Udemy is one of the most popular online learning platforms. It has courses available for almost every topic and you can go through the material at your own pace. Many courses also come with certificates once you finish.
You pay a one-time fee for each course and get access to the material forever.
Anyone can sign up to teach a course on Udemy. This can be both positive and negative. On one hand, it helps ensure there are plenty of courses on the platform. On the other, it can lead to unqualified people listing courses.
While Udemy is often the first stop for online learning, there are plenty of other quality eLearning platforms out there today.
In this guide, I will give you my top 10 Udemy alternatives. When creating this list, I evaluated a variety of factors including lesson quality, instructor experience, the value of the certification, price, and more.
Top Alternatives to Udemy for eLearning
- Reliablesoft Academy
- Coursera
- eDx
- LinkedIn Learning
- Codeacademy
- Alison
- Shaw Academy
- Skillshare
- Pluralsight
- Treehouse
1. Reliablesoft Academy
Reliablesoft Academy is the best alternative to Udemy when it comes to digital marketing and SEO training.
The main difference between the two learning providers is that Reliablesoft Academy is a dedicated digital marketing academy. It offers 10 courses that cover all major digital marketing channels and all lessons are taught by the same experts that work in the digital marketing agency for the last 15 years.
This means that the material is not theoretical but it’s based on the experiences gained with working in the field.
How does Reliablesoft Academy compare with Udemy?
Unlike Udemy that sells individual courses, Reliablesoft offers two course bundles, the SEO Course Bundle and the Digital Marketing Course Bundle.
The SEO Course Bundle includes 4 courses covering everything you ever need to know about SEO. In particular, it includes:
- The Complete SEO Course
- Keyword Research Course
- Google Analytics Course
- eCommerce SEO Course
- SEO Certification
The Digital Marketing Course Bundle includes 10 courses that can help you become a digital marketing expert. In particular, it includes the following courses:
- The Complete SEO Course
- Google Ads Course
- Facebook Ads Course
- Content Marketing Course
- Social Media Marketing Course
- Digital Marketing Course
- Email Marketing Course
- Keyword Research Course
- Google Analytics Course
- eCommerce SEO Course
- SEO Certification
- Digital Marketing Certification
A major difference between similar courses on Udemy is that Reliablesoft’s courses are created by the same author and their content is related. In other words, students can build different skills with each course and the learning process is consistent.
Another difference between the two is the money-back guarantee. Udemy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee (which is better than other Udemy competitors) but Reliablesoft extends this to 60-days, which is the best offer in the industry.
2. Coursera
Coursera was founded in 2012 by two Stanford graduates. The online learning platform offers thousands of courses from over 200 universities and world-class corporations.
This includes some of the most prestigious institutions in the world such as Princeton University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
There are courses available for a wide range of topic areas including:
- Business
- Health
- Social Sciences
- Math and Logic
- Language Learning
- Computer Science
- Personal Development
- Arts and Humanities
Courses are all available online. Most are self-paced, allowing you to move through the material as your schedule permits.
The total time it takes to complete a course varies depending on the course itself and how much time you put into it.
You can finish some in just a few hours, others are more comprehensive and will take months to complete.
Some of the courses provide a certificate of completion when you finish the course. You can add these digital certificates to your resume and LinkedIn profile to boost your credibility.
What makes these certifications stand out is that they are accredited by the institutions offering the course. This means they are officially recognized, making them more valuable than a simple PDF with your name on it.
Coursera does offer some free courses but you’ll need to pay to unlock the more substantial benefits.
There are several payment options but the pricing can be a little confusing.
The first option is to pay for individual course certification. This requires a one-time fee (between $29 and $100) and gives you access to the entire course material as well as a certificate when you finish.
The next option is to pursue a Coursera Specialization. This is a collection of three to ten courses around a single subject area. You receive a certificate when you complete all the courses.
Specializations require you to pay a subscription fee that can range from $29 to $49 per month.
Your other option is to sign up for Coursera Plus. This costs $399 per year and gives you access to over 3,000 courses and their respective certifications.
If you are new to the platform, Coursera will give you a 7-day free trial to try Coursera Plus or a Specialization.
How does Coursera compare with Udemy?
With its robust selection of different courses, Coursera is a great Udemy alternative. Courses are accredited by leading universities and corporations making them an invaluable resource for furthering your career.
The course structure is similar to Udemy as both are self-paced and provide a variety of learning materials including videos, downloadable resources, and quizzes.
The payment structure is similar as well as each lets you pay for a single course. Coursera does have more flexible options as you can buy a Specialization bundle or subscribe to access all courses.
3. eDX
eDX is an online course platform that is structured very similarly to Coursera. There are over 3,000 courses led by world-class universities and academic institutions.
You can find courses in the following categories:
- Computer Science
- Language
- Data Science
- Business & Management
- Engineering
- Humanities
Most of the courses are self-paced so you can take as long as needed to complete them.
Video is the primary learning method and there are also graded assignments to help you see how well you understand the material.
To sign up for a course, you first need to create an eDX account. Signing up is free and you only need to provide a username or password
You then need to decide if you want to pursue the verified or unverified track for a course.
Unverified courses let you access some course material for free. However, they do not grant you a certificate when you complete them.
If you want a certification, you need to take the verified track. These courses require you to pay a one-time fee that ranges between $50 and $300.
Once you pay the fee, you’ll have unlimited access to all the course material.
Along with the one-off online courses, eDX also offers more comprehensive learning programs including their MicroMasters program and XSeries Program.
How does eDX compare with Udemy?
eDX is similar to Udemy in that it offers self-paced online courses for a variety of subject areas. The prices are also similar with both offering courses around a few hundred dollars.
It is different from Udemy in that most of the courses are created by universities and institutions rather than individuals.
4. LinkedIn Learning
The social media network LinkedIn acquired the online learning site Lynda.com in 2015 and rebranded the platform LinkedIn Learning.
There is a wide range of courses, focusing on business, technology, and creativity. Some of the most popular courses on the platform include:
- Business Strategy
- Social Media Marketing
- Project Management Skills
- Graphic Design
- Photography
- Audio and Music
- Cloud Computing
- DevOps
Courses contain a mixture of videos, slides, and written material. They are self-paced and you can track your progress in the user interface.
LinkedIn Learning provides pre-defined learning paths for different professions such as digital marketer, SEO expert, and manager.
These learning paths compile relevant courses so that you can learn all the skills necessary for that role without needing to wonder what to study next.
Many courses award you a certificate upon completion. You can download your certification as a PDF and add it to your LinkedIn profile.
To access LinkedIn Learning, you need to have a LinkedIn premium account. There are two plans for premium accounts:
- Premium Career: $29.99 per month or $239.88 per year
- Premium Business: $59.99 per month or $575.88 per year
If you’re new to the platform, you can get your first month for free.
Once you have a premium account, you’ll get access to the entire course catalog.
Paid accounts provide additional benefits as well like the ability to message people who aren’t in your network.
How does LinkedIn Learning compare with Udemy?
LinkedIn Learning uses a different payment model than Udemy. With the latter, you pay a fee for each course that you want to study. With LinkedIn Learning, you pay a fixed monthly subscription that gives you access to all courses.
This payment model can be beneficial if there are a variety of different topics you want to study.
That said, many of the courses on LinkedIn Learning are not as robust as those on Udemy so you may not learn as much.
5. Codeacademy
Codeacademy is an eLearning platform focused on teaching people coding and computer programming.
There are courses for 14 programming languages including Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, HTML & CSS, and more.
There are also courses in 10 additional subject areas:
- Web Development
- Data Science
- Computer Science
- Developer Tools
- Machine Learning
- Code Foundations
- Web Design
- Game Development
- Mobile Development
- Data Visualization
- Cybersecurity
- For Business
To accesses the courses on Codeacademy, you need to set up one of their plans. There are two options available; Basic and Pro.
The Basic plan is free and provides interactive lessons and daily practice for basic courses.
The Pro plan costs $39.99 per month or $239.88 when billed yearly. With the Pro Plan, you get access to everything in the Basic plan plus additional exercises, quizzes, and practice tools.
The Pro plan also offers certificates for completing courses.
New users can get a 7-day free trial.
How does Codeacademy compare with Udemy?
Codeacademy and Udemy have some notable differences. To start, Codeacademy offers courses focused solely on programming and web development while Udemy offers courses for pretty much every subject area.
The two platforms also use different payment models. With Codeacademy, you pay a subscription fee that gives you access to the entire catalog of courses. With Udemy, you pay for each course on an individual basis.
6. Alison
Alison is a self-paced online learning platform designed for people looking for a flexible way to build their career skills.
There are over 3,000 courses, spanning a diverse range of categories. This includes:
- Business
- Engineering & Construction
- Health
- IT
- Language
- Management
- Personal Development
- Sales & Marketing
- Teaching & Academics
The material is delivered through video and the user interface contains a text editor you can use to take notes.
There are two types of courses; certificate courses and diploma courses.
Certificate courses take between 90 minutes to three hours to complete and award you a certificate once you are done.
Diploma courses are more comprehensive. They take between 15 to 20 hours to complete and provide you with a diploma when you are finished.
To access the material you first need to create an Alison account. You can do so by simply providing an email address and password. You can also sign up using a single sign-on (SSO) through your Google, Microsoft, or Facebook account.
All the courses on Alison are available for you to learn for free. However, if you want to receive a certificate or diploma for a course, you’ll need to pay for it. These fees vary depending on the course
Be aware that all the courses contain ads between each module. If you want to remove these you can do so by upgrading to a premium plan which costs €7.99 per month or €79 per year.
With the premium plan, you also get discounts on certifications and access to their CV building tool.
How does Alison compare with Udemy?
Alison is a solid eLearning platform for people looking for a flexible way to expand their knowledge. Unlike most Udemy competitors, you can access all the course material for free.
Where Alison differs from Udemy the most is the breadth of the content. Alison certificate courses are thin and you can complete them in a single sitting. Udemy courses are much longer and offer a more diverse range of learning materials including downloadable resources, templates, and articles.
7. Shaw Academy
Shaw Academy is a digital learning platform that offers practical lessons for over 100 different subjects.
Here are some of the topics you can study:
- Creative writing
- Digital Marketing
- Fashion Design
- Data Analytics
- Human Nutrition
- Artificial intelligence
- Music theory
Each course has four modules consisting of eight to ten classes. At the end of each module, there is a graded assignment to assess how well you understand the material.
Courses also contain two interactive online classes per week which you can schedule for your preferred time.
After you complete a course, you receive a certified Diploma qualification. The certificate is accredited and validated by Austin Peay State University.
Similar to many of the sites like Udemy on this list, you need to create an account and sign up for a plan to take the courses.
You can sign up by answering a few questions about your interests and providing your email and phone number.
You’ll then have free access to some of the courses for four weeks. After that, the plan costs $69.99 per month.
Along with the courses, you also get access to live educator chat support.
How does Shaw Academy compare with Udemy?
Shaw Academy and Udmey have notably different course structures.
Udemy is a self-directed learning platform while Shaw Academy follows a structure similar to a traditional course taught at a school.
There is a set duration for the course and there are a limited number of spots available.
Because many Shaw Academy courses take months to complete, they are also more expensive than Udemy courses. The cost of a four-month subscription is $280, more than double the average cost of an Udemy course.
8. Skillshare
Skillshare is an eLearning platform featuring over 35,000 online courses.
There are classes available in a variety of areas but the platform is more geared towards creative professionals and people interested in starting a business.
You can find plenty of courses in the following areas:
- Creative Writing
- Animation
- Film & Video
- Fine Art
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Music
- Photography
- UX Design
- Web Development
- Business Analytics
- Marketing
Classes are self-paced and presented entirely through video. They are taught by experienced professionals.
Anyone who has valuable knowledge to share can sign up to teach and create a class on Skillshare.
There is a mix of free and paid classes. Around 10% of all the classes are free while the rest require you to set up a paid plan.
Paid plans cost $19 per month or $99 when billed yearly.
New users can have a 7-day free trial with access to all classes.
Along with the courses, you also get access to an active online community. You can join groups to share your work and learn from your fellow peers.
How does Skillshare Academy compare with Udemy?
Skillshare is similar to Udemy in that courses are taught by individual professionals and the platform is open for anyone to create a course.
The pricing model is different as Skillshare operates on a subscription model and Udemy charges per course.
Another big difference is certifications. Skillshare doesn’t offer certificates for its courses.
There is also a notable difference in the types of courses available. Skillshare focuses on a more select subject matter while Udemy is open to anything.
9. Pluralsight
Pluralsight is an online learning platform that helps professionals in various industries build their technical skills.
There are courses available for the following topics:
- AEC
- Architecture & construction
- Business professional
- Creative professional
- Data Professional
- IT ops
- Manufacturing & design
- Information & cybersecurity
- Software development
- Web development
Courses are self-paced and delivered primarily through video content. They range in length and can be anywhere from 30 minutes to five hours long.
The material is taught by professionals with extensive experience in the subject area.
Pluralsight also offers learning paths. These combine courses and useful tools to give students everything they need to go from basic to advance in a particular skill.
Some of the courses offer a certificate that you can download upon completion.
To enroll in the courses you need to set up a paid subscription plan with Pluralsight.
There are two plans available; Standard and Premium.
The Standard plan gives you access to the core course library, paths, and skill assessments. It costs $29 per month or $199 billed yearly.
The Premium plan gives you access to the entire library of courses along with exams, projects, and hands-on learning. It costs $45 per month or $299 when billed yearly.
New users can get a 10-day free trial to try out the platform.
How does Pluralsight Academy compare with Udemy?
Pluralsight courses offer a similar level of quality when compared to Udemy courses. They are taught by industry experts and are done through video with an easy-to-follow interface.
The two platforms differ in their payment model and topics covered. Pluralsight has a more refined selection of topics. The platform also follows a subscription model rather than letting people buy individual courses.
10. Treehouse
Treehouse is another online learning platform centered around coding and computer programming.
Some of the topics available for study include:
- APIs
- Databases
- Machine Learning
- Security
- Digital Literacy
- Computer Science
- Development Tools
- Data Analysis
- Business
There are plenty of options for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. The lessons are taught through video by experienced professionals in the industry.
The courses are interactive and have quizzes and other code challenges to make the material more engaging.
The length of each course varies depending on the subject matter. Some are as short as 30 minutes while others are a few hours long. All of them are self-paced so you can work through the lessons at your convenience.
You need a paid plan to use the Treehouse courses. They offer a 7-day free trial and then the subscription costs $25 per month.
In addition to their courses, Treehouse also offers Courses Plus and Techdegree. These are more robust learning programs featuring in-depth coding exercises, workshops, and hands-on projects.
Courses Plus cost $49 per month and Techdegree costs $199 per month.
How does Treehouse Academy compare with Udemy?
If you are interested in coding and web design, Treehouse provides a suitable alternative to Udemy. Like Udemy, the courses are self-paced and taught by experienced professionals.
The payment models are different as Treehouse requires a monthly subscription. At $25 per month, it is a good value for the money if you plan to consume several courses.
Conclusion
There are plenty of Udemy alternatives you can use to expand your knowledge and skills.
Most Udemy competitors offer a similar course structure with online, self-paced learning.
The biggest difference between Udemy and our list of top alternatives is the payment model. Most Udemy competitors charge a subscription fee instead of charging per course.
Whether this affects your decision of which platform to use will depend on what you’re trying to learn. If you want to study more than one subject, a small monthly fee can be worth the cost.
No matter your choice, all these platforms offer great lessons you can use to grow as a professional.
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