6 Online Learning Platforms Comparison: Udemy vs. Udacity vs. Coursera vs. EDX vs. Pluralsight vs. Lynda

Udemy

Pros:

1. Free Courses. Udemy offers over 6,700 free courses.

2. Wide variety of courses. With 13 categories and dozens of sub-categories you’ll be spoilt for choice.

3. 30-day Refund Policy. If the course wasn’t what you expected, Udemy will give your money back no questions asked.

Cons:

1. Non-Accredited Certificates. If you are looking for an official certification Udemy isn’t for you.

Udemy is one of the world's largest online course platforms. It creates an environment for imparting knowledge to individuals from the comforts of their homes. This platform is designed in such a way that students can learn and relearn new skills. Furthermore, it builds an avenue for expert instructors to create and share paid and free courses that go a long way in improving the skills of students.This global course provider is widely known for its innovation in the global marketplace providing opportunities for instructors to make some extra bucks while teaching passionate students.

With Udemy, individuals who have the will to learn can nurture and develop their careers, expand their knowledge, and explore a wide variety of hobbies. Courses found on Udemy are either free or paid (with affordable prices and huge discounts that go up to 90% off regular prices). People who have the passion to advance in their careers take these courses as a pathway to improve their job-related skills. When you finish a course on Udemy, you receive a certificate of completion. You can share it with your friends, relatives, co-workers and potential employers. However, certificates issued by Udemy cannot be used for formal accreditation, because Udemy is not an accredited institution. This implies that the courses will not count towards continuing education (CEUs) or college credits.

Courses Available in:

• Development: coding basics, game development, web development, programming languages (JavaScript, Python, Swift, Java, Ruby, C# & more), coding bootcamps, etc.

• Business: public speaking, Finance, presentation skills, financial analysis, entrepreneurship, Plus, writing, etc. data & analytics (deep learning, SQL, machine learning, data science & more).

• IT & Software: cyber security, IT certification, CCNA, network & security, etc.

• Office Productivity: Apple, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, SAP, etc.

• Personal Development: personal finance, productivity, career development, leadership, study skills, etc.

• Design: graphic design, drawing, UI design, web design, design tools (Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator & more), UX design, design thinking, etc.

• Marketing: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), mobile marketing, social media marketing, product marketing, marketing fundamentals, content marketing, etc.

• Lifestyle: gaming, arts & crafts, travel, training, dog etc.

• Photography: commercial photography, digital photography, video design, photography tools, etc.

• Health & Fitness: meditation, yoga, nutrition, self-defense, etc.

• Teacher Training: instructional design, online course creation, presentation skills, etc.

• Music: music techniques, instruments (guitar, piano & more), music software, music fundamentals, etc.

• Languages: Portuguese, English, Chinese, Spanish, etc.

Course Price:

There is quite a range of prices with some courses starting at $19.99 and others going up to $199.99. Udemy's  courses are on a constant year-round promotion of 90% to 95% discounted off the original price.

All of Udemy courses are a one-off payment which is made when you purchase the course and you get given lifetime access, so even after completing the course, you can go back as many times as you wish.

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Udacity

Pros:

1. Top-Quality Content. Udacity develops its own content with tight collaborations with (industry-leading) partners such as Google, AWS (Amazon), Mercedes or Nvidia.

2. Free Courses. Udacity offers over 200 free courses.

3. Certificates. If you complete a Nanodegree (how its programs are named) with Udacity you’ll earn a certificate.

Cons:

1. Limited Topics. Only offers courses about computer science and business.

Udacity saw the light of day all the way back in 2011. Funnily enough, it is actually a spin-off of free computer science classes that were at that time offered at Stanford University. Udacity brings accessible and highly effective education online to the world. They offer cutting edge programming and High Tech Courses online that bridges the gap between academic and real world skills. Udacity, like many others, is a MOOC-based platform. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses - this means that Udacity provides an online learning experience to anyone that would wish to sign up on the website and start learning.

Udacity has over 200 courses that are free. In this case it doesn't offer a certificate. Udacity's Nanodegrees are paid, and cost $399 per month, or you can pay upfront to receive a discount.Udacity offers different installment alternatives, PayPal and MasterCard for example. Udacity's paid courses aren't cheap, ensuring that you capitalize on the courses you buy. Pour as much time and energy into the educational programs as possible. By doing this, you will guarantee that you get your money’s worth.

Featured Programs:

• AI Programming with Python

• Android Basics

• Android Developer

• Artificial Intelligence for Trading

• Become an iOS Developer

• Business Analytics

• Data Analyst

• Data Scientist

• Design Sprint Foundations

• Front-End Web Developer

• Full Stack Web Developer

• Google AdWords

• Intro to Programming

• Machine Learning Engineer

• Predictive Analytics for Business

• Programming for Data Science

• React 

Only at Udacity:

• Artificial Intelligence

• Blockchain Developer

• Computer Vision

• Deep Learning

• Deep Reinforcement Learning

• Digital Marketing

• Flying Cars & Autonomous Flight

• Intro to Self-Driving Cars

• Learn Unreal VR

• Mobile Web Specialist

• Natural Language Processing

• Robotics Software Engineer

• Self-Driving Car Engineer

Course Price:

Udacity Nanodegrees programs cost $399 (€359 or £329) a month and each program will be between 2 to 6 months assuming you work an average of 5-10 hours every week. Some of Udacitys’ Nanodegrees can be completed at your own pace.  If you take longer than the estimated time to complete, the final course price will be higher as you’ll need to extend the program.  
There are about 200 courses that you can enjoy for free at Udacity. However, be aware that these free courses have some limitations, for instance, you won’t be able to get a completion certificate and you won’t be entitled to mentor support.

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Coursera

Pros:

1. Accredited University Degrees. You can get  online accredited degrees when you complete a course.

2. Free Courses. You can enjoy most of the courses for free, if you don’t need a completion certificate.

3. Quality Of Courses. Courses taught by top experts in their field from world-class Universities and Companies.

Cons:

1. Not always beginner-friendly. Some courses may require prior knowledge due to the nature of the course material.

Coursera provides you hundreds of Specializations and courses in business, computer science, data science, and more. Each and every course on Coursera is the best course which is taught by top professors and instructors from the world’s best universities and educational institutions. Courses include recorded video lectures, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and community discussion forums.

These courses consist of online recorded video lectures which can be downloaded, weekly quizzes, monthly projects, auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments, and Coursera community discussion forums. Also, when anybody completes a course, he or she will receive a shareable electronic Course Certificate. 

Featured courses:

• Data Science

• Business

• Computer Science

• Personal Development

• Information Technology

• Language Learning

• Health

• Math and Logic

• Social Sciences

• Physical Science

• Engineering

• Art and Humanities

Course Price:

Coursera offers a pretty diverse range of pricing due to the fact it has so many different learning programs. The individual courses can be between $29 to $99 and online degrees go up to $25,000. Many courses on Coursera have an Audit for free option, which means you have access to the majority of the course material for no cost. But do keep in mind that certain features like graded assignments and certificates are a paid feature.
The price will either be based on a monthly subscription or an individual one-off payment. Many of the Specializations are based on a monthly subscription with most offering a 7-day free trial.

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EDX

Pros:

1. Wide Partnerships. Courses are partnered with prestigious organizations, universities and companies like Harvard, Berkeley and Microsoft.

2. Accredited Certificates. You will receive accredited certificates on completion of your course.

3. Free Courses. You can follow most courses for free, if you don’t need a completion certificate.

4. 14-day Refund Policy. If you decide within 14 days of purchasing a verified course that you don’t want to continue, edX will give you a full refund immediately.

Cons:

1. Limited Topics. edX specializes in higher education and the sciences, so you won’t find all the topics.

If you are looking to learn from some of the most iconic institutions in the world such as MIT, Harvard University, Berkeley University, University of Texas and Boston University, then edX is your place for you!With edX, you can take thousands of online courses from top universities and organizations. The courses are taught by the world's leading experts and professors from UC Berkeley, Microsoft, The Smithsonian, Harvard, MIT, and more. All the course materials are available for free to everyone. If you want to earn a certificate to showcase your skills on your resume, you have to pay extra.

You can take courses at your own pace. If you want to connect with other students, check out discussion forums. Most edX courses consist of video lectures, reading materials, assignments, quizzes, and exams.  Besides courses, edX offers micro-credentials: MicroMasters, MicroBachelots, Xseries, Professional Certificate, and Executive Education. You can also get an online Master's Degree on edX.

Popular Courses offered by edX:

• Introduction to Computer Science (CS50) - HarvardX

• Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python - MITx

• Introduction to Linux - LinuxFoundationX

• Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Excel - Microsoft

• IELTS Academic Test Preparation - UQx

• English Grammar and Style - UQx
  

Course Price:

When you enrol on a course at edX you have two options. If you choose to Audit this course you will learn for free but won’t have access to all course material, and won’t earn a verified certificate when you complete the course.
Whereas if you opt to ‘Pursue the Verified track’ you will have access to all of the course material and earn your verified certificate. The professional education courses which edX offers are listed below along with its approximate cost:
Master’s Degree: An accredited program from some of the world’s top universities – $10,000 to $25,000.
MicroMasters: Equivalent to 25-50% of a Master’s degree that is powerful to fast track your career – $600 to $1,500.
MicroBachelors Programs: Designed for adult learners with some or no college experience looking to progress in their education – $500 to $1,500.
Professional Certificate Programs: Critical skills for a particular career path (e.g. Microsoft) created by industry leaders – $150 to $1,000.
Global Freshman Academy: Learners to earn full college credit for freshman year, also can opt to take individual courses for credit and transfer to another institution – Approximately $200 a credit.

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Pluralsight

Pros:

1. Free trial. A 10 day free trial or 200 minutes that gives you access to the entire library of 7500+ courses.

2. Mobile app available for learning on the go.

Cons:

1. Limited topics. Courses focus on technology based subjects.

2. No free Courses. Pluralsight doesn’t offer any free courses, it only has the 10 day free trial.

Pluralsight was founded in 2004 by Aaron Skonnard, Keith Brown, Fritz Onion, and Bill Williams. The initial idea of the company was to offer face-to-face training to companies. Only in 2007 did they pivot the business and turned it into a distance training platform (with recorded video lessons). In 2011, the company began to show exponential growth. It has become one of the best-known learning platforms on the market, ranking among the best companies to work for (in the small and medium-sized company category). In 2018, it went public on NASDAQ.

On Pluralsight, individuals and companies with a desire to learn tech skills can nurture and develop their careers, expand their knowledge and explore a wide range of courses. They offer courses covering the major areas of Software Development, IT Ops, Data Professional, Architecture & Construction, Manufacturing & Design, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning/AI, Business Professional, Information & Cyber Security, and Creative Professional. Pluralsight Free Trial is a great way to start learning on the platform. Pluralsight's pricing model is based on monthly or annual subscriptions, they don't offer single course payments.

Popular Courses offered by Pluralsight:

• Software Development

• IT Ops

• Creative Professional

• Data Professional

• Architecture & Construction

• Manufacturing & Design

• Business Professional

• Information & Cyber Security

Course Price:

Pluralsight works on a subscription based service offering courses for Novice, Proficient and Expert. As well as a free trial on any of its personal subscriptions, it offers 50 free tech courses. Its personal subscriptions models are the following;
Monthly: You’ll pay a monthly subscription of $29 that includes; Unlimited access to video course library (7500+ courses), certification practice exams, channels, Skill IQ, Role IQ, course discussions, exercise files, mobile and TV apps and offline viewing
Annual: You’ll pay an annual subscription of $299 per year that includes; Unlimited access to video course library (7500+ courses), certification practice exams, channels, Skill IQ, Role IQ, course discussions, exercise files, mobile and TV apps and offline viewing
Premium: You’ll pay an annual subscription of $449 per year that includes everything in the Monthly and Annual subscriptions. Plus unlimited certification practice exams, Interactive courses (hands-on coding challenges and guided feedback), Projects (test drive new  skills and apply them to real-world scenarios).

Lynda

Pros:

1. Free Trial. A 1-month free trial giving you access to the 15,000+ courses and other resources available.

2. Certificate Completion. Earn a certificate when you complete a course and share via your LinkedIn profile.

3. Offline Viewing. Able to download courses to the mobile app for offline viewing making it super convenient when you are on the go.

Cons:

1. Limited Course Topics. Lynda focuses on Business, Creative and Technology topic.

2. No Accredited Certificates. You will receive a completion certificate, but keep in mind this isn’t an accredited certificate from a University or a Partner.

Lynda.com is now LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning combines 100% of Lynda.com’s courses with LinkedIn data to give you personalized learning.If you’re looking for a website to take online courses for professional development, then LinkedIn Learning is certainly one of the better options out there.Here, you’ll find courses related to business, creativity, technology, Excel, Word, project management, and more.

One nice benefit of LinkedIn Learning is that you can get certificates, which are great to add to your resume, for just about any course you do. Beyond this, given that LinkedIn Learning is a part of LinkedIn, you can include these certificates right on your LinkedIn profile. This way, the certificate gives you even more credibility and makes the courses stand out even more than if they were just on your resume/CV.

Popular Courses offered by Lynda:

• Finance and Accounting Tips

• Effective Listening

• Introduction to Graphic Design

• Python Essential Training

• Time Management Fundamentals
  

Course Price:

Lynda courses have a couple of payment options. You can either pay for an individual course or sign up for either a Monthly or Annual subscription. Both of these subscriptions give you access to 15,000+ expert-led courses, personalized course recommendations, practice exercise files and quizzes, download to mobile app for offline viewing and earn a certificate on course completion.

Monthly: You will pay a monthly subscription of $29.99/month.

Annually: You will pay an annual fee that works out at $19.99/month.

Conclusion

Udemy vs. Udacity vs. Coursera vs. EDX vs. Pluralsight vs. Lynda which is Best for You?

Udemy, Udacity, Coursera, EDX, Pluralsight, and Lynda are all effective learning platforms.

Udemy is a great choice for people looking for a very large catalog of affordable per diem courses.

 Udacity is for anyone that is looking to gather knowledge and earn new skills in programming, business, data science, and more.

Coursera is the best choice for online students looking for a certification or degree from one of the best schools in the world.

If you are looking for a higher education course, then edX may be what you are looking for.

Lynda is a good choice for anyone looking for on-demand access to a diverse catalog of courses for one flat monthly fee.

Pluralsight is a world-class technology skills platform that is ideal for computer engineers.

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