CreativeLive vs. edX - Complete Comparison

Written by
Janosch Herrmann

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Overview

Description	CreativeLive CreativeLive is an online learning platform that offers courses with a focus on creativity & business. Their 2,000+ courses are available through their subscription offering.	edX edX is an online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012. They focus on university-level courses, developed in collaboration with their countless university partners (like Harvard and Berkeley University), and other education providers worldwide. From regular online courses to full online degrees, edX has a broad variety of offerings in 30+ categories, taught by academics from the world's best universities.
Types of courses	CreativeLive INDIVIDUAL LEARNING CreativeLive classes Purchase individual CreativeLive classes for a one-time fee, instead of getting their subscription. $25 - $200 USD Self-paced	edX MASTERS DEGREE Masters Degree Complete a full Master's degree from one of edX's partner universities $10000 - $100000 USD Full-time study BACHELORS DEGREE Bachelors Degree Complete a full Bachelor's degree from one of edX's university partners $10000 - $50000 USD Full-time study INDIVIDUAL LEARNING Professional certificates Earn a certificate for a career-relevant skill with a course from edX's institutional partners $300 - $1000 USD Self-paced INDIVIDUAL LEARNING XSeries certificates Get in-depth knowledge of a topic with a course created by one of edX's university partners $100 - $1200 USD Self-paced COHORT BASED Executive Education Courses targeted towards educating leaders & executives. $500 - $3000 USD 3–6 weeks PARTIAL BACHELORS MicroBachelors Partial undergraduate programs for specific learning $2000 - $10000 USD Part-time study PARTIAL MASTERS MicroMasters Partial graduate-level programs for specific learning $500 - $5000 USD Part-time study INDIVIDUAL LEARNING edX courses The classic courses that edX offers. They're typically free and come with optional paid certificates. Free 3-5 hours per week
Subscription plans	CreativeLive PERSONAL CreativeLive membership Unlimited access to all 2,000+ classes from CreativeLive $10 - 30 USD per month	edX No subscription plans available
Pros & cons	CreativeLive Pros Wide range of creative courses Classes taught by industry professionals Cons Limited course offerings outside of creative fields User interface looks a bit outdated	edX Pros Courses from top universities Wide range of subjects Free courses available Cons Limited interaction with instructors Different offerings can be a bit confusing Paid courses are rather pricey No subscription offering available

General information

Type	Course Marketplace	Course Marketplace
Number of courses	2000+	4000+
Popularity	Relatively niche	Popular
Available categories	Arts & CraftsCreativityDesign ToolsPhotographyVideo & Mobile Marketing	Architectural DesignArts & CraftsBusiness Analytics & IntelligenceCareer DevelopmentComplianceContent MarketingCreativityCryptocurrency & BlockchainDatabase Design & DevelopmentDesign Tools
Available languages	English	EnglishMandarin ChineseHindiSpanishArabicFrenchRussianPortugueseGermanJapanese

Evaluation

Full score	7.3 10	8.6 10

Individual scores

Course quality

LowHigh

Course catalog

Less satisfiedVery satisfied

Affordability

More expensiveHigher value

Career value

Low valueHigh value

Customer support

BadGood

Usability

BadGood

Features

Support options	Email Phone Chat Community Knowledge base Learning support Career support	Email Phone Chat Community Knowledge base Learning support Career support
Available apps	Ios Android	Ios Android

Company

Company name	CreativeLive, Inc.	edX Inc.
Company size	Medium	Large
Founded in	2010	2012
Headquarters	United States 🇺🇸	United States 🇺🇸
Founders	Chase Jarvis, Craig Swanson	Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
External reviews	App Store 4.914800 reviews Trustpilot 3.010 reviews	App Store 4.77300 reviews Play Store 4.6105000 reviews Trustpilot 2.31304 reviews

Our opinion

Summary

CreativeLive

CreativeLive has a wide variety of creative classes in their catalog. We particularly like that their subscription plan is rather cheap and the production value of their courses is pretty high. Compared to other platforms with similar offerings however, we feel like CreativeLive's catalog is a bit smaller, and their user interface could use some updates. Overall, CreativeLive is a good platform for students that want to learn new creative skills.

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edX

edX offers a great variety of high-quality courses, which can help you advance your career in almost every industry. We particularly like that a lot of their regular courses are offered for free, and you only have to pay for the certificate (which is optional). The rest of their offering on the other hand is usually a bit pricier, but the quality of the learning materials is still really high. In our eyes, edX is a great learning platform, especially well suited for students looking to take on full online degrees, as well as students looking for digital certifications from well-trusted organizations and institutions, if price isn't their biggest concern. If you're on a budget, you can still take advantage of their large catalog of free courses.

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