9 Best Coursera Competitors: Top Coursera Alternative 2023

Looking for the best Coursera competitors or a Coursera alternative? You have come to the right place. There are lots of websites like Coursera offering online education.

If you are looking to build new skills, train for a particular career, make a career change or learn for fun, an online course is a fantastic way to access courses on demand through video streaming. You can learn in a cost-effective way, flexibly working around your other commitments in the comfort of your own home. There are classes on a variety of topics that range from short courses linked to a particular work skill or hobby to full graduate-level degrees.

Coursera is an excellent online education platform, but there are many alternatives. Everyone wants the best experience and the best value for money, so I will help you navigate through the options. In this article, I will describe and recommend the best Coursera competitors and alternatives. At the end, I will outline Coursera’s offer, as it will provide a point of comparison with its competitors.

What are the Best Coursera Competitors and Alternative?

What’s better than Coursera?

1. edX

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Online Degrees and STEM

Pros:

• edX is an accredited Institution
• Free classes are offered
• Classes from leading universities are provided
• A strong STEM focus
• Bachelor’s and master’s degree programs are available
• Micro degrees are offered
• Utilizes a powerful learning management system
• edX provides financial assistance of up to 90% reduction
• Smartphone apps for Android and iOS
• 14-day money-back guarantee

Cons:

• Less course availability in the humanities and creative fields
• There is no casual content
• Limited support options
• High cost of degrees (although cheaper and more flexible than in-person degrees)
• No all-inclusive monthly subscription plan, although you can attend any course for free
• It would be better if courses were available in more languages.

EdX is one of the top Coursera competitors and is an excellent Coursera alternative to consider. In fact, edX is similar to Coursera in the way that it structures its lessons, in offering students certificates for completing courses, and in its groups of related courses called ‘XSeries.’ It is an online education platform established by Harvard and MIT that has taught more than forty-two million people since its launch with 110 million enrollments.

Degree Offer

In partnership with more than 160 universities (e.g., Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Boston University, etc.), edX offers professional degree certificates (both undergraduate and graduate). They also offer “micro” degree programs at bachelor’s and master’s levels, to support people’s professional development and to help them advance their careers.

Course Offer

EdX is a global non-profit organization and features more than 3600 courses from 15,000+ real college instructors all over the world in topics such as Computer Science, Languages, Engineering, Math, Psychology, Communication, Writing, Electronics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture, Art, Design, Food & Nutrition, History, Music, Philosophy, Marketing, and more. By completing these courses, you can achieve a certificate, an online college degree, or you can apply your credits toward a degree at a university. Attending edX courses can also be a clever way to start researching degree programs.

In partnership with Arizona State University, edX offers a “Global Freshman Academy” to earn transferrable undergraduate credits for select lessons. These classes consist of lectures, reading material, assignments, discussions, quizzes, and more.

Free and Paid Courses

One of the major advantages of edX is that most of its courses are free, except for Professional Education, Boot Camps, and Executive Education courses. However, if you want to complete graded assignments, access the full material, and have a “verified certificate” that you passed the course to provide to a current or future employer, you will have to pay approximately $50 – £300 per class. Boot camps, Professional Education, Executive Education, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees may have a higher price. For example, for Professional Certificate Programs, you must pay $150 to $1,000.

The quality of courses is the same for free and paid courses, but you will not get the certificate if you do not pay. A full degree on edX could cost thousands, but it is still significantly cheaper and more flexible than doing a degree program in person at a university.

2. Udacity

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Career Support and Nanodegrees

Pros:

• Nanodegrees provide job-focused education
• Incredible support through a one-to-one mentor and career coach
• Resume support and portfolio review are provided
• Students receive personalized feedback on projects
• The content quality of the Udacity nanodegree program is far better than what is provided by many other online education platforms
• Practical-based learning
• Most courses have flexible schedules and can be self-paced
• Discounts are available
• Multiple scholarship programs are available
• While Udacity certificates are not accredited, they still provide good value, because some tech companies hire people with Udacity Certificates.
• Udacity is transparent with reviews and has positive feedback from students
• Udacity offers a seven-day refund policy after purchase. (Although some providers offer 30 days).

Cons:

• Nanodegrees are expensive
• Udacity is not an accredited educational institution
• Udacity certificates are not accredited by any University.
• They do not have a variety of plans available
• Udacity supports only English

Udacity is another one of Coursera’s competitors and has more than twelve million users and more than two hundred courses. Udacity’s platform is a bit different than Coursera’s and many other online education platforms.

Nanodegrees

Udacity’s primary focus is “Nanodegrees,” rather than individual classes. Nanodegrees take an average of 4 months to complete and include multiple lessons, projects, hands-on practice, real-world applications, individual code reviews, personalized reviews, class discussions, and one-on-one technical mentoring by experts.

Students also have access to career coaches and advisors who work with them on developing their resumes, LinkedIn profile,s and work samples. This is one of Udacity’s highlights. This is one of the aspects that I believe is most valuable about Udacity’s offer.

Courses

Udacity focuses on helping people to advance their careers through courses in business, technology, and more, which are taught by instructors that are industry experts. As part of this focus, Udacity offers courses in areas such as artificial intelligence, data science, programming, web development, cloud computing, cybersecurity, autonomous systems, business, career, applying for jobs, and interviewing.

Udacity has a remarkable line-up of teachers from Google, Facebook, Salesforce, Amazon, IBM, YouTube, and more. All their instructors are industry professionals with more than 5 years of experience. Udacity has courses in the most in-demand fields.

The platform is designed to provide a Bootcamp style of learning. They have a variety of courses available for those trying to develop a new skill set and those looking to expand their knowledge of a certain topic.

Pricing: Free and Paid Courses

Udacity offers both free and paid online courses. You need to be registered to access the catalog and free membership. They offer free courses in programming, data science, web development, product management, marketing, cybersecurity, and more.

Nanodegrees are expensive. The price starts at $399 a month and can go up to $1,995 for four-month access to some courses. However, they provide excellent value in terms of all the extras that are included, as mentioned above. Also, the degree courses and partial degrees offered by other online education providers are expensive too. Both are still a better value than degree courses offered directly at colleges and universities.

3. Udemy

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Business Courses and Niche Topics

Pros:

• Udemy has one of the largest online course catalogs, offering more than 183,000 online courses!
• You can find courses in almost every subject area and niche and learn a variety of specific skills
• A huge catalog of quality business courses
• High-quality trailers are provided to help to assess if an individual course is right for your needs
• Multimedia lectures are offered which often incorporate readings and quizzes
• The content is well organized
• You can learn flexibly with no deadlines
• A substantial number of free courses
• Huge discounts are often offered on paid courses
• Courses are taught in seventy-five languages
• There is a 30-day money-back guarantee
• Smartphone apps are provided for Android and iOS
• Good transparency with course reviews and comments
• Info is provided regarding when the course was last updated

Cons:

• Udemy’s plans can be quite frustrating
• Some courses need to be purchased individually and may not be included in a monthly subscription
• There are limited support options
• Short trial period
• Udemy is not an accredited institution
• Udemy’s “Certificate of Completion,” is not accredited
• Anyone can create an online course on Udemy. There is no formal approval process needed to become a Udemy Instructor. As a result, some courses are not high quality.

Udemy is one of the top Coursera competitors and is a very good Coursera alternative. Although their offer is quite different than Coursera in many ways. They have significantly more courses available than Coursera and most other online learning platforms, offering more than 183,000 online courses with new additions published every month. If you want to learn something, you will likely find it on Udemy.

Udemy has over 64,000 instructors, with courses taught in seventy-five languages, so you will find an online course in almost every subject area and niche. They have had more than forty-nine million student learners and more than 680 million course enrolments. With those numbers, you can be confident they are doing something right. They also have more than 10,500 enterprise customers.

Free and Discounted Courses

Udemy may be especially appealing to you if you are on a budget because they have a substantial number of free courses and offer frequent discounts and specials on their paid classes. The good news is that many of their free courses are taught by experts, professors, entrepreneurs, and professionals. Udemy further allows students to preview classes they are interested in and offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Courses

One of the biggest differences between Udemy and Coursera is that unlike Coursera (and EdX and Udacity), they do not rely on partnerships with universities and companies to provide their material. As a result, almost anyone can put together an online course to teach on Udemy and they can teach on almost any topic.

Another difference is Udemy does not tend to offer courses that count toward a university degree. However, some of their courses may count towards a skilled trade certification.

Udemy offers courses in business, marketing, design, development, IT, programming, software, tech, teaching, productivity, language, music, arts, photography, health, lifestyle, hobbies, and much more.

Pricing

There is no clear pricing structure. Courses cost from $9-$300+ for an individual course, but Udemy often provides huge discounts on their courses.

4. MasterClass

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Celebrity Taught Courses

Pros:

• Celebrities and industry professionals teach MasterClass courses
• Memberships give unlimited access to all classes
• Comprehensive curriculum
• High-quality content and video production
• User-friendly platform and mobile friendly
• High-quality trailers to help students decide if the course is right for them
• Memberships are quite cheap when compared to other online education sites
• Downloadable PDF workbooks for every class
• Download the classes and watch offline in the Duo and Family plan
• New classes are added every month
• Toll-free phone support and cross-platform support are included
• 30-day satisfaction guarantee

Cons:

• No free trial
• No free courses
• Only annual billing – no monthly billing option is provided
• Masterclass is not an accredited institution
• No certifications are issued
• Fewer number of courses than competitors

MasterClass is another one of the Coursera competitors and provide a refreshing alternative to Coursera and many other online learning platforms. MasterClass offer courses taught by celebrities, providing students with an incredibly unique and fun opportunity to learn from their expertise and experience. For example, you can learn ‘Cooking’ from Gordon Ramsey, ‘Filmmaking’ from Martin Scorsese, ‘Writing’ from R.L. Stein, ‘Leadership Skills’ from Anna Wintour, ‘Photography’ from Annie Leibovitz and much more.

Courses

These are video-based courses, with lectures, practical advice, demonstrations, class discussions, workbooks and more. Most of the courses are not comprised of single sessions, but rather have around twenty lessons. As a result, you can learn the topic in depth in a very meaningful way. Most of the sessions are on average about 10 minutes in length.

Course topics include acting, arts, entertainment, business, music, creative writing, food, sports, gaming, design, style, science, tech and more.

Pricing and Plans

MasterClass has three membership plans, which allow you to attend as many courses as you want within the subscription.

1. Individual Plan

• Costs $15 per month, but is billed annually
• You can watch on one device at a time

2. Duo Plan

• Costs $20 per month, but is billed annually
• You can watch on two devices at the same time
• This allows you to learn with a friend or family member who lives with you, with one shared profile.
• You can also download the classes and watch offline

3. Family Plan (Best Value)

• Costs $23 per month, but is billed annually
• You receive one account and can watch on six devices at the same time
• This allows you to learn with friends and family who live with you, with one shared profile.
• You can also download the classes and watch offline

Every membership includes:

• Unlimited access to 150+ classes
• New classes added every month
• Watch on your phone, tablet, laptop, and TV
• Audio-only mode
• Downloadable class guides
• Access to Sessions by MasterClass

5. Pluralsight

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Data and Digital Transformation Learning

Pros:

• Pluralsight is trusted by Nasdaq, Adobe, Fijitsu, ADP, vmware and 70% of the Fortune 500 companies to deliver quality training in tech skills
• Quality courses for data and digital transformation learning
• Courses are all self-paced
• Courses are organized into three difficulty levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) for easy course selection.
• Unlimited access to classes with subscriptions
• Affordable price for intensive courses
• 10-day free trial
• Highly rated smartphone apps for Android and iOS
• Good support is provided. (Phone support is offered during business hours and email support is available 24/7.

Cons:

• Pluralsight is not an accredited institution
• You can gain a certificate of completion, but the certificate is not accredited.
• No refund or money back guarantee
• Only the English language is supported

Pluralsight is one of the Coursera competitors and are a strong Coursera alternative, especially if you want to develop technology skills for the workplace and for the digital transformation. Pluralsight have 1,500+ expert authors / instructors who have years of real-world experience. They select the instructors based on their expertise and teaching ability. Pluralsight are trusted by 70% of the Fortune 500 companies. They have more than 17,700 business accounts.

Courses

Pluralsight is designed with working professionals in mind and offer courses in subjects like software development, individual programming languages, 3D development, VFX, design, game design, web design, cybersecurity, security certifications, cloud computing, CAD software, data science, infrastructure and more.

Learners can take individual courses, which in some cases are only a couple of hours long. However, Pluralsight strongly encourages you to take one of its “paths.”  Paths bring together specific courses and tools into one broader mini degree to teach you any given skill from start to finish. They are linked to an individual’s level of knowledge and experience. As a bonus, to make sure you get your proficiency level right, you can do a short 10-minute assessment called ‘Skill IQ’ to set your skill level.

Pluralsight’s core library includes more than 2,500 of their most-popular courses on in-demand topics. Pluralsight’s expanded library gives you access to their full course library of more than 7,000 courses, which includes more advanced topics.

Pluralsight Skills Plans and Pricing For Individuals

Pluralsight Skills offers a subscription-based service, offering monthly or yearly payment plans. They also have two plans: Standard and Premium.

1. Standard Plan

• $29 for the monthly subscription
• $299 for the yearly subscription (current 33% off at $199)
• You get unlimited access to the core course library of 2,500+ courses, paths, and skill assessments

2. Premium Plan

• $45 for the monthly subscription
• $449 for the yearly subscription (currently 33% off at $299)
• You get unlimited access to an expanded course library of 7,000+ courses, exams, projects, and interactive, hands-on learning

Pluralsight Skills Plans and Pricing For Teams

Pluralsight Skills offers a subscription-based service for teams, offering annual subscription plans. They also have three plans: Starter, Professional and Enterprise.

1. Starter Plan

• $399 for the annual subscription (per learner)
• You get unlimited access to the core course library of 2,500+ courses
• Curated learning paths and channels
• Skill and role assessments

2. Professional Plan

• $579 for the yearly subscription (per learner)
• Includes everything in Starter Plan and more
• You get unlimited access to the full course library of 7,000+ courses
• Team-level reporting and user analytics
• Secure, hands-on content (*Sandboxes, Labs, Real-world projects)
• Certification exam prep for industry-leading certifications

3. Enterprise Plan

• $779 for the yearly subscription (per learner)
• Includes everything in Professional and more
• Access to full library, including:
• Top-of-the-line skills, roles and channels analytics
• Role customization
• Skill development plans and skill progression insights
• Q&A with subject matter experts

6. Skillshare

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Creative Courses

Pros:

• Skillshare has a large video lesson catalog, covering almost every creative field
• Wide range of creative course topics
• Skilled instructors, including celebrities
• Team plans for groups of over twenty people
• Free seven-day trial for subscriptions
• French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish courses on Skillshare. (Previously only English was available. This is an improvement).
• Smartphone apps for Android and iOS

Cons:

• Skillshare is not an Accredited Institution
• Skillshare does not offer certificates
• Ad-free only on a premium subscription
• Limited support options
• Pricing is not always clear

Skillshare is one of the Coursera competitors and are a great Coursera alternative if you want to develop your creative skills. They are a subscription-based online learning platform that offers approximately seventy different creative topics for members to learn about. Skillshare is less formal than many of the other online education platforms and is aimed more at improving creative skills.

Courses

Most Skillshare courses have video lessons and set assignments for students to practice their skills. Skillshare has more than 35,000 video lessons, divided into the categories of Create, Build and Thrive. Courses available on the platform include illustration, photography, film, video, animation, visual arts, interior design, graphic design, tech, freelancing and creative writing. They also have some courses in business, marketing, productivity, and entrepreneurship.

Skillshare provide Workshops that study topics and skill areas in more depth. Further, they offer in-person workshops in multiple cities.

Courses are taught by professionals that are successful in their industry, made their living in their respective fields and in many cases are still doing so. Some famous industry celebs have taught courses on Skillshare, including social media consultant Gary Vaynerchuk, fashion designer Marc Ecko, and real estate entrepreneur Barbara Corcoran. Skillshare’s platform allows you to follow your favorite instructors, keep a list of the classes that you want to take and view your class history.

Pricing

Many classes are available to take for free without a membership, from short, 20-minute videos to longer tutorials of an hour or more. Skillshare’s Premium Membership costs either $40 per month or $216 per year if you make a one-off annual payment (equivalent to $17.99/month). Skillshare also offer a seven-day free trial, so you can try before you buy.

7. LinkedIn Learning

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Professional Skills Development and Networking

Pros:

• LinkedIn Learning integrates well with your LinkedIn profile
• Quality courses to help you develop your professional skills for the workplace
• A strong focus on Business, Creative and Technology
• Free one month trial!
• Save about one-third on the monthly fee if you pay annually.
• LinkedIn Learning provide completion certificates
• High quality previews of the content
• Smartphone apps for Android and iOS

Cons:

• Limited support options
• Limited content offerings

LinkedIn Learning is one of the Coursera competitors and are a good Coursera alternative, especially if you like that it integrates well with your LinkedIn profile and you want to develop your professional skills within the Business, Creative and / or Technology fields. LinkedIn Learning has been trusted by industry leaders such as Kellogg’s, Lego, MGM Resorts, Zillow, and more. So, if you are a manager, you may want to consider this for your team as well.

Courses

LinkedIn Learning has a catalog of more than 17,500 courses and learning paths, with dozens added each week. By subscribing to LinkedIn Learning, you will have access to thousands of courses in Business Analysis and Strategy, Finance and Accounting, Professional Development, Career Development, Leadership and Management, Marketing Sales, Audio and Music, Photography, Design, Graphic Design, Web Development, Art, Education, Tech and much more. The above topics fit within LinkedIn Learning’s three major categories of Business, Creative and Technology.

The Platform

The platform is interactive and provides the facility for students to demonstrate the skills they obtained, with online quizzes and exercise files available. The content is also very professional, as LinkedIn Learning source industry experts to create and teach these online courses.

The platform further provides a lot of flexibility in modes and methods of learning, via the smartphone apps, an audio only option, and offline learning possibilities. This caters to different styles of learning and situations the leaner might be in. For example, if the learner is driving or running, the audio only option would be beneficial for those situations.

You need a LinkedIn account, but most people already have this and if you do not you can easily set one up. LinkedIn Learning provides recommendations for courses based on your current job title and skills (as listed in your LinkedIn profile) and what professionals like you are learning. Since LinkedIn Learning integrates with your LinkedIn profile, you can display completed certificates right on your LinkedIn profile. You can also view what others in your network are learning.

Plan and Pricing

LinkedIn Learning has kept things simple. They have one plan to choose from, which you can subscribe to, either annually or monthly. The cost is $39.99 per month if you are paying monthly and equivalent to $26.99 if you are paying annually. However, prior to that LinkedIn Learning offers a free one-month trial so you can evaluate the platform risk free!

What is included in the membership?

1. Unlimited library access – Access 17,000+ courses taught by real‑world professionals.
2. Certificate of completion – Earn certificates to add your LinkedIn profile.
3. Flexibility to learn how and when you want – Set your own schedule with bite-sized or in‑depth videos, audio content and offline viewing.
4. Interactive learning – Practice what you learn with activities, assignments, and quizzes.
5. Personalization – Course recommendations related to your interests and role.
6. Free membership in LinkedIn Premium

Try LinkedIn Learning for 30 days risk free!

8. FutureLearn

Best Among Coursera Competitors for Online UK Courses and Degrees

Pros:

• High-quality courses, many of which are accredited by leading universities
• Free courses available
• Quality credentials from leading universities
• ExpertTracks and Microcredentials are provided for in depth learning and to help people develop in demand skills for the current job market
• Courses which provide relevant, in-demand job skills

Cons:

• No Android or iOS smartphone app
• Limited Course Catalog, compared to other online education providers
• Unclear pricing.
• Limited support options

FutureLearn is one of the Coursera competitors and is a viable Coursera alternative, especially if you want to access higher education courses from UK universities and organizations. FutureLearn has courses from universities and organizations around the world (including the USA, Hong Kong, etc.), and they have many courses from British universities and organizations that you cannot access on other platforms.

FutureLearn is a UK based online education provider, founded by Open University and the Seek Group. They partner with over 175 universities around the world and have had more than ten million learners. They have also partnered with prestigious organizations such as the British Museum, the National Film and Television School, the BBC, the British Heart Foundation, Cambridge University Press, BGI, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and many more.

Only staff from partner organizations and universities can teach on the platform, which helps to maintain the high quality of the courses and teaching. FutureLearn provides on its platform short courses, ExpertTracks, Microcredential programs, certificates, and even full online degrees. They also offer free courses.

Courses

FutureLearn have many course areas including business, management, creative arts, media, law, literature, IT, computer science, healthcare, medicine, science, engineering, math, politics, sociology, psychology, mental health, study skills, and teaching.

FutureLearn offers hundreds of short online training courses from leading universities and organizations.

There are more than 2,400 unique courses on the platform in a large variety of subjects (as highlighted above). However, they have less courses available than some of the other big name online education platforms. Most FutureLearn courses are fully accredited and recognized by employers. Certificates are issued by the partnering universities themselves rather than by FutureLearn and are sent either in physical or digital form.

Each FutureLearn course is divided into modules, which is broken down further into individual weeks. When you begin a course, you are provided a large list of weekly units (so you see what is coming in the weeks ahead) and course materials which includes quizzes, reading materials, articles, assignments, videos, audio, and more.

Each week has different activities that you will be required to complete, which builds on the previous week’s work. Every assignment comes with clear instructions to guide you. The quizzes give you the chance to check your learning and understanding before you move on. The quizzes are not scored, and you may take them as many times as you wish, with feedback provided for each one. Tests are not included on all FutureLearn courses, but they are included on upgraded memberships. Tests are scored and only allow you to take them three times. They count toward your overall score.

ExpertTracks

FutureLearn has 112 “ExpertTracks” to choose from, which are a series of courses (usually made up of three to four courses), that lead to a certificate upon completion. They are beginner level courses designed to help learners deepen their knowledge of a topic and gain a new skill, which is relevant to the current job market. This can then be highlighted on your resume or CV. FutureLearn is continuing to expand the number of ExpertTracks they have.

ExpertTracks are usually ten to twelve weeks long, but sometimes longer. However, learners can take as long as they want to complete them if they pay the monthly subscription fee. Some examples of courses included in ExpertTracks are “Innovations in FinTech,” an introduction to “AI Design and Engineering with Microsoft Azure” (5 courses to be completed in 17 weeks), “The Ultimate Digital Marketing Training: SEO, Google Ads and Cold Email,” and “Customer Experience Design for Customer Success.”

Microcredentials

FutureLearn has fifty Microcredentials you can pursue. Microcredentials allow you to pursue further study in a specialized field. They are created and accredited by leading universities and are professional credentials designed for you to build in-demand career skills as well as deepen your understanding of a subject, with the opportunity to earn a professional or academic credential.

Microcredentials are also designed to help you develop the relevant skills you need to pursue in-demand, careers of the future, without the time and cost commitment of a full degree. They have a formal, online assessment as part of the course. Microcredentials can be used as a standalone certificate, but some even offer academic credit to use towards a degree.

Platform

One of the unique features of FutureLearn, which is not offered on many other online education platforms is that you can complete a profile page. This allows students to “follow” each other, making it easier to find like-minded students. You can then ask each other questions, discuss topics, and learn together.

FutureLearn courses have a chat feature and discussion board, which provides you the opportunity to chat with other students, ask questions, discuss the course, and consolidate learning. You can also get guidance from your instructors.

However, FutureLearn does not currently have smartphone apps, which is a major downside of the platform, especially since most other online education providers do have smartphone apps.

Plans and Pricing

Overall FutureLearn’s pricing structure is not completely straightforward, but the below breakdown should help to clear things up for you a bit.

1. Short Courses

• Short courses are one-off courses in a specific subject that typically last between 2-4 weeks.
• FutureLearn offers some short courses you can attend for free.
• Free courses have a time limit and usually do not include tests, grades, or a certificate of completion.
• To get unlimited access to the course material and a certificate, you will usually need to pay to upgrade.
• Paid courses usually cost between $39-$89.

2. Unlimited Plan

• $279.99 per year. (At time of writing it is currently discounted to 189.99 per year.)
• Unlimited access to hundreds of online short courses from top universities, organizations, and brands.
• Earn certificates and career related skills that you can highlight on your resume / CV.
• Learn at your own pace.
• Gain digital Certificates of Achievement on all your courses, which are included in the price.
• If you achieve a Certificate on any of your courses, you will have access to the course for life.

3. ExpertTracks

• They can be audited for free with a 7-day trial, then cost $39 a month
• Once you pass an ExpertTrack, you will achieve a certificate
• ExpertTracks can last anywhere between 8-22 weeks
• ExpertTracks are made up of several related short courses, which provide more in-depth training in a subject

4. Microcredentials

• No free trial is offered
• Prices range from $639 to $1,134, but most cost approximately $1,000.
• They are focused on building in-demand skills

5. Online Degrees

• Prices are not listed, but prices often range from $3500 and $7000.
• A broad selection of master’s degrees and graduate certificates are offered
• Provides more flexibility than studying these courses in person

9. Khan Academy

Best for School Students

Khan Academy is an excellent, free online education platform for school students. I highly recommend it. It is a resource we use with our children to help them develop in their learning across various subjects.

Khan Academy provides:

• A personalized learning dashboard
• Practice exercises
• Instructional videos
• Training in math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more
• K-14 and test preparation (SAT, Praxis, LSAT) content.

Students can study and learn at their own pace and develop strong foundations in learning through Khan Academy’s focus on skill mastery.

Coursera

Best Overall

Pros:

• Coursera partners with more than 250 top universities and companies to offer in depth courses
• User-friendly website
• Accredited certificates recognized by employers
• More than 2,602 free courses
• More than 7,000 courses, Professional Certificates, and degrees covering an extensive range of topics
• 100% online degrees
• Classes available in multiple languages

Cons:

• Coursera has a short trial period
• The price of certificates could be more transparent
• Coursera have limited help options
• Strict timelines on some courses
• Degree programs which are offered through Coursera require additional applications

Coursera Inc is an online course provider founded in 2012 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller. Coursera is an accredited institution with 82 million learners around the world that works in partnership with over 250+ top universities (e.g., Princeton, Duke, etc.) and companies (including Fortune 500 companies) to offer university courses, certificate programs, free content videos, and other course offerings to help you achieve your goals. It is even possible to achieve certifications, degrees, and other recognized credentials, completely through Coursera.

What makes it even better is through Coursera you can achieve your degree at a fraction of the usual cost, whilst being taught by top professors from the universities they have partnered with. They offer more than 7,000 courses, Professional Certificates, and degrees, including more than 2,602 free courses!

All these benefits and features make Coursera a strong edX competitor, Udacity competitor, Udemy competitor, Masterclass competitor, Pluralsight competitor, Skillshare competitor, LinkedIn Learning competitor and FutureLearn competitor.

On his LinkedIn page, Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda said, “I feel lucky to be the CEO of Coursera, a company dedicated to transforming lives through learning. Our goal is to become the world’s learning platform. Coursera attracts millions of individuals from around the world who want to learn and prosper, education partners who want to teach the world, and employers who need to transform their talent to keep up in a world of accelerating change.”

Coursera’s Offer and Pricing

1. Guided Projects – Choose this to quickly learn job skills and industry tools. The cost starts at $9.99. The average time commitment for Guided Projects is 1-2 hours.
2. Courses: Choose this to gain new knowledge. The cost starts from free. The average time commitment for a Coursera course is 4-12 hours.
3. Specializations – Choose this to master a specific skill. The cost starts at $39 per month. The average time commitment is 1-3 months.
4. Professional Certificates – Choose this to get job-ready for an in-demand career. The cost starts at $39 per month. The average time commitment is 1-6 months.
5. MasterTrack Certificates – Choose this to earn a university-issued certificate and credit towards a degree. The cost starts at $2,000. The average time commitment is 4-7 months.
6. Degrees – Choose this to earn your bachelor’s or master’s degree. The cost starts at $9,000. The average time commitment is 2-4 years.
7. Coursera Plus – Choose this to get unlimited access to 7,000+ courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs, for $59 per month. You start with a 7-day free trial and cancel anytime.

Guided Projects

A key highlight in the Coursera offer is Guided Projects, which give people training in skills which are relevant to the current job market. Guided Projects offer a hands-on, interactive experience that includes step-by-step instructions from an expert in the subject matter. An easy-to-use learning platform is provided, which offers a unique, side-by-side learning interface, where you complete each step in a virtual workspace as you watch video instructions from your instructor on the other side of the screen (Source: “Announcing Guided Projects: Gain Job … – Coursera Blog”).

Projects include topics such as building basic business skills, machine learning for beginners, software engineering, learning techniques for transformational algorithms like neural networks and more. Whatever your area of interest, Guided Projects offer focused and efficient ways to master skills which are in-demand in the job market.

Final Summary of Coursera Competitors and Alternatives

Now that you have learned the pros, cons, price and focus of each online education provider, you have the tools and information to make a choice that is right for you. There are several good Coursera competitors and alternatives. The one you choose will ultimately depend on your goals, interests, preferred style of learning, personal taste, and budget. You may even choose Coursera itself. I would love to hear from you how this article has helped you, what provider you chose and how it helped you to advance your career, hobbies, and lifelong learning.

Online education courses can help you gain skills for in-demand, careers for the future. Learn more about my top picks for best future careers. If you have an upcoming interview, read my interview tips.