Udemy vs Coursera: Which One Should You Choose For Upskilling?
In recent years, digital education has gained more and more ground. All this digital revolution has expanded the possibilities of professional training. It provides opportunities to those who did not have enough time to go to school to receive formal education or professionals who could not upskill themselves while working full-time. Coursera and Udemy are the leading platforms in this field, and they stand out for the quality of their course content. However, each platform has its own specifications, making them almost totally different. This article will analyze these two well-known online education platforms, Udemy vs Coursera, their USPs, pros and cons, etc.
Content – Udemy vs Coursera
- Overview – Udemy vs Coursera
- Course offerings and variety
- Course structuring
- Availability of Free Courses
- Course Instructors
- Ease of use
- Pricing
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Overview – Udemy vs Coursera
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| Criteria | Udemy | Coursera |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | 185,000 online video courses with new additions published every month | High-quality professional Certificates and degrees from 200+ global universities |
| Instructors | Any expert can teach Udemy courses | Taught by top faculty from the best universities |
| Cost | Works on a pay-per-course approach, with courses ranging from $19.99 to $199.99 | Different pricing plans for different courses and programs. |
| Community Support | No community support | Dedicated support centers to help course takers solve their course-related issues |
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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Course offerings and variety
Both Coursera and Udemy are leaders in their domains and offer a range of courses across different trending categories. The course categories and types offered by both platforms are mentioned.
Udemy Course Catalogue
Udemy offers mainly video content and allows interaction with the instructor for query resolution.
Coursera Course Catalogue
Coursera also offers a range of learning options, including -
- Courses – Peer-graded courses with quizzes, exercises, and a Coursera certificate upon completion
- Specializations – Courses, rather specialized courses to help you gain a professional skill
- Professional Certificates – These programs will impart job skills training
- MasterTrack™ Certificates – Courses that count toward an online degree. Comprises of case studies and projects
- Online Degrees – Degrees equivalent to on-campus degrees from top universities
- Udemy Course Categories
- Development
- Business
- IT and Software
- Office Productivity
- Personal development
- Design
- Marketing
- Lifestyle
- Photography & Video
- Health and Fitness
- Teaching & Academics
- Music
Coursera Course Categories
- Data Science
- Business
- Computer Science
- Information Technology
- Language Learning
- Health
- Personal Development
- Physical Science and Engineering
- Social Sciences
- Arts and Humanities
- Math and Logic
Considering the variety of courses on trending topics and options available for the user, Coursera has the upper hand over Udemy.
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Course structuring
Udemy
A typical Udemy course is video-based. Each course has at least 30 minutes of video content and 5 lectures or learning modules. Some courses include downloading other resources (PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, audio files, etc.) and other teaching tools (coding exercises, exams, homework, etc.).
It also has certification preparation courses targeting IT, architecture, finance, and business industries. These courses are mock exams for practice. The usual course structure at Udemy includes –
- Title
- Introductory video to the course and some test clips of the course content
- Course description
- Objective of the course, target audience, and requirements
- Course duration, resources, access time, and price
- Content
- Summary of the instructor’s profile
- Comments and evaluation of the students
Udemy performs audio, video, and production quality validation before publishing courses.
Coursera
All Coursera courses are based on video content, with additional resources such as reading texts, solving quizzes, peer review of assignments, and discussion forums about each course. These types of resources allow better interaction between the participants.
When browsing a course, we will find the following information:
- Title
- Course details (duration, price, objectives, among others)
- Program
- Comments and evaluation of the student
- Course instructors
- Enrollment Options
- Frequent questions
Coursera also offers specialization programs, which consist of a series of related courses designed to help you become an expert in a specific subject. Depending on the complexity, the duration can vary from a few months to a year. These programs include a hands-on capstone project to finish it off. Some programs are offered in partnership with companies that provide case studies, conferences, funding, and rewards for outstanding projects.
Availability of Free Courses
Both Udemy and Coursera list free courses; examples on both platforms are below.
Udemy Free Courses
Udemy lists around 600 free courses.
| Course Name | Course Provider |
|---|---|
| A Mini Course on Time Management | Brandon Hakim, Insider School |
| HTML5 and CSS3 Fundamentals | Stone River eLearning |
| Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Zero to Hero | BackSpace Academy |
| Git & GitHub Crash Course: Create a Repository From Scratch! | Kalob Taulien |
| Code Your First Game: Arcade Classic in JavaScript on Canvas | Chris DeLeon |
| Linux Tutorials and Projects | Jason Cannon |
| Build a Quiz App with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript | James Quick |
Coursera Free Courses
Coursera has over 2000 free courses. We have listed some of the top courses.
| Course Name | Course Provider |
|---|---|
| Machine Learning | Stanford University |
| The Science of Well-Being | Yale University |
| Financial Markets | Yale University |
| Introduction to Statistics | Stanford University |
| Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills | University of Michigan |
| Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour | University of London |
| Game Theory | Yale University |
Course Instructors
Udemy Instructors
Udemy does not collaborate with educational institutions such as universities or institutes. It is not an unaccredited institute and offers skills-based courses taught by real-world experts in their field. Anyone can become a course instructor at Udemy and is free to choose the topic they wish to teach.
Coursera Instructors
At Coursera, you will learn from the top faculties of global universities. You will find courses from top universities and companies, including –
- IBM
- Meta
- Stanford University
- University of London
- University of Illinois
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Washington
- Yale University
- Amazon Web Service
Ease of use
Let’s check out how good or bad these platforms are regarding usability and accessibility.
Registration process
Registration at Udemy is very simple. You can start learning by signing up using your name, email, and password.
Coursera login is also similar. The only difference is that you can also sign up/login using your Facebook or Google logins.
Navigation
The navigation at Udemy is simple. You can explore courses via the Categories section located next to the Udemy home page logo.
Or go to the bottom and find the courses from the Top Categories. You can also find Featured topics by category below that.
Coursera has listed its top-rated and popular courses and degrees at the bottom.
On the home page, you can scroll down and find different categories of courses, including –
- Recently Viewed Products
- Personalized Specializations for You
- Earn Your Degree
- Get Started with These Free Courses
- Personalized Courses for You
- Guided Projects for You
- Learn a New Skill in 2 Hours
- Grow Your Skill Set
You will also find information about Coursera collaborations on the home page.
The Coursera home page is very exclusive and includes almost all the information you seek, but it might become overwhelming for new users. Udemy has a simpler interface with easy navigation.
Pricing
Udemy
Below is the pricing plan of Udemy as of Feb 2025.
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Plan |
Starting at ₹850 per month |
|
| Udemy Business: Team Plan (2 - 20 people) | ₹2,000 a month per user |
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| Udemy Business: Enterprise Plan | Contact sales | Custom pricing for businesses of all sizes. Includes access to all Udemy courses, the Udemy Library, and features for managing and tracking employee learning. |
However, the site may offer heavy discounts. Check the website regularly to grab the best deals.
Coursera
Below is the Coursera Pricing Plan as of
Feb 2025.
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Single Learning Program | Rs. 4,202 –6,775 /month | Access to one learning program, including all courses, quizzes, and graded assignments. You can audit most courses for free, but you will need to pay to earn a Professional Certificate and access some course materials. |
| Coursera Plus Monthly | Access to over 7,000 courses, Specializations from 170+ leading companies and universities, and professional certificates. | |
| Coursera Plus Annually |
Rs. 5,060 /
month
|
Same as Coursera Plus Monthly, but you save 30% by paying annually. |
| Free Courses | Free | Get the professional certificate and access course materials for free. |
| Coursera Plus Annual | Rs. 34,220 /year | Custom pricing for businesses of all sizes. Includes access to all Coursera courses, specializations, and professional certificates. |
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Rs. 319 /year Per user for 12 months |
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Conclusion
On Udemy, you would need to pay per course. The cost of courses varies, ranging between $19.99 and 199.99. On the other hand, on Coursera, you would need to get monthly enrollments. Udemy offers over 250,000 courses, whereas Coursera offers a range of learning options, starting from projects, courses, and online degrees to specializations from 350+ Universities and Companies.
Go for Udemy if you want to –
- Learn different types of skills in less time
- Gain real-world experience from experts/professionals in that field
- Fast-paced learning
Go for Coursera if you want to –
- Exclusive learning similar to that of traditional classroom training
- Earn university-recognized courses and degrees and sometimes credits, too
- Gain an in-depth education on a topic/subject
- Commit time and efforts
Apart from the free offerings from Udemy and Coursera, you may also want to check other MOOCs on our dedicated and updating list page, free courses with certificates.
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