Maven vs Stepik

Maven is a free web platform for experts and creators offering cohort-based courses directly to their audiences. It also supports one-day workshops and free interactive Lightning Lessons. Cohort courses emphasize active learning through projects and learning with peers. Course formats include Classic, Weekend Seminar, Hybrid, live sessions, projects, pre-recorded videos, readings, templates, and resource links. Maven describes its instructor tools as an all-in-one set covering email marketing, landing pages, lead generation, content, and community. Stripe processes enrollment payments and instructor payouts. For course events, Maven can create Zoom links and share recordings with students. Lightning Lessons work with Zoom Pro or Business, but not Google Meet, Teams, or other webinar platforms. Maven is free until a student pays; for paid enrollments, it keeps 10%, while instructors receive 90% minus Stripe fees. Its guidance sets a $200 minimum for any paid offering. Maven handles refund requests, and its guarantee allows full refunds through halfway completion.

Stepik is an educational platform and online-course builder with automatic assignment checking. Registered users can create public courses for free using videos, text, and automatically checked assignments. Authors can also run contests, training, professional development, or courses for employees and customers. Courses may be free or paid; paid courses include expanded functionality and built-in payment processing, with Stepik taking a commission and charging no plan or subscription fee. Courses can be embedded with an iframe, connected through OAuth 2, or integrated with learning platforms using LTI 1.1. Named LTI-compatible platforms include Moodle, Open edX, Coursera, Blackboard LMS, Canvas, and Sakai. Stepik says its site works through an API, and learners can study on its website or mobile app. Offline learning and completion certificates are listed. Free public course creation costs nothing. Stepik says its Enterprise plan has been unavailable to new subscribers since May 2023; that plan previously limited private courses to 1,000 learners each.