Lynda.com Review

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Recently acquired by the social media giant LinkedIn, Lynda.com is one of the most popular learning platforms online. Its goal is to help people achieve their personal and professional goals, and the company does that through quality video courses geared for a variety of individuals and organizations. You will not get course credit, but you will receive a certificate of completion that you can present to your employer for reimbursement.

Whether you are an individual who is devoted to personal enrichment and career success, an entrepreneur seeking to hone your skills, a business owner who wants to purchase a membership for all of your employees, or a school official who wants students to utilize the vast library of courses available, Lynda.com has both quality and quantity working for it. With thousands of courses to choose from, there is something new to learn every day.

How Does Lynda.com Work?

To start using Lynda.com right away, click on the “Start My Free Trial” button from the home page and follow the prompts. You will be asked to choose between the different Learning Plans. Also, be ready to enter your credit card information. If you don’t cancel the account during the risk-free trial period, your credit card will be billed.

If you run into any problems while using Lynda.com, the platform has a handy Help section you can access, as well as domestic and international phone numbers you can call for support. One interesting part of Lynda.com is the “Getting Started” feature, which recommends classes for achieving your specific goals.

What Makes Lynda.com Stand Out?

The subscription-based plan is really what makes Lynda.com stand out. Most online learning portals charge per course. Even when courses are free on competitors’ sites, oftentimes there are still upsells and/or fees for course credit. With Lynda.com., there is no hassle about price. You simply pay a flat rate for unlimited access.

Another feature that makes Lynda.com stand out is the exceptional quality of the videos. The sound, picture and graphics are professional and top-notch, which only adds to the overall positive learning experience on this site.

Common Reviews of Lynda.com

Out of 264 reviewers on Amazon.com, 64 percent gave Lynda.com five out of five stars. Of the 264, 188 reviews are positive, while 66 reviews are critical. Customers seem to like the wide variety of courses that the paid subscription grants them. They also like the ease at which the courses are self-paced. One customer went on to claim that no matter what business you’re in, you will need Lynda.com to stay competitive.

He said, “To date, I’ve probably convinced over 30 people (friends and peers) to get Lynda.com. It’s a monthly bill for me. I’ve learned so much stuff, and it has made me a serious editor and amped up my business game, music production, personal finance. I watch it during downtime at work, at home with a program open… I don’t know what else to say. I feel everyone should have it. The best 25 bucks (now $35 since they started doing the monthly premium like I’ve been calling and asking them to do for years) I’ve ever spent. For the price of five caramel macchiatos from Starbucks a month, you can make yourself a serious player in whatever creative, business or financial game you choose to play.”

A college student who relies on Lynda.com as a supplement to her course material said, “Lynda.com has been of great help for me during college. Whatever I didn’t grasp on Tech or Graphics I went to Lynda, and by seeing the videos, I got what I needed. Also I have learned entire applications on programs for Graphic Design on Lynda.com. So, I’m very pleased with what I got from them, and I hope that once it has merged with LinkedIn, the service maintains or keeps as good as it used to be.”

On the other hand, there are some negative reviews. For the most part, it seems that some customers had a hard time with the app. They were frustrated by it not working properly because they really wanted to access the material on Lynda.com. One user had difficulty signing into the portal through her city library account. Another customer said the app kept automatically logging her out of her account. In most cases, customers said the app simply stopped working or wouldn’t let them sign in.

Is Lynda.com for Me?

Because Lynda.com allows access to thousands of courses that are available to you at any time, it is an online portal designed for those who love to continually take courses. There is no one-time course option, so if you’re looking for just one course in particular and then plan on calling it quits, this online portal won’t suit you.

Another thing to consider about Lynda.com is that the lessons are not interactive, especially at the basic level. The courses rely heavily on videos, making them well-suited for people who are visual or auditory learners. For kinesthetic learners, the premium-level subscription is recommended to get the most out of the courses.

For professionals looking to get ahead in their field, Lynda.com offers an affordable way to gain access to the latest knowledge so you can stay on top of your game. Lynda.com is also suitable for businesses, organizations and institutions with employees and members that would benefit from the online portal.

With a 30-day risk free trial, you can easily find out if Lynda.com is right for you. This gives you time to explore the many courses and play around with the different features and search options. You can take a couple of courses to see if the learning platform suits you and/or the people around you who will also use it, and at no risk, it’s an attractive sign-up.

About the Author

Jeff Hindenach

Jeff Hindenach is the co-founder of Versus Reviews. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He has a long history of journalism, with a background writing for newspapers such as the San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Examiner, as well as writing for The Huffington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, CNBC, Newsday and The Street. He believes in giving readers the tools they need to get out of debt.