Loading page
Preview data: all rankings, scores, votes, refresh labels, methodology, testing and editorial-process statements in Top 49 are illustrative demo content, not live measurements or documented reviews.
Rank 021Down 1Editor’s pick
#2 in Online Learning
of 16 ranked entries
edX
Founded 2012 · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Started as a nonprofit joint venture between Harvard and MIT, and even after its 2021 acquisition by 2U, the archive of genuine university-taught coursework remains its core differentiator from more instructor-marketplace-style rivals. Recorded specifics: hq USA, founded 2012, from 0. Panel highlighted large share of content can be audited entirely free, microMasters programmes stack toward real graduate credit at partner schools and course material written and delivered by actual university faculty. The reservation on record is interface and course discovery feel dated next to newer platforms.
University-backedCoding & programming
Score breakdown
How edX earned 95.4
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Online Learning.
- Content quality & depthweight 30%
- 96.3
- Instructor credibilityweight 25%
- 94.9
- Learner outcomesweight 25%
- 92.8
- Value for priceweight 20%
- 97.8
“edX’s nonprofit mission survived its sale to for-profit 2U only nominally — course archives stayed open, but new free-audit options have narrowed since the acquisition.”
— Top 49, on Online Learning
On the record
Recorded detail
| HQ | USA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| From | $0 |
| Rating | 8.5 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- Large share of content can be audited entirely free
- MicroMasters programmes stack toward real graduate credit at partner schools
- Course material written and delivered by actual university faculty
Where it gives ground
- Interface and course discovery feel dated next to newer platforms
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
From the same list
Ranked alongside it
Rank 01Editor’s pickCoursera
Coursera, Inc. · founded 2012
University-partnered courses with real graded assignments, aimed at credential-seekers rather than casual browsers — the free audit option is the one feature keeping it honest for everyone else.
96.8/100 Top 49 score2Up 2
Rank 03Editor’s pickKhan Academy
Khan Academy · founded 2008
Free, ad-free instruction across an entire K-12 and early-college curriculum, funded by philanthropy specifically so the incentive to monetise attention never enters the classroom.
95.2/100 Top 49 score2Up 2
Rank 04Udemy
Founded 2010 · San Francisco, California
An open marketplace where anyone can publish a course, which produces both the platform’s biggest strength — sheer breadth, often on very niche tools — and its biggest weakness, wildly inconsistent quality control between instructors.
91.5/100 Top 49 score—No change
Rank 05LinkedIn Learning
Founded 2015 (as LinkedIn Learning) · Mountain View, California
Built from the former Lynda.com library and folded directly into LinkedIn’s professional network, so a completed course posts straight to a learner’s profile where recruiters already look. Business and software-skills content is its clear strength.
91.2/100 Top 49 score2Down 2
Rank 06Duolingo
Duolingo · language learning · 2011
The gamification is doing real pedagogical work, not just retention tricks — spaced repetition disguised as a streak counter is still spaced repetition, and it demonstrably works for vocabulary retention.
88.8/100 Top 49 score1Up 1
Rank 07MasterClass
Founded 2015 · San Francisco, California
Celebrity-taught video courses on craft and creative fields, closer to a documentary series than a structured curriculum. Genuinely inspiring to watch; considerably less effective if the goal is measurable skill acquisition with feedback.
87.6/100 Top 49 score4Up 4
Rank 08Codecademy
Founded 2011 · New York City, New York
Browser-based, hands-on coding practice with an in-page interpreter, which gets beginners writing and running real code within minutes instead of configuring a local environment first. The structured career paths are its strongest offering.
84.7/100 Top 49 score4Up 4
Rank 09Skillshare
Founded 2010 · New York City, New York
A subscription library built around short, project-based creative classes rather than certification — design, illustration, video editing, photography — where the point is finishing a tangible piece of work, not passing an assessment.
83.0/100 Top 49 score4Up 4
Explore more of Top 49
Top 49 rankings are editorial. Scores are produced from the published criteria on each list and are refreshed on the cadence stated there. Figures shown across this section are curated demonstration data.