Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
Future Skills Academy vs Reed Courses
Where Future Skills Academy and Reed Courses differ
| Compare |  Future Skills Academy |  Reed Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $25 | £15 |
| Money-back period | 7 days | 14 daysHigher |
| Platform type | Curated | Marketplace |
| Number of courses | 20 | 30,759Higher |
| Price per month | $25 to $75 | Not confirmed |
| Certificate fee | $299 | Not confirmed |
| Access period | 12 months | Not confirmed |
| Offline downloads | Yes | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Free tier (Yes), Graded assessments (Yes), Team plan (Yes).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- Reed Courses scores higher overall: 9.3 vs 8.8.
- Money-back period is higher at Reed Courses: 14 days vs 7 days.
- Number of courses is higher at Reed Courses: 30,759 vs 20.
- Support channels: only Future Skills Academy offers Email.
- Support channels: only Reed Courses offers Help centre.
- Subjects: only Reed Courses offers Design, Creative, Languages.
- Certificate types: only Future Skills Academy offers Professional.
- Certificate types: only Reed Courses offers Completion.
Our verdict on each
Future Skills Academy
Future Skills Academy suits IT learners who want a professional certificate fast and a plan that already carries the exam. Entry costs $25, monthly pricing runs $25 to $75 and the certificate adds $299, the figure to weigh against Hotmart at $0 and a refund window of 7 days.
Reed Courses
Reed Courses rewards buyers who know their subject and want options: a marketplace of 30,759 courses from £15, backed by a 14 day refund window. It suits self-directed learners who want coding, data and business side by side, and a completion certificate recognised for cpd credit.
Score breakdown
| Area | Future Skills Academy | Reed Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 8.9Entry plan at $25, monthly plan at $25 to $75, and a separate certificate at $299 keep the opening outlay low but the award costly. | 9.5HigherEntry at £15, a free tier and a 14 day refund window keep the outlay small and reversible. |
| Offer | 8.8Free tier, offline download, assessments, job support and tutor support sit alongside 20 courses inside 12 months of access. | 9.1HigherA catalogue of 30,759 courses across many subjects, with completion certificates, assessments and a team plan included. |
| Trust | 8.8CPD credit recognition, assessments and a professional certificate support the claim, while the refund window of 7 days is the weak point. | 9.2HigherReed Online Ltd in GB, founded 1995, issues completion certificates carrying cpd credit. |
If neither fits
Hotmart has number of courses at 80,000, against 20 for Future Skills Academy and 30,759 for Reed Courses.
Hotmart reviewWhat we checked
Future Skills Academy
- futureskillsacademy.com: 15 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Reed Courses
- reed.co.uk: 14 facts, checked September 30, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Future Skills Academy | Reed Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Online course platforms | 2 of 269 | 42 of 269 |
| Coding and data courses | 1 of 104 | 15 of 104 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Future Skills Academy | Reed Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Coding, Data, It, Business | Coding, Data, It, Business, Design, Creative, Languages, Humanities, ScienceCovers more |
| Certificate types | Professional | Completion |
| Credit recognition | Cpd | Cpd |
| Legal entity | Not confirmed | Reed Online Ltd |
| Headquarters | Not confirmed | United Kingdom |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 1995 |
| Support channels | Help centre |
Certifications
| Fact | Future Skills Academy | Reed Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Certification type | It | Not confirmed |
| Course hours | 10 hours | Not confirmed |
| Teaching practicum | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Exam fee included | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Tutor support | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Job support | Yes | Not confirmed |
| Typical completion time (weeks) | 4 | Not confirmed |
| Delivery | Online | Not confirmed |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Future Skills Academy | Reed Courses | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $25 to $75below the median | Not confirmed | $35 |
| Certificate fee | $299highest quarter | Not confirmed | $0 |
| Money-back period | 7 dayslowest quarter | 14 daysat the median | 14 days |
| Number of courses | 20lowest quarter | 30,759highest quarter | 240 |
| Access period | 12 monthsat the median | Not confirmed | 12 months |
Median across 169 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Future Skills Academy
Pros
- The entry plan at $25 sits above Hotmart at $0 and level with Academy for Health and Fitness at £25.
- The exam fee is included, so $299 is the full cost of the professional certificate rather than the start of it.
- A free tier, offline download and job support all sit inside the plan, so a learner can sample the material and keep studying away from a connection.
Cons
- The refund window of 7 days ranks 120 of 159, the weakest of the measures tracked here.
- The certificate fee of $299 sits at 47 of 47 among the brands compared.
- Support runs on email alone, so questions to the platform travel in writing.
Reed Courses
Pros
- Entry at £15 sits below DRCertifications at $19.99 and Academy for Health and Fitness at £25, so a single course is cheap to test.
- A catalogue of 30,759 courses covers coding, data, IT, business, design, creative, languages, humanities and science, so one purchase rarely forces a compromise on subject.
- Every certificate is a completion certificate and carries cpd credit, which is the credential training budgets and employers usually ask to see.
Cons
- Support runs on help centre only, so a course question is answered in writing rather than by a person on the phone.
- The certificate is a completion certificate (completion), a weaker credential than a professional accreditation or a regulated licence.
- As a marketplace (marketplace), the platform sets no single standard across 30,759 courses, so quality depends on the provider behind each listing.
Who each suits
Future Skills Academy
Who it suits
- Learners in IT who want a professional certificate with the exam fee already inside the price.
- Self-paced learners who want delivery fully online, with a free tier and offline download for study on the move.
- Teams covering several learners, since a team plan is available.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who need a free start, since Hotmart lists $0 as its entry plan price.
- Learners who want a wider catalogue than 20 courses and can accept another subject, where DRCertifications starts at $19.99.
- Anyone who needs a refund window longer than 7 days, since the field reaches 360 days at its most generous.
Reed Courses
Who it suits
- Learners buying a single course in coding, data or IT rather than committing to a subscription.
- Employers and training managers who need several seats covered under a team plan.
- Anyone who wants a completion certificate carrying cpd credit alongside a short course.
Who should look elsewhere
- Learners chasing a professional or regulated certificate: DRCertifications starts at $19.99 in a specialist catalogue rather than a general one.
- Buyers who want a free entry point: Hotmart lists its entry price at $0, which undercuts Reed Courses on price alone.
- People who want one provider's standard across a catalogue: Academy for Health and Fitness starts at £25 and stays inside health and fitness.
Questions about each
Future Skills Academy
What does it cost to join Future Skills Academy?+
The entry plan is priced at $25 and the monthly plan runs $25 to $75. A free tier is offered as well, so a learner can look at the material before paying anything. The professional certificate is not folded into either figure and is charged on its own.
How much is the certificate, and is the exam included?+
The professional certificate costs $299. The exam fee is included in the plan, which means $299 is the whole award cost rather than a starting point with an exam charge on top. Course fees and the certificate sit on separate lines in the budget.
Reed Courses
What does a course cost on Reed Courses?+
Reed Courses is a marketplace, so the price sits with each course provider rather than a single platform rate. Courses start at £15, and the catalogue holds 30,759 of them, so the same subject can carry a wide spread. Read the listing for the specific course before paying.
Is there a free tier on Reed Courses?+
There is, which lets you browse the catalogue and try free material before committing to a paid course. Paid purchases are then covered by a 14 day refund window, so a first paid course is not a blind bet.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
- Future Skills Academy vs The TEFL Institute
- Reed Courses vs 101 Blockchains
- Reed Courses vs Upgrad knowledgehut
- Future Skills Academy vs CrackCerts
- Future Skills Academy vs Summit Professional Education
- Future Skills Academy vs Centre of Excellence
- Future Skills Academy vs ACSM
- Future Skills Academy vs Amen University
- Future Skills Academy vs Simplilearn
- Future Skills Academy vs DataCamp
- Future Skills Academy vs Learning 24/7
- Future Skills Academy vs Legale Lover
- Future Skills Academy vs International Open Academy