of powerful features typically not available in a single training software.

Beyond the basics of tracking, managing, and delivering training to employees and customers, it enables the creation of custom-branded digital storefronts for marketing and selling online courses. Moreover, it supports a range of content types including text, images, audio, videos, and slides, and complies with both SCORM and xAPI standards.

Who is it for?

• Creators of highly versatile content formats

Why we picked it

LearnUpon made our list for its straightforward design paired with robust LMS capabilities. It’s a fairly easy-to-use training platform without too many bells and whistles that could hinder the user experience. Still, it allows you to customize your training program.

Pricing

LearnUpon’s pricing plan has 3 levels:

• Essential (150 active users, 2 portals): $1,249/month
• Premium (500 active users, 3 portals): $1,999/month
• Enterprise (500+ active users, 3+ portals): Contact sales for a custom quote. 

Best Learning Management Systems for Schools and Colleges

LMSs for schools provide a centralized place for student-teacher interaction and help instructors track students’ learning progress in the interest of obtaining better outcomes. Here are our top picks:

12. Canvas

G2 rating: 4.4/5 (1,480 reviews)

Canvas is an online learning software with a strong emphasis on academic use. Yet, it’s also popular among online educators for building standalone courses not tied to any institution or company.

One of the best features is its exceptional versatility in accommodating various learning formats. Canvas offers the ability to create websites to host your courses. This gives you considerable freedom to customize your site according to your needs. Moreover, Canvas comes equipped with all the essentials — from quizzes and grade books to reporting tools and integrations — to ensure that users remain on the right track.

Who is it for?

• Users who want a platform with multiple interfaces

Why we picked it

We regard Canvas as an excellent LMS for schools, districts, and universities. We especially appreciate it for its built-in tools designed to enhance interactions and streamline communication with students. With a variety of communication tools available, each offering unique functionalities, Canvas stands out for its flexibility in facilitating dialogue and engagement.

Pricing

Canvas has both a paid and a free option.

• Free: The free account unlocks many essential features, including creating courses, quizzes, and video conferences, creating tailored learning via Mastery Paths, access to the Canvas mobile app suite, and integration with third-party apps.
• Paid: Contact sales for a custom quote.

13. Blackboard Learn

G2 rating: 3.9/5 (842 reviews)

Blackboard Learn is a truly veteran eLearning company. Launched in ’99, it’s been going strong for decades now. During this period, it has attracted more than 100 million learners.

Despite its name, it serves not only for K–12 and higher education sectors but can also be leveraged by governments and businesses. 

Blackboard Learn offers a broad selection of educational tools but remains user-friendly. It enables educators to build and manage online courses, deliver assessments with automatic grading, and interact with students.

The learning management system supports both live and self-paced training. Similar to LearnUpon, it offers learning portals that provide tailored training experiences for various learner groups.

A standout aspect of Blackboard Learn is its comprehensive range of integrations.

Who is it for?

• Teachers in K–12, high school, and post-secondary schools

Why we picked it

We consider Blackboard to be a solid LMS for the academic sector. It’s a robust solution that offers a sturdy system to faculty members so they can share materials in one spot, communicate with students easily, and give out grades online.

Pricing

Starts at $9,500 per year. Contact sales for a custom quote.

Has a free 30-day trial.

How We Tested Online Learning Platforms, Course Platforms, and LMSs

To create this in-depth review of learning platforms, we test-drove all the solutions that provide free trials. 

We delved into their features and compared their capabilities, assessed the user interfaces for ease of use, and discovered how well each platform’s features align with the needs of their intended users.

Also read → The Top 9 Learning Management System Features Every LMS Must Have

For platforms without free trials, we carefully reviewed their documentation and viewed demo videos to ensure a thorough evaluation.