You’ve probably already heard of Udemy, Right?
Well, it’s one of the largest online educational platforms out there. You will be pleased to know that they offer over 210,000+ courses and more than 67 million+ learners. Pretty impressive, right?
Udemy describes it selves as ‘The leading global marketplace for learning and instruction’. They provide access to thousands of courses produced by independent instructors to millions of students. Udemy provides access to training courses for individuals, to businesses and provides a platform for instructors and experts to host their own course content. However, it doesn’t mean that Udemy is the right educational platform to enhance your knowledge and skills. Is Udemy’s content exactly what you’re looking for?
Let’s find out what all the fuss is about in this in-depth Udemy review.
Udemy Summary
Udemy is the biggest online learning platform offering over 210k+ affordable online courses where users can learn new skills or improve existing ones. It offers a wide variety of categories and subcategories from Business, Design, Personal development and much more, leaving users with plenty of choice. Udemy’s courses are designed, created and published by independent instructors and learners can pay for each individual course with a one-off payment or subscribe to a personal subscription plan.
All courses are designed, so you can learn at your pace and fit around your schedule. Udemy’s individual courses start at $12.99 USD and its personal subscription plan costs $20 USD a month, giving you access to 11,000+ courses. When you successfully complete a course, you will receive a certificate, but this certification isn’t officially verified by any external partner. Any Udemy purchased individual course comes with lifetime access and a 30-day refund policy. If you aren’t ready to financially commit, there are also a bunch of free courses to get you started.
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Udemy Pros & Cons
Pros
Affordable
Udemy courses are affordable, starting at $11.99 and go up to $199.99.
Free Courses
Udemy is offering close to 600 free courses on a selection of topics from wordpress to fitness.
30-day Refund Policy
If the course wasn’t what you expected, Udemy will give your money back no questions asked.
Lifetime Access
Udemy will grant you access to every course you’ve purchased for life.
Wide selection of courses
Offering more than 210K+ in 13 of categories and dozens of sub-categories. You really will be spoiled for choice.
Self-Paced
All of Udemy’s courses are self-paced, so learners can start and complete courses at their own pace.
Certificate at Completion
Although the courses aren’t officially accredited, you’ll be given a certificate of completion – for paid courses only.
Cons
Non-Accredited Certificates
If you are looking for an official certification Udemy isn’t for you. Alternatively, check out Coursera or edX.
Doesn't create course content
With Udemy the course instructors are responsible for creating its content which can impact the quality of the course.
Quality Control of Courses
Udemy runs a quality control of the courses, but with so many how thorough can this really be.
Limited Interaction
Although some courses do offer discussion forums, the reality is there isn’t much interaction with instructors for feedback or Q&As.
Who Is Udemy for?
You are probably asking yourself, is Udemy right for me?
If a variety of courses is something that you are looking for, then you are considering the right elearning platform. Udemy offers such diversity of courses, there really is no limit to what you could learn with categories like ¨Finance & Accounting¨ to ¨Lifestyle¨.
If you are thinking of a career change and gaining a new professional skill like coding knowledge or maybe you want to dabble in an exciting new hobby like cake decorating, then Udemy has it all.
Its courses vary from beginner to advanced levels so you will certainly find a course that is suited to your skills and ambition. The diversity of its courses really makes Udemy stand out from other competitors like Skillshare or Pluralsight. The fact is that Udemy is open to everyone, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any prior experience.
In short, Udemy is good for:
- Professionals looking to gain skills
- People looking for a career change
- Students looking to complement their studies
- Those looking for free courses
- Individuals looking to publish their own courses
- International students looking for courses not just in the English language
Note: That Udemy certificates are not recognized by employers because it’s not an accredited (official) institution.
Udemy Personal Plan
As well as purchasing individual courses, Udemy offers a subscription plan called Udemy Personal Plan which gives you access to 11,000+ of its top-rated courses in tech, business and more.
Udemy for Business
Udemy for Business is for employees to help empower them with relevant and up-to-date knowledge with content that is taught by expert instructors. Udemy for Business offers thousands of courses from its variety of categories. It offers three different plans to choose from:
- Team plan (5-20 users)
- Enterprise plan (21 or more users)
- Leadership Development Programs (Open & Private Programs)
Team
The Team plan is designed for 5-20 users and will give the user access to 8,300+ courses. As well as that you will have features like analytics & adoption reports, custom logo & URL and mobile app access. This plan is for smaller teams and is the most affordable costing $360 per user a year.
Enterprise
The Enterprise plan is for 21+ users, which will have access to 19,000+ courses. Other features include custom logo & URL, creating learning paths, user groups, custom topics, advanced insights and analytics and much more. You can request a demo and its pricing is custom-based.
Leadership Development Programs
Finally, the Leadership Development Programs include 68+ leadership development courses, executive content curated by universities, expert faculty to guide and coach participants, live synchronous events and much more. To find out more you can contact sales for pricing.
To read a more detailed review on Udemy for Business, check out our article over on the blog.
How Much Is Udemy?
There is quite a range of prices, with some courses starting at $11.99 and others going up to $199.99. All of Udemy courses are a one-off payment which is made when you purchase the course, and you get given lifetime access, so even after completing the course, you can go back as many times as you wish.
A course with more information, harder subjects and longer run time will be naturally more expensive, which is pretty understandable. It is important to keep in mind that Udemy is not the one setting the price, that is the job of the instructors. The reputation of the instructor will also have an impact on the price tag.
Once you have an account with Udemy and are signed in, you will quickly notice a high number of discounted courses. When I say discounted, I mean heavily discounted, with some courses originally priced at $194.99 and are now $13.99. Its courses are on a constant year-round promotion of 90% to 95% discounted off the original price.
So, why does Udemy’s marketing strategy include such heavily discounted courses?
Their pricing model is focused on offering a wide range of courses for a lower price so that millions of students enrol, vs offering courses with higher prices with fewer students.
It’s a pretty simple pricing model when you break it down – a lower cost of entry for the many compared to a higher cost for the few. Because Udemy doesn’t provide accredited certificates, the course costs are lower. If you are looking to read in more detail about Udemy’s costs and refund policies, then feel free to check out our detailed pricing article to know all your options.
And if you are on a tight budget, then Udemy offers close to 600 free courses on topics like WordPress, Personal Productivity, Meditation and much more. It is a great way to test your interest and capability in learning a new topic for no cost.
Udemy Personal Plan
If you are someone that likes to have access to thousands of courses through a subscription plan. Then Udemy’s Personal Plan may suit you better. The plan includes a collection of 11,000+ top-rated courses in tech, business, and more.
- Personal Plan: $20 USD monthly
All the courses you can access in the personal plan have an average rating between 4.4 and 5, that include 4,000+ practice exercises and 3,000+ top instructors. You have the option to cancel at any time and a 7-day free trial is included when you first sign up.
If you want to find out more about Udemy’s free courses, then check out this post on what free courses are available.
Udemy Gift this Course
If you are looking for a gift that is a little different for a friend or loved one, then Udemy offers the option to Gift this course. The course will be sent (via email) to the recipient as a gift, you can decide the date and even leave an optional personalized message.
If, for whatever reason, you aren’t satisfied with a course, you’ll be able to refund the course within 30 days. Most refunds are returned via the original payment method (e.g. credit card) and take between 5 and 10 business days to arrive to your bank account.
If you are looking for something to help your workforce, then ‘Udemy for Business’ could be right for you and your team. It is on-demand learning for teams of 5-20 to help improve skills in business, tech, design and more. If you are curious to find out more about what Udemy for Business offers, you can check it out here.
Udemy in Detail
How To Open A Udemy Account?
The registration process for Udemy is really intuitive. The design and layout of their platform is user-friendly and easy to follow. But let me show you how the registration process looks like:
- Open a browser and visit www.udemy.com
- Click Sign Up in the top right corner
- Add your Full Name, Email and Create a Password
- You’ll be sent a confirmation email
Once you are signed up you can click on Categories and begin browsing the different courses on offer.
After selecting a category you can pick one of the subcategories which will take you to all the relevant courses. You can then begin to look at each course individually and read a little more in-depth.
Udemy Customer Reviews
To give you a well-rounded Udemy review, I took a look at two major customer review sites; Trustpilot and ConsumerAffairs. This way, we get to hear from a large pool of customers and see what they have to say about the platform.
The Trustpilot reviews are contributed by 1,173 users, and the table below illustrates how they’ve rated the platform on a scale from 1 to 5 stars. Interestingly, nearly 40% have given it a 5-star rating, while an almost equal 40% have rated it with just 1 star.
Rating | Trustpilot | ConsumerAffairs |
---|---|---|
5-star | 37% | 32% |
4-star | 12% | 31% |
3-star | 6% | 16% |
2-star | 6% | 5% |
1-star | 39% | 16% |
Overall | 2.2 out of 5 stars | 3.1 out of 5 stars |
Data gathered on 10/18/2023
Digging further into the reviews, I discovered a significant amount of the 1-star ratings revolves around issues with customer service, refund delays and technical glitches. “…they froze my account and told me they can’t issue any refunds either! The customer service was extremely rude” a one-star reviewer said.
On a positive note, those who gave a 5-star rating were delighted with how user-friendly the platform is. Plus great selection of topics and courses and great value for money. “I bought a course and I really love it. The video interface is awesome. The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate” a happy five-star customer said.
As a whole, when we look at ConsumerAffairs, MasterClass scores a 3.1 out of 5 rating based on 129 customer reviews. It’s worth noting that this pool of customers is smaller compared to Trustpilot. Among these reviews, approximately 30% of users are handing out 5-star ratings, whilst 16% have left a 1-star rating. The complete breakdown is on the table above for you to check out.
The Most Popular Udemy Course
I checked out the most popular courses on Udemy from its 13 categories. Its popularity is based on student popularity and feedback.
Development
2021 Complete Python Bootcamp: Go from zero to hero in Python – This course is to learn Python, a popular programming language, has had over 800,000 students enrolled. It comes with 185 lectures and 24 hours of on-demand video. It’s a bestseller with a 4.5 (out of 5) rating by students with over 450,000 reviews.
Business
An Entire MBA in 1 Course: Award Winning Business School Prof – In this course you will everything you need to know about business. It has had over 400,000 students enrolled. It includes 8 hours of on-demand video, 33 articles and 31 downloadable resources. Furthermore, it’s a bestseller with a 4.4 (out of 5) rating by students.
Check out courseFinance & Accounting
The Complete Financial Analyst Course – In this course, you will learn the practical skills of Financial analysis and a successful career in Finance. It includes 18 hours of on-demand video, 11 articles and 491 downloadable resources. Plus, it’s a bestseller with a 4.6 (out of 5) rating from 81,000+ students.
Check out courseIT & Software
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate 2020 – In this course you will learn AWS (Amazon Web Services). The course is designed for absolute beginners, and it includes 18 hours of on-demand video, 17 downloadable resources and 2 practice tests. It’s a bestseller with a 4.5 (out of 5) rating by students.
Check out courseOffice Productivity
Microsoft Excel – Excel from Beginner to Advanced – In this course you will learn a combination of introduction, intermediate and advanced Microsoft Excel courses. It includes 18 hours of on-demand video and 37 downloadable resources. It’s a bestseller with a 4.6 (out of 5) rating by students.
Check out coursePersonal Development
Become a SuperLearner 2: Learn Speed Reading & Boost Memory – In this course you will learn the skills of worlds fastest readers and memory record holders. It includes 5 hours of on-demand video and 5 articles. It’s a bestseller with a 4.5 (out of 5) rating by students.
Check out courseDesign
The Ultimate Drawing Course – Beginner to Advanced – In this course you will learn how to create advanced art, the course will enhance your skills in the world of drawing. It includes 11 hours of on-demand video, 4 downloadable resources and 5 articles. It’s a bestseller with a 4.6 (out of 5) rating by students.
Check out courseMarketing
The Complete Digital Marketing Course – This course is ideal for pre-launch business owners and website owners wanting to increase their traffic. It includes 75.5 hours of on-demand video, 10 downloadable resources and 33 articles. It’s a bestseller with a 4.6 (out of 5) rating by students.
Lifestyle
Reiki Level I, II and Master/Teacher Program – In this course you will about Reiki and to take the practice to the next level. It includes 5 hours of on-demand video, 39 downloadable resources and 7 articles. It’s a bestseller with a 4.7 (out of 5) rating by students.
Check out courseUdemy Instructors
Udemy is the world’s largest online teaching and learning platform. Udemy makes it possible that anyone can become an Instructor. So if you are passionate about a topic and want to empower tens of millions of students to achieve their goals, then Udemy is for you. I wanted to share with you the teachers and the courses that Udemy learners have been enjoying so far.
Top Udemy Instructors
Alan Murray has been training businesses around the world for over 20 years. Alan is a Microsoft MVP and Excel trainer and is the founder of the Computergaga blog and author of the “Advanced Excel Success”. His classes are fun and relaxed and uses real-world practical examples from his experience of training and developing software for businesses. All of Alan’s courses have a 4.4 (and above) out 5 rating, and he has had close to 8,000 students enrol on his courses and counting.
7 Tips To Find Your Udemy Course
If you are now umming and arrrhhing about which course is right for you. I have thought about some tips which may help you to choose the perfect course.
Udemy Filters
A very useful and helpful feature to use is the filter system. Once you have an idea on the Category that you want to learn about for example Development you are then able to start browsing the courses and that’s where the filter comes in pretty handy. You can select multiple filters like the Ratings, Video Duration, Topic, Subcategory, Level, Language, Price, Features or Subtitles (see image below).
All of these filters will help to narrow down your search and find exactly what you are looking for. I found the features is pretty helpful as you can pick the options of having Quizzes or Practice Tests.
Look at the Course Content & Profile
You are able to check out the course content, see what lectures are included and how long each of the on-demand videos are. This gives you a comprehensive overview of the course and shows you how the various course modules are organized.
Read Reviews at Udemy
Every Udemy course has reviews and ratings from past students in the student feedback section that you can check out to see what others think about it. Their review system will allow you to also search for certain keywords within the Search reviews box (e.g. ‘responsive instructor’). As well as a rating option where you can select between Five and One stars.
Check Out the Instructor
An instructor bio is included in each of the courses. You can read a small blurb about him or her, their prior experience, feedback and evaluations from other students and the courses they teach.
This is an ideal way to find more about who will be teaching the course, and some are even open to letting you contact them personally to ask particular questions.
Instructors may also add teaching assistants to their courses, who can help them with their course materials and respond to students’ questions. Even though a teaching assistant profile may not appear on the course, they are also experts in the course subject.
When Was the Course Launched
Udemy courses are (should be) regularly updated and you can find when it was last updated in the header of the course (see image below). This is especially important if you are learning a new software application such as a program in the Adobe Suite as you will want to be learning the latest version of the software.
Quality of the Course Preview
Another great feature is that you can preview the course before purchasing. I think this really is one of the best ways for you to get a feel of what to expect from the course, it’s very useful being able to check the quality of the course preview to give you a taste of what is to come.
Your Budget
Due to Udemy’s pricing strategy with most of its courses heavily discounted its courses really are affordable for most. So if you are looking at it from a financial standpoint it really shouldn’t leave you out of pocket.
A good tip, if you are on a tight budget, would be for you to list the courses by price from lowest to highest price (see image above). Remember there are also a bunch of free courses.
Udemy Alternatives
Skillshare: A free trial is included when you subscribe to its monthly or annual membership plan, offering thousands of courses across a broad range of creative categories and more. These classes are often taught with an emphasis on hands-on learning.
MasterClass: this platform offers over 185+ engaging courses covering 11 categories. Its courses are taught by VIPs and celebrities like Anna Wintour and Stephen Curry, a 30-day money-back guarantee is offered, in case you change your mind.
Coursera: If you are after a wider selection of courses with accredited certificates from top Universities or Organizations, then Coursera may be what you are looking for.
If you are looking for a more detailed overview of Udemy Alternatives, then head over to our blog and check out this article.
Udemy Conclusion
Let’s break it down as to whether Udemy is worth it.
If you are wanting to learn a hobby then Udemy is definitely the right platform for you, and if you look at it from a value for money perspective then hands down YES. It’s also a good option for personal and professional development (e.g. get solid Excel knowledge).
Saying that you may still find that Udemy isn’t the platform for you. So, it may be worth checking out our overview article on Best Online Learning Platforms to compare other learning platforms. If you’re looking for a professional course or degree program, then Coursera would be a good fit or MasterClass if you’re wanting highly engaging video classes from famous instructors.
You will love Udemy because of:
- It’s affordable prices
- The diverse range of courses
- Wide range of available languages (e.g. over 65)
- It’s learning flexibility as it doesn’t have deadlines
- Its lifetime access and ease-of-use
Please leave a comment below if you have any questions, and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Udemy FAQs
A question I keep being asked is: Is Udemy legit?
That’s normal, especially when a course can cost under $20, you may be inclined to think that Udemy is a scam.
To put your mind at rest, Udemy was launched in 2010 and its headquarters are located in San Francisco with satellite offices all over the world, so its a well-established organization. It has had over 295 million course enrollments and more than 42,000 instructors and the number is still growing.
Udemy is part of the growing Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement that empowers everyday experts to create courses on topics they are passionate about.
Udemy’s marketplace model attracts thousands of instructors, it means that new courses are being added all the time and updated regularly.
In terms of the course quality, I think you have to really consider the purpose of pursuing a course with Udemy. If it’s for your own personal development then why not, but if you are wanting the course to prove something on a more professional level (e.g. with an official certification) it may not be for you.
Anyways to clarify, Udemy is legit and it’s safe to use, you won’t be scammed.
Udemy courses are ideal for someone wanting to learn or improve their personal development or possibly looking for a career change. It can help you with qualifying for a job if you are lacking skills or even help you to be promoted.
With all paid Udemy courses, you will receive a Certificate of Completion, which you can share with co-workers and potential employers. The certificate demonstrates your accomplishments and the skills you have learnt.
Remember though that Udemy is not an accredited institution, so if it is an employer asking for an official certificate you won’t be able to provide them with one.
Udemy believes that its learners should be satisfied with the course they purchase. In case you aren’t, the platform offers a generous 30-day refund policy. To request an Udemy refund, you just need to follow these easy steps:
- Navigate to your purchase history
- Locate the course to be refunded
- Below the course title, click Request Refund and you will be directed to the course refund page
- Select your refund method either the card you paid with or Udemy credits
As well as taking a course on the Udemy platform, it also offers anyone the opportunity to become an instructor.
Many of the Udemy instructors are professionals and experts in their field, but anyone who has an interest in a particular topic (within reason) is able to publish a course. Some of the reasons that attracts someone to teach at Udemy are that they can: Teach in own way, Inspire learners and Get rewarded.
How to get Started
The best way to get started is by following these simple steps;
- Plan your curriculum: You start with your passion and knowledge, and make sure you choose a promising topic, you can use the Marketplace insight tool to help you choose. There are also plenty of resources to help you create your first course.
- Record your video: Use basic tools like a smartphone or a DSLR camera and a good microphone. It is recommended a course of 2 hours or more for a paid course. There is a support team to help during this process.
- Launch your course: Once your course has gone through the quality review process, the Udemy team will evaluate and provide necessary feedback. Then your course will be ready to be found on the Udemy marketplace, and you can begin earning revenue.
Instructor Revenue
The amount of money an instructor makes depends on how their course is sold, which can be through a couple of ways, either with instructor promotion or a sale through non instructor promotion. As an instruction, the following gives you an idea of how much money you would make with each course sale.
Instructor Promotion: Instructors receive 97% of the revenue when the student purchases their content using an instructor’s coupon or referral link.
Non Instructor Promotion: Instructors receive 37% of the revenue for any Udemy sales where no instructor coupon or course referral link was used. This could happen when a user clicks on an Udemy ad or browses through the Udemy catalog.
Some of the pros are;
+ No set up costs for publishing your course. It really is completely free.
+ There is no maintenance cost, for keeping your course on the Udemy platform
+ Udemy has more than 50 million users, that means your course will be exposed to big community of learners.
On the other hand, the cons are;
– You cannot extract the contact details of your learners, so will be unable to build a database.
– Udemy very often discounts the price of its courses which means your course is highly likely to be discounted.
– Lack of support, if you are looking to reach out to an Udemy representative you can only go through the online forum.
To teach at UdemyLike Udemy, Coursera offers a wide variety of courses, but one of the main differences is the type of learning programs it offers. As well as individual courses, it offers specializations, professional certificates and degree programs which can range from $9.99 and go all the way up to $50,000. It’s important to consider your budget if you intend on taking one of its Degree or Master programs. Udemys courses can be created and taught be anyone, regardless of their qualifications. Whereas Coursera’s courses and learning programs are designed in partnership with leading Universities and Companies like Stanford and Google. Udemy offers a generous 30-day refund policy if you change your mind and Coursera has 14-day refund policy on individual courses and Coursera Plus. If you are still undecided and want to read in more detail about these two leading online learning platforms, then please check out our detailed Udemy Vs Coursera article.
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71 comments
Izzy
18 November 2023, 13:25
Hi. I would like to know what accreditation is given, are these accreditations recognised in the uk, particularly beauty related courses
Catherine Cooke
20 November 2023, 10:54
Hey Izzy, Thanks for your comment. It depends on which course you are looking at doing and the accreditation you need? If you’d like to share with me the course/courses you are considering? I can have a look into it for you 🙂
Szilvas Varad
17 November 2023, 16:49
Almost true. But they do not have ANY customer service. No chat, no email, no telephone, no nothing. They ignore even their own Facebook posts. I spent a lots of money for courses but something happened to my account I can’t login anymore. And there is no one to talk to, to ask for help. I lost a lots of money now. You should have written it to the Cons: Ignoring totally their customer, the worst customer service in the world. Dodgy and unfair even if you can find cheap and good courses.
Catherine Cooke
20 November 2023, 10:52
Sorry to hear Szilvas you’ve had this experience with Udemy, I do hope they are able to help you access your account again!
Nova Morgan - Woods
11 November 2023, 00:53
I totally agree with most everything that you have written with the exception that there are a few of the courses in the fitness section in particular that are accredited through organisations such as CPD..
I feel Udemy offers great courses for a very reasonable price and which can be used as a stepping stone for those who are in a limited budget but need more education …
Catherine Cooke
13 November 2023, 09:23
Thanks so much for your comment. This is true it’s an excellent online learning platform, for anyone on a tighter budget and looking to start or enhance their skills or career. I will make sure I add this to the post. Have a great day and happy learning 🙂
pallavi
8 September 2023, 16:29
udemy certificate is valid to interview
Catherine Cooke
10 September 2023, 13:28
Thanks Pallavi for your comment 🙂
Karina Whiteley
28 June 2023, 15:17
Udemy also has a partnership with Gale, a provider of digital resources, who sells “Gale Presents: Udemy” to public libraries. So at participating public libraries (for those with a library card), Gale Presents: Udemy is FREE! Public library cardholders have access to more than 20,000 continuously updated, on-demand video courses across a variety of categories such as business, technology, design and personal enrichment. So, check to see of your local public library offers Gale Presents: Udemy.
Catherine Cooke
3 July 2023, 08:43
Thanks for your comment Karina. That’s great and very helpful for learners 🙂
GhostRider
18 April 2023, 08:31
HI,
monthly earning amount?
isabelle HUBER
29 March 2023, 11:46
Hi,
I was considering enrolling in a course about being a make-up artist however after reading these comments I am unsure. Saying that ,with these certifications am I able to have a business?
Mohammad Khader
3 April 2023, 18:06
Hi Isabelle, in many countries there is a governmental department that it is specialized in vocational training. they train many professions such as make-up art and hairstyle. They should give official certifications after finishing the course.
Catherine Cooke
3 April 2023, 09:18
Hey Isabelle. Thanks for your comment. It depends on if you need an official accredited qualification for your make-up artist business, as it’s important to remember that Udemy isn’t an accredited platform as its individuals teaching its courses. Maybe it’s worth checking out make-up classes on Skillshare. I hope that helps 🙂
Barbara Sanders
6 March 2023, 08:10
Udemy has a lot of rules and restrictions that limit what instructors can do thus stifling course creativity. It is no longer a good platform for publishing your courses. Look elsewhere.
Catherine Cooke
6 March 2023, 10:25
Thanks for your comment Barbara. Sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience. If you are looking for an alternate platform, please check out our Best Online Learning Platforms article.
Hugo
27 January 2023, 15:17
Honestly, how much do you think Udemy and others alike can truly develop skills and competencies in organizations?
Catherine Cooke
27 January 2023, 16:37
Hey Hugo, I think choosing the right course and platform can, of course, develop your skills for yourself or an organization. I myself have had first-hand experience of taking online courses to develop my professional skills, but there must be motivation and dedication from the learner to succeed. I wish you all the best on your learning journey 🙂
White
8 January 2023, 14:00
Udemy’s lack of customer service is a major drawback. I had 20-30 paid courses on my Udemy account and someone hacked into it and deleted my entire account. I now have no access to the coursesI paid for “lifetime access” and all I’m getting from Udemy support is auto response emails suggesting I read the FAQ articles on security. There is no phone number and no live person to contact. I was given a ticket number and an automatic email response with FAQ articles to read. Meanwhile all the courses I paid for are gone. Customer service at Udemy is nil.
Victor
25 January 2023, 14:32
I completely agree with you. There is no support, no phone number… Very bad service.
I cannot find one of my purchased courses which suddenly disappear. I have been trying to get any support for a few days but nothing..Automatical response only.. Completely luck of customer service..
Catherine Cooke
9 January 2023, 18:54
Sorry to hear this White. I do hope that Udemy gets back to you and can resolve this!
alanya escort
4 January 2023, 19:02
Good post! We will be linking to this particularly great post on our site. Keep up the great writing
Catherine Cooke
5 January 2023, 19:41
Thanks so much alanya 🙂
Isa
14 September 2022, 01:29
I finished my course and actually signed up for 3 all in one day.. I just received my first certificate and I am quite dismayed with it. I am not even going to print it out and show it or hang it. It only has my name and what course I completed, and UDEMY written in large letters on the top, that’s it. At the right corner, there is a list of 2 URL’s where I can find my certificate on the website. Really? It’s just not that very ceremonial, looks rather cheap. I was not expecting pomp and circumstance, but the least they can do is make these look more like an official certificate of completion. I have 2 more courses to do, I don’t know, kind of blew the wind out of my sail, seeing what I get to show , after all these hours.
Catherine Cooke
18 September 2022, 13:36
Hey Isa, Sorry to hear you are disappointed by the certificate that Udemy has issued. Another important factor to consider is what you have learned and got out of the course as those really are the skills that are going to help you either with your personal or professional development. Good luck with your next couple of courses 🙂
R. Lohse
11 September 2022, 00:58
I purchased three classes in July and they have not loaded into my learning. I have sent several emails and nothing. I sent my info so they know I paid for the classes. It just keeps referring me back to an FAQ page which doesn’t help at all. I am very sad because I have always been happy with the service before.
Catherine Cooke
11 September 2022, 19:08
Hey Riohse. Sorry to hear this has happened. I think what would be best is to try sending another email to support@udemy.com, and hopefully, you get an answer soon and can get this resolved asap 🙂
R. Lohse
11 September 2022, 19:07
Follow up…the classes have been found and added to my account. Once again, all is good with Udemy!
Catherine Cooke
11 September 2022, 19:32
Excellent news. Happy to hear all is resolved 🙂
Josh
10 June 2022, 19:51
udemy customer service is terrible. I will never take courses with them ever again. Use a different service!
Catherine Cooke
15 June 2022, 14:51
Sorry to hear that Josh, that you had such a bad experience. You can check out our Best Online Learning Platforms to find a better alternative 🙂
Md Sohag
22 April 2022, 17:33
Hi Catherine,
Thank you for your post. I took a course from Udemy and I was worried if I choose the right way of learning. I purchased web-development course and I am still working to finish this in order to gain new skills.
Thank you once again.
Catherine Cooke
27 April 2022, 12:12
Happy the post helped you decide on Udemy and you are enjoying learning with them 🙂
Godsent Mathew
22 March 2022, 18:07
Please I wanted to know if Udemy offers free courses on content creation and graphics designs
Godsent Mathew
23 March 2022, 16:27
Thanks Catherine, I appreciate
Catherine Cooke
22 March 2022, 18:29
Thank you Mathew for your comment. You can check out all of Udemy’s free courses here I hope you find what you are looking for 🙂
Emma
9 March 2022, 07:46
Hi!
I had a question to the courses not being accredited.
A lot of the course say accredited so what are they referring to?
Thank you for your help! 😊
Catherine Cooke
14 March 2022, 14:01
Hey Emma, Thanks for question. For a course to be accredited it must be approved by a professional body, e.g. Harvard University. As Udemy’s courses are created by individuals, it means they are not accredited. Could you please share an example of a course which says it’s accredited, please? Look forward to hearing from you 🙂
Catherine Cooke
22 February 2022, 19:31
Thank you, Catherine, for spotting this one. Yes, the don’t was a mistake. All changed now thanks to you 🙂
Catherine Cooke
20 February 2022, 18:40
Thank you Nik for your comment. This is something important you should know about before considering publishing a course on Udemy. The instructor revenue works in a couple of ways, you can read more about it here. I hope that helps with your decision to teach at Udemy 🙂
Nik
20 February 2022, 07:26
Hi .. i want to be an instructor.. before that i would like to know , how is udemy going to pay me .. what percentage of the course price goes to udemy and me? Is it like a 50-50 share?
thanks
Catherine
17 February 2022, 20:16
“If you don’t want to find out more on Udemy’s free courses, then check out this post on what not to miss out on.
Hello, Catherine. Thanks for the link. Is the word “don’t” a mistake?
Bruce
12 February 2022, 23:25
My two cents on Udemy:
I am a Vice President of System Architecture, Design, and Engineering at a Fortune 25 company. Most of the people who report to me have engineering degrees. We all buy Udemy and watch Udemy courses. I have nieces and nephews who are just getting into the work world or are switching career paths to fields in the IT or related technical world. I recommend Udemy courses to all of them.
Some points:
* Udemy is not accredited, but so what. Many of the job skills taught have industry certification exams.
* You can start learning the moment you buy a course. You can then usually sit for the certification exam right away. It is often possible to go through a Udemy course, take and pass a certification exam, and be putting the skill to work before a structured scheduled accredited course would even begin (and at a far lower cost). And remember, time is money as well.
* You can work at your own pace. Many of the people in my group blast through big chunk of a course on a weekend.
* Courses have sample lectures you can watch and listen to before you buy. The Udemy instructors are a VERY MIXED LOT. Make sure you are comfortable with the presenter first before you buy a course from them.
* Udemy is crazy cheap education. Beyond that, the “hack” is to wait for a sale if you can, and then buy a few courses in your chosen path (same cost as, maybe, one book).
* Udemy course sales seem to happen around holidays and days like Black Friday and then usually last for a few days.
* A strategy I have seen work many times for someone entering the work world is to
1) Take a Udemy course in a field you find interesting that has certification exams.
2) Take and pass the certification exam (there are even specialized Udemy courses in many areas that help you prep for the exams once you have learned the material.
3) Get a job (any job) at a company where you can get real world experience in the subject, build resume time, and possibly make some contacts.
4) Repeat. Many skills have a certification “ladder”. The company you go to work for may pay for training and certification exams (the certification exam will probably cost more than the Udemy training). Once you have some experience and a second cert, you can probably think about “trading up” to a better job.
Catherine Cooke
13 February 2022, 13:18
Thanks Bruce for your comment. It is really well summarized and will help future learners decide if Udemy is a good place for them to start 🙂
junior fripo
13 January 2022, 15:39
Wow lovely i used this udemy some years back and i will keep using it. But i am making a blogpost about this and i find this very informative
Catherine Cooke
13 January 2022, 19:25
You are welcome. Happy this can help your blogpost 🙂
Richard
4 January 2022, 05:52
Udemy is fine for learning material & has some good courses. But woe betide you if you
get locked out of account. It looks like they have support, it seems like they have support,
but when it comes down the nitty gritty, their support is basically A BIG ZERO, no one in too interested in solving any technical issue, with your account, kike the incorrect email address, or such like. I have purchased over $450.0 from Udemy in courses & because i made a simple error with my email address, i have been locked out of my account & my studies now for over two months. Their suport staff show absolutely no ineterest whatso-ever in helping gain access back into my account. I have had to get my bank to make a claim against them for ” none receipt of goods & services paid for” & i am awaiting the result of that claim for a full refund of monies paid over a three year period.
Catherine Cooke
28 January 2022, 16:33
Sorry to hear this, Richard. I will take it into account when updating the support section of the review. I hope this gets resolved as soon as possible 🙂
liliana vess
15 December 2021, 11:19
Customer service on Udemy is very poor and inconsistent. They do not honor the guarantees on their website.
Catherine Cooke
28 January 2022, 16:30
Sorry to hear this Liliana. I will take your experience into account when updating the review. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Djon
17 October 2021, 23:36
The required Google Widevine DRM makes the Udemy platform a lot more unattractive. Even making a screenshot of an interesting schedule is being blocked. This seems pretty bad to me.
Asfand
29 September 2021, 07:51
This is exciting for me. Very good and helpful content on this site. Best for beginners who want to learn any skills.
Catherine Cooke
29 September 2021, 08:13
Thanks for your comment. Happy the content is helpful and yes it’s ideal for beginners 🙂
savita
17 September 2021, 08:33
Don’t go for these courses . They don’t provide you certificate
Catherine Cooke
19 September 2021, 15:29
Hey Savita, My experience is that Udemy does provide certificates, they aren’t a verified certificate, but they are a completion certificate. If you haven’t recieved yours you should reach out to Udemy 🙂
Frank Scafidi
15 September 2021, 04:11
Having issues with Udemy – instructors are not available to answer questions. Very frustrating. More frustrating is inability to contact Udemy’s corporate leadership. Smells like a shell company drawing in “teachers” who they pay a percentage and the parent reaps the profit
Catherine Cooke
16 September 2021, 17:43
Hey Frank, Sorry to hear you are having some issues with Udemy. The teachers at Udemy are the ones in control, of the content and the publishing of the course. They do earn money on each paid enrollment, but that’s the only way they are paid for creating and delivering the course content. If you still haven’t heard back from your Udemy instructor. You could try reaching out via their Help and support here Good luck and I hope this gets resolved quickly 🙂
Mohammad Khader
20 August 2021, 18:02
Thank you Catherinefor the comprehsive details. There are some courses on Udemy that offer a number of studying hour units as a benifit after completing the whole course. These units can be used to fulfull required number of units for a certifification. For example, there is a well built course on Udemy for preparing for Project Management Profissional exam (PMP). In the course details it is mentioned that once you complete the course you will earn 35 Professional Development Units (PDU). While to obtain a PMP certification accredited by the Project Management Instution you are required to have 60 PDU. So is it possible that a nonaccredited elearning platform provides such accredited units?.
Here is this link for above mentioned PMP course:
https://www.udemy.com/course/pmp-pmbok6-35-pdus/
Catherine Cooke
23 August 2021, 17:19
Hey Mohammad, Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, it looks like if you complete all assignments and exercises of the PMP Exam Prep Seminar you are able to claim the 35 PDUs. You will get a certificate of completion for this course and that you will only need the ceritifcate if you are audited by PMI. I hope that helps and happy learning 🙂
Arleen Canlas
16 August 2021, 15:55
Appreciate the detailed instructions and review Catherine. Thank you!
Catherine Cooke
16 August 2021, 15:58
Thanks, Arleen. Delighted the review has helped you with Udemy. Happy learning 🙂
Sarat Bushan
7 July 2021, 08:16
Udemy has changed its refund policy off late. It is not refunding the amount immediately and say it is violation of policy. You will not get response even if you request explanation. Best policy is read the course details, read social forums, understand the feedback of the course designer. Make a choice . There are lot of alternatives like Linkedin Learning, Coursera, edx, Skillshare, pluralsight, Frontendmasters, youtube education sites, 2u, Datacamp, Datapro and may of them. Do proper research and do not take it from Company words be it Udemy or Coursera. I realized it after I had very bad experience with Udemy. Decide for yourself. I hope this answers your question
Catherine Cooke
7 July 2021, 15:48
Hey Sarat, thanks for your message. I wasn’t aware that Udemy has changed its refund policy. Also, it is a shame you had a bad experience with them. It is true, there are plenty of alternatives to Udemy like Skillshare and LinkedIn Learning. I have written some comparisons for Udemy which you can read here I hope you find the platform which most suits you 🙂
Prince
22 March 2021, 15:03
I think Udemy is best if you want to learn a new skill or upgrading your existing ones at a very low price
Catherine Cooke
23 March 2021, 17:17
Thanks, Prince, for your comment. Yes, its true Udemy is great for learning a new skill, it really has so much to offer. Happy learning 🙂
KudaOnline
20 March 2021, 07:58
What are the pros and cons of publishing a course on your own website as compareed to using udemy?
Catherine Cooke
21 March 2021, 14:52
Hey Kuda, Thanks for your message. I have summarised here the main pros and cons of publishing your own course on Udemy.
Some of the pros are;
+ No set up costs for publishing your course. It really is completely free.
+ There is no maintenance cost, for keeping your course on the Udemy platform
+ Udemy has more than 50 million users, that means your course will be exposed to big community of learners.
On the other hand, the cons are;
– You cannot extract the contact details of your learners, so will be unable to build a database.
– Udemy very often discounts the price of its courses which means your course is highly likely to be discounted.
– Lack of support, if you are looking to reach out to an Udemy representative you can only go through the online forum.
I hope that helps you make the decision in whether you choose to publish your course on Udemy or not. Other online platforms to consider for publishing your own course are Skillshare. Good luck with whatever you decide 🙂
Matt Dumouchelle
14 March 2021, 23:16
Thanks for all the hard work putting these reviews together Catherine. Was trying to decide between Udemy, Skillshare and Coursera and your information has made that an easy choice!
Catherine Cooke
15 March 2021, 08:53
Thanks so much Matt. Really happy the reviews have helped you make the right choice. Happy learning 🙂
Justice
13 December 2020, 16:17
Great review – more detailed information that we need to know than ANY other Udemy write- up. I specifically appreciate the evaluation of a training sites legitimacy – as we are sharing financial information with the site when we pay for courses (this is the only review I have seen that included this information).
Catherine Cooke
13 December 2020, 17:42
Thanks Justice. So glad it was helpful 🙂