Learning to Code: Is Udemy Right for You?

Udemy is the world’s largest online learning platform, featuring hundreds of thousands of courses on virtually any subject.

However, this begs the question: Is Udemy worth the time and money? Learn more in this in-depth Udemy review.

What Is Udemy?

Udemy is an online learning platform, more precisely a MOOC (massive online open course) provider, which means that you may enroll in online classes that are available to thousands, if not millions, of individuals at the same time.

Udemy, founded in 2010, started to become “the academy of you,” which meant bringing in as many teachers and students as possible, creating a DIY approach to education where anybody could sign up to take or teach a program. And that is true today: Udemy makes it incredibly simple for teachers to upload courses on the platform.

However, Udemy is not a college replacement, and its courses do not grant college credit. Udemy dedicated itself to teaching you practical skills that you can use right away in your daily life. Additionally, when you finish a paid course on Udemy, you will receive a certificate of accomplishment, so some bragging rights are involved with completing something on Udemy.

There are currently over 155,000 courses on the platform, with over 40 million students enrolled – far surpassing several other MOOC sites like Coursera or Skillshare.

The TL;DR

The Pros

• There are numerous coding lessons available on Udemy. There is a strong chance Udemy has a class for you, no matter what specific coding abilities you want to master.
• Udemy’s competitive pricing makes it affordable for a range of budgets. Udemy lessons start at $10 and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, making it a cost-effective and risk-free option.
• Udemy allows students to learn at their own pace. You can take Udemy’s classes at your convenience, from the comfort of your own home, or from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Udemy instructors can update their classes as needed, and each course includes a Q&A mechanism for getting help from the instructor.

The Cons

• Udemy does not provide big-picture advice. The “class-by-class” method to code on Udemy lacks a plan to turn coding abilities into jobs.
• Udemy does not provide a stable learning environment. You will not get the kind of stability you will receive from a full-service coding school if you take classes from various instructors.
• The learning community on Udemy is small. Although there is instructor-student interaction on Udemy, it is limited compared to other coding schools.

Courses and Topics

As established, there are 155,000 courses on Udemy taught by 70,000 instructors. They have access to 115 million minutes of video lectures. There are more than enough courses for your inquisitive mind.

The question now is, what kinds of courses are available? Udemy characterizes it under 13 main categories:

• Business
• Design
• Development
• Finance & Accounting
• Health & Fitness
• IT & Software
• Lifestyle
• Marketing
• Music
• Office Productivity
• Personal Development
• Photography & Video
• Teaching & Academics

Each of these categories gets subdivided into several subcategories. It is deceptively large, and it pays to poke around through each category to see how varied and deep the learning options are. For example, under “lifestyle,” there is “pet care & training,” which further breaks down into additional categories like “dog training” or “horsemanship.”

However, if you take a step back and look at the category breakdown, you will notice that most courses are in the business and career development categories. Udemy concentrates most of its efforts in this area.

Teachers and Instructors

Udemy differs from sites like MasterClass or Coursera in that it does not rely on endorsements or well-known instructors to sell its courses. Udemy courses, on the other hand, are taught by a diverse range of instructors. Putting together a course and selling it on Udemy is rather simple.

While Udemy reviews and approves courses to satisfy certain criteria, it is less curated than other MOOC marketplaces such as MasterClass. This option can give Udemy a wild west vibe, where students are unsure whether a course will be worth their money.

Fortunately, Udemy provides user evaluations and the number of students who have enrolled for each class. With that, you can get a good idea of which courses are worth taking and more of a gamble.

In analogy, Udemy’s user experience is similar to Amazon in this regard: the best rises to the top.

Cost

Udemy is unique among MOOC providers in that it does not provide a subscription option; You must pay for each course separately.

So, the question remains: What is the price of an Udemy course? It differs. At full pricing, systems normally cost between $100 and $200. Here is a little-known fact: practically every Udemy course is on sale at some point. Furthermore, the sale prices are exorbitant.

Admittedly, many courses are in the 5-hour range rather than the 60-hour range. The prices for these courses are lower, but not proportionally so.

Even better, Udemy currently has approximately 600 free courses available. All you have to do is go to the free resources section, where you will find a wealth of free courses that you can start taking right away. Web development, computer languages, and animation are all covered in these classes.

Note, however, that these classes are often shorter than those offered by Udemy, ranging from 30 minutes to 5 hours. However, brevity can be advantageous; these courses deliver a lot of information in a short amount of time. The only drawback is that free courses do not come with certificates.

Nonetheless, it is a terrific way to conduct a litmus test and see if it is the right fit for you.

Is Udemy Right for You?

Udemy is ideal for students who want to master various abilities, especially computer and design-related expertise.

Udemy is especially useful for people who want to acquire a single skill at a time. You will not have to worry about breaking the bank on an expensive membership because of their pay-as-you-go model. Instead, you simply pay for the course you choose to take. This option gives you the flexibility to spend as much or as little as you want to gain the skills you need.

Udemy is also a good option for someone prepared to research to determine which course is best for them. Because Udemy’s courses do not get curated by the company but rather posted by third-party teachers, the quality may vary from one course to the next. You will get a lot out of Udemy if you are ready to do some research to figure out which course is suitable for you.

Similarly, if you can schedule your purchases to coincide with sales, you will get a lot out of Udemy. Udemy’s courses are constantly on sale, and if you schedule them properly, you may save up to 90% on courses. You will only need to do a little research to ensure you obtain the best deal.

However, as with any other platform, Udemy is not for everyone.

Udemy differs from other online learning platforms in that it does not offer a true subscription model. This option implies you will have to go and find your course and buy it separately. You may simply stop attending a class if you do not like it on other sites, such as MasterClass, because it is all included in the membership price. If you do not like a class on Udemy, though, you must choose between a refund or paying up the full price.

If you prefer the convenience of a subscription service, Udemy may not be right for you.

Furthermore, Udemy is not a recognized educational institution. Udemy does not offer credit-bearing courses, and it does not give a college diploma. Thus, if you are looking for an online learning platform to help you achieve a college diploma, Udemy might not be the best option.

However, if you want to acquire a few specific skills at a low cost without being pulled into a monthly subscription, Udemy might be the right fit for you.

Alternatives to Udemy

There are several prominent names in the online learning world, and it can be difficult to figure out what each platform has to offer, how much it costs, and which one is best for you. Do not worry; this guide will show you how Udemy compares to other prominent learning platforms for coding.

Udemy vs. Skillshare

Udemy’s closest competitor is undoubtedly Skillshare. Skillshare, like Udemy, provides a rating system that lets you sort the wheat from the chaff and determine which courses are worthwhile.

Skillshare, unlike Udemy, is a subscription service that costs $144 per year. Udemy charges by the class. If you pay full price for an Udemy class, you may end up paying more than the annual Skillshare subscription after just one course. But, you may obtain a lot of stuff for less if you schedule your purchases well, with many courses costing less than $20.

Skillshare courses are also substantially shorter than Udemy courses, ranging from 1 to 5 hours in length. Skillshare focuses on teaching you skills quickly, whereas Udemy focuses on teaching you skills in depth. When it comes to learning to code, most people will need the depth that Udemy offers.

Udemy vs. MasterClass

MasterClass is one of the most well-known online learning platforms. However, it is not the same as Udemy.

MasterClass is all about learning from some of the biggest names in their respective fields — “big” being Usher, Neil Gaiman, Shonda Rhimes, Helen Mirren big! These are well-known people who will sit with you for hours on end in video lectures to teach you what they have learned throughout their lives.

Most of these courses are craft-based, such as writing, cooking, and gardening; however, others are philosophical, such as Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s critical thinking course. The lessons are fun, but they are more of a mix of entertainment and knowledge than a traditional classroom setting.

Udemy, on the other hand, focuses on teaching you skills, primarily in the areas of technology and web design. These classes can range in length from 30 minutes to 60 hours, taking weeks to complete.

Furthermore, unlike Udemy, MasterClass is a subscription-based platform. For $180 a year, you can access all of the MasterClass courses. As long as you take at least two courses per year, this might be a wonderful deal, as MasterClass used to charge $90 for each class.

Because there are no subscription costs to worry about with Udemy, it usually ends up being substantially less expensive if you time your purchases correctly. Overall, these two programs are opposites. Udemy is a platform where you can learn skills from experts, and MasterClass is where celebrities teach you crafts.

Udemy vs. Coursera

Coursera is a significant departure from Udemy. While Udemy focuses on teaching you skills, Coursera focuses on learning from teachers from approved schools.

Around 4,000 courses are available on Coursera, ranging in length from a few hours to many months to whole degree programs. Upon completing all of their courses, you will receive a certificate, and some of them will even grant you credit toward a degree.

There are two types of pricing on Coursera: per course and subscription. Coursera courses range in price from $20 to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each course. You can also subscribe to their service for $399 per year.

On the other hand, Udemy does not have a true subscription model. You pay for each course separately. Although the courses on Udemy are substantially less expensive than those on Coursera, they have no affiliation with any recognized colleges.

Final Thoughts

Udemy, like many other platforms, gives back in proportion to what you put in.

You do not have to worry about taking enough classes to justify the subscription if you use a pay-per-class system instead of a subscription price. Simply purchase the course and attend the classes.

Ultimately, Udemy is a fantastic way to learn the hard skills you will need to thrive in a career in coding.

Juan Cruz Martinez

Juan has made it his mission to help aspiring developers unlock their full potential. With over two decades of hands-on programming experience, he understands the challenges and rewards of learning to code. By providing accessible and engaging educational content, Juan has cultivated a community of learners who share their passion for coding. Leveraging his expertise and empathetic teaching approach, Juan has successfully guided countless students on their journey to becoming skilled developers, transforming lives through the power of technology.