Khan Academy is the brainchild of Sal Khan. The American educational platform builds internet tools to help educate students in different fields.
As people fondly call the platform KA, it came to fruition in 2006, and it’s a nonprofit organization. The academy produces short tutorial videos, conducts practice exercises for students, and provides teaching materials for educators.
The best part is, they do all this for free!
Sadly, in 2020, they had issues that led to them dropping some courses. As a result, some users considered looking for alternatives.
If you’re reading this article, chances are you need a comprehensive list of excellent options that offer many courses for free, or you want a more robust learning platform specializing in a course unavailable at Khan Academy.
Whichever the case is, you’re in luck! I have taken the time to do some research, and I found the 15 best Khan Academy alternatives in 2021.
Keep reading, and you’ll find out which of them is best for you!
Is Khan Academy’s Awesomeness Enough?
Before I get into my top 15 alternatives, I’d like to remind you that Khan Academy is still an excellent educational platform.
However, Khan Academy has a few limiting drawbacks.
They are:
- Only one teaching style is available
- The science section has limited exercises
- The platform isn’t interactive enough
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me run you through my list.
Best Khan Academy Alternatives
1. Pluralsight Skills
As your business model evolves, there is usually an increased need for a better learning solution. One platform that can help you achieve this is Pluralsight Skills.
With this platform, you can evaluate each team member’s technical prowess using assessments and analytics. You can also align tutorials to your business’s future objectives and close skill gaps in crucial areas like security and design.
But that’s not all.
The platform gives you access to over 6,900 courses from the most extensive network of tech experts.
Another area where Pluralsight trumps Khan Academy is user support. So if you want fast responses to questions and queries, you may want to consider this option.
Pluralsight has two main price packages which are:
- Standard – $159 per annum
- Premium – $239 per annum
Both packages also come with a 10-day free trial.
Check out which is a better platform for instructors – Pluralsight or Udemy.
2. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is an innovative platform, and it’s one of the best online educational platforms in the world right now. One of my favorite features of this platform is its improved learner engagement.
This feature helps students acquire new skills in the quickest possible time.
Furthermore, LinkedIn Learning offers more than 16,000 courses, with about 50 new additions per week. Interestingly, real-world professionals deliver the courses on the platform, which means you’ll be gaining knowledge right from experts in different industries.
LinkedIn Learning has courses that revolve around creative, business, and technical fields.
Another feature you will enjoy as much as I did is the thorough insights from over 600 Million LinkedIn members. With this, you can easily deliver personalized recommendations, allowing users to access the most relevant online resources available.
Plus, the platform is user-friendly, unlike Khan Academy. Also, LinkedIn Learning has better user support compared to Khan Academy.
You can feel free to visit their website and have an in-depth look at the features to determine if it is the right tool for you.
LinkedIn Learning offers a 30-day free trial and runs $29.99 per month. If you decide to subscribe for the yearly payment, you’ll get a 33 percent discount.
3. Udemy
A lot of businesses that have a goal of keeping their staff competitive in today’s fast-changing work environment opt for the Udemy platform.
When it comes to Udemy, you can rely on them for well-stocked content on the platform. Besides, they offer updated and on-demand educational content.
In other words, there’s always something fresh on Udemy. So, your employees will get the necessary skills required to handle new projects and take up new positions. In addition, they have curated more than 2,500 courses that renowned experts teach exclusively.
Also, you will find many important technical and business topics on this platform. So, you can expect resources on data science, marketing, design, infotech, game development, and even stress management.
All this is awesome, but the fact that Udemy allows independent organizations to host and distribute their proprietary content is even more applaudable.
Top names like Pinterest, Lyft, PayPal, Capgemini, Booking.com, and HSBC all use the Udemy platform to propel learning and improve the skills of their workers.
Udemy has a user-friendly interface that allows you to access different courses with ease. So, it’s much easier to use compared to Khan Academy.
This educational platform offers a one-time payment for any you select, unlike its competitors‘ regular monthly subscription feature. The price of a course ranges from $12.99 – $199.99.
4. Coursera
Another Khan Academy alternative you can try is Coursera. The platform tends to grant you universal access to the best possible educational resources in the world.
How do they do that?
The platform partners with many renowned organizations and universities to offer valuable resources, which Khan Academy lacks.
Coursera also offers free courses to interested students and awards certificates (from accredited universities) to them, all for an affordable fee
Coursera’s free courses level up with the ones on Khan Academy. Plus, Coursera is an educational resource you’ll enjoy over Khan Academy if you appreciate its ease of use.
Coursera offers a one-time payment for some courses that give the learner 180-day access in terms of fees. If you prefer the monthly subscription system, you can get it on Coursera, thanks to its specialized monthly plan.
5. Udacity
If you’re looking to take your skillset and career to the next level, you will fancy using Udacity. Here you will learn the latest skills in AI, machine learning, deep learning, cloud computing, data science, web development, programming, and much more.
Udacity administers these courses using a wide range of industry nano degree programs. Plus, top business managers from Fortune 500 companies are looking to hire new expertise with the programs this platform offers—unlike Khan Academy that doesn’t focus on such programs.
Some of my favorite features of this platform include:
- Mentorship
- Portfolio and resume reviews
- Use of expert instructors
- Time management resources
- Career coaching
Another striking feature of Udacity is that industry professionals are in charge of the tutorials, unlike Khan Academy that uses only videos. Plus, you can learn at your own pace.
6. Codecademy
This educational platform is an ideal option for those looking to improve their programming skills. The name says it all—Codecademy!
Codecademy offers a wide range of courses that sharpen the coding skills of its students, and tutorials are delivered by coding experts from across the globe.
When compared to Khan Academy, you will discover that Codecademy mainly focuses on programming courses. However, if your coding skills are all you’re trying to improve on, then this is the right educational platform for you.
The courses here may not be completely free, but you have various monthly payment packages to choose from which best fit your programming level.
At least, you can take basic courses on this platform for free. But then, you only pay $19.99 per month if you want to access more advanced content.
7. edX
EdX is one of the best online educational platforms you can find on the web today. One feature that sets them apart from many others in the industry, especially Khan Academy, is their interactive online classes and MOOCs.
These classes are handled exclusively by experts from the world’s most renowned colleges, organizations, and universities and they deliver the very best of user support.
Speaking of user support, many students have found edX to have the edge over Khan Academy. EdX takes customer support dearly, so you can rest assured that you’ll be getting a five-star service in that area.
Technically, edX runs a free educational platform. However, you may have to pay a token of $50 – $100 to get awarded with a verified certificate.
Skillshare offers thousands of classes—targeted at students with a knack for creativity. Here you can learn graphic design, illustration, freelancing, video making, photography, and a lot more.
Besides being a learning platform, it is also an online community where you can exchange ideas with other creatives. I find this applaudable, being that communication among your peers can help inspire and encourage you further.
Skillshare has millions of registered members, which means you have more than enough counterparts to draw inspiration from.
The ease with which you can interact freely with community members is something you will not enjoy on the Khan Academy platform.
That said, I think Skillshare is an excellent fit for those interested strictly in the creative industry.
Skillshare offers a free option. But to have unlimited access to all of its courses every month, you’d have to pay $32 per month—with a 7-day free trial.
9. Canvas
All the tools, content, and services needed by students and teachers are available on Canvas thanks to its versatile, open, and cloud-based technologies.
On Canvas, you can enjoy a more user-friendly, adaptable, and customizable platform than Khan Academy. The ability to customize their user experience means students can explore the benefits of online learning in ways that other platforms cannot allow.
Not too many platforms can deliver the 21st Century teaching and learning experience you’ll learn from Canvas.
10. CBT Nuggets
A lot of IT students will agree that classes can get boring at times. They also lament about frantic boot camps and spending too much time away from their loved ones. Well, that wouldn’t be the case if you were learning with CBT Nuggets.
This platform is compatible with a plethora of smart devices so that you can learn anywhere (home, office, or on the road). In addition, they have a team of world-renowned industry experts that love (and live for) IT.
Their wealth of experience allows them to deliver the most relevant, informative, and engaging classes online. I love the fact that none of their videos exceed the 10-minute mark. What this means is students can pull and retain information better.
Another feature I found impressive is their training library. It is packed with thousands of educational videos on the latest technologies from powerhouses like Microsoft, AWS, and Cisco.
All your training will be worth it in the end. You wouldn’t just be getting the skills you need to compete in today’s IT world; you will also receive a certification for your efforts.
In the course of your journey with CBT Nuggets, you will find that they have one of the best customer support systems any online learning platform can offer. In this area, I would score them above Khan Academy.
CBT Nuggets pricing goes for $59 per month with a 7-day free trial. If you want to subscribe for a year, you’ll pay $599—inclusive of taxes.
11. Infosec Skills
If you’re looking to improve the skills and sharpness of your IT, engineering, and security teams, then Infosec Skills is right for you.
They offer hands-on cybersecurity training that puts your team at the forefront of today’s ever-changing cyber universe. It also helps you assess and close skill gaps among your workers.
They achieve this training with hands-on cyber ranges, courses, and projects that align with the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity and MITRE ATT&CK Framework.
If you wish, you can upgrade to the live boot camp to enjoy hands-on training by highly skilled instructors. This is one of my favorite features of this platform.
Infosec Skills offer industry-specific courses meant for those trying to improve their IT, engineering, and security skills. If you fall into this category, then Infosec Skills is for you.
With this platform, you can do the following:
- Prepare your team for MITRE ATT&CK tactics, using hands-on labs in cloud-hosted cyber ranges
- Guide your team development with more than 130 learning paths—mapped to NICE
- Do an assessment of knowledge and skills to pinpoint gaps and student’s training needs
- Determine how ready your team is for an exam by conducting a customizable certification practice test
- Fast track certification with more than 100 live boot camps (supervised in real time by expert instructors)
Along with the live boot camp feature, you will enjoy a better user support feature than what Khan Academy has to offer.
Infosec Skills has over 100 live boot camps that make learning more fun. Khan Academy, on the other hand, doesn’t have any.
Overall, Infosec Skills is the perfect go-to if you’re looking for a platform to get professional certifications.
Infosec Skills charges $34 per month for its skills subscription. But you have to request a price quote to subscribe to the live boot camps.
12. ITProTV
I have previously mentioned how IT students sometimes find their classes boring. But, unfortunately, that isn’t the case when learning with ITProTV.
The first thing I liked about this learning platform is its name (ITProTV). The second is that the training is more like a TV show than a class.
The entertaining aspect of this platform creates a better student/teacher engagement. This sort of engagement causes students to look forward to the next class and not be bored out of their skins.
Khan Academy is a decent choice, but if you’re an IT student who wants more enjoyable classes, then ITProTV is for you.
As engaging as this online learning platform is, you could assume they wouldn’t be able to serve organizations on the state and federal levels. But they do!
Another applaudable aspect of ITProTV is that they add fresh content every day. In short, their library has almost 6,000 hours of content, which covers main certification courses like:
- Microsoft
- EC-Council
- CompTIA
- Amazon
- Apple
- ITIL
- Cisco
- GIAC
They also offer non certified courses such as:
- Linux
- Cybersec
- Other general tech skills
The above-mentioned courses can help keep your team’s skills sharpened at all times. It can also fortify them for real-world application.
As you would expect, you can access ITProTV using your desktop computer, smartphone (Android or iPhone), and tablet.
Their constantly expanding course library means that you will remain updated with the latest advancements in the IT world. I was also impressed with the quality of their virtual labs and practice exams.
One of its most remarkable features is the supervisor portal, which is something Khan Academy lacks. This lets IT leads see a roll up of all the training.
If you like a fun learning environment, then ITProTV is for you!
ITProTV comes with three packages:
- Free – $0
- Standard – $299 per year
- Premium – $499 per year
13. CodeSignal For Developers
There is a high demand for individuals who possess top-notch coding skills. One of the platforms that can help you update these skills is CodeSignal For Developers.
With this online educational platform, you’ll learn from a team of experts who constantly upgrade the platform with new courses.
Here you can have your coding skills certified and practice for real-world technical interviews. This will, in turn, build up your developer profile and prepare you for new tasks or a new, higher-paying job.
CodeSignal For Developers has many coding courses that can take you from zero to hero in coding — whether you want to be a full-stack, backend, or frontend developer.
You can’t find the pricing of this platform on its website. So, you have to request a quote to get the charges.
14. HubSpot Academy
If you’re looking for a place to learn digital marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and any other type of internet-based marketing, HubSpot Academy is the place to look.
With this platform, you’ll learn everything about how to handle your website traffic, interact with your customers, and more.
The best part is HubSpot Academy offers free courses, so you don’t have to spend a dime to get awarded with a content marketing certificate. Plus, you’d have unlimited access to lessons on the academy and hundreds of marketing topics.
HubSpot Academy is the ideal go-to if you’re looking to build a marketing career or intend to build the marketing skill sets to grow your online business.
15. DataCamp
Proper data collection and analysis are essential in today’s world, which is why we need a learning platform like DataCamp.
This tool lets you empower members of your team to learn the most updated data analysis skills. These skills will prepare them to compete with the times and stay ahead of the pack.
Here you can learn BI tools, machine learning, and data science.
Other things you can do with this tool include:
- Assess the impact of your online training
- Find and close the skill gaps in your business
- Customize learning paths and tests
- Receive expert guidance from your dedicated success manager
- Provide easy access using SSO
- LMS/LXP integration
The data skills assessment feature helps track a student’s progress. It also offers personalized recommendations and interactive courses that industry leaders oversee.
To add to that, you can practice several challenges and take on real-world projects to see how updated your skills have become.
When compared to Khan Academy, you will find that DataCamp offers courses that focus mainly on data collection and analysis. This feature is a great plus for anyone planning to enter that career path.
DataCamp comes with the following price plans:
- Free – $0
- Standard – $25 per month
- Premium – $33.25 per month
- Professional – $25 per user per month
- Enterprise – Available on request
Final Thoughts
Online education is no longer a strange thing in today’s world. In short, it has become more popular in recent years.
The Khan Academy platform has been, without a doubt, one of the leaders in specialized online education. However, they cannot cater to every individual in the way and manner they want.
Moreso, they recently took out some of their courses, so there is an increased need to look for alternatives.
I believe that you will fancy at least one out of the 15 alternative tools I’ve discussed here. But if you ask me which of them I think is the best, I’d have to go with Skillshare.
I picked it because it offers thousands of classes, which means there’s a lot to learn from it. They also have an online community packed with millions of members.
It’s nice to interact with tutors, but it’s even nicer to interact with your counterparts. That’s why Skillshare is my top pick.
If I were to have a second best, I’d go with ITProTV. I just can’t help but admire the way they teach classes most entertainingly.
So there you’ve it: the 15 best Khan Academy alternatives for 2021.
