Are you looking for a Study.com review? But you may wonder if it is a scam.
The cost of higher education is high, and it’s difficult to keep up with the changing job market. Study.com offers a cost-effective way to further your education and a flexible job alternative for those in need.
However, it is not always easy to determine if online study programs are reliable. There are many scammers on the Internet. In this review, I address the claims that Study.com is a scam.
As a disclaimer, I’m not affiliated with Study.com. It means I’m not paid to write this review. So you can rest assured that you will get an honest and unbiased review from me.
At the end of this review, I’ll also tell you the best alternative to Study.com that has enabled me to make a full-time passive income online.
What Is Study.com?
Study.com is a web-based learning resource that helps students improve their academic performance, increase their test-passing skills, and earn credits that transfer to hundreds of different schools.
In addition, Study.com offers distance learning to specialists in subjects as diverse as arithmetic, physics, chemistry, economics, psychology, and history.
Study.com, which has been in business since 2002 and is based in Mountain View, California, distributes more than 25,000 video courses and 50,000 articles to 30 million students and teachers each month.
These days, it’s not uncommon for people to offer online tutoring services.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Is Study.com a Scam?
A common online myth claims that Study.com is a scam, but rest assured that’s not true. Whether you are a student, teacher, or contract worker, Study.com is a reputable company that offers real value.
While it is not a scam, I do not want to sugarcoat the truth either. However, there are a few issues that should be addressed.
The previous complaint mentions a typical bait-and-switch method. They lure you with a free trial, collect your credit card information, and then make it impossible to cancel the programme or get a refund when the trial period is over.
Over time, they continue to charge your credit card.
It is not just one platform; many others, some intentionally, use the same bait and switch tactics. Signing up with a mobile device is one way to save yourself the trouble. If you sign up through the Google Play or Apple app stores, your payment will not be routed to Study.com.
Study.com is more likely to help you with billing issues than Google or Apple, as they would prefer you not raise your concerns there.
Selling Your Information
The questionable practice of selling individuals’ private data has also surfaced. While not necessarily indicative of a scam, it is useful information to have.
Remilon LLC, the company that used to run the educationportal.com website, owns or is otherwise affiliated with Study.com.
I do not know when they merged (or if they have always been the same company), but now both remilon.com and educationportal.com lead directly to Study.com. And. Remilon LLC is the current registrar of the Study.com domain.
Ownership is irrelevant, but it does shed light on potential trouble with Study.com.
In researching Remilon, I came across an employee who claimed the company shares student data with for-profit universities.
No one can say for sure whether Study.com is selling user data. However, as we’ve seen recently in the news about Facebook, you should assume that your data is being sold without your knowledge.
When I signed up with Study.com, I found it strange that they wanted my phone number. That’s a strange reason why they ask for your contact information.
In recent years, advertising and marketing have become increasingly targeted, and it’s all because our personal information, such as email addresses and social media accounts, is being sold to third parties.
However, there’s no evidence that Study.com is fraudulent. Especially not compared to real scams like 100K Online Secret, which promises you quick riches through home-based work.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
How Does Study.com Work?
I’m going to cover both the student application and the independent contractor application, since you’re here.
Students and Teachers (with Students)
The registration process was really frustrating for me. There is no upfront information about the cost and services offered.
To get to the payment page, you have to select a series of menus where you can have your own adventure.
The very first thing you have to do is select whether or not you are a teacher or a student.
You will get to the right place once you provide your name, email address and phone number (for what, I do not know). The place where you find out how much it will cost you.
Both students and faculty can take advantage of a free 5-day trial before opting for a monthly membership for $39.99 and $59.99, respectively. All of Study.com’s courses and resources are now available to you.
This cost may seem outrageous or cheap, depending on your needs.
Work-At-Home Contractors
There’s not a lot of information available for people who want to work at Study.com, but I was able to get an idea with a little research.
To get hired at Study.com, you’ve to take a more conventional approach than platforms like Wyzant, Skillshare, or StudySoup.
To apply for a job, you need to fill out an application and submit your credentials, and there are detailed job descriptions for areas like accounting, engineering, and finance, among others.
Specific jobs require targeted applications.
Questions such as “What’s the cash ratio?” are typical when interviewing for an accounting position. “What’s the cash ratio and how do you calculate it?”
Calculating the acceleration of a two-mass system is a common question in a physics homework assignment. As for your mechanical engineering questions, I haven’t grasped the meaning precisely enough to attempt a paraphrase.
To round out the profile, we need to know how far you’ve come with your schooling.
Don’t worry if you don’t get recruited by Study.com; there are other ways to make money online.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Study.com Pay
Another area where reliable data was hard to find was this.
Salary data for local employees ranged from $50,000 to $100,000 per year. Freelancers who work from home, however, typically receive a lower salary because they are paid on a task or project basis.
The majority of contractors who submitted an evaluation expressed dissatisfaction with what appears to be low compensation.
One problem is that reviewers are not always consistent, even when the project pays well. You will not be paid if your project is rejected.
Therefore, you should average your total work time, which includes both paid and unpaid work.
The amount you are paid depends on how quickly you can complete a job. Answering a simple inquiry may take some time if additional research is required.
However, to be successful in the internet world, it is important that you diversify your sources of income. The tasks found on Study.com can be combined with other methods.
For example, you can earn money by participating in surveys at services such as Survey Junkie and Inbox Dollars, or you can start your own Internet business.
Pay Method and Frequency
All approved payments are sent via PayPal twice a month.
Examples of Study.com Jobs
On various job boards and on the Study.com website, you will find a number of job openings that may or may not be advertised at any given time.
- Lesson Plan Writer
- Quiz Optimizer
- Assessment Writer and Reviewer
- Video Editor
- Article Writer
- Curriculum Designer
- Statistics Expert
Such posts can be divided according to the expertise required for them.
Who Is Study.com For?
According to the online learning platform, more than ten million of its twenty-five million monthly users are high school students or college graduates seeking information about possible fields of study and careers. Even if this number drops, fifteen million people are still regular visitors to the education portal.
So who are these unknown people? Users range from homeschooled teens, high school and college students to unconventional learners, educators and tutors looking for educational materials, because Study.com has it all.
Study.com attracts such a large and diverse audience because it is so flexible as an online learning resource. Study.com is a great resource for students of all ages and educational levels, from elementary school to graduate school.
For example, a high school student preparing for a geometry exam can choose from 145 different lessons, each with a video, syllabus, and sample questions.
In addition, Study.com provides access to hundreds of online college courses for current and prospective students. Credits earned in these courses are accepted by over 2,000 different schools across the country.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Study.com Pricing Model
Study.com, like many similar online learning systems, offers a range of subscription levels. Payments can be made monthly, or you can opt for an annual payment and save 10% on each plan.
Basic Edition: $29.99 per month/ $325 per year
Users of the free Study.com edition have access to all available video lessons, transcripts of those lessons, and technical help.
- Unlimited Access to Lessons
- Transcripts of Lessons
- Access to Technical Support
Premium Edition: $59.99 per month/ $648 per year
By upgrading to the Premium edition, customers not only get access to everything included in the free version, but also:
- Instructor Support
- Practice Assessments (e.g., quizzes and tests)
- Completion Certificates
- Individualized Coaching
- Progress Tracking
- Custom Course Material
College Accelerator: $199.99 per month/ $2,160 per year
College Accelerator is Study.com’s most expensive subscription option. Only this membership option provides access to potentially transferable college credit. With College Accelerator, students can take final exams for up to two courses each month to earn their degree.
- Opportunity to Earn College Credit
- Access to 2 Exams Monthly
- Remote Exam Access
Study.com Customer Support
Study.com, like many similar sites, emphasises helpful customer service. Users can either email [email protected] or submit an online support ticket to receive assistance.
Once a user enters their initial contact information on the site, they should receive a response from the company within one business day.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Study.com Reviews and Complaints
As indicated earlier, billing and reimbursement problems topped the list of consumer complaints. Some users had concerns about the app’s functionality and complained about the price.
Freelancers who work from home tend to be very detailed in their criticisms:
- Payment is low.
- Inconsistent reviewers and unaccepted work
- There is not enough work.
- Opportunities for advancement are limited.
Many satisfied customers have left testimonials on Study.com’s website. Some students aren’t satisfied with the price, while others point out that they save thousands of euros by not studying at the university.
As I said earlier, Study.com might even be a bargain for the right student.
Temps rave about it,
- The adaptable schedule.
- The opportunity to further one’s education by teaching.
- Working from home allows you to spend more time with your family and avoid the daily commute.
Pros of Study.com
- As a way to work from home (which is what this site is about), Study.com could be an additional source of money. I would not recommend it as a sole source of income, but full-time freelancers can certainly supplement their income with Study.com and other freelance work and side hustles.
- I also like that there have been no complaints about independent contractors not getting paid on time.
Cons of Study.com
- Low compensation is often expected for remote work. Although lower income can often be offset by lower expenses such as commuting costs, meals, etc. It would be desirable if Study.com provided more information on earnings or a better compensation plan. It’s hard to aim for something that doesn’t exist.
- Another difficulty with these employment relationships is that there are few opportunities for passive income. Working online has the advantage that you can create something once, automate the process and profit from it repeatedly. This is not conceivable if you are paid per task or on an hourly basis.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Study.com Alternatives
Although Study.com is among the most popular providers, it is far from the only option for students who want to continue their education through modern forms of distance learning. In fact, there are numerous alternatives.
By comparing the prices of these many online learning platforms, you can choose one that better fits your budget and better meets your personal or professional needs. Below are some other options for online learning.
Coursera
Unlike Study.com, Coursera allows students to earn both full degrees and transferable credits. Unlike Study.com, however, Coursera does not produce its own materials. Instead, it serves as a hub for online courses offered by prestigious institutions and companies such as Google, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Michigan.
Udacity
Udacity is an online education service for adults and students who are serious about their professional future. Udacity focuses on professional growth and job training, while Study.com is geared toward K-12 students and those seeking to earn college credit.
Compared to Study.com, which does not offer a trial period, Udacity stands out for its availability.
edX
As a platform, edX is more comparable to Udacity than Study.com. Because it is a host site rather than a content creation platform like Study.com, it offers only pre-packaged course materials.
However, unlike Udacity, you can earn degrees from some of the best schools in the country.
Study.com Review: Final Verdict
Study.com is a great option for students and professionals looking for an online course from home.
Customers who’re not able to take full advantage of it may find the cost too high. Nonetheless, I see no reason why they shouldn’t be tried by the right person.
The lowest paying aspect of working from home is also its biggest drawback.
Since many people face challenges such as illness, staying home with the kids, and unemployment… If you’re struggling financially, Study.com can be a tremendous help.
If you are looking for peace of mind, the easiest way to achieve it is to earn a “passive” online income.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Best Alternative of Study.com to Make Passive Income
If you want to make a stable and secure stream of passive income, I would suggest you start an affiliate marketing business online.
Affiliate Marketing is perfect for anyone who is new to online business.
In fact, of all the online business models I’ve tried, affiliate marketing is the easiest and most rewarding so far.
In affiliate marketing, you can actually run your business almost with zero cost and achieve a steady and sustainable passive income to pay for your bills. You don’t need any initial capital and can even do it as a side hustle.
And if you really want to learn affiliate marketing and build a business from scratch, I’d recommend you to get started with the most reputable platform for affiliate marketing: Wealthy Affiliate.
Wealthy Affiliate is an all-in-one platform for building your affiliate marketing business from scratch. It offers you a free account (including a free website) with comprehensive training on SEO (free traffic methods), which enables you to get started with affiliate marketing right away without paying a penny.
But How Much Can You Earn with Wealthy Affiliate?
A 21-year old student from Wealthy Affiliate was able to earn $7,395 in just 1 week, which means he made more than $1k a day…all while using free traffic methods.
Wealthy Affiliate has existed for 15 years and there are many success stories in the past decade.
To give you more examples, here are some of the other inspiring success stories of Wealthy Affiliate members.
Where to Join Wealthy Affiliate?
Wealthy Affiliate has a very simple pricing scheme. It has free and premium membership.
If you want to feel about Wealthy Affiliate, you can sign up for the free starter membership here (no credit card required). You can select to be a free member with no time limit.
And as a starter member, you can get instant access to the community, live chat, over 500 training modules, 2 classrooms, networking, commenting, 1 free website, access to the keyword tool.
You can enjoy all these values without paying a penny.
So I strongly recommend you to register a free account and see it yourself.
