Due to the covid-19 pandemic there was a sudden introduction of online classes in all the medical colleges in India which had lot of implications in the knowledge and skill acquisition on the part of medical students. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction of medical students towards online teaching and learning when compared to the conventional classroom teaching. Methods: Data was obtained from 249 medical students across three medical colleges in South India. Ten parameters were measured for the effectiveness of online classes and five parameters to measure satisfaction of online classes, both of which were measured on a five-point Likert scale. Results: Online classes were equally, or more effective in some parameters, like offering convenience and offering better understanding through recorded classes but less effective in some other parameters that were studied. Satisfaction levels were high in parameters like class materials provided and availability of e-resources. Results showed a high positive correlation between convenience, and satisfaction with online learning. Conclusion: Our findings have shown that online classes can assist the teaching process in medical colleges in some aspects, but not all, which is why combination of both methods called ‘blended learning’ can be adopted.