So, let's talk about Shiken Vs Skillshare for knowledge sharing!
Shiken is an awesome quiz platform that offers courses, a Learning Management System, live quizzes, mindfulness exercises, and AI-powered user-generated content creation.
You know what's cool about Shiken compared to Skillshare? It has free content and live quizzes that help you turn learning into actionable habits. Plus, Shiken uses gamification to keep learners hooked. Unlike passive videos, Shiken leverages evidence-based learning techniques to make learning truly stick.
If you've been considering selling an online course, you might have come across both Shiken and Skillshare as potential platforms to market and sell your knowledge. But which one is the right choice for you? This in-depth Shiken vs. Skillshare comparison will help you figure it out.
Comparing these platforms feature by feature is a bit tricky because they're so different. Instead, we'll focus on the key differences between them, some things you should know about Skillshare, and how each platform can help you sell courses online.
By the end of this comparison, you'll have a clearer understanding of what each service offers, the costs involved, and how to get started so you can confidently start selling. Let's dive in!
Skillshare vs. Shiken: what sets them apart?
At its core, Skillshare is a learning community where users can explore various topics, from arts and crafts to languages, lifestyle skills, and more. On Skillshare, you'll find courses on a wide range of subjects, like creativity, business, animation, design, photography, and film.
Skillshare's website is designed for students, offering self-guided training that aims to inspire and fit into their daily routine.
As an instructor on Skillshare, you'll publish a class, Skillshare will promote it, and you'll earn royalties. But your class becomes part of Skillshare's marketplace, which doesn't really help you build a business. Instead, you're helping Skillshare grow by adding to their course collection.
Anyone can apply to be a teacher on Skillshare, and many of their instructors are award-winning experts. However, before diving in, there are some important points to consider, like how much you can earn and what you can teach.
On the other hand, Shiken is much more than just a learning marketplace. It's designed to help digital entrepreneurs launch and grow a profitable business. SHiken is also designed to be used at scale by startups and large enterprises as a mini-LMS whereas Skillshare's enterprise offering just provides video content.
With Shiken, you can sell online courses or question banks, as well as other digital products. It provides a complete set of tools for growing your business, including:
- Blogs
- Email marketing integration via Zapier
- Sales promotions and coupons
- Groups and user management
This allows you to not only share your knowledge but also market yourself as an expert and establish your credibility in your chosen niche. Instead of just "selling a course," you're building a knowledge business, which means you can create and sell multiple products through the same comprehensive platform, like:
- Advanced course upsells
- Member communities
- Video walkthroughs
- And much more
Shiken gives you the flexibility to create and promote all of these options for your digital product, helping to grow and diversify your revenue sources.
Shiken Vs Skillshare Pricing
Shiken offers a free tier for all learners that allows for live quizzes and creation of a variety of question types. If you want to monetize your knowledge you can upgrade to a creator account.
Shiken offers two pricing plans catering to different types of creator: one for individual creators and another for larger organizations.
- Creators Plan (£29/month): This plan is perfect for individual creators looking to launch and grow their online courses or membership sites. With this plan, you get access to all the essential tools and features to build your knowledge business
- Organization Plan (£399/month): This plan is designed for larger organizations with up to 100 people. It offers all the features of the Creators Plan, plus additional tools for team collaboration, user management, and advanced analytics.
Skillshare Pricing:
Skillshare allows users to create an account for free, giving them access to a limited selection of videos and learning materials, such as PDFs and community discussions. Skillshare offers a small number of free courses as well.
Users can also purchase a premium membership for $8 per month or opt for a Teams plan for two or more people, starting at $159 per user per year. Paid options unlock all courses on Skillshare, including those created by users and celebrities. A premium account also removes ads and allows users to access classes on the go using the Skillshare mobile app.
The Teams option is designed for businesses to offer Skillshare courses to their employees at a higher cost.
Becoming a teacher on Skillshare is free, but your earnings are restricted (more on that below).
Comparing Earnings on Shiken and Skillshare:
Skillshare compensates teachers based on the number of premium minutes watched by students and a share of the platform's monthly revenue. This means your earnings on Skillshare can fluctuate based on factors outside your control, like changes in the platform's overall revenue or how many other teachers are competing for students' attention.
On the other hand, with Shiken's Creator plan, you have the potential to earn more as you set your own prices for your courses or memberships. Additionally, you can utilize Shiken's marketing tools to attract more students and boost your earnings.
How much can you make on Skillshare?
Skillshare teachers earn income through royalties and referrals. Each month, 30% of Skillshare's total membership revenue is allocated to a royalty pool, which is then distributed among teachers. Your earnings depend on the proportion of minutes watched by students (both free trial users and premium members) for your classes each month.
For example, Skillshare's website states that if a teacher's classes make up 5% of the minutes watched by members, they will receive 5% of the royalty pool. The size of the royalty pool and the number of minutes watched on Skillshare can vary each month. On average, teachers can earn around $200 per month, with experienced, long-term teachers potentially earning up to $3,000.
To qualify for payment in a given month, you need to have a minimum of 30 paid minutes watched across all your classes. Additionally, you receive a $10 flat fee for each student you refer to Skillshare who signs up for a membership.
In essence, your earnings are limited not only by student engagement with your courses but also by Skillshare's monthly income. While many courses on Skillshare are high quality, the effort you put into creating your course doesn't necessarily impact your earnings, as everyone gets paid from the same pool.
Skillshare does have quality guidelines to maintain a certain standard for its courses, but there's no specific style, outline, or design required for classes. You need to consider whether you want your earnings to be limited by factors beyond your control when selling a course online.
Shiken, on the other hand, doesn't impose restrictions or limits on your earnings. You can sell an online course for $99 with a $199/month upsell for an exclusive newsletter or create a paid community membership for $399/year. Your only cost is the Shiken monthly or yearly fee for the plan you choose, allowing you to keep more of your earnings.
A key distinction between Skillshare and Shiken is that Skillshare provides a platform to sell your online course within a community, while Shiken offers multiple channels for selling online courses as part of your growing business.
Your course on Shiken doesn't have to be the final step in your entrepreneurial journey; it can be the beginning of a digital business. You have the freedom to choose your target audience, engagement methods, and the variety of digital products you want to offer.
Shiken enables you to position yourself as an expert and build lasting relationships with students and members eager to learn from you. While Shiken supports you, it doesn't dictate how to run your business.
Skillshare class guidelines
Skillshare has guidelines in place to help aspiring instructors create top-notch courses, despite their limiting payment model. Here are a few guidelines you'll need to follow as a teacher:
- Classes must be taught on an approved topic - Skillshare focuses on creative arts and some technical subjects, but there are also many topics that aren't allowed. It's essential to know what you can and can't discuss before creating your course.
- Instructional videos must meet specific audio/video standards - This means no distracting backgrounds or annoying background noises. Audio should match your footage, and videos should be shot in high resolution (720p or HD) quality. Screenshots or screencasts must be clear and not blurry or pixelated.
- You must have an introduction video - This first video lesson gives students an idea of what to expect and allows you to share your experience and background. You can use the intro video as a trailer for your class, but it doesn't count toward your total payment in terms of minutes watched.
- Include a class project - You'll need to include some form of a class project for your students to complete, although the specifics are up to you.
- Limited self-promotion - Focus on the course material rather than promoting other courses or materials you offer.
Skillshare also has common-sense requirements like incorporating visual material, making your class at least 10 minutes long, organizing your content effectively, and following community guidelines.
A team moderates all Skillshare courses, reviewing and approving them before you can sell them online.
On the other hand, Shiken doesn't have rigid course requirements. Your course can be any length, and there are no specific class projects, presentations, or other strict guidelines to follow.
Is Skillshare a good choice for creators?
That's a great question, and the answer really depends on your goals as a creator.
If creating courses is more of a hobby for you and you're comfortable with the limitations imposed by Skillshare, then it might be a suitable choice. However, if you want fair compensation for your work and the opportunity to grow a profitable business using your courses, Shiken is the better option.
Here's what you should keep in mind:
Skillshare is a marketplace that doesn't require any initial financial investment and can help you build your reputation as an expert in your field. However, by choosing Skillshare, you'll need to adhere to their rules and revenue-sharing model.
On the other hand, with Shiken, you have full control. While it may involve more work, the potential to generate more revenue is there, and there's no limit to what you can achieve as you expand your business.
Is Skillshare a good choice for learners?
Watching videos is a fairly passive way to learn anything. Skillshare's best courses are the ones where the instructor is an expert in their field and where they offer practical and actionable steps to implement what has been learned. While Skillshare has class projects there is no real consolidation of knowledge or interactivity. Shiken's video courses on the other hand integrate active recall questions as well as assignments to ensure knowledge retention.
