The Great Courses vs OpenLearn

Struggling to choose between The Great Courses and OpenLearn? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

The Great Courses is a Education & Reference solution with tags like lectures, academic-subjects, video, audio.

It boasts features such as Video lectures by university professors and experts, Wide variety of academic subjects covered, Engaging presentation style for lifelong learning, Mobile app allows lectures on the go, Closed captioning for accessibility and pros including High quality content from leading experts, Convenient learning on your own schedule, Large catalog of courses to choose from, Good value compared to cost of college courses, Lifetime access to purchased courses.

On the other hand, OpenLearn is a Education & Reference product tagged with open-source, free, online-learning, selfpaced, open-university.

Its standout features include Free online courses and learning resources, Wide range of subjects including science, math, technology, health, languages, business, social sciences, education, law, history, and more, Self-paced learning at your own speed, No registration required to access most materials, Materials designed for self-learners and educators, Some courses lead to formal qualifications and badges you can display, Discussion forums on some courses to engage with other learners and educators, and it shines with pros like Completely free to access, No ads or paid upgrades, Created by experts from a reputable university, Good quality courses and materials, Very flexible - learn anywhere, anytime, Great for casual learners or continuing education.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

The Great Courses

The Great Courses

The Great Courses is an audio and video lecture series covering a wide variety of academic subjects. Experts in each field present video lectures designed to engage lifelong learners.

Categories:
lectures academic-subjects video audio

The Great Courses Features

  1. Video lectures by university professors and experts
  2. Wide variety of academic subjects covered
  3. Engaging presentation style for lifelong learning
  4. Mobile app allows lectures on the go
  5. Closed captioning for accessibility

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based
  • One-time Purchase

Pros

High quality content from leading experts

Convenient learning on your own schedule

Large catalog of courses to choose from

Good value compared to cost of college courses

Lifetime access to purchased courses

Cons

Can feel impersonal compared to in-person classes

No student-instructor interaction

Requires self-motivation to complete courses

No credentials offered upon course completion

Some courses may feel outdated over time


OpenLearn

OpenLearn

OpenLearn is an open educational platform from The Open University that offers free online courses and learning resources across a wide range of subjects. The materials are designed for self-learners and educators to use.

Categories:
open-source free online-learning selfpaced open-university

OpenLearn Features

  1. Free online courses and learning resources
  2. Wide range of subjects including science, math, technology, health, languages, business, social sciences, education, law, history, and more
  3. Self-paced learning at your own speed
  4. No registration required to access most materials
  5. Materials designed for self-learners and educators
  6. Some courses lead to formal qualifications and badges you can display
  7. Discussion forums on some courses to engage with other learners and educators

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Completely free to access

No ads or paid upgrades

Created by experts from a reputable university

Good quality courses and materials

Very flexible - learn anywhere, anytime

Great for casual learners or continuing education

Cons

No instructor support or feedback

Limited assessment and tracking of progress

Less structured than formal online courses

Quality can vary across courses

Limited credentials offered compared to paid options