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Last update: Jan 15, 2025

edX vs Coursera: 9 Rounds To Find The Champion

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Coursera vs edX
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Written by

Catherine Cooke

Catherine Cooke

Upskillwise Advisor

I'm Catherine, originally from London, now living in Spain. My professional journey led me from being a certified teacher to a yoga instructor and then a freelancer designer. These changes were made possible by online learning platforms like Skillshare and Coursera. It wasn't always easy, but so worth it and inspired me to start Upskillwise.

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Upskillwise.com is fully supported by its readers. If you register or buy a course using our links, we may receive a commission. This does not affect our ratings, methodology or partners.

If you’re deciding between two of the top online learning platforms—edX and Coursera—you’re probably asking: Which is more affordable? Which offers better courses? Which will boost my career? To help you choose, I’ve prepared this quick comparison.

Let’s dive in!

Take Our Quiz: edX Vs Coursera?

Catherine Cooke author of the post and education and freelance expert

To create a detailed and useful comparison between edx and Coursera, I’ve conducted extensive research on various aspects of both platforms, including their courses, learning programs, instructors, pricing structures, and refund policies. I’ve also taken into account user feedback. My background, which includes a Master’s degree in Teaching and Education and extensive experience with online learning platforms, has equipped me to provide this thorough review.

Catherine CookeUpskillwise Advisor

Compare edX & Coursera Side By Side

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edX Vs Coursera Summary

edX and Coursera are top online learning platforms offering courses, certificates, and degrees from leading universities. edX lets you audit courses for free or pay $50–$300, with Master’s degrees costing $10,000–$25,000, and certificates available for most courses. Coursera offers free courses too, with Specializations starting at $49/month, MasterTrack Certificates around $2,000, and degrees from $9,000. Coursera Plus unlocks 7,000+ courses and job-ready certificates, while edX excels in fields like computer science and engineering. Consider course content, cost, and certificates before choosing. Start with a free course—most paid options (except degrees) offer refunds!

Round 1: User Popularity

Popularity is not really a category that should make us choose one provider over the other, as sometimes popular products or services aren’t always the best choice. I remember the hype for Google glasses back in 2014, and where are they now?

However, it’s a good way to assess the market and see where each elearning platform stands.

Google Trends edX vs Coursera
Google Trends edX vs Coursera

As you can see in the graph above, there is a clear winner of this popularity contest, Coursera is clearly more popular than edX.

edX was founded in 2012 and is partnered with 250+ prestigious institutions from around the world. In November 2021, it was sold off as a non-profit organization and is now part of a for-profit organization. It has had over 44 million+ users offering more than to 4,000+ courses that are created by their professional partners.

Coursera was also founded in 2012 by two Stanford professors and is partnered with 300+ Universities and Companies. It is an online learning platform that focuses on its partnerships with Universities and Corporations and has had well over 150 million course enrollments. It currently offers more than 5,800 courses, specializations and degrees.

Winner: Coursera

We kick things off with Coursera taking the lead 0 – 1

Round 2: edx vs Coursera Pricing

When choosing an online course, price is often one of the most important factors. To help you decide, I’ve created a side-by-side pricing comparison of edX and Coursera—giving you a clear view of what each platform offers.

edX Coursera
Free courses All courses (Audit this Course) 6,000+ free courses (Plus Audit the Course)
Individual course prices $50 to $300 USD a course $9.99 to $79 USD a course
Specialist Program (e.g.degree or Masters) Starting at $299 to $10,000 USD Starting at $2,000 to $9,000 USD
Platforms Desktop, iOS & Android Desktop, iOS & Android
More information Visit edx.org Visit coursera.org

Free Learning

edX offers the option to take the Audit Track on its courses, meaning you’ll be able to learn for free. This comes with limitations, such as restricted access to course materials, no certificate of completion, and no participation in graded assignments and exams. However, it’s hard to complain when you’re learning for free from top universities and organizations.

edX Audit Track
edX Audit Track

Similarly, Coursera offers more than 2,800+ free courses, easily accessible from the homepage by clicking on ‘Explore’ in the header and selecting ‘Take a free course.’ With the free version, you won’t receive a certificate, but you can always upgrade later to obtain one. Like edX, Coursera also provides an ‘Audit the Course’ option, granting access to most course materials for free. However, some learners may find this option a bit more hidden.

Coursera Free Courses
Coursera Free Courses

Pricing Options

The price of your course will be a deciding factor when choosing an elearning platform. If you can’t afford its cost, maybe you should look for cheaper alternatives, right?

Coursera Plus is another payment method which lets you pay by subscription either monthly or annually and gives you unlimited access to 7,000+ courses. There is no limit to the number of courses you enroll in, and you will earn a course certificate for every course you successfully complete. The monthly fee costs $59 USD, which you can cancel at any time, and the annual fee costs $339 USD, which comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Be mindful that the Coursera Plus subscription doesn’t include degrees or MasterTrack certificates.

Coursera Plus
Coursera Plus

Winner: Coursera

Coursera is now leading, the score is at 0-2.

Round 3: edX vs Coursera Categories

It’s difficult to say who’s got the best courses around, but let’s try to answer a couple of questions, so you know whether to choose edX or Coursera.

Course Information

With so many courses and programs available, it’s challenging to find which one you should use. But some elearning communities make it easier than others to find the relevant information.

edX offers a wide array of courses, from introductory courses to career-focused learning. Offering 3,600+ courses with 32 different categories. edX has a helpful filtering system where you can select Subject, Partner, Program, Level, Availability and Language.

edX course filter
edX course filter

You will also be able to find some Learner testimonials and an FAQ at the bottom of the About the course page. Sadly, the learner testimonials feel quite limited, and they don’t give you a well-rounded review of the course from past students.

Coursera offers more courses than edX – 5,800+ along with specializations and degrees. It has 11 categories, from Data Science to Health, Arts and Humanities and much more, plus dozens of subcategories. Once you have selected your subject, you can then use its helpful filtering system to get really specific about what you are looking for.

Coursera course filters
Coursera course filters

Once you have picked your chosen course and are on the About this course page, you will find it is straightforward to navigate around and with a helpful set of filters like Reviews (see image below) which will take you directly to that part of the page. The Reviews are clearly displayed with a profile photo of the learner.

Coursera Reviews
Coursera Reviews

The overall presentation of the About this Course is visually pleasing and nicely structured, making it easy to find what you are looking for.

Winner: Coursera & edX

edX is now on the scoreboard, the score is at 1-2.

Popular edX and Coursera Courses

edX Courses

Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) – This course is brought to you by the University of Michigan and aims to teach everyone the basics of programming computers using python. You will learn the basics of how to construct a program from a series of simple instructions in Python. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 7 weeks long, working 2–4 hours a week.

Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles – This course is brought to you by Harvard University, and it helps to mobilize people to tackle tough problems and build the capacity to thrive. This is an introductory course, where you will explore strategies for leading in a changing world. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 4 weeks long, working 2–3 hours a week.

Python Basics for Data Science – This course is brought to you by IBM that is a beginner-friendly introduction to Python for Data Science. The objective of this course is to get you started with Python and give you a taste of how to start working with data in Python. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 5 weeks long, working 2-5 hours a week.

Solar Energy Engineering – This MicroMasters Program is brought to you by TU Delft where you will master the technical knowledge for a career in solar energy. The program is taught by photovoltaics research experts from TU Delft, and it includes real-world applications. This program has a start date for you to enrol on and will take you 1 year and 1 month to complete, working 9–10 hours a week.

Product Management Fundamentals – This course is brought to you by University of Maryland and is to help you understand the keys to successfully navigating the roles and responsibilities of being a product manager. This course defines the product manager’s position in an organization and the key responsibilities. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 4 weeks long, working 2-3 hours a week.

Coursera Courses

Machine Learning – A free course to learn the science of getting computers to act without being programmed. It has had more than 4,000,000 students enrolled on the course and a 4.9 (out of 5) rating from student feedback. The course instructor is Andrew Ng the Co-founder of Coursera. You have the option to upgrade and purchase the course, where you will earn the certificate for $49 USD.

Getting Started with Power BI Desktop – A 2-hour long project-based course, where you will learn the basics of using Power BI Desktop software. It’s offered by Coursera project network for beginners, with over 30,000 already enrolled and a 4.7 (out of 5) rating from student feedback. It costs $9.99 USD to take this guided project.

Python for Everybody Specialization – A Specialization to learn to program and analyze data with Python. It has had more than 1,000,000 students enrolled in this specialization and a 4.8 (out of 5) rating from student feedback. The course instructor is Charles Russell Severance and partnered with the University of Michigan. It will take approximately 8 months to complete, and costs $49 USD a month, with a 7-day free trial available.

Facebook Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate – A Professional Certificate to launch your career in social media marketing to build job-ready skills and credentials. It has had more than 50,000 students enrolled in this professional certificate and a 4.9 (out of 5) rating from student feedback. The course instructor is Anke Audenaert and partnered with Facebook. It will take approximately 7 months to complete, and costs $49 USD a month, with a 7-day free trial available.

Machine Learning for Analytics – In this 4-course program, you’ll develop skills in statistics and machine learning to advance your career as a data science professional. The certificate is partnered with The University of Chicago and will take you 5 months to complete. You can either do a 1 off payment for $3,900 USD or 4 payments for $1,000 USD monthly.

BSc Computer Science – Earn a Bachelors Degree with University of London to give you a strong foundation in Computer Science and specialized knowledge of topics such as Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Web Development. The Bachelors degree should take you 3–6 years and will cost you between £11,229 – £16,790 ($15,230 – $22,872 USD). You will need to apply for the Bachelors Degree.

Round 4: edX Vs Coursera Certificates

If you are considering edX or Coursera for its accredited certificates, then you are considering the right types of elearning platforms.

When you successfully pass an edX course, you will receive a verified certificate. The verified certificate includes; The course name, The instructor’s signature, The logo of the partner institution, valid certificate ID.

edX Verified Certificate
edX verified certificate example

Learners who originally audit the course can still upgrade to a verified certificate. The fee of the verified certificates vary from course to course.

Coursera works in a similar way, once you have completed a course with Coursera you will receive a verified certificate that includes: The course name, The instructor’s signature, the logo of the partner institution, A verification URL that allows others to check the Certificate’s authenticity, A statement that Coursera has confirmed the identity of the learner who completed the course.

Coursera verified certificate example
Coursera verified certificate example

You will be able to download, print and share your certificates. Like edX if you take the course in the audit mode, you can then upgrade to a paid Certificate at any time during your audit.

edX is partnered with some top institutions like Harvard and MIT and Coursera alike has partnerships with Duke and Imperial College, which are very impressive.

Winner: Coursera & edX

A score for both, as both offer an accredited backed certificate, leaving the score at 2-3.

Round 5: Instructors

Finding the right instructor can be key for your learning success, you want to feel it is someone you can connect with and is passionate about the subject they are teaching that will keep you engaged and motivated.

At edX its courses are taught by an instructor from one its top partnered institutions, which is reassuring that the instructors are top experts in their fields.

edX Meet your Instructors
edX Meet your Instructors

You can read a small blurb about his or her prior experience and social links, and it also highlights their areas of expertise.

Every course at Coursera is created alongside its partnered institution, which is reassuring the course is top quality. Before the courses are open to the public, they will use Beta testers (experts and enthusiasts) to review and give feedback to ensure it is of the highest quality.

Coursera instructor bio
Coursera instructor bio

An instructor rating is included in the course description, you can then click to read his/her bio and prior experience and social media links. In this case, the instructor of this course is also the Co-Founder of Coursera.

Winner: Coursera

The score is at 2-4.

Round 6: Customer Support

I really like the edX help center, you can almost find out anything that you want help with. Plus you can click on popular topics like Courses, Certificates, Payments & Refunds directly.

edX Help Center
edX Help Center

They have a detailed FAQ and a helpful Contact Us option to submit a support ticket including subject, course name and details and edX will get back in touch.

Coursera offers a very similar support system to edX where you can search for a specific topic, or you can check out directly popular topics like Account Setup, Payments, Enrollment etc.

Coursera live chat
Coursera live chat

Coursera also offers a live chat along as you are logged in. This can be particularly helpful if you are looking for something very specific and the standard help articles aren’t enough.

Winner: Coursera

The score is at 2-5.

Round 7: User Interface

I think we can all agree that having a clear and well-organised interface makes it easy for us to navigate around the platform. So let’s have a look at which one is the most straightforward.

Registration

Registering at edX is pretty straightforward, add your full name, public username, email, password and country of residence. Then you will receive an email from edX asking you to activate your account, and then you are good to go. If you prefer to sign up via Facebook, Google or Microsoft that is also an option.

Register with edX
Register with edX

The registration process at Coursera is similar, but you’ll only need to add your name, email address and create a password and then click Join for Free. There is also the option to register using your Facebook or Apple account if you prefer.

Backend & Design

After you register with edX you will quickly see how easy it is to navigate around the platform. In the navigation bar you will find Courses, Programs & Degrees, Schools & Partners and edX for Business.

If you are looking to learn with a particular School or Partner , you can navigate directly to this page and your chosen institution and read a brief description and also see which courses they offer with edX.

edX School and Partners
edX School & Partners

You can use edX from any modern internet browser on your desktop or laptop, or use the app for Apple or Android apps that have a 4.7 rating.

The Coursera platform is really intuitive and easy to navigate, the filter system makes it easy to find what you are looking for. Similarly to edX, Coursera is collaborating with 300+ partners from leading Universities and Companies to create its courses and programs. On its homepage you can navigate to its partners page and read in more detail about the Universities and Companies and which courses and programs they are partnered with.

Coursewra Partners
Coursera Partners

Coursera is also available from any modern internet browser on your desktop or laptop, or use the Apple app with a 4.8 rating and Android app with a 4.3 rating.

Winner: Coursera

The score is at 2-6.

Round 8: Available Languages

This will be a short round, I promise.

edX courses are mostly taught in English. Some courses are offered in other languages such as Spanish, French or Chinese, but this obviously can’t be promised on all courses. I think it is best to presume the course will probably be in English.

Whereas Coursera has a wide range of languages available including the following; English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Chinese, Chinese (Traditional) and more. The majority of the video lessons have an interactive transcript (also available on the mobile app).

Coursera's languages available
Coursera’s languages available

Once you have selected your subject category, you are then able to view what languages are available with the filter system.

Winner: Coursera

The score is at 2-7.

Round 9: Best for Businesses

Many businesses and organizations like to offer their employees a source to keep on learning and develop their professional skills. edX and Coursera aren’t an exception.

edX for Business delivers on-demand elearning solutions to help companies grow and thrive. The platform supports companies of all sizes to upskill its employees with content from top Companies like Google and IBM. Its pricing is customized depending on how big your team is and what exactly it is you are looking for.

edX for business
edX for Business

Coursera offers training and development programs that have been developed by top institutions for Businesses. Coursera has a couple of packages, Team and Enterprise. The Team package is for teams and small organizations and is $399 USD a year for each user in a team or small organization, giving them access to over 5,400+ courses. The second option is the Custom Pricing that is larger organizations.

Coursera for business
Coursera for Business

Winner: Coursera

The score is at 2-8.

Bonus Round: Alternatives

MasterClass

Learn From VIP Instructors

4.7

DataCamp

Best For Data Skills

4.5

Skillshare

Best For Creative Courses

4.5

Final thoughts: edX vs Coursera

In conclusion, while both edX and Coursera are excellent platforms for online learning, Coursera emerges as the clear winner. Its wide range of courses, partnerships with top universities and organizations, and affordability make it an unmatched choice for learners at all levels. Whether you’re looking for free courses, professional certificates, or even full degrees, Coursera offers something for everyone. Although edX is a strong contender, particularly for academic and science-focused topics, Coursera’s broader catalog and community support give it the edge.

edX Vs Coursera: FAQs

Both edX and Coursera offer courses and learning programs that have been designed by partnered Universities and Organizations, so when you successfully complete a course you will receive an accredited certificate from the partnered University or Organization. edX focuses more on humanities and natural sciences, whereas Coursera focuses on topics like computer science and business degrees. Deciding on the best platform for you depends on your personal preferences and the specific courses you’re interested in.

Even though both platforms are partnered with prestigious Universities’ and Institutions to create its courses and programs. Some of the key differences are that edX primarily partners with higher education institutions, whereas Coursera has a larger base of partners from multiple industries. Overall, Coursera has a much larger and wider of courses and programs than edX.