Students or professionals want to upgrade their skills. E-learning platforms bring revolution to the learning sector. It brings the world of learning in front of you. However, it sometimes becomes hard to choose the right platform. In this article, I have curated a deep comparison between Udemy vs Coursera, two of the top e-learning platforms.
If you are stuck between Udemy and Coursera, this article is just for you. Here, I have discussed all the differences between Udemy and Coursera. It will help you to decide on the right learning platform for you.
Table of Contents
Udemy vs Coursera: Overview
Udemy and Coursera both come among the best e-learning platforms. They offer good quality courses.
Overview of Udemy
Udemy, a US-based e-learning platform has been operational since 2010. This platform has created a history in the digital learning platform. It has produced more than 200k courses in 75 different languages. More than 750 million learners have benefited to date. It diversifies its courses into different segments and subsegments.
Overview of Coursera
Coursera, founded in 2012, has become one of the best e-learning platforms. Its course quality, graduation and post-graduation programs, and collaboration with formally accredited institutions make it different from the others.
Coursera also provides courses in different categories and languages. It has more than 7k high-quality courses. To date, more than 105 million learners have joined this e-learning platform.
Differences Between Udemy vs Coursera
| Udemy | Coursera | |
| Course Quality | Medium to high-quality courses. | Only high-quality courses. |
| Instructors | Anyone can be an instructor by meeting some basic criteria. | Courses are created and designed by top institutions around the world. |
| Support | Good Support system. It also offers Live Chat Support. | Like Udemy, Coursera also provides good support. Live Chat Support is also available. |
| Affordability | 13 USD to 99 USD | Certification Course: 25 USD to 99 USD Degree/Specialization Courses: 10,000 USD to 25,000 USD |
| Website | www.udemy.com | www.coursera.org |
Udemy vs Coursera: Pros and Cons
Udemy and Coursera are among the top e-learning platforms. They have been producing high-quality courses for more than a decade. However, I am curating the pros and cons of Udemy vs Coursera that will help you to choose the right platform for you.
Pros and Cons of Udemy
Udemy Pros
- Udemy has a library of more than 210 thousand courses in various segments and subsegments.
- It provides you with lifetime access to the course purchased.
- Single courses can be bought on Udemy.
- Udemy offers various courses in 75 different languages.
- Udemy provides you with a course completion certificate.
- Udemy offers an easy-to-use interface.
Udemy Cons
- Udemy is not an accredited institution. That is why the certificates may not be very valuable in your CV.
- Most of the courses, especially the intermediate and advanced courses are expensive on Udemy.
- The quality of courses is not always promising in each course.
Pros and Cons of Coursera
Coursera Pros
- Coursera offers a variety of courses including master’s degrees and specializations.
- Coursera has collaborated with accredited universities around the globe.
- The courses are designed by institutions and universities.
- Each course is of high quality, well-designed and structured.
- Certificates from Coursera come under the name of the accredited institution.
- You can buy single courses.
Coursera Cons
- Learning on Coursera may require references from other books for a better understanding of the subject matter.
- You cannot start courses on any random date. You have to wait for the scheduled start date.
- Coursera offers no certification for the free courses.
Udemy vs Coursera: Course Quality
Udemy and Coursera both offer various courses in various niches. However, there are huge differences between the courses they offer. Coursera offers mainly specialized courses designed by some universities and colleges.
On the other hand, Udemy offers plenty of professional and skill development courses. Here, I am going to pen down the course quality of Udemy vs Coursera. It may help you to choose the right e-learning platform for you.
Udemy:
Udemy offers more than 213 thousand courses and some free courses in various languages and niches. The courses on Udemy are of good quality. Udemy categorized its courses into 13 segments and lots of subsegments. This will help you to figure out your course with ease.
However, most of the videos are at least 30 minutes long. This may make you feel bored sometimes. As an add-on, not all the courses are promising. Some courses are engaging and of high quality, and some are lacking good content.
Coursera:
Coursera offers more than seven thousand courses including degrees and specialization courses. It has partnered with many accredited institutions which design the courses. That is why the courses are high-quality, well-structured, and designed. Moreover, you can access the specialized courses of some renowned universities through this platform.
It has categorized its courses into 11 segments that ease the search for your desired course. Moreover, the quality of courses is promising and the learning experiences are quite pleasing on Coursera.
Udemy vs Coursera: Instructors
Instructors or teachers are the heart and soul of the courses, right? Well, let’s discuss Udemy vs Coursera based on the quality of the instructors.
Instructors on Udemy
In Udemy, anyone can be an instructor. Each instructor has to meet some basic criteria. Udemy checks the quality of the course before publishing but not in depth. That is why not all the courses on Udemy are promising. So, I recommend having a look at the feedback on the course to ensure its quality.
Udemy also creates and sells its courses. You can find them in the Udemy Official Courses section. These courses are good in quality but are a bit expensive.
Here is the list of the 10 best courses available on Udemy:
10 Best Courses on Udemy:
- Data Science: Create Real-World projects
- Web Developer Bootcamp
- Microsoft Excel Basics
- Ajax Development
- Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch
- The Ultimate Cryptocurrency Trading Course
- Ethical Hacking: Reverse Shells
- MS Office Advanced – Efficiency Training
- Graphic Design Masterclass – Learn GREAT Design
- SAP ABAP Programming for Beginners
Instructors on Coursera
Courses in Coursera are designed and created by partnered institutions and universities. Before publishing the courses, Coursera conducts beta testing. It comprises the evaluation of the course by professionals in that subject matter. That is why all the courses on Coursera are high-quality, promising, and engaging.
Coursera offers professional and skill development courses. It also offers specialization and degree courses from some renowned colleges across the world. You can also see the feedback to know the quality of the particular course.
10 Best Courses on Coursera:
- Google Project Management
- Google Data Analytics
- Meta Marketing Analytics
- IBM Data Science
- International Business Essentials Specialization
- Getting Started with Power BI Desktop
- Python for Everybody Specialization
- Machine Learning for Analytics
- BSc Computer Science
- Machine Learning
Udemy vs Coursera: Support
Discussing Udemy vs Coursera based on their support system is quite difficult. Both e-learning platforms provide exceptionally good support to their learners.
Udemy’s Support System
The Udemy Support system answers almost all the questions about them. They also have curated a list of FAQs. You can also opt for live chat support. It additionally helps doubts regarding anything on the platform.
Coursera’s Support System
Like Udemy, Coursera also provides a powerful support system to its users. You will get answers to any question like how to make a payment or how to enroll for a course etc. Moreover, it also provides its learners with live chat support. This helps the user to get answers more specifically.
Udemy vs Coursera: Affordability
Affordable and quality courses are essential to be popular. Here, I will focus on the point of Udemy vs Coursera based on the affordability factor.
How Affordable is Udemy?
The course price in Udemy ranges between 13 USD to 199 USD. Well, most of the desired and good-quality courses on Udemy are quite expensive. However, after purchasing a course, the learner will get lifetime access to the enrolled course.
Udemy also offers more than 500 free courses. It has a refund window of 30 days. That means, after the purchase, users can ask for a refund within 30 days if the course does not meet their expectations.
How Affordable is Coursera?
Coursera has mainly two types of courses. One is certification and skill development courses. The other one is Specialization and degree courses. Certification courses have a lower price than Udemy. Their price ranges between 25 USD to 99 USD.
However, specialization and degree courses are quite expensive. Their price ranges between 10,000 USD to 25,000 USD. Because these courses are offered by top universities around the world. However, the price is justified. It means you have access to the specialized courses of top universities from your doorstep.
Coursera has a refund policy of 14 days. You can request a refund within 14 days of purchasing the course.
Udemy vs Coursera: Conclusion
Udemy and Coursera both are among the most popular e-learning platforms. In this article, I have done a comparative study between Udemy and Coursera. I have compared them based on various aspects. How to choose the right platform entirely depends on your needs. Here, I am categorizing who should join Udemy and who should join Coursera.
Who is the best-suitable for Udemy?
Udemy is most suitable for those who are looking for skill development courses in various niches like IT, Photography, Video Editing, marketing, etc. Professional courses are quite good on this platform.
You should remember that Udemy is not for adding a certificate to your CV. You should opt for Coursera then.
Who is best-suitable for Coursera?
Coursera offers various courses designed by accredited institutions. If you want deep guidance about the subject matter and a certificate, you should join Coursera.
Coursera offers Degree and specialization courses too. If you long for a degree from a top university, Coursera is the right choice for you.
Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ): Udemy vs Coursera
Does Udemy provide Certificates?
Udemy provides their learner with a certificate after successful completion of the course. However, it is not a formally accredited institution. That is why the certificate has lesser value in your resume.
What are some great Udemy alternatives?
Udemy has tons of great alternatives, each with their own unique features for different learners. You can read more about the best Udemy alternatives to make a more informed decision.
What are some great Coursera competitors?
Like Udemy, there are tons of great competitors to Coursera, such as eDX, and you can check out my article on the best Coursera competitors to find out more!
Does Coursera offer Certificates?
Coursera also offers certificates. The certificates come under the name of the accredited institution for the opted courses.
Does Coursera have master’s degree courses?
Coursera offers graduation, post-graduation, and specialization courses. These courses are offered by some of the top universities around the world.
