Best App for Taking Top U.S. University Courses Online: edX
Free courses from top U.S. universities.
Tech courses offer tools like code consoles for labs.
Course credit often isn’t free and costs a lot.
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Lacks same lecturers or forums access if you don’t start live.
Available subjects execute the gamut, with extensive offerings in science and technology subject areas.
Share your own and use others' memory devices.
Emphasizes words and phrases over grammar.
Can’t rely on tool alone to gain fluency.
If you thought memes couldn’t teach you anything, think again.
The app’s regimen yields a gradual increase in vocabulary and concepts.
Best Logic Puzzle Solving App: Brilliant
Puzzle-solving focus and other learning options.
Learning options at setup help set pace and style.
Not a lot of instruction before exercises.
Heavy on math and science, light on everything else.
Brilliant teaches an array of science and math subjects through hands-on problem-solving.
Another helpful feature is the option to see the answer if you’re stumped.
Brilliant also allows you to tailor your learning experience based on what you want to get out of it.
This way, it can push you the right amount for your goals.
Social media element to learn with friends.
Focus on rote phrases than concepts like grammar.
Not enough to develop true fluency by itself.
Duolingo stands out among language learning apps and among education apps overall.
Duolingo includes dozens of languages, including a couple of fictional ones just for fun.
Each language offers a mostly linear path divided into topics of conversation.
And each topic presents you with short exercises to familiarize you with the material through spoken and written formats.
Best for In-Depth Programming Learning: Codeacademy
Paths bundle courses to remove guesswork.
Lessons have interactive console for trying out code.
Paid tier pushed heavily.
Limited course set for the free tier.
If you’re interested in any aspect of computers, Codeacademy is the place to satisfy your curiosity.
Targeted lessons let you pick up skills one concept at a time.
Choose the direction you find most interesting, and Codeacademy presents groups of courses for you to take.
Whether in a series of courses or a standalone course, each lesson features a handful of steps.
Each step has a short explanation of the concept to learn and a coding exercise.
you’ve got the option to take Codeacademy courses on its web app.
However, its iOS and Android apps are primarily study aids.
Best Personal Tutor-Style Learning App: Khan Academy
Tutor style and drawn visual aids offer unique twist.
Founding philosophy keeps service largely free.
Topics geared toward math and science.
Can’t access all resources in the app.
Khan Academy is another app offering courses on a range of subjects.
It does so in a personal one-on-one style rather than a recorded lecture.
While it favors math and science topics, it also features humanities courses such as history and art.
Learn from articles, videos, or stargazing.
Not the cleanest interface; navigation tricky.
Focus on new discoveries; requires basic knowledge.
Space is so vast that leading-edge astronomers are continually learning more about it.
So, why should you settle for yesterday’s astronomy lessons?
The NASA app serves up articles and videos that teach the basics of astronomy.
Download talks or listen from a locked screen.
Topics aren’t treated in-depth.
No subscription system for specific topic categories.
Each TED talk is a spoken presentation from leaders in hundreds of fields.
You’ll find everything from hard science to art and philosophy.
Each talk, no matter the subject matter, is given at an accessible comprehension level.
