If you’re interested in developing your proofreading skills for personal or professional use, there’s a wealth of online proofreading courses to help you grow your skills.
Proofreading is an incredibly flexible freelance job if you’re looking for a side hustle, extra income, or want to add to your freelance skill set. There are a lot of training programs available, and our team has reviewed the options to share our list of best online proofreading courses for 2024.
Table of Contents
1. Proofreading Launchpad
One of the most comprehensive online proofreading courses available is Proofreading Launchpad, and for full transparency, this is a Millennial Money Man course. The course is divided into three main sections: learning core proofreading skills, applying those skills, landing clients, and running a successful proofreading business.
There are 81, video-based lessons included in the following 10 modules of the Proofreading Launchpad course:
- Introduction to Proofreading
- Grammar
- Spelling
- Punctuation
- Methods, Marks, & Tools
- Proofreading in Practice
- Client Acquisition
- Building Your Proofreading Business
- Getting into the Freelance Flow
- Putting it All Together
It includes 8+ pieces of bonus content, ongoing education, and limited free access to the Proofreading Launchpad community. The bonus content includes an invoice template, Freelancer’s Tax Blueprint, keyboard shortcuts, and more.
This is one of the best online proofreading courses because it truly walks you through the process of learning all of the necessary skills (including how to work with style guides) and then how to apply them as you build a freelance business. It’s taught by Ariel Gardner, who, before becoming the Head of Content for M$M, worked as a freelance proofreader, editor, and writer. She’s worked with writers who have appeared in Forbes, CNBC, and on the New York Times bestseller list.
Cost: $597 for lifetime access
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2. Becoming a Proofreader
The Knowadays Becoming a Proofreader course can help you on your path to becoming a paid proofreading professional. It’s a flexible, 13-module course that teaches you about common mistakes, style guides, and proofreading nuances.
The goal of this course is to teach you professional proofreading skills and how to work with clients as a freelancer.
The curriculum includes modules, like:
- Basics Of Microsoft Word
- Academic Proofreading
- Creative Writing And The Publishing Industry
- Proofreading in Practice
- Proofreading Business Writing
One of the unique things about the Knowadays proofreading course is that it gives students the chance to work with their partner company, Proofed, which provides proofreading services for students, researchers, and business owners. To be eligible for this opportunity, you’ll have to pass Knowadays Becoming a Proofreader and Becoming an Editor course with grades of 80% or higher.
Where Knowadays proofreading course falls short is that there’s no group support, which can be a huge asset as you get started and want coaching help.
Cost: $499 with one-week free trial
3. Editing and Proofreading Masterclass
Editing and Proofreading Masterclass is a beginner-level Skillshare course that includes 3+ hours of video lessons. Most of this course focuses on proofreading rules and editing best practices, with lessons like:
- Redundancy and Repetition
- Avoid Adjectives, Adverbs, and Weak Nouns
- Capitalization
- Clarifying Syntax
- Fact Checking
There are two short lessons on finding proofreading jobs, including an introduction to Upwork. However, this is one of the proofreading courses that focuses mainly on proofreading skills. That means it could be a good course for a freelancer who already feels comfortable with client acquisition and building a business. But if you want those lessons in a course, there are better proofreading courses out there.
Cost: Skillshare courses are included with a Skillshare membership, which starts at about $14/month or $168/year. You only have access to course materials when you’re paying for a subscription.
4. Proofreading to Perfection
Proofreading to Perfection is one of the most popular online proofreading courses on Udemy, which is an online-learning platform that offers classes on any number of topics and skills. This course includes 1.5 hours of video content, eight downloadable resources, and opportunities to practice your skills.
This is one of the shorter online proofreading courses, and it’s really meant to help you brush up on your skills or work as an introduction to the practice. You can see that in the main lessons:
- When to Proofreading
- The Top 5 Proofreading Methods
- Tools That Help or Hinder Proofreading
- Proofreading Trouble Spots
- Special Proofreading Situations
Proofreading to Perfection does not include lessons on finding working, running your business, or coaching.
Cost: $44.99
5. Proofread Anywhere
Proofread Anywhere has made a name for itself as offering one of the best online proofreading courses since it was launched in 2017 by Caitlin Pyle. There are two distinct courses offered: the General Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ course and the Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ course.
The majority of budding proofreaders will find the most value in the General Proofreading Course, which includes lessons on:
- Grammar Refresher
- Sentence Structure
- Proofreading Methods
- Proofreading Practice
- Marketing Basics
You also gain bonus content focused on helping you navigate work-from-home life, taxes, and your mindset around freelancing.
Cost: $497 for General Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ (Ignite) and $597 General Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ (Ignite Plus).
6.The Publishing Training Centre
If you’re looking for the best online proofreading courses for students in the UK, Essential Proofreading by The Publishing Training Centre is a solid course that delivers lessons on techniques, best practices, the difference between proofreading and proof-editing, editing symbols, and more.
Essential Proofreading has six modules in total, and they all contain self-check exercises to check your understanding as you move through the course. All of the content is delivered through The Publishing Training Centre’s online learning platform, and you’ll need Adobe Reader DC (free version) and Microsoft Word (2010 or later) to complete the coursework.
Cost: £395.00
7. Proofreading Your Own Work
Most of the proofreading courses on this list are focused on helping you learn proofreading skills that you can apply in the freelance world, but Proofreading Your Own Work is specifically designed to help you edit your own writing.
This course is put out by CreativeLive, and it includes just over an hour of video-based course content. You can stream it on your computer or mobile, and you can view a sample lesson before you purchase.
In addition to the course videos, you also get access to a:
- Hyphenation table
- Resource Guide
- Get Started Kit
Cost: $20 one-time cost or $13/month subscription to CreativeLive for access to 2,000+ courses.
Final Word on Best Online Proofreading Courses
The online learning world is booming, and this is by no means an exhaustive list, but those are the best online proofreading courses according to our team’s research and student reviews. We highly recommend our course, Proofreading Launchpad, because it takes you from beginner to successfully running a proofreading side hustle. It includes the knowledge, tools, and training necessary to feel confident as you begin to make money proofreading.