Udemy Vs Udacity Vs Coursera – Side by Side Comparison for the Best Platform to Take Online Courses

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This article, first published in December 2014, was updated to represent recent changes across the platforms. It now compares Udemy Vs Udacity Vs Coursera online courses platforms.

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Udemy is an online market place open to ”industry experts” to teach their knowledge and area of expertise to learners.

Udacity partners with “industry leaders” like Google, Facebook, AT&T & Microsoft, to teach technology skills today employers need.

Coursera partners with “top Universities” like Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Manchester, and University of Sydney etc to offer courses to learners around the world.

In addition to their different models, the major difference here is in “who creates the content”. The decision is between learning from industry experts (Udemy), industry employers (Udacity) and top university professors (Coursera).

Comparison of Udemy Vs Udacity Vs Coursera

The table below is a side-by-side comparison of the three major online learning platforms.

UdemyUdacityCoursera
FoundersEren Bali, Gagan Biyani, Oktay CaglarSebastian Thrun, David StavensDaphne Koller, Andrew Ng
Launched2010February 2012April 2012
ObjectiveTo help anyone learn anythingTo bring accessible, affordable, engaging, and highly effective higher education to the worldTo provide universal access to the world’s best education
Beginner CoursesYesYesLimited
Intermediate CoursesYesYesYes
Advanced CoursesYesYesYes
Course Content CreatorsAuthors, professors, experts, professionals, entrepreneurs, public speakersIndustry Employers and experts from tech companiesProfessors from top colleges and universities
PartnersIndividual instructorsTech companiesColleges & universities
Subject AreasAlmost everything from business & entrepreneurship, academics, the arts, health & fitness, language, music, photography, yoga, technology, gamesTechnology related courses. Android, iOS, data analytics, Software Engineering & Web developmentCourses are offered in academic-style category: Business, Computer Science, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Data Science, Life Sciences etc
Number of Courses65,000+150+2,000+
Users15 million+1.6 million+24 million+
Video on DemandYesYesYes
Live ClassesNoNoYes
PDFsYes for Some coursesYesYes
Download for offlineInstructor can choose to enable or disable this feature. Courses can be saved for offline viewing on mobile appYesCourses can be saved for offline viewing on mobile app
Quizzes & AssessmentYesYesYes
Free CoursesAvailableAvailableAvailable
Paid Courses$20-$200 (one-time)$199 per month$29 - $499 (one-time)
Refund PolicyWithin 30 days of purchaseCancel enrollment at any time. Does not refund monthly fee once a given month has been billed.Two weeks after your payment date, or until you earn a Course Certificate.
Discounts & CouponsReadily available – Get Udemy Courses for $11.99.LimitedLimited. Usually available for Specializations
CertificationYes. For most coursesAvailable for Paid optionAvailable for Paid option
Popularity/ Alexa Ranking (as at 06 March 2018)3441,356650
Learners CommunityNoYesYes
Quality ControlLimitedYesYes
User Rating & ReviewsYesYesYes
WebsiteVisit Udemy.comVisit Udacity.comVisit Coursera.org

Udemy, Udacity or Coursera – Which is better?

Eventually, it’s totally up to you to decide. If you want to learn technology skills from tech companies, pay about $200 per month to complete the course and get a certificate, consider Udacity. Browse Courses on Udacity.

If you want to learn anything from android, iOS & web development to business & entrepreneurship, academics, health & fitness, language, music, photography, yoga, games etc, in a less academic style, consider Udemy. Browse Courses on Udemy.

If you want a more university style learning from the academia, consider Coursera. Browse Courses on Coursera

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