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Pluralsight and Udemy are two of the biggest names in the e-learning market and that’s something everyone is well aware of.
But which one is a better choice, we shall see about that in this Pluralsight vs Udemy review.
In this extensive guide, we will be comparing both the platforms on the basis of available course library, quality of content, aided advanced tools, price tags, customer services and which one is worth investing in from our perspective.
Udemy and Pluralsight can be seen as platforms that offer similar services and they do in a way, however, differ greatly from one another.
Their audiences clearly have different reasons to choose one above the other, let’s figure out which is “the one” for you.
Udemy
The company was founded in 2010 with its headquarters in San Francisco. The platform has a global community of over 46 million learners with more than 175k courses available in 75 different languages.
The edtech platform caters to audiences of varying fields and offers well curated development courses in departments such as music, health & fitness, marketing, design, development, IT, etc. The quality of content is highly variable and depends on instructors that creates them. The courses are designed and categorized on the basis of beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. 😇
Udemy offers three subscription models, one for individuals and the other two for teams and organizations. Furthermore, one can buy individual courses with lifetime access and need not purchase any plan. Refunds are applicable depending upon the user’s place of residence linked with their respective bank accounts.
Pros and Cons of Udemy
👍 Pros
- Learners can purchase subscription plans or buy individual courses which can be accessed as long as one wishes to.
- Free courses are also available along with a 7-day free trial.
- Offers a wide range of courses to users in over 75 languages.
- Learners can choose educational content of varying prices and lengths curated by different instructors.
👎 Cons
- No advanced AI tools that guide users and recommend courses on the basis of lack of skills.
- Quality of content is questionable as it depends on the creators and user’s ratings.
- Completion certificates do not hold any industrial value.
Also Read: Teachable Vs Udemy: Which Online Course Platform Is For You?
Pluralsight
The platform was launched in 2004 with its headquarters in Utah. The e-learning platform offers specialized assessments, courses and paths in various domains with over 7k courses to choose from.
The detailed skills development resources are available for streams such as IT Ops, Business, Web development, Creative, Data professionals, etc. Leading industrial experts curate and organize the training courses which ensures top quality content.
Pluralsight also offers subscription plans for individuals and enterprises. Free trials and free courses are allowed to users however, forget about refunds. A user has no choice but to purchase atleast one of the plans.
Pros and Cons of Pluralsight
👍 Pros
- Offers a plethora of helpful features such as various integrations, self-paced labs, technology index, flow, skills, channels, guides, conferences, etc.
- Advanced AI tools that guide learners on the correct development path such as Skill IQ, Role IQ and Iris.
- Wide variety of technical courses based on different levels curated by experts with free trials and five free courses per month.
- Certificates are awarded to learners once they complete their course and can use them as Continuing Professional Education (CPEs) or Continuing Education Units (CEUs) credits.
👎 Cons
- The subscription plan can be a little expensive for some learners.
Udemy Pricing vs Pluralsight Pricing
We know by now that both the platforms offer subscription plans at personal and enterprise level, let’s figure out how much they cost.
Udemy Pricing
- Personal plan – It is a standard subscription plan which grants learners the access to thousands of courses on varying topics from IT, soft skills, business to music. The monthly subscription fee plus applicable transaction taxes make up for the total cost which users can find on their subscription plan page. It is to be noted that the Personal Plan is not available to all the learners as of present. A 7-day free trial is offered but the option may not be available to users in certain jurisdictions.
- Teams – This plan offers free trial and can be availed if a team consists of 5 to 20 members and costs around $360 per user per year. Some of the features included are User adoption, Individual user engagement, 24/7 customer support, Access to 6,500+ courses, Custom logo & URL, Mobile app access, etc.
- Enterprise – A free demo of the plan is offered and the pricing depends upon the services and course architecture. One can finalize the total cost by contacting the Udemy sales team. Some of the functionalities incorporated in this with addition to team plan are: create and host proprietary courses, custom topics, creating user groups, international collection, add-on Udemy Business Pro, course insights, Slack integration, Workplace integration, etc.
Pluralsight Pricing
- Individual plan – The general version costs $29 per month and $199 annually. Premium costs $45 per month and $299 for a year. It is available on a monthly and yearly basis. Some of the features incorporated are library access, exercise files, core library access, skill & role assessments, learning paths, conferences, offline viewing, etc. A 10-day free trial is granted to all users. 😍
- Teams – It can be subscribed only on an annual basis and costs $399 for starter, $579 for professional and $779 for enterprise plan. Some of the features offered are trend and usage analytics, interactive courses, projects, role customization, etc. A 14-day free trial is offered on all plans except the starter.
Also Read: Coursera vs Udacity: Which Online Learning Platform Is Best?
Pluralsight & Udemy Features Comparison
Let’s take a look at some of the advanced features and aspects of both the platforms one by one.
Certifications
Udemy pro offers courses that prepare an individual for IT certified examinations. The completion certificates are awarded to learners once they finish the course they are enrolled in for achievement purposes and does not hold any industrial value.
Pluralsight on the other hand, also provides specialized courses but learners can submit the certificates after completion of a course as Continuing Professional Education (CPEs) or Continuing Education Units (CEUs) credits to plenty of organizations including CompTIA, (ISC)2, PMI and ISACA.
In this Udemy vs Pluralsight category, it’s obvious that the latter wins.
Quality of training courses
Pluralsight courses are curated by industrial experts and are regularly checked by their own team to ensure that the learning content meets the set standard. The courses have videos lectures, keynotes, assessments, projects, labs and can be downloaded for offline viewing. The platform supports a number of integrations including VS code IDE, Google Chrome extension, etc. to help learners solve the issues they’re stuck at.
Udemy courses can be published by anyone who has a premium instructor subscription and therefore the quality of content varies depending upon the creators. It also offers video lectures and provides assessments but lacks integrated technical extensions. 😊
In this category, Pluralsight clearly has an upper hand.
Course Library
Udemy offers more than 30,000 courses in the field of Development, Business, Finance & Accounting, IT & Software, Design, Marketing, Lifestyle, Photography & Video, Music, Teaching, Health & fitness and Office Productivity.
Pluralsight has a little over 7,000 courses, most of which are based on technical specialization such as Architecture & construction, Data, IT ops, Manufacturing & design, Information & cyber security, Software development, Web development, Creative and Business professionals.
When it comes down to the selection availability, Udemy is better between the two.
Advanced Solutions & Tools
Pluralsight
- Iris: It is an AI based technology which works on Item Response Theory and Bayes Network algorithm and empowers assessment algorithms to predict the skill gaps and technologies users need to improve in.
- Role IQ and Skill IQ: Quantifies the user’s proficiency based on the specific role and determines their level while also recommending the courses best suitable for their progress.
- Technology Index: Ranks over 850 technologies according to their popularity and enables learners to choose and hone their skills in whatever that’s trending.
Udemy
- Immersive learning: Labs, assessments and IT certification prep courses on trending technologies are updated regularly.
- Analytics and insights: Dashboard provide critical and comprehensive insights in the learning progress and technological trends. The reports generated let’s organizations track the team members enrollment and engagement in the training activities along with what skills they find impressive and are eager to learn about.
- Leadership programs: Offers course content of executive level, guided by professors and leaders of renowned universities, organize online events, micro modules, etc.
User Interface
Pluralsight platform is very creatively designed and is user- friendly. The navigation bar consists of quick links to products, resources and platform basics. The interface is intuitive and provides a seamlessly smooth user experience. 😉
Udemy on the other hand has minimalistic design and straightforwardly displays course categories along with quick links for Udemy business, teach on Udemy and My learning pages. The platform can undoubtedly be used by beginners.
Also Read: 5 Best SkillShare Alternatives: Top Online Learning Sites
Platform Compatibility
Both the platforms in this category stand on the same level.
Pluralsight – Operating systems supported are Windows 7, 8, 10 and MacOS. Web browsers which are compatible are Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge. Mobile application is available for iOS, Android and smart TVs.
Udemy – The supported web browsers are Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Opera. Windows 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.12+, iOS 13.0+ and Android 6.0+ is compatible with the platform. Mobile application is available for iOS, Android and smart TVs.
Again, both the platforms are highly compatible with software/devices and therefore stand at equal position.
Customer Services
Pluralsight – Users can take help from the detailed documentation, blogs and can reach company’s representatives via email and phone call services. The platform also lets users submit a ticket and provides a live chat bot. The company has offices in Utah, Boston, Dublin and Sydney.
Udemy – The platform provides live chat bot, email support, FAQs and extensive articles regarding their services, plans, refunds, etc. The company has ground offices at San Francisco, Denver, Mechanicsburg, Ankara, Dublin and Mountain View.
Since, Pluralsight offers phone call services, the platform has a slight advantage.
Conclusion – Final Verdict
Udemy and Pluralsight both are good choices when it comes to e-learning platforms, but from our perspective Pluralsight is far better. Not only does the platform provide massive technical courses but also offers tools that guide them to the right path. Free trials and courses are also available to the learners.
FAQs 🤔
Yes, users can cancel their Pluralsight subscription anytime they want.
Udemy does not offer refunds except for where applicable by the law.
