Skillshare Vs Lynda 2023 Comparison: Which One is a Better Platform?

Are you weighing your options for online learning between Skillshare vs Lynda?

The purpose of this post is to help you decide which is best for you by thoroughly examining what each has to offer learners.

So what are the primary differences between Lynda and Skillshare?

The main distinction between Lynda and Skillshare is Lynda’s dedication to a wider, more uniform collection of courses. Both sites have different standards for instructors, with Lynda requiring subject-matter experts while Skillshare allows anyone to teach courses.

I’ll give an overview of each platform, its price, the kinds of courses it offers, its advantages and disadvantages, and more below.

Skillshare Vs Lynda 2023: Overview

Skillshare Overview

Skillshare is an e-learning platform just like the endless platforms available in the marketplace as of now. Through this platform, students can learn various skills that can be used in their personal lives, or even their careers, whenever needed. The best part about this platform is that there is no emphasis on a specific area.

For instance, many platforms offer e-learning and have a huge number of different courses. They recommend and promote just a few courses like IT or business.

On the other hand, Skillshare concentrates on variety rather than selecting a single area and it does not neglect other topics. This is a great concept and it promotes a wide range of subjects to the user.

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Lynda Overview

Lynda is a very popular platform when it comes to online learning. It has a different and huge user base that includes people from various organizations across the world.

Lynda has various classes on the development of skills, like software, technology, web design, web development, business development, and many creative topics like photography are also covered. Lynda was designed to assist learners in achieving professional as well as personal goals easily.

The online platform has been in the market for about 20 years and currently, there are about 10000+ organizations that benefit from Lynda’s online training system. You can access the tutorials on Lynda in five languages – English, Spanish, Japanese, German, and French.

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Skillshare vs Lynda: Courses

Skillshare Courses

Skillshare is one such online learning community where there are thousands of classes for all those who wish to learn and expand their creativity.

They have a wide range of topics like illustration, photography, design, video, freelancing, film, music, graphic design, UI/UX design, lifestyle, culinary, business, leadership, etc.

There are plenty of free classes and you can opt for any based on your preferences. New classes are being added regularly and the 2 monthly free trial period will be the best time for you to try these out.

Lynda Courses

This online platform is quite popular for its topics like photography, creative writing, graphic designing, etc. There are about 5467 courses offered on Lynda. A lot of these courses will be taught in English and people can also opt for a different language – German, Japanese, Spanish, or French.

The videos could range anywhere from seconds to minutes and they are not lengthy and very comprehensive. The courses also offer you a certificate on completion of the skill development course.

Skillshare Vs Lynda: Content and quality

Skillshare: Content & Quality

When you choose an online platform, content, and quality of content are very important. The content quality determines thequality of the education platform. When I talk about Skillshare, there are many positive opinions regarding content quality. Some users have indicated that the courses are pretty standard ones. 

Also, the instructors on this platform, do not mark their courses as courses for beginners or advanced users. This is an aspect that the platform must take into consideration, as then the users can decide on the course if it is best suited for them.

The course descriptions are quite vague too. These are just minor issues and otherwise, the courses have been created in a professional way and are informative. Many people are satisfied and happy with the quality of the courses which are offered by Skillshare.

Lynda: Content & Quality

The site has a very attractive appearance and more of a professional look. However, what actually matters is the features of the site. Many users do not appear to be happy and satisfied with the quality of the course content quality offered on Lynda.

There are certain claims made by people that the site also has some outdated content along with irrelevant course topics. This is mainly found in IT courses and lectures. When Technology has been advancing at a very fast rate, it can get tough for any platform to match the trends, updates, and changes. 

However, this cannot be an excuse for any platform offering education or skill courses. When a platform is charging a good sum of money for the courses offered, they have t make sure that they stay updated and offer all the latest courses which are relevant.

Another problem that is faced by many users is some of the courses on Lynda are quite slow and a simple topic will go on for more than 10 minutes, which can be quite frustrating. Despite the minor issues, a lot of students love the experience that is being offered by this platform.

Skillshare Vs Lynda: Features

Skillshare Features

Skillshare is a very unique platform and it has a very interesting concept when it comes to courses that are team-based. Now, these courses are created particularly for businesses and organizations so that they can create some amazing team-building exercises and also focus on efficiency management.

This is one platform that offers the user the chance to work on various projects which are team-based. 

This feature is great for all those who doubt this platform’s authenticity and question it. The projects offered by this site are worth mentioning.

Skillshare promises that students will have to work on practical projects in whatever course they take up as this feature passes on knowledge as well as gives practical exposure to students.

Students are encouraged and motivated to learn the subject well, pay attention, and develop an interest in that particular subject.

Lynda Features

This online platform has a distinct feature called the learning path. This is where a lot of courses come under the “umbrella” course. For example, if you are into creative writing and are looking for a learning path that totally concentrates on writing, you could find a course that is taught by three different teachers and they will cover different areas, topics, and themes.

Some courses can be distinct from the learning path, and some others may be just gathered and formed into a learning path. Now, you require a lot of time to complete these Learning paths successfully.

They are quite tough in comparison to the normal course. On Lynda, you can find a lot of learning paths to choose from.

Also, in case you choose to go in the direction of the learning path, it is on the lines of studying a certain subject in college for credits. You can also access the courses offline, which is a great feature for students.

Skillshare Vs Lynda: Navigation and Interface

Skillshare: Navigation and Interface

This point focuses on user-friendliness and the accessibility of an e-learning platform. There are many categories of topics when you reach the main page of the website. The home page or landing page is very inviting and also very interactive.

The design of the site is simple and straightforward. It has an interactive video as well. Once you are here, you can check out all the courses being offered by Skillshare. The website has done a good job in terms of simplicity and you will not find flashy pages anywhere. 

On registration on the platform, you have to choose a course. Once you do this, you will get an introductory video that has been prepared by the instructor to greet you and you will also get the lessons that are offered in the course you have selected.

If you scroll ahead, you can read through the course description, and details about your course instructor, and you also get details on many related courses, which you can consider taking up. 

The interface of this website is very simple. You can navigate this site very easily. Now, there is one tiny feature that can be distracting and annoying – students are permitted to leave their comments or feedback on the timeline of every video.

This might be a popular thing nowadays, however, it is a bit distracting. Overall, Skillshare is an intuitive platform and does not have fancy pop-ups, banners, or buttons.

Lynda: Navigation and Interface

When you reach the landing page of Lynda, you can see some courses and subjects being previewed. Now, you will also see the promotional offer of a free trial month. On scrolling down, you will find sections on top courses, reviews, partner lists, self-promotion, learning paths, etc.

This might be pretty basic information and you can find this on every e-learning platform, however, on Lynda, this has been well-presented. The homepage has a professional theme in black and white.

 Every section on the site is simple, but very appealing and is not very “generic”.  You can browse through the various categories, subjects, courses, etc.

When you register on this website, you will get access to the courses and select from the wide range of offerings. ON selecting a course, the page gives you an overview of the course, the list of lectures, the description of the course, or even instructor notes and many more things. 

Skillshare Vs Lynda: Pricing Plans

Skillshare Pricing Plans

Now the pricing of the site is pretty interesting. The pricing of Skillshare is very unique in contrast to other platforms that are found in the marketplace. Most of the major e-learning platforms that offer educational courses allow users to buy single courses and the price of each course is fixed by its creator and instructor.

However, in Skillshare, the pricing model is based on the subscription model, which means to access the courses, you must subscribe to any plan offered by this platform. Once you do this, you can access as many courses as you desire. Skillshare offers 2 subscription plans – Free and Premium.

 

If you opt for a free “subscription”, you will get access to only the free content on this site. There are very few free classes. However, if you choose the premium plan, you get access to all the 25000+ courses. This premium subscription comes at a price of $16 USD a month, with the annual subscription plan being $96 USD. The deal is great as you get to try as many courses as you want.

Lynda Pricing Plans

On the Lynda platform, it gives you a free one-month trial. Once this trial month is over, you can select any plan that you wish. The monthly subscription on this platform is around $19.99 a month and the premier subscription plan costs about $29.99 a month.

You can make your choice based on what you wish to learn. Note that once the trial period ends, the membership gets renewed automatically, and in case you do not wish to continue, you must do so before the end of the trial period. In Lynda, even an employer can make payments for their employee’s courses and offer them skill development training.

SkillShare Vs Lynda: Instructors

Skillshare Instructors

When I talk of Skillshare, courses have been created by many people, and many times, even people who are not capable of creating courses as well as teaching, do so. Hence, the standard of instructors on this platform could be varying.

However, the site has a system of peer reviewing and this makes it simple for users to concentrate on only the best and top-quality courses. Skillshare’s monthly payment is pretty less, and this also is an indicator that all courses on this site could not be of great quality. 

Whenever you select a course, the first video itself will give you an idea about the quality of the course and whether you must invest your time in it. If not, you can go to other courses.

Overall, the teaching standards can be considered to be good on this platform and this totally depends on the instructor. If you find a good instructor, then you could opt for all their courses without worry.

Lynda Instructors

On Lynda, it is not very simple to become an instructor. The process is very complicated because the platform is quite particular when it comes to the skills and qualities of the instructors on their platform. In case you wish to become an instructor on Lynda,

you must fill up a form online and you can send your video lecture to the team of experts at Lynda. Once this is done, you will not be given any information as to how you can become an instructor on Lynda. Only once the application gets processed as well as approved, only then will get be provided all the platform rules and regulations.

Skillshare Vs Lynda: Pros and Cons

FAQ related to Skillshare Vs Lynda Comparison

👉What are the negatives of Skillshare?

The fact that Skillshare lacks recognition, accreditation, or credentials is arguably its biggest drawback. Hence, despite the fact that you will learn from experts in the pitch, you won't get a certificate or anything else transferable. However, you might be able to create a fantastic portfolio.

👉Which is better Skillshare or LinkedIn?

While LinkedIn Learning classes are only accessible if you sign up for the free trial, Skillshare offers a large number of free classes. The courses on Skillshare are for those who want to gain creative talents, whereas the courses on LinkedIn Learning are for people who want to further their careers.

👉Is Lynda com shutting down?

The website lynda.com was taken offline on June 2, 2021, and users are being permanently routed to the LinkedIn Learning platform.

👉Do Lynda certificates matter?

It depends. You can still learn important Lynda skills without the degree or classes. That's why some businesses don't value the courses and certifications, but you can still use them. Interviews can benefit by discussing your Lynda course and certificate experience and skills. These courses demonstrate dedication to skill development and professionalism that many employers will enjoy. Some businesses don't value Lynda courses since they involve watching videos, which you may fake. If you completed them, put them on your resume, but the experience is more important!

Conclusion: Skillshare Vs Lynda 2023 – THE WINNER?

The online classes and professional development resources on both SkillShare and Lynda come highly recommended. This means that courses in both information technology and psychology are available from the same resource.

Each platform has its advantages and disadvantages, making it hard to advocate one over the other. Generally speaking, SkillShare is the best option if you value having a wider variety of courses to choose from at a lower cost.

But Lynda is the place to go if you’re interested in top-notch instruction and a wider selection of available languages (or LinkedIn Learning).

After using both the platforms, I felt Skillshare and Lynda are amazing e-learning platforms and you can opt for any of these depending on your budget, the need for certification, and your requirements. Skillshare concentrates on the development of skills and you can find plenty of courses such as fine arts, photography, creative writing, illustration, etc.

I would like to recommend you go for the premium plan because you get access to many courses. Lynda is a more professional e-learning platform and you can find courses that cater to web development, IT, photography, etc.

Further Read:

• Udemy Vs Lynda
• Simpliv vs Lynda
• Skillshare Vs Brilliant
• Best Skillshare Alternatives
• Graphy Vs skillshare