The best online learning platforms, according to hackers
11 online learning platforms were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 3 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended online learning platforms with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Clear step-by-step explanations
Free, clear lessons people use to fill math gaps and supplement school. Critics find the videos slow and repetitive and say results depend on consistent practice.
High-quality teaching and lectures
Free, high-quality lecture videos and course materials from MIT, often recommended as a baseline for self-study in technical subjects. Critics say it falls apart in advanced graduate courses.
Useful for learning topics quickly
People recommend Brilliant for learning math and science quickly through visual, intuitive problems. Critics say newer content is weaker and sometimes LLM-generated.
All 11 online learning platforms, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khan Academy | 67 | 17 | 80% | 12 | 7 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| 2 | Coursera | 26 | 37 | 41% | 6 | — | — |
| 3 | Udemy | 16 | 44 | 27% | 5 | 10 yrs4 owners | — |
| 4 | MIT OpenCourseWare | 14 | 2 | 88% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 5 | Brilliant.org | 12 | 3 | 80% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 5 | Bloomy | 12 | 6 | 67% | 1 | — | — |
| 7 | Rebrain.gg | 11 | 11 | 50% | 1 | — | — |
| 8 | O'Reilly Learning Platform | 9 | 7 | 56% | 3 | — | — |
| 9 | edX | 7 | 4 | 64% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 10 | Art of Problem Solving | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 10 | Talimio | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same online learning platform in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to online learning platforms that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.