The best education platforms and apps for 2025

Education today takes many forms, catering to every preference and goal—whether it is personal, career-oriented, or professional.

Fortunately, enrolling in a traditional university is no longer the only option available. An increasing number of online programmes offered by private experts or platforms like Lectera gather knowledge from around the globe and focus on delivering highly practical and relevant skills in a brief time. No prior experience in any field is necessary; even if you are starting from scratch, they can transform you into a professional!

We have compiled a list of the leading educational platforms and apps in the EdTech sector in 2025. These platforms provide highly effective, practical, and affordable courses.

1. Lectera

Naturally, we could not leave out our own platform-it proudly claims the top spot! Lectera is an international online educational platform launched in June 2020 during the "coronavirus crisis," a challenging time when many businesses struggled to survive. In contrast, Lectera flourished. The platform provides over 200 courses across various areas, including business, marketing, self-development, financial literacy, and even comprehensive professions like PR management or public speaking.

Courses are available in various languages, including English, Russian, Spanish, German, and Hindi. Lectera's training employs the innovative Fast Education methodology developed by the platform's founder, Mila Semeshkina. This approach ensures rapid and effective skill acquisition, requiring merely 15-30 minutes of daily commitment. The app also enables learning on the go by allowing offline access to downloaded lessons and lectures. When you have completed your course, you will receive a certificate to verify the knowledge and skills you have gained.

2. Udemy

Another renowned online learning platform featuring a catalogue of over 55,000 courses covering nearly every conceivable subject. Its user-friendly interface is complemented by a mobile app, allowing learners to study at any time, from anywhere. While courses on Udemy do cost money, prices start from as low as $15. Currently, the most popular subjects include artificial intelligence, video game development, machine learning, and programming. A particularly distinguishing aspect of this platform is its exclusive use of video-based courses, which can be created and launched by any user, provided the content undergoes a full review process. Likewise, the platform includes reviews and ratings, enabling you to navigate and select the ideal course.

3. Coursera

Coursera provides access to courses from universities around the globe, including the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, and the University of Michigan. With a catalogue of over 2,000 courses covering computer science, business, social sciences, and more, the platform supports both soft and hard skill development. In addition to its fee-paying courses, Coursera also offers free options, similar to Lectera, for individuals wishing to explore or make quick, impactful changes in their lives. Its user-friendly mobile apps ensure that you can study at your own pace with ease and minimal stress.

4. LinkedIn Learning

You are probably familiar with LinkedIn-a social network that connects professionals across industries, fosters business communication, and helps users find partners, colleagues, or employees. LinkedIn Learning, on the other hand, is designed for professionals eager to gain new skills in areas such as business, technology, design, music, and animation, with over 24,000 courses available in multiple languages. Users can enjoy a free 30-day trial; following this, a subscription costs $30 per month or $300 per year. Even if you lose access, materials can be restored by reactivating the subscription, ensuring that nothing is permanently lost.

5. Open Culture

Open Culture provides access to over 2,000 courses and more than 45,000 hours of audio and video lectures. A sizeable portion of its content is produced by universities such as Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and Berkeley. The platform prioritises providing free, high-quality education; however, its language offerings are limited compared to other platforms, with English as the primary language. After completing courses, students can receive certificates and diplomas as evidence of their achievements.

6. edX

The edX platform collaborates with over 90 universities, including institutions such as MIT, Harvard, and the University of Maryland. It offers courses in various fields like biology, marketing, engineering, and foreign languages. Like the previous platform, edX enables learners to gain not only valuable knowledge but also certificates from leading educational institutions, which carry significant weight in the professional realm.

7. Udacity

Udacity provides a platform for developing expertise in high-demand technology fields, including Android, iOS, data analysis, and web development. It caters to both students and experienced professionals seeking to enhance their skills to improve their career opportunities and achieve greater success. Likewise, companies can access corporate training by purchasing licences for particular courses or course bundles, enabling employees to learn at their preferred pace.

8. ALISON

ALISON offers free educational courses to a global community of 40 million users. The platform is free because it is supported by advertisers operating on a pay-per-click model, which means advertisements will be present throughout your learning experience. With a catalogue of over 5,000 programmes, learners who achieve a minimum score of 80% in their examinations can obtain a certificate or diploma for an additional fee. Certificates are available from up to €75, while diplomas can cost as much as €165.

9. OpenLearn

OpenLearn, a project by the Open University, offers flexible access to a wide range of educational materials. The platform features short, free courses that can be completed in just a few hours, alongside more comprehensive programmes lasting a month or longer. Courses are organised by the level of difficulty and subject area, with interactive options such as online games that encourage learners to unlock levels and discover the answers. OpenLearn also includes collaborative tools, like MSG for messaging and FlashMeeting for video conferencing.

10. FutureLearn

This platform, also developed by the Open University, highlights the social dimensions of learning. Its courses are designed to progressively explore topics, offering a multi-stage and systematic learning approach that transitions smoothly from basic to advanced ideas. Also, the platform includes integrated chats and forums, allowing learners to exchange insights with peers and strengthen their understanding through collaborative discussions.

The best educational apps for early 2025

As an extra bonus, we have meticulously curated the finest mobile apps, especially for you. Start cultivating essential skills right now from your smartphone!

• Duolingo is a fantastic resource for learning foreign languages. It provides support for 42 languages, including rare ones such as Latin, Catalan, Swahili, and Esperanto. Its standout feature? A unique motivation system in which the Duo bird will not hesitate to give you playful threats if you skip your lessons. This is undeniably effective!

• British Council has a selection of English learning apps, such as LearnEnglish Grammar and LearnEnglish Kids, which provide games, exercises, and audio resources to improve reading, writing, and speaking skills.

• EWA- this app offers excerpts from books and films with smart subtitles, allowing you to learn spoken language, everyday vocabulary, and expressions as though you are practising alongside native speakers.

• TED- this platform provides scientific lectures and performances, together with a user-friendly topic search. It is ideal for those interested in advanced fields such as neurobiology, chemistry, astrophysics, and others.

• Elevate is a memory and logical thinking training app designed to enhance your cognitive abilities.

• Quizlet is an app that aids in organising and retaining information through digital flashcards. Give it a go, and you will discover how effective it is!

• Epic is a children's library featuring over 40,000 books. Once you have finished reading, the app will present you with a quiz to assess your learning and will reward you for your progress.

• Lingvano: Sign Language - ASL- an app for learning American Sign Language through practical tasks.

• Khan Academy is an educational platform that provides video lessons in mathematics, science, and a variety of other subjects intended for students, teachers, and professionals alike.