Online Course Provider League Table - 2017

Free & Low-Cost Online Course Providers

These providers offer an alternative to traditional campus based courses by providing free and/or affordable skill-based or academic courses online, some with transferable credit which is recognised by certain colleges or universities. This category of online course providers does not include MOOC platforms. If you wish to view our MOOC Platform League Table, please click here.


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Hover over titles for more information or click on the Provider Titles for full review.

See Comparison Table
Rank 2017Platform Cost
Weight factor: 4

Course pricing:

1 = over $300
2 = $100 - $300
3 = $30 - $99
4 = Less than $30
5 = Free
Learning Support
Weight factor: 5

The level of support provided to aid learning:

1 = None
2 = Minimal
3 = Peer Support
4 = Instructor Support
5 = 1-to-1 Mentoring
Community
Weight factor: 4

Level of activity within the platform's learning community:

1 = No Community
2 = Very little activity
3 = Some activity
4 = Active
5 = Thriving
 		Course Pathways
Weight factor: 3

The availability of course pathways designed for deeper learning:

1 = No
2 = Yes
 		Assessment
Weight factor: 4

Level of assessment provided:

1 = None
2 = Automated Quizzes
3 = Peer Review
4 = Instructor Review
5 = Proctored Exam
 		Accreditation
Weight factor: 5

Level of accreditation offered::

1 = None
2 = Progress Tracking
3 = Non-verified Certificate
4 = Verified Certificate
5 = Credit
 		Interface usability
Weight factor: 4

Quality of the interface & ease of navigation around the site:

1 = Very poor
2 = Poor
3 = OK
4 = Good
5 = Excellent
 		Practicality
Weight factor: 5

How useful the learning outcomes are in real terms:

1 = No use at all
2 = Slightly useful
3 = Moderately useful
4 = Very useful
5 = Extremely useful
 		Overall
Weighted average of all the ratings
1StraighterLine
Best for: Higher Education Students
Subjects: Business, English, Health Sciences, Humanities, Mathematics, Science, Languages, Technology, and Social Sciences
Type of learning: Academic
Course type: Paid self-paced or professor-led online courses
Languages: English
Certification: College credits
Learning pathways: Yes
Mobile Apps: No
251255533.62
2Khan Academy
Best for: High School students, Higher Education Students, General Interest
Subjects: Math, Science, Computer programming, Arts & Humanities, Economics & Finance, Test prep
Type of learning: Academic, General
Course type: Free self-paced video courses
Languages: Site versions in Spanish, French, and Brazilian Portuguese + Video lessons translated into almost 40 languages
Certification: No
Learning pathways: Yes
Mobile Apps: iOS
533222553.41
3Udemy
Best for: General interest, High School & Higher Education Students, Professionals
Subjects: Business & entrepreneurship, programming, academics, the arts, health & fitness, language, music, technology, games
Type of learning: Personal development, Academic, skill-based
Course type: Crowdsourced Self-paced video courses
Languages: 40+ course languages
Certification: Certificate of completion on some courses
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: Yes
243133543.24
4Alison
Best for: Professionals, K-12, General Interest
Subjects: Arts, Career Development, Computer Science, Economics, Humanities, Languages, Mathematics, Music, Psychology, Science, Software, Test Prep
Type of learning: Academic, skill-based, school curriculum
Course type: Free Self-paced Courses
Languages: Mostly English
Certification: Yes
Learning pathways:Yes
Mobile Apps: No
524223343.15
5Ed2go
Best for: Professionals, general interest
Subjects: Accounting and Finance, Business, College Readiness, Computer Applications, Design and Composition, Health Care and Medical, Language and Arts, Law and Legal, Personal Development, Teaching and Education, Technology
Type of learning: Skill-based, general interest
Course type: Self-paced interactive online training courses
Languages: English
Certification: Certificate of completion
Learning pathways: Career programs
Mobile Apps: No
344123433.09
6Sophia
Best for: High School & Higher Education Students, General Interest
Subjects: Maths, statistics, accounting, sciences, humanities, social sciences, economics, business & English composition, World Languages, Learning Strategies
Type of learning: Academic, General Interest
Course type: Free & paid self-paced online courses & tutorials
Languages: English
Certification: College credits
Learning pathways: Yes
Mobile Apps: No
141225443.03
7OpenLearning
Best for: General interest, K-12 & Higher Education Students, Professionals
Subjects: Arts & Humanities, Sciences, Technology, Social Sciences, Business, Education, Sport
Type of learning: General interest, Academic, Personal & Professional development
Course type: Crowdsourced Self-paced & scheduled (Free & Paid)
Languages: English (predominantly), Malay
Certification: No
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: No
144123432.85
8Digital Business Academy
Best for: Professionals
Subjects: Digital product development, digital marketing, business finance
Type of learning:Professional Development
Course type: Self-paced online courses
Languages: English
Certification:Yes
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: No
511123452.82
9Lynda.com
Best for: Professionals
Subjects: Software applications, web development, business, creative
Type of learning: Skill-based
Course type: Self-paced video tutorials
Languages: English, French, German, Spanish
Certification: Certificates of Completion
Learning pathways: Yes
Mobile Apps: Yes
411223452.79
9LinkedIn Learning
Best for: Professionals
Subjects: Business, Creative, Education and Tech
Type of learning: Skill-based
Course type: Self-paced video tutorials
Languages: English, French, German, Spanish
Certification: Certificates of Completion
Learning pathways: Yes
Mobile Apps: Yes
411223452.79
10GCFLearnFree
Best for: K-12 students, High School Students, Professionals, General Interest
Subjects: Technology, Reading, Maths, Microsoft, Work & Career, Everyday Life
Type of learning: Skill-based
Course type: Free self-paced tutorials
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese
Certification: Certificate of completion
Learning pathways: Yes
Mobile Apps: Yes
511223442.76
11TED-Ed
Best for: K-12 & Higher Education Students & Educators, Academics
Subjects: Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Design, Arts & Humanities, IT, Social Sciences, Business, Education
Type of learning: Academic, general interest
Course type: Free self-paced lecture videos and articles
Languages: 100+ languages
Certification: No
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: Yes
514121532.71
12The Great Courses
Best for: High School & Higher Education Students, General Interest
Subjects: History, literature, the arts, philosophy, religion, science, and business
Type of learning: Academic, general interest
Course type: Self-paced lecture CDs, DVDs, audio and video downloads, and transcript books with video & audio streaming
Languages: English
Certification: No
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: Yes
234111442.56
12Open Education
Best for:General interest, K-12 & Higher Education Students, Professionals
Subjects: Arts & Humanities, Sciences, Technology, Social Sciences, Business, Education, K-12 content
Type of learning: Personal & professional development, Academic, skill-based, K-12
Course type:Self-paced & Scheduled courses
Languages:English (predominantly), Portuguese, Italian, Spanish
Certification: Certificate of Completion on some courses
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: Yes
521123332.56
13Learning.ly
Best for:Business Professionals
Subjects: Technology, Business & Leadership, Marketing, Design and Data & Analytics
Type of learning:Professional
Course type:Self-paced short online courses
Languages: English
Certification: Certificates of Completion
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: No
211123442.32
14Eliademy
Best for: Professionals, K-12, Academic, General Interest
Subjects: Arts and design, Business and law, Education, Humanities, Languages, Life science, Philosophy, Physical and social science, Technology
Type of learning: Academic, skill-based, general interest
Course type:Crowdsourced Free & low-cost self-paced & scheduled online courses
Languages: Multiple languages
Certification: Certificate of Completion on some courses
Learning pathways: No
Mobile Apps: Yes
122123332.21

Please note that the results of the 2017 MOOC Platform League Table should not be compared to those featured in the 2016 League table due to a change in the parameters used.


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