18 Online Learning Platforms Transforming Education (2024)

As the world continues to embrace remote lifestyles and work environments, one area that has been leading the charge is online learning. From institutions digitally expanding their campuses to emerging platforms where experts can share skills with amateurs and professionals alike, online learning platforms provide unparalleled access to educational resources and allow students from a variety of backgrounds to work towards a common goal.

Many online courses offer certificates of completion or even fully accredited degrees, with multitudes of studies available for those simply looking to grow their knowledge of the subjects they find most interesting.

Despite millions of students already participating, the edtech industry is still growing, with machine learning capabilities and additional technological advancements entering the mix to provide students with more rewarding learning experiences.

These are the companies offering online learning platforms that ensure students always have access to knowledge.

18 Online Learning Platforms to Know

Founded: 2005

Location: Fully Remote

Blueprint Test Prep’s learning platform merges innovative pedagogy and emerging technology to deliver a novel way to train students for professional exams like the LSAT and the MCAT. Using an AI-powered question bank for both tests and an AI tutor for sections of the MCAT, the prep is personalized to each student, allowing them to identify and address their areas of weakness.

Founded: 2006

Location: Redwood City, California

Course Hero is home to study resources, 24/7 homework help and textbook guides to provide students across top institutions with tailored reinforcement of the courses in which they are enrolled. The library of materials uploaded to Course Hero’s platform can be searched by either school or textbook to find the exact resource a student needs, with tutors available to provide total support.

Founded: 2010

Location: San Francisco, California

Udemy has provided over 50 million students with access to a vast library of online learning courses that bring together the best of professional development and personal enrichment. Courses in design, marketing, development, business, photography and much more are available, each featuring expert instruction and lifetime access that provides an environment for lifelong learning.

Founded: 2015

Location: Austin, Texas

Pluralsight is devoted to empowering modern tech workers with exceptional training on cloud technologies, covering a variety of cloud platforms and ensuring students have the tools they need to turn potential into reality. Individual courses that cover a variety of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud practices provide hands-on access to illuminating training materials in a self-paced environment, keeping tech professionals up-to-date with the capabilities they need to be innovative.

Founded: 2010

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Black Spectacles is a source of education and inspiration for architects with goals set on developing new skills and pushing their careers forward. The learning destination offers courses in ARE prep and software skills. Black Spectacles assists both students and working architects at any stage of their careers, delivering expert instruction to keep professionals up to date with innovation across the industry.

Founded: 2017

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Immersive Labs is an interactive online learning platform dedicated to empowering employees across industries with cyber skills that allow entire workforces to stand ready against online threats. The measurable, gamified platform provides on-demand access to training exercises that align human capabilities with cyber risks and imparts an understanding of how to stay current against evolving threats.

Founded: 2010

Location: New York, New York

Skillshare is a virtual space for creative workers — like designers, illustrators, writers, photographers — to come together to grow their craft and take the next steps in their career’s journey. Courses that span all skill levels are available on the platform so experts can develop nuanced skills while beginners can comfortably focus on experimentation, all taught by experienced professionals with a passion for passing their skills down the line.

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Founded: 1998

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Skillsoft delivers learning capabilities to modern workforces via a digital platform that features over 165,000 tools and multiple languages to grow knowledge over a range of subjects. The platform’s list of available courses include skill-based training in data science, machine learning, security ops and Python programming as well as conduct, sexual harassment and workplace compliance courses to promote productive and responsible workplaces.

Founded: 2014

Location: New York, New York

Teachable is a platform for unique, creative and dedicated individuals to share the skills that made them experts of their craft while making more money from their passions. From email marketing to music theory and even sourdough baking, Teachable features a pay-as-you-go model that allows students to dive as deeply into a specific subject as they want while being able to take multiple courses at once to build skills across domains.

Founded: 2013

Location: New York, New York

360Learning offers a collaborative learning platform in which teams are able to come together to create, ship and improve courses together, furthering knowledge in skills like sales enablement, software adoption and field training across entire industries. Users are able to upload courses to 360Learning libraries to continue training their teams well into the future and make onboarding a breeze — facilitating stronger workforces from each employee’s first day.

Founded: 2015

Location: San Francisco, California

Using the insight of successful celebrities and role models, MasterClass teaches the necessary skills to break into a wide range of fields and industries. With a monthly subscription, users receive access to video lessons from over 150 instructors, able to gather first-hand professional information on topics like science and tech to sports and food. Figures Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ninja and the Duffer brothers are a few of the many to gain behind-the-scenes knowledge from.

Founded: 2011

Location: Fully Remote

Udacity provides curated industry courses and resources to create job-ready tech professionals. Offering lessons across eight different learning areas, the company sources relevant information from industry leaders as well as provides opportunities for nanodegree programs and hand-on projects, all to ensure students are gaining the necessary skills for their career. For businesses, Udacity also can partner to provide a train-to-hire scholarship program, in which they discover and prepare candidates specifically for their business goals.

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Founded: 2012

Location: Denver, Colorado

As the world and our workspaces become increasingly remote, Elsmere Education partners with leading universities to build robust online programs that provide students with the tools they need to succeed in their field. Elsmere focuses on increasing program retention rate and enrollment growth over time, implementing scalable growth tactics to create clear pathways to graduation for all students in attendance.

Founded: 2012

Location: Denver, Colorado

Galvanize operates several coworking facilities and training centers across the United States, focusing on coding and corporate success in its course offerings. Full-time and part-time bootcamps in software engineering, data science and Python fundamentals are available both in-person and online. Their courses allow students to take the next step in their careers and pick up new technical skills while managing ongoing responsibilities.

Founded: 2014

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Otus is an all-in-one education platform for facilitating K-12 learning, allowing educators to facilitate a blended learning environment where students can continue growing whether they are at school or at home. Educators can utilize the platform to build curriculum and measure student progress over time, with standards-based grading, differentiated learning and communication tools included as well to provide multiple ways of facilitating student success.

Founded: 2014

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Packback’s platform utilizes artificial intelligence to engage students in discussion on the topics they are studying, focusing more effort into comprehension rather than grades. The Packback “Digital TA” provides students with a constructive, real-time feedback loop to facilitate curiosity and skill development while working with them to construct effective questioning, responses and argumentative skills that help them grow within the classroom and well into the future.

Founded: 1997

Location: Austin, Texas

360training provides regulatory-approved online training that meets government and employer requirements for professionals working within the real estate, food and beverage, environmental health and safety, and other industries where risk mitigation is a priority. Access to courses at any hour of the day gives 360training students unrivaled efficiency to achieve the next step in their careers, with more than four million courses completed on the platform to date.

Founded: 2012

Location: Fully Remote

Coursera offers online courses, certifications and degree information from over 5,000 accredited resources. Users can learn subjects and skills related in fields from data science to the arts, with many courses that are self-paced and eligible for academic credit. Collaborating with over 200 U.S. universities and companies, Coursera prepares students to apply for advanced degrees or prepare professionals for positions at Google, Meta and similar.