Courses & learning · review
Skillshare
Skillshare is a subscription library for creative and hobbyist skills, not a place to buy a single course outright. One flat Premium fee unlocks the whole catalogue, teachers are paid from a pool split by watch-time rather than a fixed royalty, and the free trial converts to a paid annual plan automatically unless you cancel first. It suits browsers who want to dabble across illustration, video and design; it suits career-changers hunting a rigorous, accredited curriculum far less well.
Last reviewed 24 August 2026 · scored 3.9/5 by our editors
- Founded
- 2010
- Model
- Subscription + limited free
- Credential
- None — no diploma or cert
- Renewal
- Auto-renews annually
About Skillshare
Skillshare launched in New York in 2010, initially as a pay-per-class marketplace for creative skills like painting, photography and design. In March 2014 it switched to the subscription model it still uses: one membership fee unlocks the whole catalogue instead of paying per class. Classes stay short and project-based rather than long and credentialed — most build toward a class project a student actually finishes and shares, and anyone with relevant expertise can apply to teach one.
Premium runs on annual billing by default, priced in the mid-teens per month when billed yearly, with a considerably pricier month-to-month option available but not advertised prominently. New sign-ups get a free trial — the exact length varies by promotion — but a card is required upfront and the annual fee charges automatically the moment the trial ends, so a calendar reminder matters more here than on most subscriptions. Teachers are not paid a flat per-student royalty: they draw from a monthly royalty pool split by how many minutes paying members actually watched their classes, at rates commonly cited around $0.05 to $0.10 per minute.
That royalty structure shapes the catalogue: with payouts tied to watch-time rather than a course price, Skillshare’s incentive is volume and completion-friendly runtime, not depth. The platform works best for browsing and short, motivating projects rather than a rigorous curriculum with an assessment at the end — there is no accreditation, no diploma and no employer-recognised certificate at the finish line. Treat it as a well-curated hobby library with real production values, not a substitute for a structured qualification.
How Premium is priced
Premium (annual)
Billed yearly, around $14/month
The default plan and the one Skillshare promotes; unlocks the full catalogue for one flat annual charge.
Premium (monthly)
A markedly higher monthly rate
Exists but is not prominently advertised — pay month to month and you pay a real premium for the flexibility.
Free tier
Free
Limited access to a small slice of classes and features; enough to try the format, not enough to learn a skill in depth.
Skillshare does not publish one universal global price — it varies by region and promotion — and the free trial requires a card upfront, so cancel before it ends if you do not want the annual fee charged automatically.
What works
One fee, the whole catalogue
No per-course purchase decisions, no upsells mid-class. Once subscribed, every class is included, which suits someone who wants to browse widely across creative subjects rather than commit to one path.
Classes end in something you made
The project-based format means most classes push you toward finishing a tangible piece of work, not just watching a talking head for an hour.
Teachers are paid for engagement, not just enrolment
The watch-time royalty pool rewards classes people actually finish and rewatch, which pushes teachers toward genuinely useful, well-paced content rather than a one-time sales pitch.
Strong production values for the price
Classes are generally well shot and edited compared with the average user-generated marketplace course, a byproduct of Skillshare curating who gets approved to teach.
What doesn’t
The free trial needs a card, and auto-renews into a real charge
You cannot browse Premium without giving payment details first, and if you forget to cancel before the trial ends you are billed for a full year up front, not a month.
No accreditation of any kind
There is no diploma, certificate or recognised qualification at the end of a class. Fine for a hobby or a portfolio piece, useless if an employer needs proof of study.
Depth loses to breadth
Classes are short by design, which suits an introduction but rarely goes deep enough to replace a structured course if you actually need to master a skill, not just sample it.
How it scores elsewhere
Aggregate public scores, with the source named. We do not publish individual testimonials — we have no way to verify them.
App Store (iOS)
25,000+ ratings
4.8ReviewKong editorial score
strong production values offset by no accreditation and an auto-renewing trial
3.9
Buy it if
- Hobbyists who want to browse widely across creative subjects for one flat fee
- Anyone who learns better by finishing a project than by taking a test
- People happy with short, well-produced classes over long structured courses
- Freelancers building a portfolio piece rather than chasing a certificate
Skip it if
- Anyone who needs an accredited certificate or diploma at the end
- Learners who forget to cancel trials — the annual charge lands automatically
- People wanting deep, technical mastery rather than an introductory project
Skillshare: common questions
How much does Skillshare actually cost?
Skillshare does not publish one fixed global price. The default is annual billing at a rate in the mid-teens dollars per month; a monthly option exists at a noticeably higher rate but is not promoted as heavily. Check the price shown at signup for your region before committing.
Does the free trial really need a credit card?
Yes. You provide payment details before the trial starts, and if you do not cancel before it ends, the annual fee is charged automatically. Set a reminder a few days before the trial’s end date.
Do Skillshare teachers get paid per student?
No. Teachers share a monthly royalty pool based on how many minutes paying members watched their classes, at rates commonly cited around $0.05 to $0.10 per minute — not a fixed fee per enrolment or per course sold.
Will a Skillshare class help me get a job?
Only indirectly, through the portfolio piece you build, not through a certificate — there isn’t one. Skillshare offers no accreditation, so treat it as a way to practise and produce work, not as a credential employers will recognise.
Is Skillshare better than Udemy?
They solve different problems. Skillshare is a subscription for browsing short, creative, project-based classes; Udemy is a marketplace for buying individual courses outright, often on more technical or professional subjects. Pick based on whether you want to browse or own.
Ready to try Skillshare?
Instructors are approved before they can teach, unlike fully open marketplaces · Card required for trial, but cancelling before renewal avoids any charge · Royalty-pool payouts tied to watch-time, incentivising engaging content