The world today is an evolving landscape. To thrive in any career, sector, or aspect of life, you need to keep adding skills and most of us turn to e-learning platforms to do it. That raises the obvious question: which platform is actually worth your time and money?
Upskillist is one of the bigger names in that space, promising to help you hack a clear path through career stagnation. This review breaks down what it actually offers, what it costs, and whether it delivers.
What is Upskillist?
Upskillist is a global online learning platform that provides professional courses designed to help individuals develop career-ready skills in business, technology, marketing, design, and personal development. It is an online learning platform that offers a wide range of courses across various fields such as photography, coding, interior design, project management, and more.
It is designed to help individuals gain new skills or enhance existing ones through intelligently designed courses, which are accessible anytime and anywhere.
How Does Upskillist Work?
Upskillist works by providing a learning platform on their website whereby individuals can come and learn from seasoned tutors. Users can access courses after signing up to the platform and enrolling into courses of interest. The platform is designed to help individuals gain new skills or enhance existing ones through intelligently designed courses, which are accessible anytime and anywhere.
How to Sign Up for Upskillist:
To sign up firstly, Click Here
Select the course you wish to take among the various categories of courses Upskillist offers.
Create a learner profile by providing the required answers to some questions
Create a student ID by typing your name and email address
Agree to the terms and register
Start Learning
Who Owns Upskillist?
Upskillist was originally founded as Shaw Academy by James Egan and Adrian Murphy, with reports placing the company's launch in either 2012 or 2013 depending on the source. Shaw Academy grew into one of the larger names in online education before undergoing a change in ownership in the second half of 2021, at which point it rebranded as Upskillist and introduced a sharper focus on flexible, career-focused skill development. It also launched Upskillist.pro, a separate platform built for businesses upskilling their teams.
Today, Upskillist operates as an independent e-learning platform serving learners worldwide, with headquarters tied to Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the US and roots in Dublin, Ireland.
Upskillist Courses:
Upskillist offers courses taught by experienced tutors across a wide range of categories, including:
Photography, iPhone and Android Photography
Social Media Marketing, SEO and Digital Marketing
Blogging and Content Marketing
Fashion Design, Interior Design, UX Design
Excel and Advanced Microsoft Excel
Leadership, Customer Care and Complaint Handling
HR Employee Management, Mini MBA in Business
Critical Thinking and Decision-Making
Negotiation and Business Development
E-commerce, Property Investment, Shares Trading
Financial Planning, Economics, Cryptocurrency
Nutrition, Meal Planning & Food Science
Mindfulness & Meditation, Alternative Therapies
Computer Science, Project Management
Graphic Design, Cybersecurity
Python Programming, Artificial Intelligence
Cloud Architecture, Game Design & Development, Web Development
This isn't the full catalog, Upskillist lists 80+ courses in total, so it's worth searching the site directly for anything not listed here.
Upskillist Courses Reviewed:
Let's explore the contents of some popular courses taken by a lot of users on Upskillist.
Online Fashion Design Course:
Aimed at turning your ideas into real fashion designs, enough to start your own line or business.
Duration: 1 month
Lessons: 8
Certification: Diploma recognized by the CPD Certification Service
Overview:
The full fashion design process, start to finish
Fashion drawing and illustration basics
Building a fashion design collection
Pattern making and pattern drafting fundamentals
Practical skills to construct a basic garment
Photography Course:
Upskillist's photography course walks you from beginner fundamentals to more advanced technique.
Duration: 16 weeks
Lessons: 32, across 4 modules
Certification: Diploma recognized by the CPD Certification Service
Overview:
Understanding lens types and camera modes
Working with natural light
Controlling depth of field with aperture and shutter speed
Composition rules and guidelines
Developing your own editing style
Introduction to Digital Marketing Course:
Built for people just starting their digital marketing journey, whether that's for their own business or a future career.
Duration: 8 weeks
Lessons: 16
Certification: Diploma recognized by the CPD Certification Service
Overview:
Core marketing concepts and strategy
Using SEO and keywords to grow reach
Optimizing content for different audiences and devices
Choosing the right social channels for your audience
Setting goals and KPIs, then measuring results
Upskillist Pricing:
Upskillist runs on a subscription model. The standard individual plan includes:
80+ courses to choose from
Courses ranging up to 32 hours in length
Learn on your own schedule
Customer support
Optional add-on: course materials and physical eCertificates
Price: $39.99/month, billed monthly. Longer subscription commitments bring the effective monthly cost down.
Enterprise plan:
Everything in the individual plan
2+ users, unlimited learning
Price: $120 per user/year
Upskillist Free Trial:
Upskillist's standard offer is a 28-day free trial, and in most sign-up flows no credit card is required to start. You get full access to the course library during that window, you can browse and enroll in as many courses as you like, not just one.
A few things worth knowing before you sign up:
If you do enter payment details, you'll be billed automatically when the trial ends unless you cancel first
The renewal cycle after the trial runs in 28-day billing periods.
E-certificates and printable toolkits aren't included in the trial and cost extra. Some third-party promotions (through partners like T-Mobile) have offered longer trial windows, so always check the terms on the specific offer you're using.
Upskillist Free Courses:
Upskillist doesn't offer any courses for free outside of the trial. The 28-day trial is the closest you'll get to free access, after that, you need an active subscription. Occasionally, specific courses are offered free during limited promotions, but that isn't the standard state of the platform.
Upskillist Certificate Cost:
Upskillist issues certificates on course completion, aligned with continuing professional development (CPD) standards through the CPD Certification Service. That's worth understanding clearly:
They are not university degrees
They are professional development certificates
Their value depends on your industry and employer
They're most useful for freelancers, beginners, and resume/skill validation
Several user reviews note that certificates, particularly physical/hardcopy or premium versions, can carry an extra cost on top of the subscription, so factor that in if a printed diploma matters to you.
Is Upskillist Accredited?
Upskillist courses are CPD-certified, meaning they meet recognized continuing professional development standards. That's genuinely useful for demonstrating ongoing learning and strengthening a resume, but it is not the same as formal academic accreditation, and it won't substitute for a university degree.
Is Upskillist Worth It?
For the price, yes. Upskillist is worth it if what you want is practical, applicable skills you can start using quickly, without committing to a full degree program. It won't replace formal higher education, but for skill-building, career pivots, or professional development, it holds up well against the subscription cost.
Upskillist Pros and Cons:
Let's run over some of Upskillist pros and cons:
Pros:
Extensive Course Library: Upskillist boasts a large collection of online courses covering a wide range of topics, from business and finance to technology, design, and personal development.
Professionals Seeking Advancement: Upskillist offers courses to help professionals stay current with industry trends and enhance their skill sets for career growth.
Variety of Learning Options: Upskillist offers users the choice in the manner in which they wish to learn or go through courses. This choice varies from Voice Recordings, video recordings, or PDF materials. Users can make this choice when enrolling for any course.
Flexible Learning: Upskillist courses are designed for self-paced learning, allowing you to learn at your own convenience and schedule.
Certification Options: Many Upskillist courses culminate in certificates upon completion, potentially demonstrating your newly acquired skills to potential employers.
Focus on Practical Skills: Upskillist emphasizes courses that equip you with practical, actionable skills that can be directly applied in the workplace.
Globally Accessible: Their platform caters to a worldwide audience, making it accessible to learners from various locations.
Cons:
Subscription required after the trial ends so no permanent free tier
Certificates can cost extra, especially hardcopy or premium versions
Not a substitute for a university degree: these are professional development credentials
Some courses are introductory-level: advanced professionals may need deeper, more specialized training elsewhere
Auto-renewal complaints: a recurring theme in user feedback is forgetting to cancel before the trial or subscription renews, so set a reminder
Upskillist Customer Reviews:
Upskillist holds a roughly 4.0-out-of-5 TrustScore on Trustpilot from several thousand reviews. Here are some reviews:
Conclusion: Final Verdict
Upskillist is a legitimate, actively used online education platform with a genuinely wide course catalog and a generous, no-card-required trial window. It's a solid pick if you're looking to build practical skills, explore a new field as a hobby, or strengthen your resume, just go in clear-eyed that the certificates aren't a university credential, and set a reminder before your trial or billing cycle renews.