Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning: Which is the better option?

If you have ever thought about learning a new skill or, brushing up on your basics, or are just curious by nature but don’t have the time to take in-person classes, then I am sure you have heard about online learning. 

If not, here is the gist: online learning makes it easier to learn new things at your own pace and convenience. It is also one of the most affordable ways to educate yourself. Learning new skills can help you grow personally and move ahead professionally.

Proficiency in multiple digital and technical skills will help you stand out in the eyes of a potential employer or help you bag that promotion you have wanted for a while.

If you have been looking to learn new skills professionally, then the names Udemy and LinkedIn Learning may have kept popping up. That would make you wonder which one to choose to start your learning journey. 

Fear not, because this review will answer all your questions and help you make a sound decision.

Quick Overview 

Udemy

Udemy is one of the top online learning platforms, with the broadest range of courses available on various subjects. It has over 200,000 courses available in more than 10 different categories. You can choose a course you like, pay for it, and get lifetime access. The courses start at $20 and go up to $200, depending on the length and complexity of the subject matter. You can also take their beginner-friendly free courses on a budget. They also provide a subscription and business plans, depending on your needs.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning provides users a platform that helps them learn career-driven skills that can advance them professionally. It boasts millions of users and offers over 17,000 courses on design, technical writing, Java, coding, and more. You can buy an individual course or get a subscription, depending on your requirements. Industry experts teach the lessons, and you can quickly check their credentials. After completing a course, you get a certificate of completion. These certificates are not accredited but will be displayed on your LinkedIn profile.

Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning in 2024

Here’s a comparison table for you to go through:

	Udemy	LinkedIn Learning
No. of courses	200,000+	15,000+
Categories	10+ subjects	Courses focused on professional development
Unique features	Courses led by expert industry instructors on a variety of topics with quizzes and practical exercises	Courses designed for professional growth and learning new career-driven skills
Pricing	Individual courses from $20-$200Monthly subscription $30	Individual courses start from $20Monthly subscription is $39.99Annual subscription is $323.88
Refunds	30 days or before you complete the course	30-day refund policy for individual courses
Certificates	Yes (not accredited)	Yes (not accredited)
Pros	Variety of courseAffordableExpert instructors	Expert instructors Free trial Affordable
Cons	No verified certificates Questionable quality (of some courses)	No accredited certificatesMore focused on professional training
Languages	Over 70 languages	Over 10 languages
Overall G2 rating	4.5/5	4.4/5

Udemy 

Udemy was established in 2009 by Eren Bali and has since become one of the leading online learning platforms in the world. It aims to provide an affordable and unique learning experience. Udemy also has over 200,000 online courses available that cover a variety of different topics. It also has courses on multiple subcategories like business, creativity, and personal development, catering to all users’ needs in one go. The individual courses on Udemy start at $12.99, while its monthly subscription plan costs $30. Individual Udemy courses come with lifetime access. After finishing each course, you get a certificate of completion. This certificate must be verified and might not be acceptable professionally.

LinkedIn Learning 

In 2015, LinkedIn acquired ownership of Lynda.com. It is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) known for its vast database of online learning courses. By doing so, LinkedIn came into possession of all the content available on Lynda, getting the initial traction required to be unique in such a competitive market. LinkedIn Experts in that particular field design learning courses. The content provided by the platform is for individuals who are career-oriented. There are also no hidden costs. Once you get the subscription, everything on the platform is available. There are no premium courses or additional charges. The subscription costs $29.99 monthly, and the annual subscription costs $323.88 (it comes down to $26.99 per month) paid in a single payment. Completing any course on LinkedIn provides a certificate of completion directly displayed on your LinkedIn profile; check the complete LinkedIn Learning Review!

Now that we know more about these platforms and what they offer, let’s start comparing how they perform against each other.

Also, check Best Udemy Alternatives, Udemy VS Skillshare, and Udemy Review.

Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning: Course quantity and quality

If you want to learn a few things, finding the platform that meets all your needs is essential. Let’s say you found a platform with all the courses you have been looking for for a while, but more is needed! It is crucial for an online learning platform to provide good quality courses that inspiring and experienced teachers lead. Let’s see how Udemy compares against LinkedIn Learning regarding quantity and quality.

Udemy 

Udemy offers over 200,000 courses on various subjects like business, finance, science, computer science, data science, and more. Learning platforms can only match the sheer number of courses provided by Udemy. You can buy individual courses or a personal plan and start learning. Udemy also offers various discounts on their popular courses, and often, you can get amazing-quality courses at a reasonable price. It is an open-host learning platform, meaning anyone can teach a course on Udemy. Of course, Udemy has a system and guidelines that instructors need to follow to maintain the quality of the courses, but sometimes the quality could be consistent.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning boasts over a million users and offers over 17000 courses on design, technical writing, JAVA, coding, and more. It is a good investment for people who want to learn things to make them more efficient. The subscription plan covers the cost of all the courses available on LinkedIn Learning. The content is available in multiple formats. Videos, aural courses, and learning paths (numerous courses that cover all the aspects of the skills you want to master). Expert instructors craft these courses, and you can verify their credentials. There needs to be more advanced-level content, and most of the content available is targeted toward beginners, but the courses are engaging and informative.

Summary 

LinkedIn Learning has content that is of better quality and courses crafted by credible experts with experience, but Udemy has more options when it comes to course selection. 

Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning: User Interface and Layout

A learning platform must have a simple interface that is easy to navigate. The design and layout of the site should also be engaging and interactive while being informative at the same time. 

Udemy 

Udemy has a standard signup process that requires your email address and password. The user interface is well-designed, and the site is easily navigable. The layout is intuitive and unique. The courses are well-organized and easy to find. Once you start taking a course, you will see the lesson plan and practice exercises on the right while the course video, audio, or text is in the middle of the screen.

LinkedIn Learning 

If you have a LinkedIn profile, the signup process to LinkedIn Learning is more straightforward, and if you don’t have one, you can use your email address and password to register yourself. The platform is user-friendly and fun to use. The design is generic and bland but needs to be better to turn potential learners away. LinkedIn Learning has neatly divided the courses into three main sections to make it easy for users to find a specific topic. Multiple learning options, like videos, audio, courses, or learning paths, exist. Each differs from the other, and you can select the medium depending on your preference.

Summary 

Udemy has a better and easier-to-use interface, and the layout is fun, interactive, simple, and clean.

Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning: Payment options and refunds

If you want to get the best quality at the most affordable price, then pricing is essential. So, it is crucial to know which platform is more reasonably priced.

	Udemy	LinkedIn Learning
Free courses	More than 500 courses	8 basic learning paths
Individual course prices	Start from $20 up to $200 per course	Start from $25 up to $60 per course
Subscription	Monthly subscription costs $29.99 with access to more than 5000 courses	Monthly subscription costs $39.99Annual subscription costs $323.88
Free trial	Subscription has a 7-day free trial	Subscription has a 30-day free trial
Refund and Cancellation	Individual courses have a 30-day refund policySubscription can be canceled at anytime	Individual courses have a 30-day refund policySubscription can be canceled at anytime

Udemy 

The individual courses on Udemy start from $20 and can go up to $200. Once you have purchased a course, you get lifetime access to the course content and practice exercises. Sometimes, during promotions, Udemy or instructors provide courses with discounts. Since the instructors decide the prices, they can vary and are inconsistent throughout the platform. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find something amiss and don’t enjoy the course. Udemy provides a personal subscription plan that lets you access thousands of videos. It comes with a career guide and supplemental exercises to assess the level of your skills. The plan costs $29.99, billed monthly. There is also a 7-day free trial period to check whether the subscription is worth the money.

LinkedIn Learning 

LinkedIn Learning has individual courses starting from $25 and can go up to $60. But it is more of a subscription-based platform. The subscription costs $29.99 monthly, and the annual subscription costs $323.88 (it comes down to $26.99 per month) paid in a single payment. Once you get the subscription, you can access all the services LinkedIn Learning provides and the benefits of LinkedIn Premium. There are no additional charges for anything. LinkedIn Learning also provides a one-month free trial that you can cancel after your month ends so you can decide if the subscription plan is worth your investment.

Summary 

LinkedIn Learning subscription is a sweet bargain because you get unlimited access to all the courses available on the platform, and it is an absolute value-for-money pricing model. 

Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning: Customer and language support

Language should never become a barrier in education, so a learning platform must be inclusive and have multiple language options. Customer support is another crucial thing to consider when choosing a learning platform.

Udemy 

Udemy offers more than 70 language options, including French, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and more. If you want to teach on Udemy, you can create your course in a language you are most comfortable with, and it can be any language. Udemy also offers decent customer support in case you need any help or have doubts regarding their policies and courses. You can contact them through email at [email protected]. Udemy also has a support chat system where you can drop your query with your name and email address, and someone will contact you soon.

LinkedIn Learning 

Linked Learning provides courses in more than 10 languages, including German, French, Spanish, and more (primarily mainstream languages). The video courses also often come with subtitles, but some of its distinctive features and learning materials are only available in English, which is a limitation for a lot of people who don’t speak or understand the language. LinkedIn Learning has a detailed FAQ section and links to articles that will answer your questions, but if you need additional help or have any trouble with the service, it has a live chat system and an email query system.  

Summary 

Udemy provides a more inclusive range of languages and has a sound customer support system.

Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning: Certification value

Course completion certificates are valuable when you are applying for jobs. Having tangible proof of skills can distinguish you from your competition and make you a more favorable candidate for employers.

Udemy 

Udemy provides certificates of completion after each course. Any institutions do not accredit these courses. However, several experienced and renowned instructors have courses on Udemy certificates, so their courses might be valuable and appealing to a potential employer.

LinkedIn Learning 

LinkedIn Learning also provides a certificate of completion after you finish the course, and no institution or organization is accredited for the certificate. On the plus side, this certificate can be directly displayed on your LinkedIn profile so any future hirer can immediately notice it.

Summary 

Regarding the value of certification, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning are the same. Since no university or organization accredits them, they could be more useful when impressing your future boss. 

Udemy VS LinkedIn Learning: Better for business development

Companies and organizations constantly look for online learning platforms to upskill their employees. An excellent online platform should have plans that match their needs and help with professional growth.

Udemy 

Udemy offers 3 different plans for businesses looking to train their employees. These plans are the Team plan, Enterprise plan, and Leadership plan. The team plan is for a team with 5-20 users. It costs $360 per user annually (no monthly plan). The Enterprise plan is for companies with more than 20 users. The price of this plan is not disclosed, and you can contact Udemy support for a custom quote. The Leadership plan is a custom plan designed especially for leadership roles and is recommended for a team with over 25 users.

LinkedIn Learning 

LinkedIn Learning has two plans available for businesses: Team and Enterprise plans. Both these plans are customizable, and their prices are not directly available on the platform. To know more about this, you need to contact the LinkedIn Learning sales team, and they will provide you with a demo and give you a custom quote that fits your needs.

Summary 

Udemy provides more options when it comes to business plans and works for small as well as large teams. They are also very transparent about their pricing module, which is a plus for companies looking to purchase the plan. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, Udemy has more courses to offer, a more user-friendly interface, and caters to a broader audience with its variety of languages. It also has good customer support and provides more options for businesses.

LinkedIn Learning has better quality content that helps you grow professionally, has distinctive features, and offers a subscription plan that is good value for money. 

Both platforms have advantages and disadvantages, and which is better depends solely on your requirements. 

LinkedIn Learning is perfect for you if you want to learn career-driven skills that can help you grow professionally. If you are looking to take various courses under one platform or need to train your employees and grow your business, then Udemy is the ideal platform for you.

But Udemy has a slight edge over LinkedIn Learning.