E-learning platforms are gaining so much popularity in the past few years. There are so many E-Learning platforms available and sometimes we are not sure about which one to choose. So if you don’t know which E-learning platform is good for you, then read this comparison and clear your doubts- Coursera vs edX vs Udacity vs Udemy vs Pluralsight.
Now, without any further ado, let’s get started-
Coursera vs edX vs Udacity vs Udemy vs Pluralsight
Let’s have a quick comparison between Coursera, edX, Udacity, Udemy, and Pluralsight-
| Coursera | edX | Udacity | Udemy | Pluralsight | |
| Price | $39/month | Free to Audit, but for full material and certificate it cost around $50 to $300. | $399/month. | $10 to $199 | $29/month |
| Mode of Learning | Self-paced videos with schedule learning | A mix of self-paced or instructor-paced classes. | Most of the Udacity courses are self-paced. | Self-paced videos | Self-paced videos |
| Languages | Many Languages | English | Mostly English | Wide range of languages | English |
| Certificate Accreditation | Accredited certificates | Accredited certificates | Not Accredited | Not Accredited | Not Accredited |
| Course structure | Video Lectures,Quizzes, and assignments | Short videos, interactive learning exercises | Nanodegree programs and Free Online Courses | Video lectures | Video courses, certification practice exams, channels, Skill & Role IQ, discussions, exercise files. |
| Free Sign Up at Coursera | Free Sign Up at edX | Free Sign Up at Udacity | Free Sign Up at Udemy | Free Sign Up at Pluralsight |
So this is a brief comparison between Coursera, edX, Udacity, Udemy, and Pluralsight. Now let’s have a detailed overview of Coursera, edX, Udacity, Udemy, and Pluralsight-
Coursera
Coursera is one of the most popular E-learning platforms. More than 50 million students have enrolled in Coursera. In Coursera, all Courses are from educational institutions around the world.
Price-
Coursera offers a 7 Day Free Trial which means you can learn free for 7 days. And if you find the course useful, then you can pay a monthly subscription amount which is between $39 to $80 (based on the specialization program). Coursera also provides a financial aid option, so you can apply for financial aid.
Coursera also provides university-recognized online degrees which cost around $15,000 and $25,000, depending upon the program.
Instructors–
In Coursera, all the instructors are from renowned top Universities. Coursera prefers the instructor’s academic credentials. That’s why most of the instructors are university professors. Coursera also provides a brief bio, but also credentials, including experience and degrees.
Quality of the Courses–
Coursera has well-structured courses from educational institutions around the world. But some of the Coursera courses need an update. Their content is not up to date. Some of the Coursera graded assignments also need an update. I am saying this based on students’ reviews.
Best For-
Those who are looking for more detailed, structured, and credible courses from Top Universities.
edX
In edX, approx 25 million students have enrolled and get benefited. edX was founded by professors from Harvard and MIT. The courses are taught by some of the top-ranked universities and industry-leading companies in the world.
Price-
You can audit the course for free, but for full material and certification, you have to pay the amount based on the course type. For Professional Certificate Programs, you have to pay $150 to $1,000.
Instructors-
edX instructors are from top partnered institutions include Harvard, Berkeley and MIT.
Quality of the Courses–
All the edX courses are taught by partnering institutions. The quality of edX courses varies depending on course content and professional outcome.
Best For-
Anyone who is looking to earn accredited certificates or university degrees.
Udacity
Udacity was launched in June 2011 by 2 Stanford university lecturers. They offered their first course free and this course was watched by more than 160,000 students from around 200 counties. And now Udacity has around 12 million users and 300 employees.
Price-
Udacity provides two pricing structure-
- Monthly Payment- In this pricing structure, you have to pay the Udacity Fees monthly as you go with the course. This monthly payment cost around $399/month. But most of the time, you get discounts.
- Fixed Monthly Payment- In this payment method, you have to pay for a certain number of months. Let’s say for 4 months or for 5 months. You will get a fixed monthly payment subscription at a discounted rate (15% off) and will pay a one-off fee upfront. But in a fixed monthly payment mode, you need to plan your study in a manner that you can finish the whole Nanodegree program in that period. Otherwise, you have to pay further.
Instructors–
Udacity Instructors are industry professionals with more than 5+ years of experience. Udacity prefers experienced professionals from big companies like Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, and Google to provide real-world industry experience.
Quality of the Courses–
The content quality of the Udacity Nanodegree program is far better than other MOOCs platforms. I am saying this based on my experience and other student’s reviews. The reason for the high content quality is their practical-based learning. Because when we implement our learning, then it becomes stronger. And all the Nanodegree programs have graded projects and capstone projects for practical exposure.
Best For-
Those who are looking for more advanced and practical based learning.
Udemy
Udemy offers thousands of online courses where users can learn new skills or improve existing ones. And Udemy has thousands of courses produced by independent instructors. Udemy also provides a bunch of free courses.
Price-
The actual price of Udemy Courses is around $199 but due to flash sale, it cost around $10. And after purchasing the Udemy course, you will get lifetime access to the course materials.
Instructors–
In Udemy, anyone can create a course. There is no formal approval needed to become a Udemy Instructor.
Quality of the Courses–
Due to no restrictions on instructors, there are some courses that are not high quality. But it doesn’t mean that all the courses in Udemy are not credible. Some of the Udemy courses are of high quality. But there is a lot of variation in course quality. That’s why you have to do proper research before enrolling in any Udemy course.
Best For-
Those who is looking for short courses that provide enough information in a short amount of time.
Pluralsight
Pluralsight was founded in 2004 as a classroom training company and provides technology-related topics like IT, Data, Information & Cyber Security, etc. Pluralsight provides self-paced learning.
Price-
Pluralsight offers a subscription-based model as Monthly or Yearly. They have two plans- Standard and Premium.
For the Standard plan, you have to pay $29 for the monthly subscription and $299 for the yearly subscription. In this plan, you will get a core course library (2,500+ courses), paths, and skill assessments.
In the Premium plan, the monthly plan cost around $45, and the yearly subscription is $499. In this plan, you will get an expanded course library (7,000+ courses), exams, projects, and hands-on learning.
Instructors–
Pluralsight has 1500+ experienced authors who have years of real-world experience. Pluralsight selects the instructors based on their expertise and teaching ability.
Quality of the Courses–
Overall the quality of the courses is good. Their Skill IQ test is good for checking your proficiency. It is a short 10-minute assessment.
Best For-
Pluralsight is not only for individuals, it is also designed to help businesses.
That’s all.
Conclusion
I hope this comparison, Coursera vs edX vs Udacity vs Udemy vs Pluralsight. has cleared your doubt regarding these E-learning platforms. If you have any doubt or questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section.
All the Best!
Enjoy Learning!
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Written By Aqsa Zafar
Founder of MLTUT, Machine Learning Ph.D. scholar at Dayananda Sagar University. Research on social media depression detection. Create tutorials on ML and data science for diverse applications. Passionate about sharing knowledge through website and social media.