Udemy vs Coursera vs Lynda : The Ultimate Showdown

It is quite fascinating to see how e-learning or online education has turned from a supplementary medium of education to the mainstream. It does have quintessential benefits to offer to a fast-paced world that is constantly adapting to the new patterns of living. For a world that has a little time but a lot to achieve, the eLearning apps and web platforms are the perfect companion in 2020.

The need for learning on-the-go gave birth to an education market that has taken gargantuan shape today. The market leaders are Coursera, Udemy, and Lynda. These elearning apps and website platforms have a massive number of users and each platform offers a different learning environment and its own special features. For those who are already learning online may have found their favorite platform but those who are new to these platforms may have some hard time.

In this article, we will talk about Udemy vs Coursera vs Lynda. We will tell you the pros and cons of all three online learning platforms so that you can decide which one to choose without having to invest your own time in trying each one of these. It is time to begin the ultimate showdown of these top three online education platforms.

Overview

The following comparison is not about finding out the winner among the e-learning platforms. All three platforms are good in their own way. The difference lies in, as a student, what do you want from these platforms. So basically, it is up to you what are you looking for in a course, what course do you want, the cost, or the level of commitment you can offer you the online class, etc.

For example, Udemy offers much cheaper courses than Coursera but it does not make Coursera a bad platform. In contrast, Coursera offers online courses from reputed universities with legitimate certifications.

You see, it is just your choice that makes the whole difference. At this point, be honest with yourself, try to keep your commitment to realistic levels, and read through the entire article. Perhaps you will find the platform that is the most valuable for you.

Udemy 

In general, Udemy is an open marketplace of educational courses where there are courses about every possible topic available. By marketplace we mean, here students can buy courses and teachers or tutors can sell their own courses. As a result, it is an e-commerce platform for education where courses are purchased on the basis of feedbacks and ratings.

Pros

• If we talk about the diversity of courses, Udemy is a clear winner here. Boasting over 65,000 courses, Udemy has something for everyone. The marketplace-like model keeps fostering its diversity.
•  There is no subscription model at Udemy. Each online course is available for purchase and buy courses from different interests and hobbies. That means students can follow the courses at their own pace with minimum commitment required.
•  If you are looking for cheap courses then Udemy is a great go-to platform for you. The average cost of courses at Udemy is around $10, which is equivalent to two cups of coffee at Starbucks.

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Cons

•  Udemy courses do provide course completion certificates at the end of the course but since these certificates are not accredited, it is uncertain if your next employer will give these certificates enough value or not.
•  The courses are not in-depth, rather the majority of courses offer shallow details of courses; they don’t go all the way in depth.
• The marketplace model sometimes leaves students bewildered among so many courses with inconsistent quality.

Coursera

Coursera offers a curated online learning experience to the students. Where Udemy is an open educations marketplace for teachers and learners, Coursera goes on a different level. At Coursera, the online educational courses are prepared and provided by some of the finest, respected universities and educational institutions like Stanford, Duke, University of Michigan, UPenn, and many more. As a result, every course is meticulously and thoroughly taught by the best instructors of these institutions.

Pros

• Since all these courses are offered by reputed academic institutions, the certifications and awards provided are accredited and respected.
• Wide range of courses available, ranging from certification courses to entire degree courses.
•  There are three types of courses available for the students, single courses, specialization courses, and degree courses. These courses come in a different learning time period, single courses go on for about 4-6 weeks, specialization course may take up to 4-6 months, whereas degree programs can go on for 3 or more years.

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Cons

• Coursera is a little serious online education platform, and it provides an exact university-like education but not at the same cost. However, as compared to the other online learning courses Coursera is quite expensive, the cost per course may go up to several hundred dollars.
• In addition, Coursera is not as flexible as Udemy, students are required to adhere to strict commitment for the online classes.

Lynda

Lynda is now completely owned by LinkedIn and it’s been renamed to LinkedIn Learning. Unlike Udemy and Coursera, Lynda offers a subscription model on its online education platform. The first month at Lynda is free to access but after that, it is $29.99 per month. During this subscription period, the student is allowed to access from more than 13,000 courses at any time and at anywhere.

Pros

• The flexibility of a subscription model is unmatched; learners can get unlimited access variety of courses without adhering to strict learning commitment.
•  The diversity of topic and courses make it a very easy choice among those who are active learners. At the end of the course, students get a certificate as well.
•  Not anyone can start teaching on Lynda, the teachers have to go through a certain application process and they are selected after rigorous screening process only.

Cons

•  It can be expensive if not used correctly as the subscription cost is the same whether a student is taking only one course or various courses.
• Lynda is only good for people who are curious and want to keep on learning about different things. It is not good for those who want to learn only a particular subject or skill.

Bottom Line: Udemy vs Coursera vs Lynda

Udemy, Coursera, and Lynda, all three platforms are great for learners but the only difference is the priorities of a student and the level of commitment one can give to a course. Now let’s wrap it up with final thoughts.

Udemy

Udemy is a cost-effective easy learning platform. It is suitable for those who love to learn about different things regardless of topics. Hence, it is good for those who are committed to learning new things but not to the topic.

Coursera

Coursera is for some serious learners who want to learn and study subjects in depth. It is a little expensive but according to the value it offers, it is quite affordable. 

Lynda

Lynda is for those active learners who are want to learn about diverse topics and subjects in an on-demand model where they only pay a flat amount as a monthly or yearly charge.

We hope this article will help you in finding the right online elearning platform.