Coursera vs Udemy for Data Science: Which is Better?

As a Data Science learner, You may have questions in your mind- Coursera vs Udemy for Data Science?. So if you are confused between Coursera vs Udemy, read this article and decide which platform is better for you to learn Data Science.

Data Science is getting popular day by day. Many companies are adopting data science, especially for marketing purposes. According to the Harvard Business article, The Data Scientist is the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century”. That’s why many people want to learn Data Science. When it comes to learning, the most common and easy way is MOOCs.

MOOCs are Massive Online Open Courses. These are the courses available online that provide data science training to a large audience. These online courses are boon for the people who can’t attend the universities due to various reasons like location, financial problems, etc.

There are lots of online platforms available that offer a wide range of online courses like Coursera, Udemy, Udacity, Datacamp, edX, etc. But the most preferred platforms by the learners are Coursera and Udemy.

Both platforms are great and provide useful resources for learners. Now let’s start with the brief comparison between Coursera vs Udemy.

Coursera vs Udemy for Data Science

Parameters	Coursera	Udemy
Cost–	from $39/Month	from $10 per course
Pros–	1. Well structured courses 2. All Courses are from educational institutions around the world. 3. Widest catalog of courses with a certification by a professional institution like Universities.	1. Inexpensive than others due to flash sales. 2. The platform is easy to use. 3. More specific courses.
Cons–	1. Bit Expensive 2. Needs more commitment to the courses.	1. Lack of credibility in Certificates. 2. Unstructured Platform.
Best for-	Who is looking for more detailed, structured, and credible courses from Top Universities.	Who is looking for short courses that provide enough information in a short amount of time.

So, this is a brief comparison between Coursera and Udemy. Now let’s compare both platforms with respect to these points-

1. Price
2. Time Commitment
3. Quality and Credibility
4. Coverage of Topics

Coursera vs Udemy– Price

Coursera offers 7 Day Free Trial so that you can learn free for 7 days. And if you find the course useful, then you need to pay a monthly subscription amount that is between $39 to $49.

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.

Winner-

In terms of price, no one is actually the winner. Because it depends upon you, how much you want to learn, and how much time and money you want to invest.

If you want to invest less money and time, then go for Udemy.

But if you are looking for content that is more academic in nature and well structured, then Coursera could be more cost-effective for you.

Coursera vs Udemy– Time Commitment

In Coursera, most of the Specialization program takes around 2-6 months to complete. But it depends upon how much time you are giving daily. For example,  IBM Data Science Professional Certificate takes 5 months to complete if you spend 5hour/week. But if you spend more hours then you can complete the full IBM Data Science Professional Certificate in a month.

Coursera is much more likely than an online class where you watch videos, then there are auto-graded and peer-reviewed assignments that you need to complete.

Whereas in Udemy, most of the data science courses are around 10 to 40 hours. After purchasing the Udemy course, you get lifetime access to the course materials, that you can complete at your pace and time.

Some of the Udemy courses are in-depth whereas some courses take only a few hours to complete the whole course.

Winner

In terms of time commitment, no one is the winner, because it depends upon you. If you want some pressure and responsibility to complete the course and want to master a topic in-depth, then Coursera is a good choice.

But if you are a self-motivated learner and want to learn any specific skill speedily, then Udemy is much better than Coursera.

Coursera vs Udemy- Quality, and Credibility

In Coursera, all Courses are from educational institutions around the world like the University of Michigan, Standford University, Johns Hopkins University, IBM, etc. All the Instructors are from Top Universities and are experienced.

Whereas in Udemy, anyone can submit a course. In order to submit a course on Udemy, all you need to do is register as an Instructor and you can create a course on Udemy.

Winner

In terms of quality, and credibility, the clear winner is Coursera, because all the courses are from trusted and popular institutions. It doesn’t mean that all the courses on 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.

Course Structure & Coverage of Topics

In Coursera, there are specialization programs, that contain a certain amount of courses. Then each course teaches a specific skill. Like Applied Data Science with Python Specialization contain 5 courses, that is-

1. Introduction to Data Science in Python
2. Applied Plotting, Charting & Data Representation in Python
3. Applied Machine Learning in Python
4. Applied Text Mining in Python
5. Applied Social Network Analysis in Python

And all these 5 courses have their own modules and syllabus. Like the second course of this specialization program “Applied Plotting, Charting & Data Representation in Python” has 4 modules. And when you complete all the 5 courses of this specialization program, you will get a certification from the University of Michigan.

Along with this, in Coursera, there are graded and peer-reviewed assignments in each course, that you need to complete.

In Udemy, there are individual courses only with some hours of videos. Most of the Udemy courses will cover all essential topics in a short amount of time. For example, the Data Science A-Z™ course on Udemy is a 21 hours course, that will clear the basics of data science.

Winner

In terms of course structure, Coursera is a winner. Why? because Coursera has more structured courses that are easy for learners to follow.

And in terms of coverage of topics, both Coursera and Udemy have almost similar scores. But somewhere Coursera has better and in-depth coverage of topics.

Who Should Enroll in Coursera for Data Science?

• Who wants to learn Data Science from a formal university and by experienced instructors from the world’s top universities.
• Who want to gain in-depth knowledge of data science.
• Who is looking to get a certificate (not so much important) from an accredited institution.
• Who is more committed and serious to complete the course.
• Who can invest a few extra bucks to learn data science.

If you are the one, who falls in this category, then start learning data science from Coursera here!

Who Should Enroll in Udemy for Data Science?

• Who is a self-motivated learner and wants to learn data science quickly.
• Who want to learn any specific data science skills in less time.
• Who doesn’t want to invest extra money in learning data science.

If you are the one, who falls in this category, then start learning data science from Udemy here!

Conclusion

I hope now you got a clear understanding of both platforms Coursera and Udemy. I hope this comparison Coursera vs Udemy for Data Science will help you to decide which platform is better for you to learn Data Science based on your needs.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comment section. I am here to help you. And If you found this article helpful, share it with others to help them too.

All the Best for your Data Science Journey!

Happy Learning!

Thank YOU!

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Though of the Day…

‘ It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.’

– John Wooden