Are you wondering if there are any good Udemy alternatives for taking classes online?
Online courses are all the rave these days, and it’s a no-brainer why. Whether you are looking to polish up on old-learned skills, pick up new skills, or just find a new hobby, there’s a wide range of online courses to help!
Online classes are extremely flexible (both location-wise and scheduling-wise), self-paced, and usually very affordable too — especially compared to the soaring cost of college.
And it comes as no surprise either why people tend to choose Udemy whenever looking for online courses websites.
With more than 183,000 courses and over 44 million students, Udemy is amongst the largest online learning platforms on the market.
There’s no doubt about it, Udemy is a great option for taking classes online. But there are many reasons you might be interested in also learning about alternatives to Udemy.
For some, Udemy might be too overwhelming with its options and ranges, could be too expensive (see our Udemy pricing guide), or their certificates not being accredited might be seen as a disadvantage. And for some, they might just be looking for an alternative that offers different classes to fit their interests.
Whatever your reason is, there are plenty of good Udemy alternatives out there, and for your ease, we have researched and compiled a list of the best ones.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost for you, we might get a commission if you click the link and purchase.
Why Look for Other Course Websites Like Udemy?
While Udemy is a popular platform for online courses, you might look for an alternative eLearning platform for various reasons:
- Course Quality and Consistency: Udemy hosts a wide range of courses, which means the quality can vary significantly. Some users may seek alternatives with more consistent course quality and vetting.
- Limited Interaction: Udemy courses often lack robust interaction between instructors and students. Those looking for more personalized attention or mentorship might prefer platforms with better instructor-student engagement.
- Subscription vs. One-Time Purchase: Udemy primarily offers courses on a one-time purchase basis. Some learners prefer subscription-based platforms that grant access to a library of courses for a monthly fee.
- Specialized Learning: If someone is interested in a niche or specialized field, they might explore alternatives offering courses that cater specifically to their area of interest.
- Price and Discounts: Udemy courses can vary in price, and some users may find that other platforms offer better pricing or more frequent discounts.
- Community and Networking: Those interested in building connections and networking with peers might choose platforms that emphasize community interaction and discussion forums.
What to Look for in a Udemy Alternative
Before we head onto our list, here is a brief explanation of features to keep an eye on when choosing the right Udemy alternative for yourself. Note that, these features are not only what makes Udemy stand out but also those that we believe should be in a good online course platform.
1. Interface
To make your learning experience a no-fuss and hassle-free one, the first thing you want to look for is whether the interface of the online learning platform is a user-friendly and intuitive one or not. From the time you register to the taking of the courses, and also the overall system, it is very important for you to find the program’s interface convenient to use.
2. Availability of free or cheap courses
Along with paid courses, like Udemy, many online learning platforms provide numerous free courses too. This can be very helpful not only for students (and nonstudents) on a budget but also for people looking to experiment with new skills without having to purchase an entire course. In this way, you can easily familiarize yourself with the skill before deciding to buy it. A good Udemy alternative will have some free courses or an extended free trial period that will let you take classes at no cost for a period of time.
3. Number of courses
While free courses can be quite attractive, you also need to look out for the number of courses provided. For some, they would like a vast variety of options but others might prefer to work with limited options. Whatever your preference is, our list of online course platforms below is well accommodating to your needs.
4. Quality of courses
Although this can be quite tricky to assess, many online learning platforms have certain professional requirements that need to be met before course instructors can publish their classes. Moreover, many platforms have courses created internally as well as by large companies. So if you are not sure about your instructor, you can simply choose a course video from the latter-mentioned creators.
5. Certifications
To make your learning worthwhile and to stand out amongst the masses during job interviews and promotions, certificates are very important. Some online learning platforms like Udemy and others do provide one but some don’t. However, what’s even more important than the certificate itself is the fact that it is credited from a credible institution. Udemy unfortunately is not an accredited institution. However, our list below has alternatives to Udemy that have courses from a lot of accredited institutions like Harvard, Cambridge etc.
6. Free Trial
Ideally, you want to be able to test out an online course platform before you start paying. The best Udemy alternatives offer free trials to give you a chance to check things out for a bit before you decide whether or not you want to pay for ongoing service.
The Best Alternatives to Udemy
Having said this, here is the list of Udemy competitors that you may want to try:
1. Educative
Educative
Build in-demand tech skills with over 600 hands-on, interactive courses in programming, data science, machine learning, cloud computing, and more.
With over 600 interactive courses on programming, data science, machine learning, computer science, and other tech topics, Educative is the best Udemy alternative for anyone looking to sharpen their technical skills.
The courses are created by industry experts and offer interactive coding challenges, code snippets, quizzes, and other real-world projects.
Whether you want to delve into the world of programming languages like Java and Python or explore various development topics such as web and mobile app development, Educative makes it possible.
What really sets Educative apart from other platforms is its unique approach to learning. Unlike other platforms, where courses are often presented through on-demand video lectures, Educative offers interactive, text-based courses that let you code and learn in real time.
Plus, the cloud-based development environment means you can practice what you’re learning mid-course from any device, be it your phone, tablet, or laptop. This means you can apply what you’re learning on the spot, making for a more immersive and enjoyable learning experience.
Click here to join Educative for free.
2. SkillShare
In our opinion, Skillshare is one of the best alternative sites to Udemy, considering how much it is similar to (and may even be better than) Udemy.
Founded in 2010, this online course platform boasts over 30,000 classes in a wide range of topics via an affordable subscription.
Its range of high quality courses might not be as far spread as that of Udemy’s, but it definitely might be the best pick for learners looking to take courses in fields like photography, Photoshop, time management, voice over, public speaking, proofreading, AWS, film production, animation, video editing, music, lifestyle, writing, marketing, transcription, teaching, and more. This site mainly caters to creative and entrepreneurship niches but still has around 8 million students enrolled in it!
What makes it even better is the fact that most of Skillshare’s courses emphasize interaction rather than just focusing on lectures, with the primary purpose being learning through project completion. This makes it the best online course platform for active learners.
Furthermore, to sum up, a few of its features, Skillshare like Udemy is quite convenient as not only is it desktop, laptop, IOS, and Android smartphone compatible but also has a user interface that is quite intuitive. It also issues certificates like Udemy, however, they too are not credited ones.
As far as the prices are concerned, with Udemy, learners have to pay $19 to $199.99 per course. Whereas with Skillshare pricing, users can gain unlimited access to courses with a yearly subscription that costs only $167.88 ($13.99 per month), making Skillshare quite an affordable option. No monthly subscription option is available at this time.
Click here to try Skillshare free for one month.
3. Udacity
Founded by two Stanford instructors, this technology-focused online course platform has been revolutionizing course learning since 2011.
With 10 million students from 160 countries and 23 000 graduated students, Udacity’s main aim is to “train the world’s workforce in the careers of the future”.
Unlike Udemy, It partners with industry experts to create “project-based” online courses that enable the students to gain the technical skills that employers appreciate the most -hence, ensuring only quality videos are part of their platform!
This is their “Nanodegree program” that makes them different and more valuable than the other online course platforms. Udacity has created over 45 programs with well-recognized companies like Google, Mercedes-Benz, NVIDIA, and Facebook to name a few.
Although the number of courses and programs is way less than Udemy, these in-depth, expertly curated subject-based courses allow students to fully develop a skill set or even embark on a full-time career in that relevant subject.
What’s more is that the Nanodegrees or certificates, offered on completion of courses, are way more valuable than the certificates offered by Udemy. While both are unaccredited, the well-known partners make them more difficult to pass!
Along with their Nanodegree programs, Udacity also has 200 free courses.
While Udacity pricing for its Nanodegree programs can be higher than Udemy, their more skill-building and technical approach well makes up for it. You will have to pay $199 or more to enroll in one of its programs.
See our Udacity review for our full overview of this popular online learning platform.
4. edX
Developed by Harvard and MIT professors, this alternative to Udemy allows students to take university courses at a much lower cost from anywhere around the world!
With more than 3,000+ online courses and 300+ programs in wide-ranging subjects, this platform provides students an opportunity to have formal education anytime and at their own pace.
edX has multiple well-known course partners like Harvard, Georgetown, University of Chicago to name a few. Furthermore, it also allows students to actively learn by enabling them to engage with other students and also through assignment feedback from professors.
edX also has the option to refund within 14 days of enrolling, allowing students to opt out of courses they no longer find useful.
They also have tons of free courses with full course materials. In fact, you can audit most edX classes at no cost. However, certificates and assignment feedback won’t be available unless you pay a fee.
In addition to this, the biggest advantage of using edX is that since edX is an accredited platform, the certificates you receive on completion are completely credible! With their “pursue the Verified track” option you can gain all of these advantages with edX pricing of $50-$300 per course which is much cheaper than an actual university degree.
Read our edX review to learn more.
5. FutureLearn
This British online educational platform was founded in 2012 and is owned by The Open University and SEEK ltd. It is one of the first digital educational platforms in Britain and provides a wide range of British online courses as well as a large number of programs from American colleges.
This site enables learners to take on a new skill, learn a new hobby or even change their entire careers. With FutureLearn, they can study micro-credential programs, get certifications, and even entire online degrees, in addition to short online courses.
FutureLearn provides specialized education with the help of reputable world-class colleges and organizations like the British Council, Monash University, John Hopkins University, Accenture, Institute of coding, and more.
Students can choose an online course from any of their 14 different subjects ranging from Psychology & mental health, Law, Nature & Environment, Business & Management to Literature.
Once a program is taken, students will receive learning materials, weekly units, videos, quizzes, and more. On completion, a certificate is given from the relevant accredited University rather than from the site itself. They also allow students to interact with other students, get advice from professors, create profiles, and test their knowledge by taking assignments.
FutureLearn pricing ranges from free access to courses to paid upgrades for course certificates and other features.
6. LinkedIn Learning
This alternative to Udemy is perfect for all those wishing to improve their position in the professional world.
This subsidiary of LinkedIn offers courses in 3 fields: Business, Technology, and Creativity. With 16,000 courses to choose from and an entire Learning path to help you study better, this site might be a great choice to try- it offers a free month trial too!
The videos are created by experts with “real world” experience. This is to ensure, students are learning practical skills that can be easily applied in work environments: making them confident and competent in their relevant work fields!
Not only this, LinkedIn Learning has “bite-sized” as well as detailed videos to help learners learn as they wish. It also provides video transcriptions to clear any questions students might have. Moreover, on completion, users will earn certificates which increases their employability as well!
Lastly, in terms of LinkedIn Learning prices, again this is quite a cheaper option as learners can choose from two subscription plans:
- $39.99 per month
- $239.88 per year ($19.99 per month)
LinkedIn Learning has a one-month free trial you can check out now.
7. Codecademy
If you are looking for courses in the field of coding and technology and do not wish to entangle yourself in the vast variety of options in Udemy or any similar site, then Codecademy is the right space for you.
This website is for anyone wishing to learn coding/technological skills from scratch or further develop their existing knowledge.
It is even supported by the American government, therefore you can trust the quality of content available on the website.
It offers a wide range of options to choose from, for example, if you wish to learn a coding language, like Javascript, Python 3, Html, or if you want to study a career-specific course like Data Analyst; Codecademy has a separate course/path for each. Some paths provide certification too.
And if you are not sure at all what to take in coding, you can take their short quiz to figure out where to start. Codecademy also has options for businesses that are looking to build their teams’ technological skills.
The best part about this Udemy alternative is that its basic courses are completely free, and Codecademy pricing for their upgraded paid plans is very affordable. Their pro courses, however, retail for $17.49 a month, billed annually.
8. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is by far the most popular educational platform out there.
Created in 2005 by Sal Khan, this nonprofit organization aims to provide completely free world-class education to learners anywhere in the world and at any time.
It offers free short-length video courses that aim to keep learners engaged. These videos are created by professionals and hence the content can be trusted. There are a variety of courses to choose from. Some of the subjects include Economics, lifestyle, STEM, art & humanities. It also offers test preparation courses for SAT, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.
And the best part is that these online courses are also available in more than 20 languages without any extra charges. With extremely user-friendly videos and a variety of student-related courses, this might arguably be the best site for learners going to school, colleges, or universities!
9. Alison
Talking about free courses, Alison too offers free-of-cost online courses. But unlike Khan Academy, it focuses on Job-related skills only.
Founded in 2007, this Irish company boasts 17 million registered students, 3 million graduates, and 2,000 free courses. All of its courses are highly comprehensive and combine skill development with hands-on experience.
Its targeted audience is mostly professionals, teachers, managers, and freelancers. Some of the topics provided are sales &marketing, IT, Health, Engineering, business, etc.
Certifications and diplomas are also available on completion-and the best part, they are accredited by CPD UK! So you can improve your job position by completing an Alison course without paying a single penny!
10. Pluralsight
Created in 2004 by Aaron Skonnard, Pluralsight is the perfect Udemy alternative for IT administrators, software developers, creative specialists, or anyone looking to develop their tech skills– and yes even for those looking to start from the most basic level.
Thousands of video courses, manuals, engaging courses with in-browser coding tasks (only for Premium users), pathways (selected collections of courses), hands-on projects (Premium only), exams, webinars, and much more are available on the Pluralsight learning platform.
It offers interactive lessons in software, 3D development, VFX, design, game design, web design, and CAD software to name a few. Their courses are clearly differentiated into advanced, intermediate, and basic levels, so users know exactly which course to select. And if you don’t know where you stand or where to start, you can simply take Pluralsight’s 20 question quiz!
As far as the pricing, Pluralsight has plans starting as low as $29 a month, which is less than the price of many individual Udemy courses.
Try Pluralsight free for 10 days.
11. Coursera
For many, Coursera might be regarded as the finest alternative to Udemy. The courses offered by Coursera are mostly academic-related unlike Udemy, where a vast variety of topics are available. The number of courses is far lesser than Udemy too.
But then what makes it a good alternative? To simplify, Coursera offers more in-depth, structured, and quality courses from world class universities and industry experts.
They offer both free and paid courses and for the latter, the certificates acquired on completion are accredited too.
Additionally, Coursera also provides full-time master’s and bachelor’s degrees from prestigious universities whom they partner with. Currently, they have over 200+ universities and companies partnering with them.
While there are many free courses, with Coursera Plus, users can take advantage of accredited certification and other premium features with just $59 per month or $399 per year! See our Coursera pricing guide for more info.
A Final Word on Udemy Alternatives
To wrap up, in our opinion, these are some pretty good contenders for best alternatives to Udemy and it might be quite difficult to pick one.
However, to get the best learning experience, make sure you keep in mind the features we mentioned above when choosing a Udemy alternative. And take advantage of free trial offers so you can test out different platforms and see which one you prefer.
Have any questions about our guide to course websites like Udemy? Let us know by commenting below.
