First Look at Skillshare
Although we mostly specialize in academic writing, we also often get questions from our readers about other education-related services, including Skillshare. People want to know, “What is Skill Share?” and “Should I try Skillshare if I want better grades?” (among other things). So, let’s try to get to the bottom of things.
If you look up reviews of Skillshare across different review platforms, you will notice that the clients’ opinions vary, to put it mildly.
For example, Skillshare has an abysmal rating of 1.3/5 on Trustpilot yet a somewhat decent 3.7/5 on Sitejabber. We can see how that isn't very clear for potential clients.
That’s why we decided to go beyond our traditional area of expertise and test Skillshare to deliver an in-depth and unbiased review to help our readers decide if Skillshare is the service they want. So, how does Skillshare work?
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Our Initial Verdict on Skillshare
First, let’s answer the question of what Skillshare is. It’s not a traditional academic writing service like EssayHub, PaperWriter, or similar services we typically review. Instead, it’s a so-called “online learning community” where people can take classes on everything from calculus to calligraphy to basket weaving.
Is Skillshare free? Skillshare requires a subscription, which is convenient if you want to work on yourself and take various classes actively. There’s also a limited list of free courses that you can access without paying anything. Sadly, though, the choice is pretty limited. If you decide to give Skillshare a chance, we recommend using its free trial instead. This way, you can fully explore the service before spending money.
We always test every service we write about first-hand. You can find our experience with an AI writing tool in The Good AI review. Although Skillshare isn’t an academic writing service, we used the same approach and had our team of researchers put themselves into the learner’s position and test how good of a learning platform Skillshare is. Our overall rating ended up being 3.4/5. It’s okay, but nowhere near high enough for us to recommend Skillshare to our audience.
Let’s break it down.
Skillshare: A Quick Overview
How does Skillshare work? If you decide to test Skillshare before paying for a subscription, you will have access to a limited number of courses; some aren’t available while on your free trial. However, you still have several options, including a few writing courses. So, if you’re interested, you can work on your writing skills a bit on Skillshare before you even spend a single dollar.
The length of the courses varies. For example, one of those we tested, an academic writing class, lasted for only 50 minutes and was very rudimentary. Skillshare also has longer courses, some up to 10 hours in total or even more. But the platform also offers YouTube tutorial-like brief classes, some of them only about 20 or so minutes long. Each course has a description and an outline of the curriculum, so there is more than enough information for you to decide if it’s the one you’re currently looking for.
Whichever you choose, we recommend making the most out of Skillshare and communicating with your fellow “classmates.” This peer-to-peer knowledge sharing is the best thing about the platform.
Customer Support at Skillshare
If you browse through other clients’ reviews on Skillshare, you will see that most of them are unhappy about Skillsharte’s customer support. People claim that it’s unresponsive, inefficient, and basically nonexistent. Obviously, we had to check this ourselves to be able to answer the question, “What does Skillshare offer when it comes to client-support communication?”.
Unfortunately, we have no choice but to agree with other reviewers: Skillshare seems to have an extremely unhelpful customer support team. We’ve seen a few of those in the academic writing industry, but Skillshare is clearly the leader, and not in a good way. Despite the price of the subscription, which is quite steep, it looks like Skillshare doesn’t care about the client experience whatsoever.
One of the most common complaints about Skillshare is that they charge the user once the free trial ends despite the user having canceled the subscription. Getting it refunded later is nearly impossible. The same happened to us. We are still waiting for Skillshare to get back to us with the final decision, and it’s been a week. Also, half of the time, it feels like we’re talking to a bot (which we probably are).
Skillshare’s Teachers: Who Are the People Teaching the Courses?
Still, the most important thing about a learning platform like Skillshare is the quality of courses, which takes us to our next topic - Skillshare’s teachers. To answer the question, “What is Skillshare all about?” we need to check who the people teaching the classes are and whether or not they have the education and credentials to do so.
The short answer is, “it depends.” Some courses, including the 57-minute writing one we took, have great instructors. This class, which is beginner-friendly and focused on essay writing, is taught by Shellie Cleaver, an academic writing and visual art teacher. While there is little information about her relevant education, the quality of her teaching is great. Shellie is very articulate and straightforward in her instruction, which makes the course easy to follow and practical.
We don’t want to name names here, but a couple of other teachers whose academic writing classes we tested on Skillshare were less than impressive. If you're seeking academic writing help, you might also want to check out the WritePapers review for another perspective.
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Skillshare Cost Per Month: How Affordable Is Skillshare?
Another common question our readers ask is, “How much is Skillshare?” If you’re in the U.S., the yearly subscription price is $165, which equals a monthly price of about $14. However, if you live somewhere else, the price might be different. Skillshare is a company that adjusts its pricing to the market, which is great news for clients in lower-income countries.
If you want an honest opinion, it only makes sense for you to pay for Skillshare if you intend on using it regularly. If you’re going to take one class after another for a while, it will be worth the $14 per month fee. But if you’re after academic writing courses only, you’re better off with something other than the Skillshare pricing model. For example, on Udemy, you can get a comprehensive 30-hour course for the same $14, and you only pay for the courses you’re taking. To gain more insights into another platform with a different pricing structure, you might find our Rype review helpful. Now, let’s look at the refund system.
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Refunds at Skillshare
As discussed, the Skillshare refund system is arguably the worst thing about the platform, and it gets Skillshare a bad rep. Some people say that they managed to get a refund after being charged despite canceling, but most deem this impossible. We have yet to get refunded, and it’s been weeks, so it looks like we have joined the community of Skillshare’s disgruntled customers.
Skillshare says they “provide a refund on memberships charged after a 7-day free trial” if you contact them “within seven days of the charge.” That’s exactly what we did, but our prospects look grim so far. So, we recommend you think three times before subscribing to Skillshare (even with a free trial) because the trial might not turn out free after all.
How Does Skillshare Work?
To make an informed decision, browsing the platform thoroughly before purchasing is a good idea. Check the classes that interest you, including those locked for free trial users. There is enough information for you to get the answer to the question, “What classes does Skillshare offer?”
If you decide that Skillshare is the right choice for you, don’t miss out on a chance to communicate with fellow learners. That’s why Skillshare has “share” in it; it’s about learning from your instructor and other people you’re studying with. Ask them questions, share your insights, and listen to their feedback for you—it’s as helpful for the learning process as the course materials themselves.
All Skillshare’s courses are pre-recorded, so you won’t need to attend actual lectures. Instead, think of every Skillshare class as a YouTube tutorial where you can talk with other learners in the comment section. Informal education is valuable, and despite Skillshare’s flaws, it’s what it offers.
Writing Courses at Skillshare
If you’re looking for writing classes on Skillshare, your options are unlimited. You can find everything, from creative writing workshops to guides on business correspondence and everything in between. In fact, if you’re after all types of writing as opposed to academic writing only, Skillshare might be the platform you’re looking for—as long as you work hard to make the most out of that $14 per month.
As we’re focused on academic writing, we can recommend a couple of courses we’ve taken to test the service. We genuinely enjoyed 5 Essay Writing Classes in Less than 1 Hour taught by Shellie Cleaver and Academic Writing: Writing Research Papers That Get Results by Eve Williams. Both are informative and hands-on. If you want something else, study the courses’ profiles carefully first. Among other things, all of them have feedback from previous learners. It will help you understand if the class you’re considering is worth it.
Popular Skillshare Alternatives
The honest answer to “Is Skillshare good?” isn’t definitive. If you want to take as many courses as possible, it’s a yes. Skillshare is indeed worth the price in this case. However, if you’d like to try a different pricing model or something less amateur than Skillshare, we recommend you check out Skillshare’s popular alternative.
Here are some of them:
- Udemy. Udemy is very similar to Skillshare, except you purchase individual courses, and they tend to be longer and more comprehensive. If you ask us, it’s your best bet.
- Preply. Preply is mostly used for language learning but has other disciplines. The difference is you find a tutor instead of watching a pre-recording class. Obviously, it’s more expensive.
- Italki. italki is Preply’s popular alternative; its main focus is language learning. It is more expensive than Preply, but the quality is also higher.
- Masterclass. Masterclass is the most expensive Skillshare alternative, but it is honestly superb. If you want a subscription-based learning community, it’s a must-try.
- Wiingy. There aren’t many differences between Preply and Wiingly. It’s a tutoring platform as well.
You can find a more detailed comparison in our article on learning platforms.
Pros and Cons: What Is and Isn’t Good About Skillshare
What can you learn on Skillshare? Whatever you like. Will it be enough to become an expert? Probably not. Still, even though we prefer other platforms, Skillshare can be helpful and informative, especially if you are extra committed. The more courses you take, the better bang for your buck you get.
So, let’s summarize everything we’ve discussed here in a list of Skillshare’s perks and flaws.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Skillshare legit? What are the teachers’ credentials?
Skillshare is completely legit. You will get the courses you’re paying for. As to the teachers’ credentials, it depends. Some are true experts and exceptional educators. Others don’t really seem to know what they are doing.
How much does Skillshare cost per month?
The cost of Skillshare per month is about $14 in the U.S. If you live somewhere else, the price might be different.
Is Skillshare scam? Will I lose my money for nothing?
Skillshare is not a scam. It has problems, such as difficulties getting a refund after being mistakenly charged. But other than that, it’s a legitimate learning platform, even if it’s not the best one in the industry.
What is Skillshare? Can I order an essay there?
Skillshare is a community-based learning platform. You can’t order an essay there, but you can complete a course on essay writing to become a better writer yourself.
Is Skillshare worth it?
The answer to the question, “Is Skill share worth it?” depends on how you will use it. We recommend a platform where you pay per course if you simply want to take a couple of courses. However, if you want to take dozens of different classes every month, Skillshare is the cheapest option.
Is Skillshare good?
We can’t say that Skillshare is good. We found communication with the customer support team very frustrating, and the average course quality seems lower than on other similar platforms.
*Screenshots used for review and criticism purposes fall under the 'fair use' doctrine of the United States Copyright Law.
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