Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing (2024)

Everything you need to know about Skillshare pricing and to answer the age-old question: Is Skillshare free?

You’re probably here because you’ve Googled “Skillshare cost” or “is Skillshare free” but had trouble finding a reliable pricing page. You’re not alone.

Skillshare isn’t forthcoming about its pricing model, but to save you from all the trouble of internet sleuthing, here is a quick breakdown of what you can expect to pay for Skillshare. (For a more in-depth breakdown, check out my How Much Does Skillshare Cost article.)

Yes, Skillshare is free. But only for the first month.

It is entirely possible, however, to sign up for a free month of Skillshare, have access to high-quality online courses, and cancel before the month is up to avoid being charged.

If it sounds a bit sleazy, even Skillshare admits it’s totally acceptable to do so. Just take a look at the text at the bottom of their free trial sign-up page.

Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing (1)

Not to mention that Skillshare offers one month free for every new student you refer. Think of it this way, if you gather up a dozen of your friends and ask them to sign up for a free trial of Skillshare, you’ll receive access to an annual membership of Skillshare at no extra cost. That’s not a bad deal.

So, if that’s all that you were looking for, yes, Skillshare offers free classes for one month for new users. Cancel at any time before the month and you won’t be charged.

For a limited time, use coupon code ANNUAL30AFF to receive 30% off Skillshare Premium for one year!

Try Skillshare for Free

But, if you are looking for a more in-depth look into this online learning platform before making a decision, keep on reading.

Table of Contents

  • A Quick Skillshare Review
    • Skillshare subscription plans
    • Skillshare courses available
    • How to use Skillshare
  • FAQ
  • So, is Skillshare worth it?
    • Pros:
    • Cons:
Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing (2)

Skillshare is an online learning community for students to take online video classes at their own pace. The Skillshare platform offers a broad variety of specific skills such as UX design, creative writing, business analytics, graphic design, photoshop, web development, and so much more.

Compared to other e-learning platforms, Skillshare classes are cost-effective and an excellent launching point for people looking to boost their careers with new skills or simply want an enjoyable learning experience.

The nearly 30,000 courses offered to Skillshare members are taught by thousands of teachers across a broad array of talent and experience. Some notable Skillshare teachers include Seth Godin, Susan Orlean, Young Guru, Marc Ecko, Gary Vaynerchuk, Guy Kawasaki, and Paula Scher.

Recently, Skillshare rolled out a new feature called Chroma Courses which are, “Multi-week, immersive, small group courses that feature limited seating, exclusive content from expert teachers, live Q&As, and personalized feedback on your assignments.” Chroma courses allow you to collaborate with other learners in private Slack channels.

Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing (3)

Finally, when you sign up for a Skillshare subscription you immediately gain access to perks offered to Skillshare users. Perks range from a variety of creative services and products such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Squarespace, Todoist, Freshbooks, Canva, and more. The perks vary in savings but quickly add up. To redeem the perks simply visit skillshare.com/perks after you sign up.

Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing (4)

Skillshare used to have free courses under a free membership option, however, that plan is no longer offered. Instead, Skillshare offers free access for one month after signing up for a Skillshare Premium membership (yes, you will need a credit card to sign up). To sign up for the premium subscription, you have two payment opinions:

  • Monthly subscription—$32 a month
  • Annual subscription—$168 a year (Over 50% savings)

For a limited time, use coupon code ANNUAL30AFF to receive 30% off Skillshare Premium for one year!

Try Skillshare for Free

(I should also note that Skillshare also offers team subscriptions if you are looking to furnish your book club or office coworkers with group access.)

With a premium plan, you gain unlimited access to all 30,000+ online classes. Also, as a premium member, you can also download classes onto your iOS or Android devices for offline viewing.

Unlike other high-end online course platforms (like MasterClass and Udemy), Skillshare has an abundant trove of courses ranging from creative, lifestyle, business, and productivity that are accessible and practical. Not to mention, short and to the point.

Skillshare divides its courses into the following categories:

  • advertising
  • business
  • design
  • entrepreneurship
  • fashion and style
  • film and video
  • food and drink
  • gaming
  • music
  • photography
  • social media
  • technology
  • writing and publishing

You click the “play” button and sit and learn. Just kidding. There’s a bit more to it than that.

For starters, Skillshare is heavily geared towards creatives looking for tutorials from respectable instructors. While you are likely to find courses on practically anything (like fridge organization tutorials), Skillshare is worth it for individuals looking to learn or grow their creative skills.

Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing (5)

However, if holding a pencil is about as creative as you get, no worries, there are enough courses in a Skillshare premium membership to keep you busy. With easily-digestible video lessons, students can watch on their lunch breaks, on public transit, or late at night in lieu of Netflix.

If you are a more hands-on learning kind of person, Skillshare is definitely worth it with most courses complemented with a project to complete. By the way, I am this type of person which is why I signed up for Skillshare in the first place.

And if you don’t like a course, did I already mention there are plenty of other options from which to choose? Sure, you might not find a Margaret Atwood-level class on writing, but you will find hundreds of writing classes from trending and established writers.

As I keep mentioning, you can always try a Skillshare free trial and find out if Skillshare is worth it for you.

Try Skillshare for Free

FAQ

Does Skillshare come with a free trial?

Yes, you can sign up for a 1-month free trial of Skillshare. You will have to create an account, however, you can cancel your subscription prior to being charged if it turns out Skillshare is not for you.

Can I cancel my Skillshare membership?

Yes, to cancel your Skillshare subscription, go to “Payments” in your “Account Settings” and click on the “Cancel Membership” link and follow the prompts.

Is there a Skillshare app?

Yes, there is! The Skillshare app is available to both iOS and Android users.

Can I watch video classes offline?

Yes, to view video classes offline simply navigate to any course and click on the “Download Video” button. The videos will be saved under the “My Classes” button on the Skillshareapp.

Can I stream Skillshare courses on my smart T.V.?

Yes, with Chromecast or Airplay you can stream Skillshare videos directly to your television. Follow these moredetailed instructionsto do so.

The low-cost, high-quality Skillshare leads me to personally answer this question with: Yes, Skillshare is worth it.

However, this is a question only you can answer. So, let’s first take a look at the pros and cons of Skillshare.

Pros:

✅ Large selection of over 27,000 courses
✅ Free one month trial
✅ Wide variety of course topics and length
✅ Project-based learning
✅ Affordable
✅ Discounts and perks for additional products and services
✅ Refer a friend = 1 month additional free
✅ Live sessions

Cons:

🚫 Quality of courses vary
🚫 No certificates or accreditation
🚫 No “MasterClass caliber” instructors

Like anything in education, learning takes time, patience, effort, and a willingness to put yourself in a place of curiosity. Luckily Skillshare offers students all of these options in a convenient and practical space.

If you are willing to find the right courses, watch the video lectures, complete the projects, and ask for feedback, then yes, Skillshare will work for you.

The good news is that you can try all this for yourself and make your own decision with a one-month free trial.

Try Skillshare for Free

You Might Also Like:

  1. An Honest Skillshare Review: Is Skillshare Worth It?
  2. How Much Does Skillshare Cost? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Pricing
  3. Skillshare vs MasterClass: Who wins the crown between these online learning platforms?
  4. 6 Websites That Offer Free Online Acting Classes
Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing (2024)

FAQs

Is Skillshare Free? A Quick Guide to Skillshare Costs and Pricing? ›

Free membership—Yes, Skillshare offers a free 1-month trial if you sign up for their monthly plan (you can always cancel before you are charged). Yearly—If you are looking to save, a yearly membership costs $168 which averages out to $14 per month.

Can I use Skillshare for free? ›

Skillshare has both free and paid membership. Free membership offers an access to more than a few thousands of classes. With free membership you can: Watch free classes.

How much does Skillshare cost? ›

How much does Skillshare cost? The monthly membership is free to try for one month. After the trial, a monthly membership is $32 per month, and the annual Premium membership is $168 for the year (which breaks down to roughly $14 per month).

What is the difference between free and paid Skillshare? ›

Skillshare subscription plans

Skillshare used to have free courses under a free membership option, however, that plan is no longer offered. Instead, Skillshare offers free access for one month after signing up for a Skillshare Premium membership (yes, you will need a credit card to sign up).

Is there something like Skillshare for free? ›

Coursera. Coursera provides universal access to the world's best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses for anyone to take, for free. Categories in common with Skillshare: Technical Skills Development.

How long is Skillshare free? ›

Skillshare offers a 7-day free trial to all customers and at times a 30-day free trial for certain promotions. Any customer who signs up for a free trial can cancel at any time during the free trial period to not be charged.

Is it worth paying for Skillshare? ›

To develop new skills just for fun

Ultimately, paying for a Skillshare subscription will be worth it for some people and not for others. But with thousands of courses to choose from -- and a free trial -- there's no real downside to testing out the platform to see if it's right for you.

What is better than Skillshare? ›

Skillshare 7 alternatives
  • Udemy - "Course selling" Skillshare alternative. Source: Udemy. ...
  • Teachfloor - "All-in-one" Skillshare alternative. Source: Teachfloor. ...
  • Kajabi - "Online course" Skillshare alternative. Source: Kajabi. ...
  • Creative Live. Source: Creative Live. ...
  • Thinkific. Source: Thinkific. ...
  • Teachable. Source: Teachable. ...
  • Podia.

Which is better Skillshare or Udemy? ›

Udemy vs Skillshare - Comparison Overview

Based on the overall score of this Udemy vs Skillshare comparison, we can see that Udemy has a higher rating between the two brands, scoring 8.6. Skillshare has managed to reach an overall score of 8.5.

Can you cancel Skillshare after free trial? ›

If you do not wish to become a paid member after your trial, you can cancel your membership by visiting the Membership & Payments under your Account Settings. Skillshare is not able to cancel, refund, or manage memberships purchased through the App Store or Google Play Store.

How to use Skillshare for free without credit card? ›

New members who click your free access link will be prompted to create a Skillshare account, but they won't need to enter any credit card information to watch your class. Existing members will be asked to sign in, but do not need an active subscription to watch via the free access link.

Does Skillshare charge after free trial? ›

We provide a refund on memberships charged after a 7-day free trial if you contact us within 7 days of the charge. We do not offer refunds on membership charges after a 14-day (or longer) free trial. We do not offer refunds on membership renewal charges.

Is it easy to cancel Skillshare? ›

Log in to your Skillshare account to access the account settings. Select Membership & Payments from the left navigation menu. Click Cancel membership.

Is Skillshare or masterclass better? ›

If you're looking for a more affordable option with a broader range of courses, Skillshare may be the better choice. However, if you're interested in learning from celebrity instructors and want a more immersive learning experience, Masterclass may be the way to go.

How to download Skillshare classes for free? ›

Once you're connected to the internet, navigate to a class and toggle the Download Class button. Once all of the class lessons have downloaded, you'll be able to click and watch each video offline. Please note that videos are only available for download and offline viewing within the app at this time.

How to use Skillshare premium for free? ›

How to use Skillshare's free trial? It's pretty easy to get started using the Skillshare Premium trial. All you have to do is create an account, to access the basic features of Skillshare. After you've signed in, you can start your free trial to try out all the features Skillshare Premium has to offer.

How to download Skillshare videos for free? ›

Once you're connected to the internet, navigate to a class and toggle the Download Class button. Once all of the class lessons have downloaded, you'll be able to click and watch each video offline. Please note that videos are only available for download and offline viewing within the app at this time.

Are Skillshare videos free? ›

Skillshare is a popular online learning platform that offers thousands of courses on various topics, such as design, business, marketing, photography, and more. However, to access most of the courses, you need to have a premium account, which costs $15 per month or $99 per year.

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