At a Glance
Udemy is an online learning platform that has an enormous amount of content across hundreds of subject areas. It’s great for informal education for general interests, as well as more formal professional development. Courses are affordably priced, but since they are each sold separately, if you need multiple the price can add up. For most people, Udemy can add great value and skill development for the price.
Related: Best online course platforms
Udemy is a very simple model in that you pay for classes one at a time. Some competitors in the online education space offer subscriptions, mini degree programs, and professional certificates. Some argue that Udemy’s pricing is too high given they don’t offer some of these things. We found their pricing to be not only fair, but a good value for the courses you can take, and the amount of content in each one.
It’s true that if you want to go into detail on any one topic, you may need to purchase multiple courses, and in that case, the price can go up. But considering that Udemy has thousands of courses and, you can put together very in-depth training for a few hundred dollars. Also, if you’re not in a rush, Udemy has flash sales occasionally that bring course prices down by well over 50%. If you can wait and purchase your desired courses in this timeframe, you can really get great value for your money.
Udemy also offers lifetime access to most of the courses we looked into. Once you make the purchase, you have as much time as you need to complete the course. That’s not the case with some other products in this space. Often you will purchase a subscription, and only have access for a set period of time. With Udemy you have the ability to come back in the future to brush up on skills or a particular topic.
Udemy has thousands of free courses if you are looking for the most affordable way to learn some new skills. When you search for any course, you simply scroll down to their search filters and find the price filter. You will have the option to view only free courses. All of the subjects we reviewed, had plenty of free courses to offer.
Many of the free offerings were beginner level instruction, but still a good amount. Free content only comes with video instruction, whereas the paid versions come with support options. Those include instructor Q&A and the ability to direct message to the instructor. Lastly, you get a Certificate of Completion with paid courses. If you are looking to increase your value in the marketplace, then you should consider paid courses to get the best return on your investment.
Pricing for Udemy courses is not the same for all and can be set by the individual course creators. Udemy gives general guidelines, which is why most courses fit within a range of prices. We found the average range is between $50-$150 dollars, with the majority coming in close to the $100 mark.
Each course has its own duration typically made up of small video lessons. Because each price is set by the teacher, there is not much correlation between the duration of the class and the cost. For instance, you may find a class with only 5 hours of instruction costs the same as one with 20 hours of instruction covering similar topics.
Make sure you pay attention to total hours and the course reviews as compared to the price to ensure you get the most value.
One of the great parts of Udemy is it is the ability for anyone to become a teacher. If you have a special skill, Udemy will help provide the tools in order to create your course. They have free courses for aspiring teachers along with an instructor dashboard and curriculum pages.
Additionally, Udemy has a 24/7 support team and Studio-U which is a peer-to-peer support community for additional questions you may have.
As with many of the online course platforms, Udemy has an offering for enterprises. Again, it’s a very simple model and allows organizations with more than five users to access thousands of courses for a set price per user. So instead of having to piece courses together, you have access to an entire library giving you flexibility on the types of training you need for the organization.
As is the standard for many companies these days one of your main support options is an online help tool. This option is available for both students and teachers with general search functionality and a frequently asked questions section.
As for support after you begin taking a course, you can direct messages instructors for paid courses. Unfortunately, you do not have any official support mechanism for free courses, but that’s somewhat expected.
Udemy has an enormous amount of content that allows almost anyone to find educational opportunities. There are also a lot of free courses for those not quite ready to commit to paid versions.
While paying for individual courses can leave you with a higher price tag, Udemy also gives you lifetime access to a course. That’s very beneficial for someone just learning a new skill. Chance are you will have some questions down the road as you use new skills in the real world. Having access will allow you to go back and brush up on what you’ve learned.
Udemy’s model is simple, you can get going quickly, and you have the ability to move at your own pace.
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You have more options than ever for online courses and Udemy is one of the biggest players in the game. If you are looking for a platform that has massive amounts of content across multiple subject areas then you need to consider Udemy.
You should definitely go in with your eyes open to the different models available for online courses. You can pay by the course as you do with Udemy, or with a subscription at several other companies. Each offers its own advantages, and you should closely consider which is a better fit.
Udemy offers significant value and cost advantages when compared to more traditional educational options. If you have a focused requirement and know which subjects to focus on, then Udemy is likely a good option for your online course needs.