Last Updated on January, 2025
Is there a better alternative to Udemy online courses? If so, what are they, and on what terms? And, most importantly, is it worth it?
If you’re looking for an Udemy alternative, I’m sure you have these questions.
You’re in the right place! I have answered these questions by analyzing the 12 best Udemy alternatives. All you need to do is read through all the Udemy alternatives and choose.
But wait; why trust me?
Contents
Why Trust Me?
I have used Udemy and most of these platforms, especially the top seven. To give you the best idea of each, I went through several Reddit and Quora threads and multiple other reliable websites.
I even watched YouTube reviews just to triple-check all Udemy alternatives. That’s why what you get here is accurate and can’t be found anywhere else (unless they have plagiarized already, which is alright, as we want to help everyone).
Let’s start the list with the best alternative: Coursera.
12 Best Udemy Alternatives
1. Coursera
If you chose Udemy as your primary online learning platform, Coursera comes the closest to the requirements.
The most significant plus point about Coursera is that it’s affiliated with several well-recognized and accredited universities and organizations. Some of these include Microsoft and Stanford University. What makes the real difference?
You can attain accreditation with Udemy certificates, but there’s a process. However, almost all Coursera certificates are accredited by default. In addition to that, you can also follow Bachelor’s and Master’s levels of qualifications.
Coursera was founded by two Stanford professors in 2012, and Udemy and Coursera almost have the same tenure.
Udemy offers 210,000+ courses, while Coursera offers only 7,000+ courses; this includes free and paid courses, even in high-demand subjects like Machine Learning.
You can access all of it either via the website or the app. In the app, you can download courses easily, at least most of them.
Going inside typical online courses on the platform, you’ll notice they have graded quizzes and a weekly breakdown of the learning process. The platform also allows you to set your own learning goals. Because of this, Coursera can estimate an end date too.
It’s also safe to say that Coursera course material/content is similar to Udemy’s, as each shows the lecture name, the duration, and the quizzes.
Coursera also has two subscription plans: $59/month Coursera Plus (7-day trial) and $399/year (14 days money-back guarantee). All things considered, Coursera is easily the best alternative for Udemy.
Overall rating: 4.9/5
View our full Coursera review if you want to get to know more about this platform.
Pros
Cons
2. LinkedIn Learning
If not for Coursera, LinkedIn (LD) Learning just might work for you.
To clear out the confusion right off the bat, LinkedIn Learning is essentially a free benefit or a subsidiary you get with LinkedIn Premium.
Although you cannot purchase individual online courses unlike Udemy, LinkedIn Learning enables four subscription plans:
Given how certifications supplement career advancement, the convenience of sharing them on LinkedIn easily, and how LinkedIn is where people are recruited, investing in LinkedIn Learning (or premium) is a smart choice.
LD Learning is categorized into 3 areas: Technology, Business, and Creativity. Across these 3 categories, you can access a library with 21,000+ courses. If you feel like you can’t pick what’s best for you, LD Learning will suggest courses.
These recommendations are present in almost all the platforms on this list. Additionally, these courses also have interactive learning, where there are several quizzes and exercise files.
I also love how they offer an audio-only option where you can merely skim subjects while looking. LD Learning also enables offline viewing, as you can add these video courses to the LinkedIn Learning app, which is positively rated.
The cherry on top is their ‘bite-sized’ videos that don’t require a long attention span. Since there’s a one-month trial, I’d recommend checking this Udemy alternative out.
Overall rating: 4.8/5
View our full LinkedIn Learning review if you want to get to know more about this platform.
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Cons
3. MasterClass
I took MasterClass last year, and it was a delight!
I’ll start with the most significant downside; you don’t get personalized certificates. However, learning the secrets of celebrity-level experts is an unparalleled experience.
If you’re looking for those special secrets out of the books that you can impress people with, MasterClass is amazing.
The most noticeable upside of MasterClass is the production quality. Man! Everything looks like a movie. Imagine learning cooking from Gordon Ramsay, with his sass and little secrets that make his dishes super tasty in that quality — that’s value for money.
This Udemy alternative features a constantly updating course library with 180+ online classes across 11 categories, such as:
I understand that it’s not as profound and categorized as Udemy. However, if we consider cooking, several top-level chefs cover multiple types of cuisines.
Just as much as the high production quality, MasterClass is 100% people-based, which means there aren’t any slides like Udemy or Coursera.
To supplement the courses, every course has a workbook prepared by the instructors. These coursebooks are beautiful and document the secrets of the instructors with clear directions.
You’ll also find several quizzes and exercises that make MasterClass phenomenal. With incredibly high user ratings on Amazon and TrustPilot, MasterClass offers you three subscription plans. These are billed exclusively on an annual basis.
For all three plans, you get one account. The difference is the number of concurrent devices you can access MasterClass. For all three plans, you get one account, with a 30-day refund policy.
You can easily switch between the plans. Furthermore, you can also gift memberships similar to Udemy and Coursera. There’s also a designated app that makes the learning experience better.
Overall, if you’re not too strict on certificates, MasterClass is 100% recommendable.
Overall rating: 4.7/5
Will MasterClass give you the most bang for your buck? Read more in our full MasterClass review and find out. (I’m pretty sure it’ll.)
Pros
Cons
4. edX
As an Udemy alternative, edX and Coursera are considerably similar. One reason is that edX is an accredited platform, which makes its course completion certificates accredited.
However, unlike Coursera, you specifically have to pick the “Pursue The Verified Track” option, which increases the course price. The course quality of these is relatively higher, too.
This also pinpoints another similarity between Coursera and Udemy: you can buy individual courses. There are free courses too.
EdX pricing for individual courses generally changes between $50 to $300 per course. If you choose the verified track, the price can rise from $1,000 to $3,000; that’s why I consider the platform to be expensive.
Parallely, edX offers various course types, including:
If you represent an organization, the government, or a university, edX offers special subscription plans, similar to Udemy. For groups, the per-learner monthly price is ~$29, which is billed annually at $349 per learner.
edX offers 3,000+ online courses and 300+ programs in a wide variety of categories.
While there are hundreds of subcategories similar to Udemy, these are some of the notable main ones:
Being affiliated with world-class universities, EdX has branded their mobile app as edX Mobile – Courses by Harvard & MIT. The app is convenient as it lets you download both videos and course materials for offline viewing.
edX is one of the best recommendable Udemy alternatives and is a reliable platform for skill and career development.
Overall rating: 4.7/5
Curious to learn more? Read our comprehensive edX review.
Pros
Cons
You could say Skillshare is the celebrity-less version of MasterClass in one main aspect; SkillShare also doesn’t offer you personalized certificates.
The course library strength of Skillshare is less than Udemy and more than Coursera and MasterClass, with 25,000+ courses. Similar to MasterClass, Skillshare has listed down its teachers alphabetically.
The accreditation and recognition level of Skillshare courses is comparatively lower, in my opinion. However, as the brand name Skillshare suggests, the platform aims to share practical skills.
You’ll come across very popular internet personalities who are successful in their industries. Additionally, there are several Skillshare-curated courses too.
Going inside a typical course, Skillshare directly communicates the learning materials that you must have. Instead of a long list under a what you’ll learn section as Udemy does, Skillshare lists one final product of the course.
Skillshare also clearly mentions the recommended learning level; beginner, intermediate, and all levels. It’ll be most effective as every course clearly lists down the lectures while outlining what they are.
You can access everything with the Skillshare mobile app, too. Just as much as Skillshare doesn’t offer personalized certificates, you can’t buy individual courses.
Although you can view some courses, accessing scholarships and free courses is enabled after you sign up for the subscription.
Skillshare has four subscription plans, 2 for individuals and 2 for teams:
Skillshare no longer supports individual gift cards, although you can gift corporate gift cards for those looking to buy 25 or more memberships for others.
The platform is definitely recommendable as long as you’re fine with not having certificates, as the monthly price is very low.
Overall rating: 4.6/5
Think Skillshare could be the right match for you? or you want read more about this platform? Here’s our full Skillshare review or you can also read our detailed Udemy vs Skillshare Comparison.
Pros
Cons
6. FutureLearn
Founded in 2012, FutureLearn is a British online learning platform. Let’s see what makes FutureLearn a great Udemy alternative.
With 17 million users and growing, FutureLearn offers you four learning pathways:
FutureLearn is a comprehensive learning platform that offer courses covering core subject areas such as business & management, tech, language, creative arts, healthcare, politics, teaching, literature, and even psychology and mental health.
The course library strength is 2,000+ courses and growing, and almost all of them are fully accredited.
There are two ways you can learn on FutureLearn:
Their monthly plan is only $39.99, and sometimes you get 30% off from the first two months at $27.99 per month.
FutureLearn also has two enterprise plans. One is the “Unlimited for Teams” of 5-100 employees, where you can track progress with a dashboard. The cost is £249 per seat annually. For the enterprise-level plan, you should contact sales.
The best thing? You can do all of this on their designated mobile app. All things considered, FutureLearn is another one of the best Udemy alternatives.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Pros
Cons
7. Khan Academy
Khan Academy was started on YouTube by Sal Khan back in 2006. Today, it’s a multi-million-dollar brand and a potential alternative to Udemy.
The best thing about Khan Academy is that they don’t sell courses; they only accept generous donations. Not necessarily because of this factor, but Khan Academy is also not an accredited platform.
Thus, although you receive your personalized certificates upon course completion, they do not carry the accreditation value.
If you analyze the course directory of this online learning platform, you’ll notice that most courses are targeting pre-, middle, and high school.
However, you can find a considerable amount of courses that suit adults, including:
I noticed how there’s prominence for test prep as there are a lot of positive reviews for Digital SAT, LSAT, MCAT, and even Praxis Core.
Inside a typical Khan Academy course, you’ll find a well-structured approach where you can see all the units and relevant skills acquired. You can also manage your courses on the mobile app.
There’s a special benefit of the Khan Academy as they provide you with AI-powered tutoring powered by GPT-4. If paying is not possible, the academy only wants you to subscribe to their newsletter.
Although the platform is free, it’s difficult to bring it too close to Udemy or Coursera, as the subject matter is not as diversified and advanced. However, kudos to Khan Academy for providing free education.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
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Cons
8. Udacity
Udacity is one of the best Elearning platforms, which was founded in 2011 by two Stanford professors, just a year after Udemy was founded.
Udacity has two main education types; courses and nanodegree programs. While you know what courses are already, Nanodegrees are offered exclusively by Udacity to bridge the gap between learning and career goals.
You’ll see it when you see the course content breakdown. They are mostly skill-based and have the highest demand within the platform.
Although Udacity doesn’t allow single online course purchases, all Udacity courses sold will be as 4-monthly subscription plans where the prices are $249/month and $846 quarterly (save 15%). Nanodegree programs are typically $199 and higher.
The online course directory is impressive as you get 350+ high-quality courses. They also have 370+ real-world projects (unlike other online learning platforms), aiming to help you achieve 2,500+ skills with a single subscription.
The cherry on top is how every course and Nanodegree gets you a personalized certificate. The only downside is that the platform isn’t accredited. You can access all of them easily via the Udacity mobile application.
Udacity also provides you with three business plans (or subscriptions) such as:
All things considered, it’s safe to say Udacity is a dependable alternative to Udemy.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Pros
Cons
9. Educative
Founded in 2015, Educative is one of the most recognized online learning platforms, leaning a bit towards educating developers of all levels.
In fact, each course clearly shows the recommended level. As a developer, you’ll constantly notice how the online course directly aims towards technical skills with the highest demand in the industry; one example is Mobile App Development.
Educative also has integrated AI to explain courses better. AI explanations come with the premium plans (which I will explain in a moment), and this allows you to understand technical terms and phrases more thoroughly.
Additionally, their course structure is almost always backed with a real-life scenario that makes learning more skill-oriented, too. That alone makes Educative one of the best online learning platforms.
You also get several completely free courses, although you won’t get a certificate of completion.
Purchasing individual courses isn’t possible in Educative as it is fully subscription-based. However, you get unlimited access to the full directory with the 7-day trial.
After that, you can either go for the standard or the premium plans. Both of these are billed annually.
The plans include:
The full price is less than 12 times the monthly price, as Educative tends to offer seasonal and regional discounts. The biannual plan is even lower.
If you want a monthly plan, it’ll be under $59, as regional and seasonal discounts apply. While you get personalized certificates of completion for both plans, the premium has two additional benefits.
Which are:
Since there’s also a mobile app, everything is easier. Compared to Udemy, the biggest downside of Educative is that it’s pretty much only for developers. So, if you’re a developer, Educative will suit your needs well.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
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Cons
10. PluralSight
Founded in 2004, the platform has 7,000+ engaging courses with 1,400+ subject matter experts in providing tech training.
PluralSight is also another developer-focused platform with a big online course library. The main difference I noticed between Educative and PluralSight is that they categorize their courses: by industry and by their 3 product plans.
They’re:
If you’re a developer, it’d be easier to understand why ant PluralSight has categorized its online course library like this; there are multiple courses on data science.
Similar to Educative, you cannot buy individual onlune courses; instead, you can opt for a monthly or a yearly plan. Within the subscriptions, PluralSight offers plans for both individuals and businesses where you can access the the full online course library.
The lowest monthly subscription is as low as $19/month (in Skills), and the highest is the Plus plan in Flow, which is $600/user/year ($50/month/user). The trial period for individual subscriptions is always 7 days and 10 days for teams.
Here, you get more advanced courses targeting better online training.
However, you can also opt for the always-free plan with limited access to basic courses. Whichever you choose, you can access all courses via the designated mobile app, which makes everything easier.
As a developer, this is one of the best online learning platforms that has the potential to change your career positively.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Is the PluralSight the best online learning platform of your dreams? Look at it on our full PluralSight review or in our detailed Udemy vs PluralSight comparison.
Pros
Cons
11. Datacamp
Datacamp, as the brand name suggests, is another online learning platform bespoke for tech employees handling data science such as data analysts, data engineers, etc.
The data science platform enables course material access in three types such as:
Datacamp boasts a growing community with over 9 million users and valuable discussion forums, and here’s how the plans vary.
You get free basic limited access to these data science platform, where every first chapter is free.
Then comes the premium plan for individuals for $29 per month, billed yearly. The Learn category also has plans for small teams of 2 and up, and bespoke enterprise solutions.
Workspace comes with a free plan and a premium plan ($9/month). Recruit has three plans, one of which is free, and the pro plan is $249/month (or $2,499/year), for which you get a 15-day trial. You should contact sales for its Unlimited plan.
Across these plans, you can access 350+ interactive lessons and over 2,000 parent companies. The credibility of the courses is that they offer completion certificates. However, it’s a downside that the platform is not accredited.
If you can get past that, Datacamp is one of the best online platforms for tech employees specializing in data.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Interested in Datacamp Platform? Check out our full Datacamp review to learn more.
Pros
Cons
12. Codecademy
The last Udemy alternative is Codecademy, founded in 2011 in New York. As the brand name implies, this platform is dedicated to anyone in coding. This includes developers, full-stack engineers, software engineers, and much more.
The course directory is designed to cover 12 programming languages, including Java, Python, JavaScript, SQL, Ruby, C++, and so on.
The best thing is that they’re designed to cover the full competency spectrum, from beginner to expert. Whether it be web development or programming languages, they have it all.
I’d instantly recommend this platform to anyone who wants to start coding, unless you’re happy with the hundreds of coding courses in Udemy.
There are three ways to follow Codecademy courses:
Through methods 2 and 3, you can access over 3,000 structured training courses, including quizzes and puzzles, directly targeting employment. You can access all these via the Codecademy Go mobile app, too.
Similar to Udemy, Codecademy is also not an accredited institution. However, what you learn here can skyrocket your employment probability. It can even be verified with the job-readiness checker in the Pro plan.
When it comes to pricing, the Plus plan is $14.99/month ($11.99 monthly, when billed annually), and the Pro plan is $19.99/month ($15.99 monthly, when billed annually). You get a 7-day trial period for both plans, making it risk-free.
If you want to learn to code, Codecademy can easily be recommended as a reliable online learning platforms.
Overall rating: 4.5/5
Is the Codecademy the best online learning platform of your dreams? Look at it on our full Codecademy review or in our detailed Udemy vs Codecademy comparison.
Pros
Cons
With that, we have finished discussing Udemy alternatives. Next, let’s talk about what you should look for in an Udemy alternative.
What Should You Be Looking for in an Udemy Alternative?
If you were to (hypothetically) choose an Udemy alternative, let me arm you with the aspects you should consider.
Online Course Library Size
This goes without saying; the more courses there are, the more options you have. It would be even better if they were from multiple categories across various competency levels.
The cherry on top is if the platform offers a bespoke learning path according to your learning goals, especially with paid courses.
For instance, if you want to pursue a career in computer science, it is great if the platform offers you different courses in computer science at different competency levels. Udemy has over 210,000+ courses across several industries, and that’s a flex.
Human Touch for the Courses
Platforms like MasterClass, Udemy, and even Coursera integrate real humans into their courses rather than mere slideshows. There’s a high positive psychological impact on learners, increasing their appetite for learning.
Level of Certificate Recognition
Except for MasterClass and Khan Academy, all Udemy alternatives on this list offer personalized certificates upon completion within paid plans. The difference is in the level of recognition.
Although Udemy is not an accredited platform, you can still get accreditation following course completion by meeting accreditation requirements. This is quite common with STEM qualifications.
Coursera, on the other hand, is an accredited platform that offers accredited certificates by default.
Availability of Free Courses
Khan Academy is 100% free and would suit anyone in school. However, platforms like Coursera, PluralSight, Codecademy, and even Datacamp offer free plans.
These could be lifetime free access or free individual courses. You can always learn more and get your certifications with paid plans. However, it would also be great if you could always learn for free from the platform you’re investing in.
Hence, be sure to check the availability of free courses.
Value for Price
I will never list affordability as a key factor as that would make the Khan Academy the best; it’s not.
Value for price is subjective, which also depends on the person. You should ask yourself whether you want lifetime access to a single course that you can learn at your own pace. You can also opt for a subscription; should it be monthly or annual?
If you represent a business, you must consider the price per seat/person and the included benefits. Based on that, you can assess the extent of value for price. I do not recommend settling down for a questionably cheap platform that doesn’t bring any value.
The Quality of Instructors
Coursera’s instructors always directly represent the accredited institution from which they offer the certificate. Udemy also has a pool of well-recognized and popular course instructors.
MasterClass is the best choice if you’re heavily instructor-focused, as they are celebrity-level instructors. The downside with MasterClass is that you don’t get a certificate.
Free Trial/Refund
With online education, the free trial period represents the product warranty. For Udemy, there’s a 30-day refund policy for each individual course, whereas subscriptions have a 7-day trial period.
The risk-free method helps you pull out in case you’re not satisfied.
Is it Really Better Than Udemy?
The biggest question you have to ask is whether the suggested alternative is better than Udemy within your goal frames.
If you want accredited certificates, Coursera is your only alternative. However, if you’re price-conscious and accreditation isn’t that important to you, Udemy is still better.
If accreditation isn’t that important, all platforms except MasterClass and Khan Academy are for consideration. Similarly, you must evaluate your options better.
With that covered, let’s look at Udemy’s pricing next.
Udemy Pricing
Udemy has two main options; individual and Udemy for Business.
Udemy for Individuals
Unlike several other platforms, Udemy provides free access to over 10,000 complete and valuable courses. For example, the “Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Zero to Hero” is one of my favorites.
You can filter all of them on the course selection page, and here’s how it looks. Some complete the foundation level so the instructors can train them with more advanced subject matter. This is where paid individual courses come into the picture.
As an ambitious individual, you can purchase single courses to which you have lifetime access. Their value is sky-high as most instructors update the courses with new content, which you get free access to.
Paid Udemy courses change between $19.99 and $199.99, although Udemy constantly offers discounts. You will also receive a personalized certificate once you complete the course. Then comes the personal subscriptions.
Udemy’s personal subscription plan is currently $16.58 per month (I’ll update this if it changes). Here, you get unlimited access to all 210,000+ courses, and completing them gives you a personalized certificate.
What if You Represent a Business?
This is where Udemy for Business comes into play.
Here, you get three subscription plans:
Although the platform doesn’t disclose the plan directly, the typical enterprise plan price is $30/user/month, and you can confirm it following a demo or price request. It’s for more than 20 people.
The team plan is for 5-20 people and is priced at $30/user/month. Since Leadership Academy is more personalized, you must contact Udemy sales. This is for groups of 25 or more.
You can learn more about Udemy platform in our honest review. Or if you want a specific review about Udemy for Business, click here.
With that covered, let’s look at Udemy’s refund policy.
Udemy Refund Policy
Udemy will refund any individual online course as long as you request it:
You only need to access the purchase history tab in the drop-down menu.
When you click your profile picture or the initial, go to the online course and request a refund.
Once you do, the refunds tab in the purchase history tab will show the refund status. Ideally, you will receive your refund within 5-10 working days.
Subscription refunds come in the form of trial periods. The individual plan has a 7-day trial period, whereas the business plans have a 14-day one.
It is not clear what determines refund eligibility for subscriptions, although the least content consumption is the better side.
If you want a complete guide on how the Udemy Refund works, read this article.
Conclusion
Taking online courses is the most cost-effective learning method at present. Amongst competitors, Udemy is one of the best-performing online platforms of all time, offering 210,000+ courses across hundreds of subject areas.
However, if you plan to go for an alternative, I’m sure you now have enough information to decide. Remember to follow the alternative choosing guide when you do, as that’ll bring the highest value to your investment.
The real question, however, is whether you actually need an Udemy alternative. I hope this article was helpful, and feel free to share it with your friends to help them too.
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