Online courses with Skillshare put to the test – Take your creative skills to the next level

Do you want to take your creative skills to the next level? Then you've come to the right place!

With Skillshare, you can easily unleash your creativity and potential. Discover an extremely accessible and flexible way to improve your skills and boost your creativity – with the No. 1 online learning platform for creatives: Skillshare.

Michael Karnjanaprakorn and Malcolm Ong are the founding fathers of Skillshare. The two veterans of the digital world founded the platform in New York in November 2010.

The platform has evolved into what we see today: a thriving marketplace for learners and teachers from many creative and innovative industries.

Since its introduction over 15 years ago, it has continuously established itself as an international digital platform for self-directed, modern online elective learning.

What is Skillshare? In short

Skillshare is an online video learning platformthat allows you to improve your creative skills and discover new talents. With Skillshare, you have access to thousands of courses in areas such as design, photography, illustration, writing, and much more.

The courses are led by experts in their respective fields and offer practical learning opportunities as well as the chance to receive feedback from the community. The platform is flexible and easy to use – you can learn anytime, anywhere, whether on your desktop or mobile device.

And the best part? With an affordable subscription, you can take as many courses as you like. Whether you want to advance your career or simply unleash your creative potential, Skillshare is the perfect platform for you.

What new features have been added in 2025/2026?

Over the past two years, Skillshare has evolved technologically and in terms of pricing to Udemy or Masterclass keep pace

New Features & Structure

• Learning Paths: Skillshare has significantly improved its structure. Instead of individual, isolated courses, there are now curated paths that build upon each other (e.g., "From Beginner to Professional Illustrator"). This helps reduce the "decision paralysis" experienced when faced with the vast selection of courses.
• AI integration: The platform now uses AI-powered recommendations and an improved search function. In addition, many English-language courses offer automatically generated, but improved, German subtitles.
• Skillshare for Teams: A strong focus is now on B2B solutions for agencies and companies to continuously train creative teams.
• Multilingualism: Skillshare has supported German (in addition to French, Spanish, and Portuguese) as a user interface language since April 2022. Many English-language courses also offer German subtitles, and there is a growing number of courses taught directly in German.

We tested Skillshare for you

We tested Skillshare with a trial version of the premium access and are happy to present what we found and experienced in this post.

Simply read on to explore our comprehensive – and honest – review of Skillshare.

Our test result

Skillshare is an online learning platformthat offers an immense range of over 34,000 courses on a wide range of creative topics, including animation, illustration, music, photography and much more.

The platform offers a subscription-based model that grants users unlimited access to the platform and its course catalog. The annual fee is approximately €165-168 (equivalent to €14-16 per month). While the contract term is somewhat long, the monthly fees are a real challenge to the competition. The price-performance ratio is excellent.

When you sign up for Skillshare for the first time, a free trial available, which allows you to try out the platform without obligation and free of charge before you make any financial commitment.

If you change your mind within the first 7 days , you will not be charged.

Skillshare is an ideal platform for creative people and entrepreneurs, or those who want to learn new skills and expand their knowledge in creative fields.

A rating of 4.1 in the Google Play Appstore (with over 54,500 reviews) also speaks relatively clearly regarding positive user experiences.

The Skillshare community encourages users to engage, collaborate, and support each other, whether by giving feedback or sharing their final work with their colleagues.

In addition to the annual plan for individuals, there is Skillshare Teams, a subscription plan for teams and companies that costs approximately 148 EUR per user per year and includes unlimited access to the platform and its courses as well as other business features.

The plan is designed to be adaptable to any team or company at any stage, shape, and size.

Skillshare offers both scholarships and financial aid for eligible learners. The free trial is a good starting point.

One slight drawback is that there are no recognized certificates of completion for the online courses. This makes Skillshare a self-learning platform for personal development in the creative field.

It's also a shame that there are so few courses offered in German. Browser translations and translation apps can help in this regard.

Please note that you must provide your card details to access the free trial version of Skillshare.

What is Skillshare? In detail

Skillshare is a digital platform designed to provide students, pupils, and creative individuals of all kinds with online courses taught by real experts, developers, entrepreneurs, and professionals. It's designed to teach everyone something. Empowered e-learning – a self-learning platform at its finest.

The course topics cover the entire creative spectrum, but generally revolve around imparting creative and entrepreneurial skills for creative professions.

There you will find courses such as managing and designing a WordPress site or painting fantasy landscapes with watercolors.

All you need to reach your goal is a quick search in the course database to find a course that teaches you what you want to learn.

Learning categories

If you're not quite sure where your curiosity will lead you, you can also browse courses via predefined categories on the website. These categories are constantly growing and changing along with the course content, and by 2026 they will include the following impressively long list:

Who is Skillshare suitable for?

Skillshare is aimed at creative professionals who want to develop new skills or improve existing ones. Since the courses focus on topics such as illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, and much more, it naturally appeals primarily to people in creative professions (e.g., designers, chefs, artists, photographers, developers, writers, etc.).

But entrepreneurs (e.g., marketers, bloggers, influencers, YouTubers or SEOs), freelancers or small businesses who want to take the next step on their creative journey with their team are also in the right place here.

This video offers a current experience report from the year 2025 and shows in detail which course content is worthwhile for whom.

Why should you take your creative skills to the next level with Skillshare?

If you want to boost your creative skills, you should try Skillshare. Here you'll find an incredible selection of courses in design, illustration, photography, and much more. Whether you're a beginner or a professional, there's something for everyone to learn.

The courses are created by experts in their field and offer a practical approach. You will not only learn new techniques but also be inspired to unlock your own potential.

With Skillshare, you can learn anytime, anywhere – whether in your free time or during work hours. Access to Skillshare is affordable and flexible. You can choose between monthly or annual subscriptions and cancel at any time.

How does Skillshare work?

If you want to improve your creative skills, Skillshare is the ideal platform for you. But how exactly does Skillshare ?

It's very simple: After registering, you have access to over 34,000 courses on various topics such as design, photography, illustration and much more.

The courses are led by industry experts and offer a mix of video tutorials, exercises, and assignments. You can access the courses anytime, anywhere, and complete them at your own pace .

You also have the opportunity to connect with other participants and feedback receive Skillshare also offers a mobile app , so you can learn on the go.

Learning platform for self-study

Skillsharemembers get instant access to the platform's course catalog. There used to be a free membership that gave you access to a subset of the courses, but this has been discontinued (and replaced with a free 7-day trial that gives you access to everything).

All you have to do is search for your target skill to find dozens, sometimes hundreds or thousands of related courses to choose from.

For example, a quick search for "painting courses" in 2026 yields over 6,000 results. You can easily refine your search using the platform's built-in filters , which are based on the following factors:

• Whether a course is a Original or a Staff Pick Skillshare
• Course difficulty level (beginner, intermediate or advanced)
• Course duration (how in-depth should your training be? Do you prefer courses lasting less than 15 minutes or more than 60 minutes?)
• Course age: How old is the course? Was it recently published or updated?
• Relevance: Are the tips still relevant today?

Once you've found a course that interests you, you can assess its quality by reading both the "About" and reviews from previous students . This is important because course quality can vary significantly.

Clicking on "Discussions" or "Project & Resources" will give you a clearer picture of the course content and expectations. If it suits you, you can get started right away by simply beginning to play the course videos.

Accessing the courses is very convenient. You can keep your courses readily available on your smartphone in your pocket at all times, or start them from your laptop at school, university, or work.

Since Skillsharecourses are pre-recorded, you can learn at your own pace. No more interruptions from distracting background noise.

Thanks to the offline function in the app, you can easily take the learning content with you on the go – very helpful for commutes with a shaky internet connection.

Thanks to the "Discover"feature of the mobile app, you'll receive personalized recommendations based on your course participation and search history. This is a great feature if you're eager to learn but not quite sure what to tackle next.

A note about live courses on Skillshare

Please note that Skillshare workshops were previously offered, where courses were bundled into packages that were completed together with other students according to a specific schedule. These were followed in 2021 by the introduction of live Chroma courses.

However, both of these features have been discontinued and none of these functions will be available from 2023 onwards.

Pro tip: Check out member projects

Visual learners can browse course options by member projects (formerly "Project Gallery") in their Skillshare account.

Here you can see recent examples of completed work by other Skillshare members, as this photo gallery quickly shows the "final results" of course selection and personal insights of others.

You can filter the gallery by "Trending", "Newest" and "Top-rated" projects, not to mention similar categories from the website's "Course Search" function.

If you come across a project that captures your ideal project outcome, click on the project to learn more details not only about the student, but also about the actual path they took in creating their thesis.

Since the abolition of the "groups" function, member projects are the most important way to get in touch with other students.

Certifications and funding for Skillshare courses?

What about certificates, diplomas, or funding for professional development at Skillshare?

Certified course achievements?

Fortunately, in our modern world there are many opportunities to establish oneself in an artistic profession. While some professions require a university degree or vocational training, there are also millions of people who have developed their creative skills full-time or part-time through online courses, tutorials, and self-study.

However, it may be necessary to provide proof of further training, for example for a new employer, a client or an agency with which one wishes to collaborate.

It must be said that Skillshare does not issue any recognized certificates or testimonials for course achievements.

The good news is that in today's fragmented creative world, practical, hands-on knowledge and a portfolio of meaningful completed projects are becoming increasingly important. A lack of academic or school qualifications is no longer a disqualifying factor.

Alternatives with certificates: MOOCs

MOOCs (=Massive Open Online Courses) offer a great alternative to Skillshare for refreshing your knowledge or acquiring new skills with certification.

These online courses combine multimedia elements such as video recordings of lectures, reading recommendations, animations, graphics, exercises and tests with virtual learning groups and discussion forums.

They are usually produced by renowned universities, which speaks to the quality of the content. MOOCs allow an unlimited number of users to participate free of charge, while a fee is charged for issuing certificates of participation or other forms of certification.

Although the first and largest MOOC platforms, such as Udacity (www.udacity.com) or Coursera (www.coursera.org ), originated in the USA, there has also been a German provider called iversity (iversity.org)

However, origin plays only a minor role, as most courses are open internationally and taught in English.

Participation in MOOCs is mostly free, but there is a fee of 49 to 99 euros to obtain certificates.

What about funding opportunities?

Financing is often a decisive factor when choosing a professional development course.

Are there any funding options for the course fees on Skillshare? These could include education vouchers, further education scholarships, the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) for advanced training, or further education vouchers.

Unfortunately, Skillshare courses do not receive any of these financial incentives.

However, with a course fee of approximately 14-16 euros per month, this is not really a serious issue.

Which courses will truly help you improve your creative skills quickly and effectively?

If you want to improve your creative skills, there are many courses on Skillshare that can help you. Whether you want to improve your drawing skills or learn how to illustrate a book, Skillshare has something for everyone.

If you are interested in photography, you can take a course that will show you how to take impressive landscape photos or how to take portraits of people.

When it comes to design, there are many courses to choose from – from creating logos to designing websites.

And if you enjoy writing, you could try a course that helps you improve your writing style or shows you how to tell a story.

Regarding costs: What fees are involved?

Skillshare offers various subscriptions to expand your access to the platform and enhance your creative skills. The 7-day trial subscription is free and grants you access to all content, courses, and projects for this limited period.

With the Premium subscription, you have unlimited access to all courses, projects, and resources. You also receive exclusive benefits such as offline viewing, subtitles , and offline project files.

Skillshare's premium membership, which gives you access to the full catalog of over 34,000 courses, costs US$32 (approx. EUR 29.75) per month with monthly payment, or EUR 165-168 for a whole year if you opt for annual billing (approx. EUR 14-16 per month).

a free 30-day premium membership get Skillshare link .

The Team subscription is ideal for businesses or teams looking to enhance their skills. It offers all the benefits of the Premium subscription, plus features like team management and analytics reports. Regardless of your chosen subscription, Skillshare offers a wide variety of courses and projects across diverse fields such as design, photography, illustration, marketing, and more.

Is Skillshare a subscription scam?

An honest review also includes critically examining the downsides. Here, we were particularly struck by the numerous negative reviews on Trustpilot :

What is the basis for this harsh criticism?

After carefully examining the 1-star reviews, one thing in particular stood out to us: Many users criticize – sometimes vehemently – Skillshare's subscription model , often describing it as disreputable and even a blatant rip-off.

The complaints include unjustified debits, unwanted subscription renewals, inadequate customer service, and opaque business practices.

What's behind it?

At first glance, these negative reviews, even in such numbers, are alarming and a warning. However, upon closer inspection, we were able to identify a discrepancy between customer expectations and the actual services/costs as the most frequent cause of the negative reviews on Trustpilot.

What does that mean in concrete terms? Well, Skillshare often emphasizes the free trial period in its marketing campaigns and advertises low fees starting at €14 per month. This creates the impression that you can access high-quality training content almost for free.

Skillshare communicates less prominently the automatic renewal of subscriptions or the significant differences in quality between coaches and courses.

One should therefore be clear about the facts from the outset, then there will be no unpleasant awakening later.

Here are the bare facts:

• The free trial period is limited to 7 days and will automatically renew into a paid subscription unless cancelled.
• Unless you signed up using a gift card or scholarship, your subscription will continue and renew automatically on an annual basis until you cancel your subscription.
• For some trial versions, you need to provide a payment method to start the trial. At the end of such trials, the provider will automatically charge you for a paid subscription using this payment method on the first day after the trial ends, and on a recurring annual basis
• Discounted promotional or sales prices are limited to one subscription year. At the end of this year, the subscription automatically renews at the then-current full annual price.
• You can cancel your paid subscription before it is charged via your payment settings in your Skillshare account profile at skillshare.com/settings/payments.
• You can cancel your Skillshare membership at any time without giving a reason. If the membership is canceled before the end of the current subscription period, the provider will not refund any subscription fees already paid or charged to your payment method. Access to Skillshare ends at the end of the subscription period.

If you take these conditions into account, there will be no unpleasant surprises.

So always keep an eye on your subscription period and cancel if necessary. Then you'll get a very informative and productive eLearning experience at a very good price-performance ratio (this is especially true for annual subscriptions).

a 30% discount on the annual premium membership get Skillshare 30% off link .

Make intensive use of the 7-day trial period beforehand to ensure that you will use Skillshare for the full year.

How do you find the right course for you?

To find the right course for you on Skillshare, you should first clarify your interests and goals. Do you want to improve your photography skills or learn how to illustrate a book?

Use search function to find courses specifically in your field. Reviews from other users can also help you decide. See which courses are particularly popular and what positive feedback they've received.

If you are unsure whether a course is right for you, you can often preview the course or contact the teacherfor more information.

With these tips, you can quickly and easily find the right course on Skillshare and specifically improve your creative skills.

Are there better alternatives to Skillshare?

Are there other learning platforms out there? What makes Skillshare stand out? Where do other platforms excel?

If you are looking for other high-quality or accredited online learning alternatives, below are a few options to consider.

Skillshare vs. MasterClass

MasterClass Unlike Skillshare, extremely high-quality courses exclusively by world-renowned experts and celebrities taught

At comparable costs (the MasterClassstandard plan is $96 per year), MasterClass offers just over 150 courses in its catalog, with about 2 to 3 new courses added each month.

MasterClasscourses are generally of a high standard and are aimed at beginners who want to learn a broad range of skills rather than being interested in specific niche topics.

MasterClass is one of our favorite online learning platforms due to its exclusive coaches and high production value, and is definitely worth checking out (they offer a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee).

Skillshare vs. Udemy

With Udemy , you gain access to affordable online learning. While Skillshare offers over 34,000 high-quality online courses from some top-tier instructors, Udemy thousands of inexpensive online courses from thousands of more or less unknown instructors.

Udemy promotes a niche-oriented approach, allowing students to learn specific technical skills from lesser-known but highly skilled specialists. Finding the right course can be challenging, as there are hundreds of video courses available for some topics alone.

If you have time to search for a course gem on Udemy: They don't sell monthly or annual subscriptions . Instead, you pay per course access.

Skillshare vs LinkedIn Learning

We're not the biggest LinkedIn fans (or users). At some point, LinkedIn lost its defining characteristics and eventually LinkedIn Learning entered the world of online learning

At $39.99 per month or $323.88 per year, LinkedIn Learning is more expensive than Skillshare and offers – in our view – much less value.

We can imagine how useful it can be for employers to offer their employees professional development training. But for personal use, we much prefer spending our time learning with the far more entertaining Skillshare (which never feels like homework).

Skillshare vs. Coursera

Unlike Skillshare, Coursera courses from leading universities worldwide , not from non-academic instructors.

Coursera's user experience feels more traditional compared to Skillshare. Coursera is geared towards more professional users who want to enhance their professional skills with real degrees and certificates.

While Coursera offers a much wider selection of professional and accredited courses, Skillshare surpasses Coursera in my opinion due to its diverse selection of videos, ease of use, and curated learning paths.

If you Coursera , numerous free courses available. Paid courses cost between €44 and €72.

How can you apply your developed creative skills?

Have you discovered your creative abilities and now want to put them to use? Then there are various ways you can do that. First of all, you should consider which skills you are particularly good at and which projects or tasks interest you most.

Perhaps you'd like to use your photography skills to create professional images for your business. Or you might want to use your artistic talents to create your own artwork or designs for t-shirts or posters.

Skillshare offers numerous courses and workshops that can help you further develop your creative skills and apply them in various fields.

What are the most important things to keep in mind when taking creative courses?

If you decide to take creative courses on Skillshare, there are a few important things you should keep in mind.

First of all, you should take your time to find the right course for you. Think carefully about which skills you want to improve or learn, and specifically look for courses that cover these.

Furthermore, you should ensure that the course instructor is qualified and has experience in the field they teach. Another essential point is the regularity of your studies.

Set yourself fixed times and goals to make continuous progress. Efficient organization of your materials and work environment is also important to minimize distractions and focus on learning.

And finally: Have fun!

Learning creative skills shouldn't just be an obligation, but also a source of joy. So take time to experiment and explore new techniques – who knows, you might even discover a new passion.

Conclusion

If you want to take your creative skills to the next level, then Skillshare is the ideal platform for you. With a huge selection of courses and workshops on topics such as graphic design, photography, illustration, and much more, you're guaranteed to find the right course for you.

The courses are led by experts in their field and offer you invaluable knowledge and practical skills that you can immediately apply to your creative work.

Whether you are a beginner or already have experience, Skillshare offers courses for every level.

Our testing methodology and the Kunstplaza philosophy of honest test reports

Finally, we would like to share a few lines About us self-image regarding honest, helpful and authentic test reports.

Welchen Richtlinien sehen wir uns verpflichtet:

• Complete weighing of all pros and cons
• Clarification and naming of the facts
• Reliable research (two-source principle where possible) and personal testing (first-hand experience)
• Authentic opinion (if we were to use the provider ourselves)
• Dealing with user criticism from review platforms
• Naming alternatives
• Transparency regarding remuneration and financing (see affiliation note at the very bottom)
• Avoidance of economic directives and dependence on the mentioned providers