Online learning platforms have turned out to be a great sensation for learners but the challenge to select between Coursera vs Udemy keeps on intriguing many. In this article, we will try to determine the individual features associated with both platforms and their impacts on professional learning.
Coursera Vs Udemy: The Furious Battle Between The Strongest Online Learning Platforms
Online educational platforms are becoming the face of 21st-century education. The fact that they are easily accessible, cheaper, and more inclined toward professional development makes them the apple of the student’s eye. Right after the pandemic, a number of learning platforms caught the limelight but Coursera and Udemy were the two, which were known for their interactive approach and training-oriented learning standards. Choosing between the two quite often confuses the learners because both of the platforms work with the same educational vision; they intend to impart skills to every seeker.
Also, Read The Definitive Guide to Coursera Fees in (2023)!
So, making a fine choice between Coursera Vs Udemy is a real deal. It is important to note that though both of them might appear the same at a single glance, their functional mechanism is quite different alongside the features offered by them. It, therefore, becomes necessary to keep both the contenders in front of each other and find out the strengths and weaknesses concealed deep within each of the platforms. So, let’s begin with the match between these two competitors and release the verdict of the absolute winner for the stronger one out of both.
Coursera Vs Udemy: The Structure
| Coursera | Udemy |
| Coursera is an online learning platform suiting the needs of professionals or amateurs who want to boost their skills in order to gain professional expertise. | Udemy is an online educational platform that helps in gaining work-related expertise in innumerable categories. |
| The courses offered by Coursera belong to the Massive Open Online Courses range which is introduced by top-notch universities across the globe. | Udemy offers courses on demand; which suggests that you can go on selecting your favorite courses which may or may not be introduced by universities as most of the courses on the platform are offered by professional experts. |
| Coursera introduces individual courses, subject-related specializations, and core professional degrees. | Udemy offers genuine courses which have individual nature. Degrees are not offered over here. |
Coursera Vs Udemy: The Instructors
| Coursera | Udemy |
| Coursera doesn’t hire individual instructors to teach a course. | Udemy gives a chance to anyone with the potential to teach. |
| Coursera partners with universities so those who take the courses on the platform are the ones teaching in the universities and taking the same courses in a formal educational setup. | If you hold an authorized degree in any area of knowledge, you can conveniently apply to appear as a professional instructor. Your application form will be reviewed and if your qualification seems feasible with the nature of the course, you can start instructing on the platform. |
| Since Coursera doesn’t hire any official instructors, therefore, the instructors are not paid by Coursera over here. Coursera rather shares a portion of its overall equity with the concerned university and a fixed rate is then handed over to the instructor. | You can earn directly from Udemy as the instructor because whenever a learner is going to pay for the course, the amount will be broken down into two shares. A part of this will be taken by the Udemy management, while the rest goes to the instructor. |
Coursera Vs Udemy: The Influence
| Coursera | Udemy |
| Coursera is exclusively more favorable for professional learners because it carries advanced-level learning concepts which are valid on the professional level | Udemy is accessible and easier for everyone. You don’t need to be an expert in your craft because here things begin from a very basic level and then you reach the point of specialization if you aim to. |
| The ideas and opinions shared by the course content over here are elaborated in the series. There are innumerable specializations that are offered to the concerned learners. | The specialization courses over here are usually not in the form of series but are rather present individually to suit the needs. |
| Course content over here is developed as per the professional requirements and is finalized right when the university associated with it approves it. | Course content is developed by the instructor so it varies in terms of learning difficulty. Sometimes there are going to be multiple topics regarding a subject of interest while sometimes, you will get only a basic level of understanding. |
Coursera Vs Udemy: Accreditation
| Coursera | Udemy |
| Coursera courses are accredited officially. In other words, they will be recognized by the universities because all of the courses are offered by educational institutions and professional-level organizations. | Since these are individually offered courses, you can expect to build a technical or theoretical grip in the area. However, these won’t be accredited or recognized by the universities even if you learn from an instructor who belongs to a professional domain. |
| Your course completion certificate carries the name of the institution from which you have taken the course. | Your course completion certificate carries the name Udemy as the chief source from which you have obtained the course alongside the course title. |
| You can share the certificates in the professional domain with multinational companies or corporations as the technical skills gained from taking the courses are grounded right in an authentic educational setup. | You can share the certificates on your LinkedIn. Yet, attaining jobs on the basis of these courses in large corporations like Google or Meta is not likely to happen; for that, you will be needing some official-level certification. |
Coursera Vs Udemy: Pricing
| Coursera | Udemy |
| Coursera offers different modes of pricing. You either take a single course or go for monthly or annual subscriptions. | Udemy offers pricing on individual courses but course pricing ranges differently for different courses. Alongside, discount deals are also available from time to time. |
| Coursera’s individual pricing range starts from $49 and ends at $350 at most. | Udemy’s courses’ prices vary as per the nature of the course. Most begin at $15 and end at $500. |
| Free mode access or audit mode is also available for newbies. Alongside this, Coursera offers a comprehensive system of financial aid for those who can’t afford to bear the expense. | Audit mode access is available to the learners where they get access to the course content before purchasing it and then buying it afterward. |
| If the course content of a course doesn’t seem significant enough to you, you can apply for a refund within 14 days after enrollment into the course. | The refund can be claimed within 30 days of enrollment by clicking on the description and seeking out the refund after entering the valid reason. |
Also, Read Coursera for Business: Navigating the Future of Work (2023)!
Coursera Vs Udemy: Course Range
| Coursera | Udemy |
| Coursera offers 7000+ courses on its platform. | Almost 2,13,000 courses are present belonging to varying categories. |
| Coursera’s courses are most often of an academic nature. | Udemy’s courses vary from academic knowledge to general as well as counseling-related knowledge. |
| The major categories of courses included in the platform are
● Data Science ● Algorithms ● Business ● Finance ● Marketing ● Web Development ● Graphic Design ● Languages ● Philosophy ● Music ● Humanities |
The course catalog over here is widespread. Major categories include:
● Programming ● Web development ● Algorithms ● Data Science ● Lifestyle ● Interior Design ● Textile Design ● Languages ● Personal Development ● Budgeting ● Entrepreneurship ● Finance ● Content Writing ● Management ● Sciences ● Teaching ● Dancing |
| Courses taught over here are organized in terms of the targeted audience and the level of their past education. | There are no prior educational requirements for 90% of the courses and anyone can start learning the course in no time. |
Coursera Vs Udemy: Course Content
| Coursera | Udemy |
| Coursera content consists of several video lectures alongside written documents consisting of your assessments. Sometimes, supplementary reading lists are also added to the list and there can be PowerPoint slides depending on the nature of the course. | Most of the time, video lectures are offered to you for the sake of taking guidance. In association with that, you may get transcriptions along the courses. |
| The content is reviewed properly and is top-notched right from the experts’ table. | Since anyone can become an instructor, the course content is often flawed or incomplete. Though the Udemy review team reviews it, still it lacks the immaculate level of Coursera. |
| The course content can be downloaded offline and can also be accessed through the mobile application. | It also comes with an alternative version of the official mobile application where you can access the course content offline after downloading them. |
| Discussion forums are available where the learners can actively take part in discussions about several questions concerning the course. | There is a lack of discussion forums and students have to sort out their queries on their individual experiences. |
| In the case of degrees, live global sessions are organized where instructors and other members of the forum help you resolve your queries and share their opinions on various significant matters. You can also write your queries to your concerned instructor. | There is no concept of live interaction on the platform. Once you purchase the course content, you complete it at your own pace. There is no interaction between you and your instructor and by the end, Udemy tracks your progress for the sake of certification. |
| Course content is available in all the major languages including Arabic, Dutch, German, Korean, French, and Spanish. | Course content is available in innumerable languages including the local ones too. |
| You can explore the review underneath the description of the course in which you are interested. | Reviews and ratings are left by the students alongside the description and you can read the reviews regarding the course. |
Coursera Vs Udemy: The Ultimate Verdict!
In light of the interesting and multiple features offered by both platforms, it becomes a difficult decision indeed to grant the title of the absolute winner to any one of them. Yet, if you explore the features offered by Coursera, you will find that when it comes to the academic level of recognition, this platform is unbeatable compared to any other platform. The reason is simple and strongest: this platform holds a reputation in academic circles as it partners with some of the most prestigious educational and professional institutions across the world including acclaimed Ivy Leagues institutions too.
Udemy, though has great potential in terms of providing career-oriented training to learners, still can’t achieve the status of accreditation which is available in the training and certifications offered by Coursera. So, if you want to start your basic level training about a skill, relying on an individual instructor is not bad in the form of an Udemy. Nonetheless, you have to turn to Coursera to gain professional certification and advanced training from some of the best global institutions located worldwide.
Ahmad Shah Adami an experienced educator and subject matter expert, has been teaching students online for 8+ years. With a passion for education, Ahmad Shah Adami is dedicated to helping students achieve their academic goals through engaging and interactive online classes. He usually shares the best online courses from top online course providers like Coursera, Udemy, and Skillshare.