Skillshare: Creativity Classes Reviews

by Rando194$2

I love the service on this app, and I always look forward to taking classes. The problem I have is that I could not get the offline viewing to work. I tried it on my phone, my iPad, and my husband’s phone and it didn’t work on any device.

It was frustrating because I was taking a long trip and I wanted to use my long flight productively, so I downloaded three courses, and when I was on my flight, I tried to watch them, none of them would load. I tried to access them offline once we landed, and I was still unable to access them. I tried everything; Google had no answers, I tried to see if updating would help but it didn’t, and the this app website wasn’t helpful either. I would rate Skillshare higher if this feature they advertise worked. I pay for this service, and it’s frustrating that they advertise this feature that doesn’t work.

by Madison Mackensie

This company should not be successful, based on their customer service. After a free trial that I did not use even once, I cancelled my account and was directed to a confirmation page of cancellation (several days before the trial expired). Weeks later, I was charged $99 for the program! As soon as I saw the charge, I emailed customer service (there is no phone number to call, probably because they don’t want to deal with customers). They proceeded to tell me that I could not get a refund because they can’t see any cancellation attempts??? You can’t see that I cancelled my account, so I am getting charged? When I laid the situation out to the employee, they were completely useless. They told me they can’t help me at all and there’s no way I can get a refund for the service that I NEVER USED and CANCELLED. Why call it customer service at all? More like frustrating email clutter that does not serve any purpose, because they have no power to help you. I’m outraged and would strongly advice you not subscribe or start a “free” trial. You will lose $99 at least and their customer service will be totally powerless. Garbage app, 0/10, would not recommend.

by Steph42027

This company has some very shady tactics going
on. I tried their suppose free month trial and they clearly state on your website that you can cancel anytime (within the free month) trial. I did so to avoid being charged and luckily I checked my bank account and saw that they had charged me 189 dollars! The shadiest part about this situation is that the charge they made on my bank account doesn’t even align with the suppose charge from the apple receipt which is 169. They trick you into getting a yearly plan and charge you 189 dollars out of nowhere even though you clearly chose the 1 month free trial. I reported to apple for a refund as we speak and am currently waiting for a response. If I don’t get my money back, this company will be hearing from my bank. The scariest part is that many YouTubers within the art community are promoting Skillshare. So please, do yourself the favor and stay away. To further prove my point, you can even see the reviews that have been made on Skill Share just by googling it. They will tell you the same thing.

by M. Deier.

I’ve been a subscriber on and off for a few years. The teachers, teaching and video quality, and overall content is pretty good and constantly improving. Which is great. I wish I could give a better rating, but Skillshare itself is the problem. Skillshare on the iPhone and iPad is limiting. And it is THE WORST App on my Apple TV. I can’t see all my saved videos and whenever I try to “enroll”, Skillshare crashes. And why do you have to enroll on the Apple TV when you don’t need to on any other device? In order to “enroll” in a class, I need to watch a few episodes on my iOS device and then sometimes it’ll appear on my Apple TV. I don’t want to have to do that and I shouldn’t. I’ve been dealing with this for months and no update. And yes, I’ve closed Skillshare , made sure everything is up to date, restarted the Apple TV, uninstalled and reinstalled. Sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s worse. I know it’s Skillshare and not user or the device error. Please fix this problem. It’s aggravating. I never fill out reviews of Apps on Skillshare Store, but this is so bad, I felt I needed to.

by Rneal98310

I recently downloaded Skillshare for my Apple TV and signed up for the 30 day trial of premium membership. When I open Skillshare I was excited to see the number of videos and content available on the site. However every time I went to enroll in one of the classes Skillshare crashed and sent me back to the home screen. I then went on my home computer and iPad to see if I can enroll there and then play the videos on my Apple TV. There doesn’t seem to be an enroll option on the website itself you can play all the video there directly. With Apple TV app it locks out all the videos except the intro into you enroll in the class which can only be done through Skillshare . I went to see if there were any updates to Skillshare that I could download but was informed I had the latest version. I will be canceling the subscription before the month is over if these issues are not resolved.

by Nickname?geez

I have just cancelled my subscription. But I am writing a review because they won’t leave me alone and is desperate for my attention. I’ve unsubscribed twice and yet daily multiple spam. During my trial, I reached out to ask if the mess of content can be organized by skill level. Beginner/intermediate/professional. They gave me a generic response on how to nevigate by category, obviously they didn’t read the content of my email.
I was seeking to learn some more advanced animation techniques, digital painting techniques but only found beginner classes that cover the same basic content.
In addition, most of the “instructors” are not teachers or professionals working at a high level. I watched a digital painting class where the instructor taught how to TRACE an imported photo. It was a class suited to kindergarten craft so you can bring home something that looks good but takes NO skill to make. No one is impressed and nothing learned. If you are looking to make fun art or learn a little trick or two to look like you can do something then this maybe for you. If you are serious, looking for technical content similar to a real institution, look elsewhere. Most are hobbyists teaching you basics. Really pricey for the redundant basic lessons repeated over and over.

by T'fongis

I bought the 1 year pay all-at-once package for this app, feeling confident that I’d using the resource continually to improve my digital art and creative writing skills. In the 4 months since I’ve repeatedly tried to give Skillshare another shot just to justify my hastily made decision but the main issue for me grows more and more apparent each time.
Every class is geared towards absolute beginners.
So if you have an intermediate to advanced understanding of the skill that you’re trying to improve it has virtually no value. Even if you are an absolute beginner I can only recommend getting this app for a month just because after you’ve done that hour long class learning the basics you will have little use for Skillshare after that point. I’m really disappointed because I love the direction education is going with these low cost alternatives but unfortunately, it’s like a guitar shop. They make a majority of their profits on people who are just starting out and buying all the equipment and chances are, won’t be playing much after that.

by Nikohatesthisapp

The content is amazing and I’m learning so much but for $15/month I should be able to cast it to my tv and watch the videos anywhere I want. It’s crazy to me that for a product with so many helpful tip videos Skillshare has such a poor user experience. I can’t edit my lists in Skillshare there isn’t a very clean way within Skillshare to organize the classes I want to watch which seems a shame with something with so much content and more coming everyday there’s not a good way to really sift through it all.

Skillshare almost seems like it’s designed to be a one off kind of thing like use the free trial and be done there’s no incentive to keep it long term because it doesn’t make it easily accessible long term. If I want to watch 15-20 different classes there’s no way to find the one I want besides sifting through my watch later list. It’s sad that the website is the only way to manage your content like what’s the point of even having Skillshare if it’s just completely inferior to the website in every way.

I want to be able to cast to my tv and organize my classes it really doesn’t seem like a whole lot to ask if I’m paying a premium price for content in 2019 it’s not like the service is free. I mean I pay less for Netflix/Hulu and I can cast with both of those. All in all great content dumb app?

Maybe the developers of Skillshare can watch a video on this app about app design?

by Thebaarmancrew

I love the website & use it all the time .. sometimes even when I’m trying to use Skillshare , I’ll just stop between videos & go back to the website. Part of the problem is organization. From what I can see, all those handy class lists that you can save to on the website (& can SEE on Skillshare ), you can’t actually save new classes to lists on Skillshare .. you only have ‘save’ & ‘unsave’ options which is a real pain when you have a bunch of classes & then have to scroll thro the whole lot of them in order to save it to an individual list .. & this can still only be done from the website .. so if you don’t go straight over to it from Skillshare , you may or may not ever remember to go in & look for it later in the myriad of classes you have saved. The idea of it is really great, I just think the organization of it needs to be increased dramatically in order to make it user-friendly.

by Amethyst80

I love this app’s service and recommend it 100%. There is so much great content available and I have learned a lot. However, Skillshare is hot garbage. There’s a lot of functionality on the website that is completely missing from Skillshare , such as being able to access class resources. One thing that’s missing that really irritates me is the My Lists feature. On the website, you can organize your saved classes into lists, but you can’t add classes to your lists from inside Skillshare . There are also lots of UI bugs and/or poor design choices. For instance, if you go to an instructor’s page within Skillshare , it doesn’t actually list all the classes they have available. The only way to see all the instructor’s classes is to put their name in the search bar and scroll through the results there. Another irritating thing I’ve noticed is that if you’re watching a class in full screen and it ends, there’s no way to exit full screen without making the class play again. It’s a small thing, but Skillshare is full of these odd little annoyances. The Chromecast function is also buggy and doesn’t always work well. I put up with Skillshare because I love what this app offers, but it could use a lot of improvements. The website isn’t perfect either (I hate that you can’t visit a class page without it autoplaying), but it’s much better than Skillshare .

by JJ3866

I can’t give Skillshare 5 stars but the site is 5 stars. The variety of classes, the encouragement from both the teachers and the workshop coordinators, and the ability to share my projects all combine very well to keep me engaged and inspired to stay active. However, Skillshare fails to allow me to post my projects and to access workshops easily. The only nice thing about Skillshare is the ability to download classes to access when WiFi isn’t available. It was nice to continue classes while out at the desert camping.

There is a cost for being able to continue taking all. They offered a reduced price from the $100/year cost. I don’t recall exactly, maybe $60-70. I feel like I will have definitely gotten my money’s worth based on the amount of classes I’ve taken.

The 2-month trial they offer is perfect for determining if you will enjoy the site. So it’s painless to give it a try.

I just suggest that if you are having any frustrations with navigating, go to the site instead of working on Skillshare . Save Skillshare for just watching the classes you’ve already started.

by Adriane0412

I like the idea of this app-the class content is great and constantly evolving, the amount of videos and topics is almost overwhelming lol..Skillshare could use some work. I have tons of saved classes and no way to sort through them. Also, I would REALLY like a functional Roku TV app. I hate streaming from my phone and watching it on there-I have incredibly bad vision and watching things on my phone screen (which is an iPhone plus, so not the smallest screen) puts a lot of strain on my eyes. I was able to find a free screen mirroring service to stream to my Roku but it wasn’t the easiest to use and was loaded with ads. My free trial will be up in the beginning of April and I would really like to sign up for an annual subscription but I just can’t justify the cost for something I can’t stream directly to my tv, limiting my ability to really use the service. As of now I have probably 50 classes saved to my list and have only been able to watch maybe 5 of them since I signed up in January, because as I said, the strain on my eyes is too much. Please add a Roku TV app or the ability to mirror directly from the this app app to any tv!

by MainelyArt

I love this app and I have no issues at all with the this app platform. The only issue I have with Skillshare is that I cannot look at or download the class materials on Skillshare or upload my work from Skillshare . This is particularly annoying when the only method I have for photographing my art is my phone or my iPad and I feel like it would be more usable if I could upload directly from that device via Skillshare versus having to email myself the photo and upload it from my computer. This is particularly painful for me because I have satellite Internet on my computer where is on my phone I have unlimited data. Perhaps I have the opposite problem of most people but I live in the wilds of Maine and there is no broadband. Otherwise Skillshare is very convenient and I quite enjoy just watching the classes but I’m waiting in the car somewhere and can’t even do the projects. It’s a good practice to watch the prep classes before you start the project anyway. Great app and I hope that they will consider allowing uploads and downloads within Skillshare .

by AlX★

Skillshare has been very helpful for me. I enjoy listening to the videos while doing tasks around the house, especially if the content doesn’t rely too heavily on visuals.

My only complaint is that the navigation system for finding new classes is somewhat outdated in terms of design.

Also it’s hard to know if a class is credible, and I’ve seen a range of quality in courses. I wish there were more creators that I could trust on the platform, then I would feel like this is a really quality platform to invest in 100% of the time. But if this app doesn’t get a grip on quality control, people are going to not see the point in paying for a subscription.

by Watercolor Newbie

I’ve surprised myself over and over because of the amazing teachers I’ve been following on my watercolor journey. I never thought I’d be able to paint because I was stuck on the idea that I couldn’t draw. I’ve pushed myself to try new ideas and techniques and have stuck with it. Sometimes I’ve started a project several times over before I was able to get the the results I wanted. I’d recommend this app to anyone who is looking for patient and skilled watercolor artists to walk you through the things you need to learn about painting with watercolors. I will admit, now I’m hooked!

by Devil Dog 1036

I was looking for a platform that would help me improve my productivity. I would take on too much or over schedule myself and as a result, I would feel tremendous stress both at work and in my personal life. I needed to learn new skills to better manage my time and organize myself. So I tried this app and the classes on Productivity have been a game changer. I’ve learned new tips on productivity, from managing my emails to managing my time and the results have dramatically improved my productivity and reduced my stress levels. I look forward to exploring classes on other topics on this app. So far, I am completely satisfied.

by Emma Matrixa

I’ve tried various apps for learning, none of them have been satisfying so it was with reservation that I tried this app. I was more than pleasantly surprised. The lesson get straight to the subject, the instructors explain everything with clarity and don’t waste any time on unnecessary babbling. For all that you can learn on this app, I find the price to be great. I can actually afford it and for everything that you can learn, I can only say that it’s Amazing! Some of the classes are surprisingly interesting. I have found classes, for example, on designs that I’ve never even thought about. On this app you can discover all kinds of classes that are completely new to you, or new aspects that you can add to skills and knowledge that you already have. If you like to learn new things, I highly recommend this app.

by King Louie 78

I’ve had Skillshare just a few days but I’m very excited about the possibilities it will afford me. We live in an amazing time and we’d all live a much happier and fulfilled life by realizing and sharing that realization with our individual networks. If you’re in the market for learning any new skill you owe it to yourself and those around you to get Skillshare and share it with your friends and family. Seriously great work and I hope many wonderful things happen for your company because you have rewarded my life and as a result the lives of people I will interact with in the future. Educate yourselves everyone. This is the way!

by Cassy224

This is the best online study experience I have EVER had. I finally found my niche again. The classes are engaging and challenging. You learn SO much. There are so many knowledgable teachers to choose from and they are SO supportive. I love that we have the class project site where we can download class materials, ask questions and post projects. Many of my teachers also offer the chance for questions, discussions and projects, both for class and extra enrichment on Instagram, Facebook and personal websites. Where the student is hungry and willing, the teachers will come. This has been so far and continues to be fan-freaking-tastick as learning opportunities and experiences go. The admin at this app are also courteous and very willing to help you if you have any problems or questions.

by LiveIntoIt

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️❣️ I LOVE this app❣️ In fact, throughout 2020 I allocated more and more of my “free time” and “downtime” to Skillshare and painting and inking... Also when I wanted to be creative but didn’t feel like sitting down and painting myself, I would watch lessons just for the sheer joy of it. I discovered new favorite art supplies, watercolor techniques, inks, brushes, and papers. I stretched myself to put my class projects out there and I love my instructors. What’s more, I love seeing what other students are creating and I feel like I’ve found my virtual art family which has been a huge blessing for me in 2020. I took my insomnia to art classes and enjoyed the lullabies full of inspiring content, comforting voices, fairy tales, moonbeams, flowers, and sugar plums... Best investment I made in 2020!

by Tae. Tea

I love using this app but Skillshare is a little messy in my opinion. There are no descriptions in Skillshare telling you about the class you’re going to take. The website has them and I’m able to get a sense of what is being taught. Also just a small suggestion for both Skillshare and website if there could be a better way to sort and organize the courses one has saved or put into lists instead of just scrolling through your saved tab to find a class or in the lists you can do more than “send to the top”. We can be able to organize and categorize them a lot better please. Maybe by “a-z”, or group them by skill such as organize them by photography, illustration and so forth or let the user freely move, slide and organize them the way they want

by Tony Samaniego

When you increase the playback speed for a video through Skillshare and desktop browser, the video either glitches where the audio and video become misaligned (and we all know how annoying and sometimes confusing that may be), or the audio stops playing completely while the video continues to play.

Also, there should be more options through Skillshare to explore new categories and topics besides the search option and the ‘best in’ section. I like you can look at similar video related to course you are taking in the ‘about’ tab but they should recommend more than just three videos.

Overall, I think they should adopt a system like Audible where it’s recommendations for books related to the one you clicked on are pretty spot on.

by SloshWerks

It is nice having Skillshare available for iPad and Apple TV, however, it really lacks features that should be basic. There is no search function. It does not show all classes you have saved. You cannot remove classes via Skillshare . It does not have the option to autoplay the next video in the class, which is annoying when some video chapters are only a minute or two in length. You are constantly tied to your remote to start the next video. That is probably my biggest problem with Skillshare . But, I also want to have access to all of the classes and Lists that I set up on the website, which Skillshare does not provide. So, I am relegated to streaming from Safari on my iPad and mirroring it to the Apple TV.

by Kaszy86

Disclaimer: this review is for Skillshare only, not the platform.

Sadly the last update, which claims to have fixed issues with the video controls, actually broke this functionality for my device as now video controls keep overlaying every 30 seconds or so. Is not impossible to continue watching classes like this but it is pretty annoying, especially for lessons involving color mixing as the overlay dims the screen. In future releases, I’d also love to see the same functionality for managing and adding classes to my lists that the web version provides. Profile section needs improvement too as, again, Skillshare doesn’t provide same experience as the website.

by Modnana2

I signed up for this app via the website and then downloaded Skillshare so I could learn what I’d like any time, anywhere. Although not as robust and fully featured as the desktop site, I’m pretty happy with Skillshare itself. I do agree that if I could sort classes I’ve saved by topic, it would really be helpful.

When the new IPadOS is available publicly, Safari will be a full fledged desktop class browser so it will be really nice to access those features you can only access right now via the desktop site, i.e. class downloads, etc.

In the meantime, I love the variety of classes available on this app and feel the instructors do a great job with their content. Nicely done!

by KillerTofuTina

I’ve been using this service to learn how to use Procreate on iPad and the classes are absolutely amazing. Not only did I get introduced to artists like Vashti Harrison but I reconnected with my creative side again. My only request is that you allow for Picture in Picture video playback on iPad. Sometimes I’m watching a video and I would like to exit Skillshare to try out a technique in Procreate without stopping the video but currently this isn’t possible, at least not that I know of. Please keep updating Skillshare and adding new features as this is how I primarily use the service and I rarely go to the website.

by Oddacity

I’m a this app subscriber and have used it on desktop, tablet, and mobile. The content is A+ and I would recommended a subscription to anyone interested in having a wide variety of fun and interesting classes at their fingertips. I’m giving 4 stars out of 5 because Skillshare itself is a bit buggy and non-intuitive - buttons don’t always work, some button layouts are confusing. Particularly the “about” section in classes. Also the class project feature doesn’t work. It would be great if they could fix this and make it as full-featured as the desktop version.

by LarzBar

In terms of app functionality, there are a few things lacking here (search filters!). Otherwise it works perfectly functionally, so I have no noteworthy complaints.
That said if you’re on the fence about signing up for a this app account, just do it. I’m the cheapest person I know and after a free trial through SciShow, am gladly paying for a subscription. It is infinitely useful and some of the skills I’ve learned here have paid for my subscription hundreds of time over.
It is seriously saturated with content though, so it’s up to you to choose the right classes.