Traditional classes are great as they are hands on and you get to meet other couples. They are fantastic for talking through your fears with others and hearing other people’s concerns. Traditional classes are usually over a day and go through a lot of information over a short period of time. The classes tend to run from when you are about 7 months pregnant.
The childbirth classes also go through some hands on demonstrations and give you a chance to ask the course leader questions
The classes sometimes give you a tour of the hospital and focus mainly on the stages of labor and in my experience not enough emphasis on breathing and relaxation.
Online birthing courses however are great as they offer flexibility in learning, if like me you struggle to take in information and need to read something a few times to understand it then online is great.
An online childbirth class can be taken if you are 12 weeks pregnant, 24 weeks pregnant or even 39 weeks pregnant (Although I wouldn’t recommend this!)
If for some reason you need a specific course eg, if you are having twins and have a c section booked you may want a course that focuses entirely on giving birth via Cesarean section or you have decided that you definitely want an epidural or you want to go down the Hypnobirthing route.
You are also mostly given access to private facebook groups where you can discuss topics with like minded parents
It totally depends on you and what type of learning suits you.