Teachable & Skillshare are the two giants of the on-demand education craze that is sweeping the e-learning industry.
Both their services are truly amazing and allow anyone to teach just about anything.
This article will be a complete breakdown of both that will help you determine which one will suit your needs best.
We’ll compare and contrast Teachable vs Skillshare.
Let’s dive right in.
Teachable Vs Skillshare: An Overview
Here is the overview of Teachable and Skillshare.
What is Teachable?
If you're looking for a better way to teach your students, then look no further. Teachable is a cloud-based software that makes it easy to create your online classroom.
This tool will help you manage your online courses and help you engage with your audience. It will also allow you to make money from your content.
Teachable is an LMS software for creating and managing courses, as well as an educational resource for you to use with your students.
It features a simple, streamlined process that makes it easy to create your course and ensures that you're getting the most out of your business. This platform is a great solution for the modern educator.
What is Skillshare?
In the simplest of words, Skillshare is an online learning community where 10,000+ members teach and learn from each other. Students can take courses, watch videos, read articles, and ask questions.
Skillshare is a popular e-learning platform that simplifies course production technology. The platform can put together a class and upload it to the cloud in just a few minutes.
The best thing about Skillshare is that it provides various tracks catering to different groups of people.
However, Skillshare generally focuses on creative courses like Photoshop, Cooking, sculpting, painting, and the like.
As a student, you easily find videos to learn, and as an educator, you can upload almost any video as a course on Skillshare and also make money from it.
Teachable vs Skillshare: What is Similar?
Teachable vs Skillshare is a raging topic however the essence of any LMS platform is to provide quality courses to its users and improve the learning experience of those interested.
Teachable and Skillshare do share some basic similarities as an eLearning platform as follows:
Course Creation: They are both platforms for teachers to create courses and for students to follow them.
Course Selling: With Teachable and Skillshare you can also sell your courses online. They both have come up with monthly plans and no minimum number of users.
Course Editing: They both offer a similar number of features, like tracking students’ progress, adding and editing videos and PDFs in the course, and the ability to launch and promote the course.
Large Community: They are both operated by companies that have an impressive teams and a proven track record in entrepreneurship.
Potential to grow: Both platforms give you access to a large pool of potential users who may be interested to learn from you and subscribing to your online course.
Teachable vs Skillshare: What is Different?
Although Teachable and Skillshare perform the same function they differ in their basic course creation and marketing features and I am going to discuss these in this section of our Teachable vs Skillshare article in detail under the following heads.
1. User Interface
Teachable
The user interface on the Teachable platform is very intuitive and simple. The dashboard is non-cluttered, which makes it easy to navigate. It also comes with a clean, streamlined look that allows you to focus on what you need to get done.
The platform is very easy to set up, so you can get started with your online course quickly. The platform also allows you to share your course with colleagues and friends so they can benefit from your knowledge.
Skillshare
Skillshare is also a user-friendly platform. As a course creator, you can easily access the dashboard, create a new course and upload content with a couple of simple clicks.
All you have to do is create a free Skillshare account, and then you're ready to start creating. The dashboard is also great for students, who can browse and find thousands of classes on a wide range of topics.
Verdict
Teachable and Skillshare both have clutter-free course-creating platforms with dashboard analytics to look after your course.
However, in this category of Teachable vs Skillshare Teachable takes the lead as its dashboard takes into account student progress, course progress, and course performance as well which are absent in Skillshare.
2. Course Creation
Teachable
One of the nicest things about Teachable is that it's very easy to use. Teachable is a drag-and-drop and point-and-click platform that requires no coding skills.
It has a dedicated course builder that makes use of premade templates namely the blank, small and large course templates that you can tweak to customize to be your own. You can also play with the themes of the website and make the course exactly as you want.
Teachable allows you to create audio, video, or even pdf courses. With the drag-and-drop editor, you can place the video or text anywhere on the page as you want and also customize the color, font, size, and so on. In short, creating and posting a course in Teachable is as simple as breathing.
Also, read our in-depth Teachable Review to find out why is it the best online course-creating platform.
Skillshare
To teach on Skillshare first, you'll need to go here to start your class. Then, you'll need to create a class title and add a course description. Next, you'll need to select your course's format, which can be video, live, or a portfolio.
Next, you'll need to select how long your class should be. After that, you can select the dates you're available to teach. Finally, you can edit your class bio and add a photo or video to the class description.
There is no drag-and-drop facility or any pre-made templates on Skillshare but uploading a class is pretty basic.
Verdict
Although creating a course on Skillshare may seem to be easy, it is seen that it is almost too basic and does not give you ample options to make your course innovative and different from the others.
Teachable provides templates to work with and also provides a WYSIWYG editor that also makes customizations feel free and easy that is why Teachable wins in this Teachable vs Skillshare category
3. Progress Tracking
Teachable
Teachable has a wide range of new features that make tracking your progress even easier. You can use the new progress bar to track your progress from start to finish. The table format allows you to see your progress in an easy-to-read format.
In addition to this, you can view your progress by the day, week, or month to see how your progress fluctuates over time.
In addition to course progress, you can also see how your students are performing by making custom quizzes and tests that are provided to your students along with the online course. This helps the course be interactive and set clear goals with your students.
Skillshare
Skillshare has one major downside that sets it apart from most of its competitors. It allows you to upload video courses but does let you upload quizzes and forms that can check the progress of your students taking your course.
This can be off-putting for educators who want to use the platform as a serious tutoring platform.
Verdict
It is evident that Teachable wins in this Teachable vs Skillshare category for being more focused on not only providing the source of study material but also allowing students to check their progress and also in turn help you understand how effective your course is.
4. Email Automation
Teachable
Teachable has a built-in feature that allows you to create an automated email course. Once you have completed your course and published it, you can begin setting up your email automation campaign.
The first step to creating an email automation campaign is to click on your course. Once you've clicked on your course, you will want to click on the ‘Settings' tab located at the top of your page.
Once this page loads, you will want to scroll to the bottom and click on ‘Automation'. You will now be taken to your automation dashboard. This is where you can create a campaign and set up the rules that will be used to send out your emails. It’s that simple.
Skillshare
Skillshare has a large community of users and heavily depends on email automation they have many types of email automation like-
- Welcome emails
- Autoresponders
- Slack emails and so on
Every time a new course is added, an email is sent out to all users. The email also includes a link to the course and a picture of the instructor.
Verdict
In terms of email automation for effective information conveying and attracting users from emails as well both the platforms support email automation and also allow you to integrate email service providers with the platform itself to perform the function. In this category of Teachable vs Skillshare, there is a tie.
5. Marketing
Teachable
To market your courses on Teachable you have to do the work yourself; the site itself does not market your courses on the website. It is up to you. Your audience is built from learning from existing customers and how you market your courses.
To do so you can also integrate ESPs or social media sites easily on Teachable. You can also integrate YouTube or Vimeo to perform the same function and use promotional videos to attract your audience.
Skillshare
Skillshare probably shines through in this category. They have an entire section on the online course marketplace.
This is a part of their website where students can go through all the uploaded courses related to their criteria of search and find your uploaded course. In general, Skillshare does a commendable job to promote your content online on their website.
Verdict
Skillshare wins our hearts in this category of Teachable vs Skillshare comparison as the marketing of an online course is necessary as a course seller to generate revenue and earn from your courses being published online. Teachable can work on these criteria.
6. Sales Pages
Teachable
Whether you're teaching a class on yourself or you're selling a product, creating a sales page is important in marketing. You can create sales pages on Teachable using pre-made sales page blocks available on the website.
In case you do want to introduce changes to these templates you can also add custom HTML codes and customize the page using the drag-and-drop editor as well.
Skillshare
There are no specific sales pages on Skillshare. You can only define your course and use a referral code to promote your course but there are no dedicated sales pages on Skillshare.
This is another reason why although the number of users on Skillshare are much higher, people fail to establish a business on Skillshare as the promotion using sales pages is missing.
Verdict
Teachable is winning the race in this Teachable vs Skillshare category. Although it does not market your course, it has dedicated sales pages to help convert people who have found your course into potential course subscribers.
7. Pricing Plans
Teachable Pricing
Teachable in its most basic form is free to use. In this free plan, you just have to create a free account on Teachable and you can just use this account to teach and sell your courses at a 1$ + 5% transaction fee used as handling fees.
You have unlimited courses and students and integrations are made available. This in itself is enough for beginners as Teachable also gives you custom domain hosting for free.
There are three pricing plans for those who wish for more:
- Basic Plan at 29$ per month for 5 % transaction fees and email automation and marketing included.
- Pro Plan at 99$ per month for no transaction fees, group coaching, and also content dripping, and progress reporting and certifications.
- Enterprise Plan for 249$ per month for all the advanced features and support on Teachable.
You are paid through PayPal in US dollars only.
Skillshare Pricing
Skillshare is comparatively cheaper but there is a catch. Let me explain.
There are three plans in Skillshare
- Free plan: this plan allows you to only view courses.
- Premium Plan: that allows you to create courses at 15$ per month.
- Team Plans: these allow groups of people to handle the Skillshare account to do what they want.
However, you are not paid exactly when a student subscribes but you are paid based on the amount of time a student spends watching your courses. This means if I tool at an hour to watch your course on Skillshare then you will be paid for an hour by Skillshare.
However, you are paid through PayPal.
Verdict
Teachable may seem to be costly on the face but it has to be noted that Teachable caters much to creating a course whereas Skillshare remains a basic website to view online courses not create one.
It has basic uploading functions, not editing ones. Therefore, despite being cheaper Teachable wins in this final Teachable vs Skillshare community.
Pros and Cons Of Teachable
Pros Of Teachable
Teachable is an intuitive platform with many features that make creating and marketing courses easy. Here I will summarize why you should Teachable as the ideal course-creating tool for your online learning business.
- Very Easy to use: Teachable is not only popular for learning but has a great UX and stunning user interface as a creator as well.
- Course Builder: Teachable proves to be a powerful online course creator as it provides a dedicated editor to make the courses.
- Premade Templates: Teachable provides its beginner users with course templates for easy creation; however, you can also build your own curriculum and syllabus without being limited by pre-defined course templates.
- Mobile Responsiveness and App: Teachable also has a good-looking mobile app.
- Smooth customer service: Teachable also provides its users with efficient and sturdy customer service.
- Easy Integrations: Teachable supports a wide range of integrations for popular services like PayPal, Stripe, Zapier, or Slack.
- Regular Updates: Teachable has a team of highly qualified and experienced developers who are always working to improve the platform.
- Free plans
Cons Of Teachable
- Branding: in the basic plans you have customary Teachable branding on your website.
- Limited Free Plan: Free plans do not allow you to sell courses but it at least have a free plan.
- Teachable does not offer any downloadable content after the course has ended. This can be a problem if you want to offer the course to your students again in the future.
Pros Of Skillshare
In case you are still wondering whether to use Skillshare or not here are the reasons why it might be a good choice for you.
- Easy to use: Skillshare’s online learning platform is fun and easy to use, making it perfect for both students and teachers.
- Courses for all levels: Skillshare provides courses for all levels, from beginners to advanced.
- One-on-one coaching: Gives one-on-one access to instructors and mentors who are creating the courses as well.
- Collaborative learning: Gives the option to collaborate with other students, create group projects, and more.
- Career advancement: Provides the opportunity to advance one’s career with industry-leading certifications and get a large audience.
Cons Of Skillshare
Skillshare is a great way to learn something new, but there are some disadvantages. It must be noted that Skillshare is not a comprehensive learning solution, or in that matter, not even a course-creating solution, it is only a marketplace for online courses.
- Not as popular among creators: Although it provides many courses for students it is not as popular as other online training platforms for creators due to a lack of editing options. Not as well known, especially among the younger generations.
- Exclusive to Creative Learning ONLY: Lacks in-depth content on certain topics.
- Not Mobile Responsive: Lacks a feature to be used from a mobile device.
- Lack of Integrations: Skillshare is not suitable for corporate training and LMS integration, as it lacks the necessary features.
- Limitations: Not all features are free, premium features are expensive.
- No customization: It’s not possible to change the look and feel of the website.
What You Should Know Before Choosing a Teaching Platform
Make sure you pick the right platform the first time you move courses from one to another. They have a lot of different features and ways to pay, so pay close attention.
The Course Builder
This is the most important thing to think about. When you start making a course, you want something that is easy to use. You also want to be able to make changes later on. Another thing you might want to do is look for a platform that can handle multimedia lessons, not just video lessons.
Finally, you need to think about any extra course materials. A lot of platforms let you make quizzes and other types of course content.
The Way Courses Are Sold
To make money, you must know how sales work on the platform you want to use. Are you the only one who has to market courses, or does the platform help with some of the marketing?
In-person, or through membership on the site. They can read your content, but they pay for it. Are payments made once, every month, or a mix of both?
You should also think about how the platform makes money. Take all the money from courses, then divide it up based on how popular each one is. Others charge you a fee when you sell a course to someone else. Another way to make money is to charge you a monthly fee, which lets you keep all the money you earn from course fees.
Final Thoughts On Teachable vs Skillshare
When comparing Teachable vs Skillshare, it is important to consider what each learning management system has to offer. Both platforms offer several features for teachers to manage their content, engage their students, and create a positive learning environment.
You're probably wondering when you should use Teachable vs Skillshare, and the answer is pretty simple: Teachable is better. While Skillshare offers some useful features, it just can’t compete with the comprehensive list of features offered by Teachable.
You can however try each of these tools out for yourself and see what works for you. Both platforms have free trial periods and free plans that you definitely take advantage of.
Happy Creating!
Teachable Customer reviews
SkillShare Customer Reviews
Teachable Social Profile
Let's see the social presence and how active they are on different social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Facebook Page
With over 52k followers on Facebook, Teachable shares some good stuff related to online teaching and their podcast.
Twitter Profile
Teachable is on Twitter with over 33k followers. They joined Twitter in 2013 and share knowledge about online courses and coaching.
Instagram Profile
Teachable is also on Instagram with an amazing 66k followers. They post great content here related to their platform and online course.
Pinterest Profile
With over 61k followers on Pinterest, Teachable shares some interesting infographics and tips related to how to create and sell online courses.
LinkedIn Profile
The teachable LinkedIn profile has a 14k active following. They share knowledge related to online courses and coaching.
Youtube Channel
On the Youtube channel, Teachable share awesome tutorials related to their platform and online course creation.
Skillshare Social Profiles
Skillshare has over 2,686,604 followers on its Facebook page with over 2,658,415 likes.
Skillshare has over 100.8k followers on Twitter with over 17.3k tweets.
Skillshare has over 599k followers on Instagram with over 2,798 posts.
Final Thoughts On Teachable Vs Skillshare
I hope you liked our article on Teachable Vs Skillshare. We have shared the best features and uses to help you decide which one is good for your online course business.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comment section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you teach live on Teachable?
Teachable doesn't have a built-in feature for adding live streams. You can, however, easily embed a third-party Livestream into your lecture area, such as YouTube.
Can you use the zoom on Teachable?
No code is required to exchange data between Teachable and Zoom using Zapier. When a Coaching admission is disabled, this event occurs. This command starts a new Zoom Meeting.
can I do a webinar on teachable?
Teachable isn't a webinar platform, to be clear. To use Teachable to hold webinars, you'll need to embed a third-party Livestream application in to your Teachable school.
does teachable have an API?
To enable Segment in your Teachable classroom, check the box. You'll notice an empty text field asking for a Segment API Key after you've enabled Segment. By clicking on your Source and selecting Settings from the navigation, you can find the Segment API Key for your Segment source.
Is Skillshare worth the hype?
For the vast majority of people, Skillshare is worthwhile. It offers the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects online from qualified instructors. You can watch the majority of the courses taught by Skillshare experts at your own pace while learning through high-quality videos.