Udemy Vs Pluralsight: 10 Rounds to Find a Winner

Choosing between Udemy and Pluralsight can be tricky, especially if you’re aiming to boost productivity, pick up new skills, or make a career change. This comparison covers everything from Udemy pricing and Pluralsight pricing to course options and learning outcomes. Whether you’re exploring Udemy alternatives or looking for a platform to grow your career, this guide will help you decide which one best fits your goals and budget. Let’s get started!

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Compare Udemy Vs Pluralsight

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E-Learning Platforms

Overall Rating ?

Best For

Starting From

Ease of Use ?

Convenience ?

Available Platforms

Certifications ?

Categories ?

Free Courses

Content Quality ?

Languages ?

Instructors ?

Course Requirements ?

Course Structure ?

Quizzes and Tests ?

Payments and Refunds

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Udemy BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

4.3

Variety of Courses

$12.99 USD

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Pluralsight BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

4.2

Best For Tech Skills

$29 USD a month

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BBC Maestro SkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

4.3

Celebrity Instructors

£79 ($89)

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Skillshare BBC MaestroTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

4.5

Best For Creative Courses

$29 USD a month

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Treehouse BBC MaestroSkillshareCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

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Best For Free Trial

$25 USD a month

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CreativeLive BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

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Best For Live Classes

$29 USD a month

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Brilliant BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

3.5

Best for STEM topics

$24.99 USD a month

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LinkedIn Learning BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

3.8

Self Paced Learning

$39.99 USD a month

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Udacity BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

4.6

Best For Career Services

$249 USD a month

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MasterClass BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

4.7

Learn From VIP Instructors

$10 USD a month (billed annually)

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Mindvalley BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassCodecademyDataCampedXCoursera

4.6

Best for Personal Growth

$49 USD a month

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Codecademy BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyDataCampedXCoursera

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Best For Coding Courses

$29.99 USD a month

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DataCamp BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyedXCoursera

4.5

Best For Data Skills

$39 USD a month

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edX BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampCoursera

4.2

Best for Verified Certificates

$50 USD

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Coursera BBC MaestroSkillshareTreehouseCreativeLiveBrilliantLinkedIn LearningUdacityMasterClassMindvalleyCodecademyDataCampedX

4.8

Accredited Certificates

$9.99 USD

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Round 1: User Popularity

Let’s kick things off with finding out which platform has been the most popular among users. The best way to access the marketplace was to use Google Trends and find out in the past 12 months which is the most popular. The graph below clearly shows that, Udemy takes the lead in popularity over Pluralsight.

Udemy was founded in 2010, is home to 62 million+ students and offers 210,000+ courses. Its courses are available in 75 languages, and it offers courses ranging from Business to Health & Fitness.

Pluralsight was founded a little earlier in 2004 and then in 2007 the company shifted its approach to online video training. It offers 7000+ courses in its expanded library on all skills related to technology which are taught by one of its 1500+ expert instructors.

Round 2: Udemy vs Pluralsight Pricing

Udemy and Pluralsight offer a variety of ways to pay for its courses. With Udemy, you can pay for its courses individually, or you can choose the personal plan (a subscription plan) Pluralsight offers only subscription plans which you can subscribe to monthly or yearly.

I thought it would be helpful to summarize in the table below what exactly both platforms offer within their pricing models.

This is a tricky round as Udemy’s courses are reasonably priced, and they do offer a 30-refund policy. Whereas Pluralsight offers free trials on its library of courses and its plans are budget-friendly. So, I am left with no choice but to give a point to each platform.

Round 3: Udemy Vs Pluralsight Courses

When choosing an online learning platform, finding the best courses should be your top priority. Let’s explore whether Udemy or Pluralsight takes the lead.

Course Information

Udemy offers over 210,000 courses, categorized by 13 topics with many subcategories. Its detailed filtering system allows users to search by ratings, video duration, topic, level, and language. Additionally, course previews and student reviews with star ratings help users evaluate course quality before enrolling.

Pluralsight offers over 7,000 courses, covering 11 technology-related categories like software development, IT operations, and data science. Its filtering system allows users to browse by library, subject, and skill level. Pluralsight also offers learning Paths, which combine multiple courses into a single experience for mastering specific skills. These Paths may require more time and prior knowledge.

Free Courses

Udemy provides a filter for free courses, allowing users to search by topic, level, and language. However, free courses are more limited than paid ones, lacking certificates and Q&A access.

Pluralsight offers a 10-day free trial, giving access to either the Core (2,500+ courses) or Expanded (7,000+ courses) library. With the Premium plan, users also get access to exams, projects, hands-on learning, and Pluralsight IQ assessments.

Languages

Udemy supports multiple languages, including Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, and more. Instructors can create courses in any language. Pluralsight’s content is in English, but captions are available in various languages.

Round 4: Udemy vs Pluralsight Certificates

Earning a certificate can be an important part of taking an online course for some of us. Udemy and Pluralsight offer a couple of different certificates, let me explain in more detail below.

In the case of Udemy with all its paid courses, you will receive a Certificate of Completion (see image below) when you successfully complete a course. It is important to be aware that Udemy is not an accredited institution, so if earning an official certificate for a job or to show to an employer is important then Udemy cannot provide this. Other platforms like Coursera and edX offer accredited certificates, and you can check them out below in more detail in Udemy & Pluralsight Alternatives.

At Pluralsight, you are able to generate a certificate of completion when you have 100% completed a video course. You won’t receive certificates for projects and interactive courses. Like Udemy, Pluralsight isn’t accredited, but it does have a good reputation and has worked with established companies like Telefonica and Fujitsu.

Round 5: Instructors

When you are picking an online learning course, you want to know that not only is the course of a high quality, but that it also has a reputable and experienced instructor teaching its content.

Udemy’s courses are created, owned and managed by the instructors. If you have an interest and knowledge in a topic, then you are free to teach it. There is no formal approval needed to become an Udemy instructor.

All course content comes with a small blurb about the Instructor along with ratings and reviews (see image below), which is a great way to get to know more about an instructor and their course.

In some cases, instructors may also add teaching assistants to their course who can help with answering students’ QA and comments. To ensure that Udemy’s courses meet it standards, they go through a Quality Checklist and the minimum requirements for any course are HD video, good audio, 5 lectures or more and at least 30 minutes of video content.

Pluralsights courses are taught by one of its 1500+ expert authors. All Pluralsight instructors are supported by Pluralsight with creating content, video production and editing. Authors will then be peer reviewed by fellow authors and experts for its content and technical accuracy. This rigorous quality check ensures that all of Pluralsights content produces high-quality courses.

When you select your author or course you can read a small bio about them and the number of courses authored, total ratings and course ratings. You can apply to become a Pluralsight author by creating a short audition video which will then be reviewed by the team to decide if you are a good fit for the platform.

Round 6: Customer Support

Udemy offers support for both its Students and Instructors, where you can ask for help and checkout the helpful FAQ section. For any specific questions, you can contact Udemy directly via support@udemy.com.

Pluralsight support offers a few ways to contact them through email, phone, submitting a ticket or checking Help center. The email support is available 24/7 and the phone support is from Monday to Friday 8am-5pm (GMT – 7). I want to add here that it is very rare an online learning platform offers a phone support, so this definitely gives Pluralsight an edge.

Round 7: User Interface

Who here likes a well-organized website interface that is easy to navigate? I know that for me, it makes moving around a website an enjoyable experience. Let’s check out Udemy and Pluralsight and see what their interfaces are like.

Registration

The first introduction to these platforms is the registration process. Udemy has a really simple registration where you just need to add your email, password and name. Then all that is left to do is check your email for a confirmation from Udemy.

The registration process at Pluralsight is pretty intuitive. First, you will click on ‘TRY FOR FREE’ (see image below). You will then need to click on the subscription plan you want to try for free.

You will then need to add your First and Last name, Email, Country of residence and Company name (optional). There will then be a section to add your payment details, but you won’t be charged anything until the free trial has ended. If you do decide not to continue the free trial you can cancel at anytime during this period. Plus Pluralsight emails you a reminder 1 day before the free trial ends.

Backend & Design

After registering with Udemy, you can start to get to know the platform, and you will quickly see its super easy to move around, and its clean design make it an enjoyable experience. The landing page has some really useful sections like Students are viewing and Top categories (see image below). This is a great starting point for beginners on the platform.

Pluralsight’s design is striking and artistic, and its design is definitely more memorable than other online learning platforms (see image below). The contrast of black, pink and orange make it a stand-out. On its homepage you can find Popular topics and latest features. Like Udemy, it’s a nice starting point for newbies to the platform.

Round 8: Best For Businesses

Nowadays, online learning platforms aren’t just offering courses to individuals, they offer their courses to businesses and teams who are wanting to upskill and empower their employees.

Udemy for Business offers a couple of plans for the Team and Enterprise. The Team plan is designed for small companies or teams (5-20 users). This plan gives you unlimited access to 9,000+ top-rated courses, a branded dashboard & custom URL and an iOS and Android app for offline viewing. This plan costs $360 USD for each user per year (plus applicable taxes) and a 14-day free trial is available.

The Enterprise plan is for bigger teams and organizations (21 users or more). Like the team plan, you will have access to 22,000+ top-rated courses, as well as being able to create and host custom content, international collection, course management, analytics and reporting and 24/7 customer support. To try out this plan, you can contact Udemy for a free demo.

Pluralsight offers 3 different plans for Teams. You can pick between the Starter ($399 USD per user a year) the Professional ($579 USD per user a year) and the Enterprise ($779 USD per user a year). All these plans require an annual contract for each user.

The Starter plan is ideal for a team of less than 10 with access to the 2,500+ core library. A free trial is not included with the Starter option. But if you decide on the Professional plan that’s designed for a small team of 10 or more, you will have access to the 7,000+ expanded library. With the Professional plan, a 14-day free trial is available. The Enterprise plan is the priciest of the plans and like the team plan you get access to the 7,000+ expanded library and a 14-day free trial is available as well as advanced analytics.

Udemy Vs Pluralsight Alternatives

After reading this detailed article, you may have come to the decision that neither Udemy or Pluralsight is right for you. So, that’s where our alternatives come in. I have put together some reviews of other online learning platforms for you to consider.

Skillshare

Skillshare has some similarities to Udemy with its creative and engaging courses. Skillshare offers a 14-day free trial and its highly engaged community of learners makes it stand out from other platforms. Many of its classes involve peer assessments, which keeps its classes interactive and fun.

Skillshare offers more than 34K+ classes in categories like Animation, Graphic Design, Photography, Music and more. Skillshare doesn’t just offer individuals courses, it also has them for businesses and teams.

Visit Skillshare.com

MasterClass

MasterClass has some parallels to Udemy, offering classes on similar topics. But its main difference is the celebrities and VIP’s teaching its 185+ classes. Its categories range from Food, Music, Wellness and much more. Its classes are really well produced and highly engaging.

It offers 3 annual subscriptions for individual learners and a 30-day refund policy if you decide it isn’t for you in the first month.

Coursera

For those learners looking to get an accredited certificate, Coursera may be the right option as it partners with educational institutions like Stanford, The Imperial College of London and Duke University.

Coursera allows you to audit most of its courses (learn for free), but if you are looking to get a certificate, you will need to pay for the course (or program). There are different types of elearning programs available: individual courses (cost $29 to $100), Specializations (cost is $39 to $89 a month), Coursera yearly subscriptions ($399) and complete degrees (starting at $15,000).

edX

Like Coursera, edX offers courses organized by world-class universities like MIT, Berkeley or Harvard. And since it’s an accredited organization, you’ll be able to achieve official degrees from edX.

You’ll find many free courses on its platform; however, you’ll need to pay for the course (between $50 to $300 USD) to be able to earn an edX completion certificate.

Final thoughts: Udemy Vs Pluralsight

Hopefully, you now have a comprehensive overview of both the Udemy and Pluralsight platforms and any questions or doubts you may have had have been answered. I will leave you with the strengths and weaknesses of each of the platforms.

Udemy Pros

Udemy Cons

Pluralsight Pros

Pluralsight Cons

FAQs