Skill acquisition is important, whether it’s to pivot directions or diversify your assets for professional development. Examples include pivoting from finance to data analytics, or getting certified for AWS Cloud Computing. We’re in luck because e-learning platforms like PluralSight and Udemy provide digital spaces to do just this. The challenge is that it’s hard to know before investing time and money. That’s why I’ve dug into the details for you.
In this article, I’ll give you a quick way to make a confident decision based on your needs and each platform’s pros and cons, then go in depth to review all the pros and cons associated with PluralSight and Udemy.
PluralSight vs Udemy: Which Is Better?
Most sources will tell you the choice between PluralSight and Udemy depends on your specific needs — but that’s not very helpful. Concretely, you should consider five primary criteria: available subjects, quality of content, curriculum relevance to your use case, subscription vs. one-time purchases, and of course, your personal discipline to follow through.
In short, PluralSight is a better choice for IT professionals who expect to learn more than one specific skill (i.e testing Ruby 2 Apps with RSpec) over a period of 3-months or more, whereas Udemy is better for students who want introductory- to intermediate-level courses. For example, someone learning Tableau data panes and connecting to Redshift would benefit from PluralSight, whereas someone looking for a practical intro to Tableau would be better off with Udemy.
In other words, PluralSight is better for pros, and Udemy is better for beginners. That said, it’s impossible to provide a wholistic view in one sentence, so take a look at the decision tree below to help you decide.
Decision Tree: How to Decide on PluralSight or Udemy
This decision tree focuses on 5 differentiating components between the platforms: (1) whether you want to learn an IT skill, (2) if you’re looking for specific skills or intro-level information, (3) if you need a specific certification, (4) whether you’re learning for fun, and (5) how long you expect to use a platform.
These components are different from the decision criteria mentioned in the previous section because the decision criteria are important when you end up in the black box titled Compare the Individual Courses on Udemy and PluralSight (exempting subscription vs one-time purchase, which is included below as well).
This diagram is just a quick tool. Next, we’ll look at the details of each platform. I spent several days collecting and crunching data from both platforms to give you the most comprehensive view of what you’re getting into with both. Reading through will help you avoid making a costly mistake and get the most bang for your buck.
You can feel confident you’ve made the right decision and enjoy the learning process.
Fields of Study
First of all, Udemy as a learning platform addresses a broader scope of subjects than PluralSight. For example, it has courses on music and health & fitness, which are irrelevant against PluralSight’s IT-only curriculum.
When we narrow the view down to show only the fields that PluralSight and Udemy have in common, we see that PluralSight’s 11 categories are represented by only four categories on Udemy: Development, Business, IT & Software, and Design.
The picture above shows how the platforms categorize their material, but it’s not useful in understanding how the courses compare between the two. With an additional layer of detail from each site, we can map the more granular topics PluralSight and Udemy have in common.
Here is a list of keyword-level information you can find on both PluralSight and Udemy:
- AWS
- Business Analysis
- Business Intelligence
- C#
- C++
- Cloud Computing
- Data Dashboard
- Data Professional
- Digital Forensics
- Docker
- Google Cloud
- Information & Cybersecurity
- Java
- Javascript
- Linux
- Machine Learning
- Malware Analysis
- Manufacturing & Design
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Windows OS
- Mobile Development
- Node.JS
- Penetration Testing
- Python
- React
- Security Auditing
- Security Certifications
- Security Fundamentals
- Software Development
- SQL
- SQL Server
- Web Development
It’s important that PluralSight categorizes some of the above topics independently, such as Ruby on Rails, while Udemy classifies it under a broader topic–Web Development. This is useful when you navigate the sites.
What does this mean for you?
All in all, Udemy and PluralSight both propose courses on virtually all IT topics, and Udemy supports a few non-IT topics that are irrelevant on PluralSight, such as dog walking.
Size of Library
A quick Google search shows that Udemy has about 213,000 courses, while PluralSight claims 7,000+ in its extended library, but what about the number of courses broken down by topic? Below is a visualization showing the number of courses per topic.
I collected this data using onsite search results. It some cases, the number of courses is greater than the search result limit (180 for PluralSight and 10,000 for Udemy). This isn’t really a problem because it’s unlikely you would take more than 180 courses.
The real value here is understanding which topics PluralSight and Udemy focus on — more courses suggest greater focus, so topics like Software Development (180+, PluralSight & 10,000+ Udemy) will likely grow stronger. This is useful because you can consider it when thinking about your long-term learning strategy, namely the courses you want to focus on.
In the end, each platform has enough material to sufficiently treat any topic. That said, Udemy has significantly more courses than PluralSight.
Importantly, PluralSight’s C++, Security Auditing, and Security Certificates are particularly weak, so I would not recommend it for those topics. While it only returns 3 courses under “Web Development,” PluralSight has ample courses in JavaScript and Python, suggesting the low count under WebDev comes from a technical error.
Number of Courses by Self-Declared Category
Now let’s look at the number of courses by self-declared categories. Remember, PluralSight’s 11 categories correspond to only 4 of Udemy’s categories (i.e IT Ops and Cloud Computing fit into IT & Software).
Unsurprisingly, Udemy has far more courses. However, it puts less emphasis on Office Productivity (5,411), Photography & Video (3,280), and Music (5,177) than other categories.
PluralSight does not have the same imbalance between categories, but overall it maintains a smaller catalog.
As we can see, Udemy has 8,928 courses in Finance and Accounting, while PluralSight has none (you will see again the repetition of 10,000 and 180, which signal categories for which the total number of courses is too large to source).
Unsurprisingly, Udemy has far more courses. However, it puts less emphasis on Office Productivity (5,411), Photography & Video (3,280), and Music (5,177). PluralSight does not have the same imbalance between categories, but overall it maintains a smaller catalog.
Ways to Learn
When you think “e-Learning,” you probably think of courses. Though the dominant medium, courses are only 1 of several learning mediums–a fact in which PluralSight heavily invests. It offers skill assessments, labs, hands-on learning, and certification prep programs. Udemy, however, offers only courses.
Let’s take a look at each of these “alternative” learning methods on PluralSight:
- Skill assessments
- Skill IQ
- Role IQ
- Course learning checks
- Hands-On Learning
- Interactive courses
- Projects
- Labs
- Sandboxes
- Certification Preparation
Skill Assessments
Skill evolution is a challenge for organizations and their employees, especially in IT, where new languages and technology emerge on an annual basis. Traditional coursework typically isn’t capable of evolving at the same speed, which leaves IT professionals in a tough spot. How well do they understand a programming language? How do they measure up against their peers?
This is the problem the folks at PluralSight aim to solve with Skill IQ and Role IQ. Let’s take a look at them.
Skill IQ
Skill IQ is an assessment standard that PluralSight developed to provide students with a way to position their competencies against peers with a short 20-question assessment. Here’s a sample of the courses offered:
Your performance results in placement within one of five levels: Novice, Emerging, Average, Above Average, Expert. These levels reflect your percentile against peers on a scale of 0 to 300.
You can take each skill assessment two times, and PluralSight will keep the higher of the two. Here’s an example results page that PluralSight shares in its help center:
The platform will recommend courses and paths to take in order to improve your skills. Once you complete them, you can take the assessment again.
Now you may be asking yourself how accurate the results are… The use of percentiles combats doubts about the assessment’s credibility, and as more people take the assessment, the data behind it improves.
- Udemy Equivalent: None, but course quizzes can help you gauge your understanding on a pass/fail basis
- Available under standard individual subscription: Yes
Role IQ
Role IQ is the combination of two or more skill IQ assessments required for a given corporate role. You can think of it like a degree, and each skill IQ assessment like an individual class.
- Udemy Equivalent: No equivalent, but course quizzes provide a way to gauge your ability on course content, which can in some cases align to the responsibilities of a real-world role
- Available under standard individual subscription: Yes
Course Learning Checks
Learning checks are short quizzes throughout courses that consist of 6 – 12 questions created from the course material. You won’t be scored or timed, and you get quick feedback because PluralSight redirects you to the portion of the course related to an incorrect answer. Course learning checks are indispensable in any modern day e-Learning curriculum.
- Udemy Equivalent: Course quizzes
- Available under standard individual subscription: Yes
Hands-On Learning
In addition to skills assessments, PluralSight offers 4 types of hands-on learning frameworks: interactive courses, projects, labs, and sandboxes. As the name implies, this curriculum takes a learn-by-doing angle. Let’s take a look at each.
Interactive Courses
Designed specifically for programmers, PluralSight’s interactive courses use rotating video and coding challenges to provide real-world learning scenarios. While anyone can practice code alone, PluralSight provides feedback in order to optimize and improve developer syntax in real-time.
Interactive courses contain a comprehensive spectrum of content for a given language, so you can jump in at your level on an as-needed basis. What’s more, you’re not tied to a professor’s review, so you can work at your own pace (AI takes care of the review).
- Udemy Equivalent: Some courses provide similar feedback, but the framework depends on the instructor
- Available under standard individual subscription: No, available only under premium individual subscription
Projects
Projects are another programmer-focused learning method. They are self explanatory — a guided challenge (not open learning) in your own developer environment. These projects focus heavily on real-world scenarios and attempt to equip you with experience on items a potential employer would want.
- Udemy Equivalent: Many courses have capstone projects related to the course material, but they are not standardized like on PluralSight
- Available under standard individual subscription: Yes
Labs
Labs create a working space on behalf of an organization with real-world data that learners can use to upskill without risking damage to the organization’s production space.
In many cases these labs contain universal skills related to database or cloud environments that a learner would apply uniformly across organizations, and these are available to any organization… but unfortunately not to individuals. You will have to go through your organization to get them, which is what PluralSight is hoping you do.
Full disclosure here: you will not have access to labs as an individual. You can only leverage them through a business account.
- Udemy Equivalent: None, though some course structures may produce similar experiences
- Available under standard individual subscription: No, not available for individuals
Sandboxes
The final hands-on learning method via PluralSight is Sandboxes. If you’re an IT professional, you’re already aware of the term — sandboxes allow users to “play around” with data and code in a secure environment that enables more experimentation than guided Labs or Projects.
In a sentence, sandboxes are the closest to real-world experience you can get. However, like Labs, Sandboxes are only available through enterprise accounts, so you won’t be able to access them through Standard or Premium Individual subscriptions.
- Udemy Equivalent: None, though some course structures may produce similar experiences
- Available under standard individual subscription: No, not available for individuals
Certification Prep
Certification Prep is well named — it’s PluralSight’s way of organizing information into a format that’s targeted at passing specific 3rd party exams. Unlike Udemy, PluralSight does not market course certificates of completion. My suspicion is that they see a small conflict of interest and recognize how self-declared certifications are questionable to employers and colleagues.
Certification Prep uses Labs, courses, guides, a “Peer Tracker” that highlights course visitation in real-time on the platform, , and — most importantly — unlimited practice exams.
While most of PluralSight targets upskilling professionals in the workplace, Certification Prep highlights the importance of individual career development. That’s also probably why it’s only available through the Premium Individual subscription.
- Udemy Equivalent: Some courses are designed for exam prep
- Available under standard individual subscription: No, only available via the premium individual certification
Relevance of Curriculum
It’s easy to get caught up investigating pricing plans and certificates without understanding the most important part of e-Learning: using what you learn to create value in the shortest amount of time. Curriculum is only as valuable as it is relevant to your use case.
A classic example of this is students getting a bachelor’s degree “because their parents said to.” I don’t mean to bash degrees — they provide feedback regarding the character of a person and his/her aptitude to critical thinking. But online learning is far more about specific skill acquisition. Otherwise, wouldn’t you simply get a degree?
Another example is a student who commits to learning Python because it’s a popular language with diverse applications, but she doesn’t understand its relevance to their her cases. She ends up needing much more php for web development. What can she do?
This is the PluralSight advantage. Niche courses teaching hyper specific skills in under two hours, all on the backdrop of a subscription model, allow users to leverage literal keystrokes in their job.
That said, Udemy courses with skilled instructors teaching intro-level topics can also be extremely valuable and practical, especially for skills that necessitate good fundamental (but often broad) concepts and theories. Theory, however, should always couple with keystrokes — immediately applied skills.
In short, PluralSight offers a wide base of niche skill courses and other learning methods, whereas Udemy pushes for courses with broader curriculum.
Whatever your needs are, it’s to your advantage to ensure the curriculum helps your specific use case.
Quality of Instructors
Once you’ve found the right course at the right price, there’s still the question of instructors. We can all remember the teacher who made our education a blessing and the one who ruined a subject entirely — instructors are important. So how are they on PluralSight and Udemy?
In short, PluralSight instructors are better across the board because PluralSight vets its instructors for identity and quality while Udemy only vets for identity.
Stars usually make it easy to glimpse instructor quality because other people take courses and essentially inform you how good the instructor is. When there are enough reviews, you can use stars to make a choice on either platform.
However, this only goes so far because you may find yourself one of the first reviewers. When you look for a niche course with very few reviews, you may be taking a risk… that’s why Udemy and PluralSight need to vet potential instructors.
While both vet for identity, unfortunately only one of them vets applicants for quality: PluralSight.
This means if you’re looking for a niche topic on Udemy, you could end up losing time on a course with a dull (or unqualified) instructor. You could also end up paying for the course, given that Udemy’s refund policy allows them to refuse you if you consume too much of the course before the request. And you may end up getting refunded with credits that can only be used on Udemy, which is a problem if you end up not liking the platform.
In general, PluralSight has better instructors.
Pricing on PluralSight and Udemy
Udemy and PluralSight have fundamentally different pricing models. PluralSight uses a subscription model whereas Udemy focuses on one-time fee courses (though a subscription model is in beta as of December 2022). Because of the different structure, it’s difficult for potential users to compare plans. No fear–we can standardize the pricing based on average course consumption and course duration.
PluralSight’s standard individual plan allows for a 10 day free trial (followed by a $29/month subscription), whereas Udemy courses in the IT space are on average in the $70 range, with common promotions of 70% off, bringing prices to a little less than $16 if you buy at the right time.
What’s more, Udemy’s courses are available for life, whereas access to PluralSight courses ends when your subscription does.
Moreover, Udemy courses typically have 50 hours of courses (+/- 30 hours), whereas PluralSight courses typically last less than 10 hours, with a large portion under 4 hours. This means you can consume much more content on PluralSight for your money per month.
Item | PluralSight | Udemy |
---|---|---|
Pricing Scheme | Subscription | One-time fee |
Price | $29 per month | Course price often in the $70 range, with common discounts of 70% ($16) |
Duration of access | Duration of subscription | Lifetime access |
Free trial | Yes | No |
If you want a single course shorter than 12 hours in length, you’re better off going with Udemy. However, if you want a long-term learning platform it’s more likely you’ll get more value with a PluralSight subscription. You can use our decision tree (opens in new tab) to make the best choice for you, and get the most value for your money.
Choosing Between Subscription and One-Time Purchases
The price of one Udemy course is often 2 – 3 times the price of a 1-month PluralSight subscription (excluding discounts). That said, Udemy courses are available for life after purchase. For many people, this means it’s wiser to go with PluralSight for a few months when the course materials are equivalent in terms of quality.
Unless you find a Udemy course unavailable on PluralSight (such as a non-IT topic) or you are dead-set on a specific course on Udemy, PluralSight will be a better choice for you.
Personal Discipline — is it likely you follow through on a subscription?
Another important factor to consider is your personal ability to follow through on coursework. Some people like to start but have a hard time following through, in which case Udemy courses may be a better choice because you’ll have lifetime access. Others tend to decide and stay committed, in which case PluralSight is a better choice.
It’s not just a question of personality — circumstances like an intense job or a small child can make commitment more difficult.
A good litmus test is to ask yourself, “the last time I took a course in my current job (or similar) and personal circumstances, did I follow thorough?”
Comparison of Trending Skills
By now you have a good understanding of the pros and cons between PluralSight and Udemy. If you already know what you want to learn, you should be in good shape to make a decision, but what if you’re undecided about the skills you need to learn? Thankfully, we can compare the platforms by trending courses as well.
Below I show a comparative table for each of the 9 most common skills: R, Python, React, Java, C#, Ruby, AWS, Azure, and Angular. The methodology I used to collect the data consisted of sampling courses on each site’s search results page after querying the skill name. I took the first 20 results from Udemy and the first 18 results from PluralSight, so the average figures and illustrative titles are based on those samples.
R (Programming Language)
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning R based on a sample of courses found.
Criteria | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 4,121 | 82 |
Average duration | 19 hours | 1 hour 33 minutes |
Average price | $78 full price, $20 on discount | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | R Tidyverse Reporting and Analytics for Excel Users Statistics with R – Beginner Level | Programming with R Exploring Your First Data Set with R |
Python
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning Python based on a sample of courses found.
Criteria | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 10,000+ | 180+ |
Average duration | 35 hours | 1 hour 53 minutes |
Average price | $76 full price, $17 on discount | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | 100 Days of Code 2022 Python for Machine Learning & Data Science Masterclass | Python 3: Beyond the Basics Importing Data: Python Data Playbook |
React
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning React based on a sample of courses found.
Criteria | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 7,142 | 73 |
Average duration | 36 hours | 2 hours |
Average price | $83 full price, $17 on discount | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | Building Applications with React 16 and Flux 3 What is React? | The Complete Guide to Advanced React Component Patterns Testing React with Jest and React Testing Library (RTL) |
Java
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning Java based on a sample of courses found.
Criteria | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 9,209 | 180+ |
Average duration | 39 hours | 2 hours 35 minutes |
Average price | $80 original, 15 discount | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | Java 11 For Complete Beginners Java 8 New Features In Simple Way | Java 8: BDD Fundamentals Introduction to Testing in Java |
C#
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning C# based on a sample of courses found.
Criteria | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 5,518 | 180+ |
Average duration | 25 hours | 2 hours 15 minutes |
Average price | $78 original, $16 discount | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | C# in 6 Hours: C# For Complete Beginners Learn C# by Coding Beginning Object-oriented Programming with C# | Play by Play: Visual Studio 2017 and C# 7 Blazor 5: The Big Picture |
Ruby
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning Ruby based on a sample of courses found.
Criteria | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 395 | 36 |
Average duration | 16 hours | 2 hours |
Average price | $80 original | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | The Complete Ruby on Rails Developer Course Learn to Code with Ruby | Ruby 2 Fundamentals Ruby Beyond the Basics |
AWS
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning AWS based on a sample of courses found.
Criteria | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 5,288 | 180+ |
Average duration | 16 hours 30 minutes | 2 hours 30 minutes |
Average price | $78 original | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Exams AWS Essentials | AWS Developer: An Introduction to AWS Lambda Securing AWS Infrastructure |
Azure
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning Azure based on a sample of courses found.
Azure | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 4,032 | 180+ |
Average duration | 17 hours | 2 hours |
Average price | $60 original | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | Azure Kubernetes Service with Azure DevOps and Terraform Azure DevOps Fundamentals for Beginners | Microsoft Azure Services and Concepts Managing Microsoft Azure Active Directory |
Angular
Here’s a comparative table of key information across PluralSight and Udemy for learning Angular based on a sample of courses found.
Angular | Udemy | PluralSight |
Number of courses | 2,144 | 180+ |
Average duration | 18 hours | 3 hours |
Average price | $80 original | $29 subscription |
Sample titles | Complete Angular 14 Course – Learn Frontend Development Reactive Angular Course (with RxJs, Angular 14) | Angular CLI Angular Forms |
User Experience
Udemy and PluralSight are leading technology companies, so they have optimized their user experiences. Like any platform, you’ll need to learn the layout, but this is not a big differentiator and should not influence your decision too much.
PluralSight Skills vs. Udemy Business
So far we’ve talked about PluralSight and Udemy insofar as they provide online learning for individuals, but both platforms offer plans for businesses. These plans typically focus on pricing plans that offer more courses at a lower per-unit price. Moreover, they can target small organizations; Udemy Business for “Teams” allows 5 – 20 accesses for example
Udemy business is different from Udemy individual because it offers a subscription model with hands-on learning methods such as sandbox developer environments, bringing it closer to PluralSight’s individual.
Keep in mind that corporate plans are PluralSight’s bread and butter. They have served large companies like GE and FedEx but split their business offers into organizations of 2 – 10 people, or those with more than 10 people.
What’s most striking is the difference in price — at minimum $399 per user per annum, PluralSight’s business solution is decidedly more expensive than Udemy. The reason is content quality. PluralSight provides quick courses that target specific skill acquisition, making them a better choice for organizations that know exactly what they need. You can refer to the section on content relevance here (open in new tab).
Below is a table with key elements from each platform’s offer.
Criteria | PluralSight | Udemy |
---|---|---|
Price | $399 – $579 per person per annum in teams of 2 – 10 people $779 per person per annum in teams of >10 people | “Team” plan is $360 + tax per person per annum “Enterprise” plan is upon request, because it is different for each organization |
Target size | 2 – 10 >10 | “Team” plan targets 5 – 20 person orgs “Enterprise” plan targets >21 person orgs |
Hands-on learning | Yes | Yes |
Extended course catalog | Yes | Yes |
Course Customization | Yes | Yes |
Learning path customization | Yes | Yes |
PluralSight vs Udemy: Best for Learning Programming
After investigating the options, most programmers will find themselves asking NOT whether PluralSight or Udemy is better, given that PluralSight serves a niche target audience and thus the question is of apples vs oranges, but which is better for programming.
The short answer is PluralSight is better for non-beginner IT professionals, whereas Udemy is better for beginner IT professionals and everyone else.
FAQ
Are PluralSight certificates respected?
PluralSight has a good reputation in the IT world, and while it provides certificates of completion, they do not carry much weight. This is the case for most online certificates of completion. Instead, PluralSight has specific 3rd party certification prep pathways, which are well respected.
Are PluralSight certificates worth it?
In general, PluralSight certificates of completion are not the reason individuals take these courses. The focus is skill acquisition, not accreditation. That said, some skills that PluralSight invests in are “the skill of passing” third party exams, such as the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.
Are PluralSight certificates accredited?
PluralSight certificates are not accredited. They do not hold weight like a university degree and are not recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.
Is PluralSight a good place to learn?
More than 350 of Fortune 500 companies (70%) use PluralSight, and the IT community recognizes it. From my time working in tech, most friends would recommend it over other platforms.
Does PluralSight have a free trial?
Yes, PluralSight has a 10 day free trial.
Does PluralSight have free courses?
Yes. PluralSight offers 5 courses free each month in addition to the 10 day free trial.
Do you own Udemy courses forever?
Yes, once you purchase a course you have lifelong access to it. That said, you do not own the contents and cannot resell them.
Are Udemy certificates respected?
In general, certificates of completion on not actionable. However, they can highlight your skills, which you can then show otherwise to a potential employer. Udemy certificates are no different.
Are Udemy certificates worth it?
I would not recommend taking a Udemy course simply for the certificate. It’s unlikely to bring you as much value as you pay for it. However, if you want to actually learn the contents of the course, then the certificate does no harm.
Are Udemy certificates accredited?
No, Udemy certificates are not accredited and are not recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.
Does Udemy have a free trial?
Udemy is a one-time purchase platform. While it is currently developing a subscription model for individuals, not everyone can access it. Those that can, could have a free trial, but the duration is case-specific. In other words, for the moment Udemy’s subscription business is not well developed.
Does Udemy have free courses?
Yes, Udemy has 520 free courses that you can access here (opens in new tab).
Summary
Altogether, PluralSight will be a better pick for IT professionals who don’t identify as beginners, whereas Udemy is better positioned as a broad e-Learning platform for IT skills and more.
Conclusion
For more free content, visit the AnalystAnswers homepage, or check out our free Intro to Data Analysis eBook!