Top 7 Maven Alternatives to Have Your Own Cohort-Based Platform (AI-Powered 2024)
If you’re in search of maven alternatives for your own cohort-based course platform, you understand that Maven isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
In this article, we’ll explore the top alternatives that can fit live learning tools, provide new course creation features, and potentially offer a better user experience. Continue reading for a curated list of Maven alternatives that might match or even exceed what you’ve come to expect from Maven.
What we will discover together:
- Maven Learning has become prominent with its cohort-based online courses that emphasize collaborative learning experiences, community engagement, and live, interactive sessions. Although this is true, instructors may find the high commission rates and regional limitations challenging.
- When looking for Maven alternatives, key considerations include intuitive usability, scalability, community features, and white labeling for a branded and personalized experience.
- Discover Disco.co, an all-in-one learning platform that champions collaborative learning through its community-centric model. At Disco, we don't get commission fees like Maven. Instead, you gain full control over your revenue on a platform that's truly yours, complete with your own branding for a fully personalized experience.
Let's explore what Disco and other Maven alternatives can do more for your educational business!
What is Maven Learning?
Platforms such as Maven Learning have revolutionized the online learning world. With over 400 online cohort-based courses conducted by industry experts, and founded by two biggest founders in the field--Gagan Biyani, ex-founder of Udemy, and Wes Kao, Maven has reshaped the educational landscape by providing each student with a personalized learning journey.
Just recently, Maven launched "Build with AI", a list of AI courses from AI productivity to AI creativity. No matter your field of interest, be it long-term project management using Apache Maven, design leadership, or AI product management, Maven has a course tailored to your needs, including Java-based project courses in a Java development environment for your next Java project.
Why Should You Look for Maven Alternatives?
As with any platform, Maven Learning has its strengths and weaknesses. On the plus side, Maven offers high earning potential for instructors. The platform is also well-received by students, earning an average rating of 9.1/10 for its engaging course content and knowledgeable instructors. However, there are a few downsides to consider as well.
Maven Learning isn't for you if:
- You're aiming for a lasting presence in the educational industry. Maven's platform doesn't offer the autonomy to fully own and shape your platform to reflect your unique brand. This limitation makes it tough to establish and customize your learning environment to your exact specifications.
- You prefer to retain all of your earnings. Maven charges a 10% commission for each student enrolled in your course. For instance, if you have a class of 30 students each paying $1500, Maven's cut would be $150 per student, totaling a commission of $4500. In contrast, consider Disco LMS, a leading Maven alternative, where you can subscribe to our organizational plan for just $359 per month.
- You're looking to launch your course swiftly. Maven requires you to complete a 4-week course accelerator program before you can start teaching. On the other hand, with Disco, you can kick off your course in less than a day using Disco AI, streamlining the course creation process considerably.
- You seek flexibility in managing your educational content. With Maven, your options are limited since your content resides within their ecosystem. This is akin to relying on social media for content management—you lack complete control and cannot tailor the platform to your preferences.
Key Features to Consider When Choosing Maven Alternatives
Feature #1: Highly Customizable, White-Labeled Platform
A standout Maven alternative should offer an intuitive, fully-owned learning and community platform. The ideal platform empowers you with complete control, facilitating a seamless user experience that keeps learners captivated and streamlines their journey through the learning material.
Such a platform not only simplifies the navigation but also fosters a sense of belonging, crucial for sustained engagement and a reduced learning curve with new software. With Disco, you can easily customize the appearance of your platform according to your brand.
- Navigate to the admin area and select "Appearance." Make sure you are logged in.
- Personalize your platform with a custom logo, favicon, and cover photo. If you're starting from scratch, don't worry—our AI can conjure up some stunning images and logos for you. Just click the "Generate" button and write a prompt for your AI-generated images.
- Plus, you can switch between a light or dark theme to match the mood of your course content. For instance, if you're running a software development course, a sleek dark mode with your brand's accent colors might be just the ticket.
- Don't overlook the "Labels" section. Here, you can fine-tune the terminology used across your platform. For example, at SuperEducators, what we offer isn't just courses—they're "Superpowers."
- Finally, take a moment to customize the sidebar. With a simple toggle, you can adjust its appearance to better align with your platform's aesthetic and usability needs.
📺 Watch this short tutorial to master the process:
Feature #2: An AI-Powered Platform
Another consideration is the platform should be AI-powered, not just by ChatGPT but by a native AI that trains your knowledge base, turns this into insights, and gives you necessary recommendations to fully grow your learning products.
Curious about how an AI-powered platform works? Disco AI, one of the most powerful native AI learning and community tools, allows you to write a draft lesson in seconds.
- Begin by navigating to the "Products" section and clicking the “+” icon to add a new course.
- Select from a variety of templates and customize. In this case, I selected a "cohort-based course" template, making it accessible to the public.
- After selecting a template, you'll be presented with a range of pre-set formats that you can fine-tune, edit, and personalize. This includes a drag-and-drop interface and various content types for a tailored experience. Enhance your content by adding text, videos, assignments, and quizzes with a simple click of the “+” icon.
- Unleash the power of AI to draft a lesson in a mere 5 seconds! While the AI composes your content, you're free to rearrange modules and introduce new ones on the fly.
- Extend your course's reach by creating additional "apps" such as events, social feeds, channels, and a knowledge library to enrich the learning ecosystem.
📺 Watch this short tutorial to master the process:
Feature #3: Robust Learning Suite with Integrated Community Tools
A key feature of an ideal Maven alternative is the integration of a robust learning suite with comprehensive community tools, ensuring that the learning experience is not only collaborative and engaging but also enjoyable.
With Maven Learning, students learn in groups, providing a holistic approach that fosters a dynamic and supportive learning environment that goes beyond traditional educational models, making the process of acquiring new skills as fun as it is effective. Therefore, it's great to have this collaborative approach with learning and community tools built in one place.
Additionally, community engagement and management features play a significant role in enhancing the learning experience and promoting active learner interaction, collaboration, and feedback. Deploying software efficiently is essential to ensure the success of these processes, including the management of the development cycle’s repetitive operations.
Best Alternative: Disco.co is a great contender of Maven Learning and is voted hands down as the best community and learning platform, excelling in both domains with flying colors. Purpose-built to synergize learning within a community framework, Disco ensures that community dynamics enhance the learning process, while the educational content enriches community interactions.
Top 7 Maven Alternatives for 2024
With the continuous evolution of online learning platforms, a multitude of Maven alternatives have emerged, each bringing unique features and benefits to the table.
Whether you’re an individual educator, a corporation, or a budding entrepreneur in the e-learning space, exploring these alternatives can open up new avenues for growth and innovation.
#1. DISCO.CO - A World-Class LMS Trusted by the Top Virtual Academies and The Best Maven Alternative 2024
Disco.co proves its reputation as a world-class LMS by earning the trust of premier virtual academies and becoming the go-to platform for industry experts who have successfully scaled their educational ventures.
It is one of the pioneering platforms for cohort-based courses aside from Maven, and the platform is purposefully designed for the collaborative learning experience, which is the main benefit of cohort-based learning.
Top virtual academies like AltMBA, CourseHero, and XPRIZE, along with innovative platforms such as WeAreNoCode and Dribbble, have chosen Disco for its robust features and reliable performance, showcasing its dominance as the top Maven alternative for 2024.
Here's What Top Virtual Academies Are Saying:
- “Disco has allowed us to build a scalable education offering at Dribbble." - Dribbble
- “Disco is the most thoughtful, creative, and well-designed LMS on the market." - Irrational Labs
- "We would not have been able to grow as fast as a school if it weren’t for Disco.” - The Fountain Institute
- “Disco is honestly a game-changer for learning management." - Econome
- “Disco was honestly the best platform." - BatteryMBA
- "Disco brought our business to the next level." - WeAreNoCode
Lastly, Disco didn't just arrive on the scene—it danced to the top, grabbing two big awards in 2023: The "Edtech Breakthrough's Startup of the Year" and the "Fast Company's Most Innovative in Education." These aren't just fancy awards to show off; they prove that Disco is changing the game in education tech.
Do you want to take your virtual school to the next level? Sign up at Disco with our 14-day free trial, and begin your course creation journey.
Other Maven Alternatives 2024
#2. Eduflow - A Powerful Maven Alternative for Social Learning
Another good alternative to Maven is Eduflow. Eduflow is a flexible and user-friendly platform designed for creating and managing online courses. It offers the following features:
- User-friendly platform
- On-the-go access to courses
- Different types of lessons
- Tracking lesson completion
- Easy navigation
- Peer-grading
- Content-only activities
Eduflow stands out from traditional platforms with its focus on interactive learning activities like anonymous peer reviews, which make learning more engaging and memorable.
It offers a variety of pricing tiers to suit different user needs, making it a versatile choice for individual educators and corporations alike.
Seamless Migration from Eduflow ➡️ Disco
Although Eduflow is the #2 on our list, it was acquired by Multiverse in 2023 and will stop operating publicly in 2024. Due to that, here's a seamless way of transitioning from Eduflow to Disco if you are a current user of Eduflow.
For non-user, feel free to read our comprehensive review of Eduflow Alternatives.
#3. Virtually - Robust Back-End Support for Cohort-Based Courses
Virtually is an ideal choice if you require a platform that provides robust backend support for cohort-based academies. Virtually helps streamline event management by allowing you to schedule events, send invites, and track attendance.
It also offers reporting and analytics features, supports virtual event management, and integrates smoothly with systems like Zoom, Google Calendar, and Slack.
Virtually stands out by providing features tailored to the needs of educational organizations. It aims to create a marketplace for new cohort-based courses and provides strong integration with tools like Zoom and Slack, making it a powerful tool for developers and educators organizing bootcamps and other learning events.
#4. Airtribe - For Content Discovery and Engagement
Another good alternative to Maven Learning is Airtribe. This platform offers unique features like cross-device compatibility, multi-level groups, and the ability to share one link, enhancing the learning experience for users.
Whether you’re a student or an educator, Airtribe’s diverse features make it easy to navigate and engage with the platform.
What sets Airtribe apart is its focus on content discoverability and engagement. The platform allows tech professionals to create and host their own courses, offering features like user authentication, content creation tools, data analysis, and reporting.
#5. EducateMe - Flexible and User-Friendly Platform
EducateMe provides a range of solutions for creators of cohort courses. It provides a wide range of tools and features to support various learning methods, making it a versatile platform for online educators. Some of the features include:
- Analytics & stats
- Learning Management
- Meetings recordings
- Messenger
- Assignments
- In-app notifications
These features enhance the user experience, making it easy to create and manage online courses, manage projects, and enables test driven development. Task runners enable seamless automation of repetitive tasks, further improving the overall workflow.
EducateMe stands out for its flexibility and user-friendliness. Both educators creating courses and students engaging with the material find it extremely user-friendly, making it a popular choice among online learning platforms.
#6. Clickto - Personalized Live Learning Experience
Next, we present Clickto, a platform that enables users to create and manage cohort-based courses. Clickto offers the following features:
- Secure messaging
- Notifications
- Multimedia resource library
- Social media automation
- Build automation
These features help to create a collaborative and interactive learning space, enhancing the user experience.
In addition to its community features, Clickto offers a range of tools to assist in creating courses. The platform offers various engagement tools for course creation, making it easy to create educational courses with teamwork and real-time insights.
#7. Mighty Networks - Robust Community Management Tools
For cohort-based learning creators, Mighty Networks offers the flexibility to structure their courses in a way that promotes engagement and peer interaction.
The Mighty Networks platform's robust community management tools allow for the creation of private groups, subgroups, and member categories, ensuring that each cohort can have its own dedicated space for collaboration and discussion.
This level of customization and control makes Mighty Networks a strong contender for those looking to create a comprehensive, community-centric learning experience.
Explore Mighty Networks Alternatives!
Learn As You Build Your Learning Community in 21 Days! 🚀
Instead of learning how to create a course with Maven in 4 weeks, join a challenge where you learn as you build your own learning community with a cohort for only 3 weeks!
In today's e-learning space, creating a course isn't enough. It should be integrated with a community to make it work. So, here is the opportunity to build your own and make it successful using the Disco platform, surrounding yourself with industry experts and like-minded people.
The 21-Day Learning Community Challenge on the Disco platform offers a unique opportunity to overcome common challenges faced in cultivating vibrant learning communities.
Each day of the challenge provides actionable insights and strategies based on our Community Playbook to transform obstacles into opportunities for growth and success.
You'll discover how to engage diverse members effectively, create consistent value, foster a sense of belonging, sustain growth and momentum, establish effective feedback mechanisms, and leverage technology efficiently.
By joining this challenge, you become part of a community of over 1000 leaders who are shaping the future of learning.
Discover 6 game-changing strategies from Section CEO Greg Shove.
Discover 6 game-changing strategies from Section CEO Greg Shove.
Wrapping Up: Disco as The Best Maven Alternative
Disco stands out as a superior platform after evaluating several Maven alternatives, especially when it comes to deploying software packages.
The platform combines all the necessary administrative features, group management options, and bulk management capabilities in one place, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a comprehensive learning environment.
Disco is renowned for its user-friendly and intuitive interface, which emphasizes community building and engagement. It provides a rewarding learning experience that is both engaging and effective. Start your Disco experience by booking a demo or with our 14-day free trial! 💜
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