Though the two platforms are quite different, we prefer CreativeLive because of its credibility, more standardised teaching methods and well-acclaimed instructors.
The choice between Skillshare and CreativeLive is often tricky. Both these platforms offer flexible learning resources, which can help the students better their overall skill level. They support learning on your own time and schedule.
You can find 100s of free classes on both these platforms. But which of the two Skillshare vs CreativeLive can amplify your learning efforts and give you value for money?
When you seek a platform that provides an extensive library of courses and are ok with occasional glitches, Skillshare can be a good and more affordable pick. But if you are serious about a particular topic and wish to learn from genuine experts, CreativeLive, should be your chosen platform.
With CreativeLive, you will receive a class of the highest standard, and their price is also not very high for a premium learning experience. As is apparent, CreativeLive is a platform that best serves creative professionals. Hence, it is also ideal for freelance writers.
To settle on a choice, we pit multiple alternatives against each other here in this article. Through this CreativeLive vs Skillshare review, we will compare these two platforms and help you pick one over the other. Keep reading as we explore them in detail below.
Which Is Better CreativeLive or Skillshare?
| Attribute | CreativeLive | Skillshare |
| Cost | $39/ month or $299/ year. You can find individual pricing ranging between $17 and $199. | $32/month or $168/year. Sadly, there is no individual pricing option. |
| Live classes vs. video lessons | Live video classes | Pre-recorded video sessions |
| Learning material | Access to additional study material | No additional study material |
| Certification | No | No |
| Refund | 30-days for the courses and 7-days for the subscriptions | Refunds for annual membership are available if you contact them within 14 days from the processing date. Sadly, monthly memberships do not have a refund policy. |
| Quality & brand credibility | Better quality and more credibility | Relatively subpar quality with less credibility |
| Topics covered | Main focus on soft skills | Soft and technical skills covered |
| Teaching style | More engaging | Not as engaging |
| Instructors | More knowledgeable, skilled, and experienced | Anyone can take a class. |
| Accredited classes | No | No |
| Mobile App | Only for iOS | Both iOS and Android app |
| Customer Support | Not as good as Skillshare | Better than CreativeLive |
| Visit CreativeLive | Visit Skillshare |
What Is Skillshare?
In 2010, Michael Karnjanaprakorn and Malcolm Ong established Skillshare. Since this platform came into existence, over 27,000 courses have been added. They also have over ‘2000 free courses’ that you can watch for free.
You do not have to meet any eligibility criteria or requirements for free sessions. In this CreativeLive vs Skillshare attribute, the latter scores a goal because the former does not have as many free sessions.
Even though these classes are prepared by random people with a decent degree of skill and knowledge, you will find some sessions by seasoned professionals. Hence, on Skillshare, you can expect to find courses by Seth Godin, Mark Ecko, Susan Orleans, and Yuki Shimizu.
Skillshare has classes broken down into various niches, and every niche has 100s of sessions anchored by different individuals. So, you can learn from numerous tutors without getting irked by the learning process.
Hence, you will never find a dearth of instructors (as with CreativeLive). On Skillshare, the sessions usually range between 2 to 20 minutes, depending on the content diversity. It makes it easy to consume. Moreover, every session is well-organized and planned to make it easy for you to grasp and learn.
One standout aspect of Skillshare is its engagement forum. So students can interact and engage with each other. Sadly, other digital platforms have always struggled to make this attribute work, and you will see it lagging most times.
However, such is not the case with Skillshare. You can use their engagement forum to get the necessary help from the instructors. You will be surprised to see the number of people willing to help and guide you. Lastly, Skillshare is also way more affordable than CreativeLive.
| Pros | Cons |
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How much does Skillshare cost?
Once you sign up for their subscription, you get a free 1-month trial. Their monthly plan costs $32 per month, which is slightly expensive. You can opt for the annual membership costing $168, an average of $14 per month.
Do employers recognize Skillshare?
Sadly, employers may not take Skillshare courses seriously and might not recognize their completion.
Can you put Skillshare on the resume?
Yes, you can include Skillshare courses on your resume. It will be a way to inform the potential employer that you know the specified skill but not necessarily amplify your chances of landing a job.
Who should go for Skillshare classes?
On Skillshare, you can find a selection of courses on an array of topics. However, the most popular niches include creative arts and crafts, music, coding, and writing. These are some of the best courses offered by Skillshare.
Is CreativeLive Worth It?
Of course, the professionalism of CreativeLive makes it worth every penny. It is courtesy of their co-founder, Chase Jarvis. He is an artist, director, and photographer who ensures that every video on the platform is close to perfect.
He values aesthetic and production quality in the videos. Moreover, they have engaging classes, and every lesson is crafted to perfection. So, you will never feel like you are sitting in a classroom.
Instead, they take an alternative approach to education and ensure an immersive and interactive learning experience.
Founded by Craig Swanson and Chase Jarvis, CreativeLive is an online learning platform founded in 2010. Unlike Skillshare, CreativeLive predominantly focuses on soft skills like art, stress management, and writing.
The platform has approximately 1500 lessons, and 700 handpicked experts offer them. Comparing CreativeLive vs Skillshare, the number is not as grand as Skillshare. However, Skillshare offers courses on almost every concept and topic under the sun.
CreativeLive’s lower number might seem like a con to many. However, the reason for their lesser number is that they do not let anyone and everyone create a session on their platform.
Hence, only top-tier and expert instructors can upload a class with them. Thus, every course will be of superior quality. Over 10 million students from different professions seek classes on Skillshare. These include photographers, entrepreneurs, artists, copywriters, and bloggers.
| Pros | Cons |
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How much does CreativeLive cost?
You can buy the monthly subscription plan for $39 per month, and their annual subscription plan is $299 (=$24 per month). You can also buy separate courses costing between $17 and $199.
How do I download CreativeLive classes?
Downloading the CreativeLIve classes is easy with creativelive.com. You can follow the steps below:
- Log onto your CreativeLive Account.
- Head to the My Classes
- Select the class you wish to view.
- To start downloading, press the downward arrow on the right of the Lessons bar.
- You can select from HD or SD download option.
However, if you bought the CreativeLive classes via iOS, you will not be able to download the sessions for offline viewing on the website.
So, you will have to undertake the downloading directly on the app. Creator Pass subscribers should know that you do not get access to offline viewing except on the app. You can use this link to download it on your iOS device if you are a subscriber.
Do CreativeLive classes expire?
No, the CreativeLive courses do not expire. You can stream or download them as many times as you like.
Who should enroll in CreativeLive courses?
It is apparent that CreativeLive designs its courses for professionals who aspire to amplify their overall knowledge and skill in creative fields like writing, photography, and blogging. They employ a unique interface to educate the students and keep them interested and engaged.
The platform’s primary target audience is the creative professionals like writers. So, you will find many courses for getting into writing and copywriting professionally.
Another area of their focus is photography. It is because one of their co-founders is a Photographer. They also have some sessions for people wanting to learn art & design and music.
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CreativeLive vs Skillshare – Which Learning Platform Is Better?
A. Interface
Skillshare has a better layout than CreativeLive.
Skillshare is an excellent place to develop new talents and learn new skills. You can find courses in almost every field and profession. Their classes are structured like any traditional learning platform, but it has some added functionalities too.
You get video lessons, and every lecture is well-organized and displayed on the right side of the playback screen. Hence, toggling through the courses is easy. Right under the video playback screen, you will get options to better the learning experience – Review, Projects and Resources, Discussions, Transcripts, and About.
CreativeLive also has an easy-to-use interface, but it is not as straightforward as Skillshare. So, the clear winner is Skillshare for its traditional and simple layout.
B. Pricing
The pricing plans are more or less similar, but Skillshare is relatively cheaper.
However, CreativeLive has more pricing options. They let the students pay for individual courses, which is a plus for students who do not wish to commit to a learning platform unnecessarily. So, for us, CreativeLive has an edge.
If you compare Skillshare to the other learning platforms in the category, you will find that it is cost-effective and a good starting point for people who wish to amplify their soft skills. They have a free membership for new users, applicable once you sign up for their monthly plan.
It gives you a one-month free trial, and you can cancel it before the paid plan activates. The monthly plan starts at $32 per month, and their annual subscription is $14 per month, costing $168.
CreativeLive has a relatively unusual pricing plan. You can either choose to pay-per-course or buy their subscription. So, you have the flexibility to choose what works for you. Their monthly subscription costs $39, and the annual subscription costs $299. But you can also buy their individual courses costing between $17 and $199.
C. Refunds
CreativeLive is more flexible with its refund policy.
CreativeLIve has a 30-day money-back guarantee for the courses and a 7-days refund for the subscriptions. Skillshare solely allows refunds for an annual membership.
So, if you contact them within 14 days from the processing date, you can get your money back. Sadly, monthly memberships do not have a refund policy.
D. Certification and accreditation
None of the two offer certifications and accreditation. So, if that is what you seek, they are not the platform for you.
E. Instructor backgrounds
CreativeLive has lessons from some reputed and top-tier instructors, but Skillshare lets anyone create a course. Thus, the former has better qualified and experienced instructors.
Some popular instructors with CreativeLive include Mel Robbins, Tim Ferriss, and Ramit Sethi. However, Skillshare allows anyone and everyone to create a course. While with Skillshare, instructor’s credibility is always in question. Thus, if you need assurance in instructor quality, CreativeLive is a better pick.
F. Topics covered
If we compare Skillshare vs CreativeLive, the former is better if you wish to learn a broader set of skills.
Primarily CreativeLive focuses on your softer skills. So, you will find lessons on writing and art. Of course, Skillshare also has classes for the softer skills, but you will find more courses on technical topics like business and coding.
Broadly, the CreativeLive platform focuses on five main categories:
- Money and life
- Craft and maker
- Photo and Video
- Music and Audio
- Art and design
So, if you wish to elevate your creative skills, you can find the perfect solution on CreativeLive.
On the contrary, Skillshare covers seven categories through its courses. These include:
- Writing
- Photo and film
- Design
- Business
- Animation
- Lifestyle
- Illustration
G. Teaching methodology (live classes vs recorded)
Creative Live stands out with its live sessions.
Skillshare only has pre-recorded sessions, and you won’t find any live lessons. On the contrary, CreativeLive has both live and pre-recorded sessions. Their live sessions are very interactive, with engaging instructors who anchor their classes in front of a live audience.
Unlike the other platforms that allow students to learn, CreativeLive also gives them room to provide feedback via their chat box feature. So, amidst the live session, you can drop your query or feedback and get an instant response.
H. Credibility
CreativeLIve is more credible because of the instructor’s background.
Since Skillshare lets anyone and everyone upload a class online, it cannot be called credible. On the contrary, CreativeLive only has experienced professionals taking the classes. They handpick the instructors to maintain the quality of the platform. At present, they have 700 instructors associated with them. Thus, credibility and authenticity are more.
I. Customer support
Skillshare has a relatively better support system.
In all honesty, both CreativeLive and Skillshare somewhere compromise with customer support. They do not have phone support, which is a shame these days.
But, still, Skillshare has an engagement forum, which makes it easier for the students to get assistance at the earliest. It is missing in CreativeLive, which has an email and FAQ sections for support, which is somehow insufficient.
But you get live sessions where you can clarify your doubts, but it is not a makeup for inadequate support.
J. Mobile app
Skillshare ranks higher for its easy-to-use mobile app available for iOS and Android.
Though the CreativeLive iOS app is good, its unavailability for Android users is a clear bummer. So, we have to give it to Skillshare for being available for both Android and iOS users.
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Final Verdict – Skillshare Vs CreativeLive, Which Is Better?
So, now we have come to the end of this review after comparing the two learning platforms. So, which is better? Well, the choice depends on what you are looking for.
CreativeLive is a clear winner if you need photography, blogging, writing, or any creative session. However, if you wish to learn business or coding-related subjects, Skillshare can be a good pick.
However, before picking one over the other, please go through the various attributes discussed above to help you choose how one ranks over the other in different situations.
