If you’re planning on studying online, the very first thing you should do is find a reliable online learning platform that would not only provide you with the courses that you’re looking for but would also be easy and fun to use. While it’s not as simple as it might seem at first, in this Udemy VS Lynda comparison you might be able to find an online learning platform that’s suitable for your needs.
If you were ever to look for the most recommended MOOC providers, I bet that you came across Udemy and Lynda multiple times. Both of them are well-known and recommended for different types of courses. Now, while Udemy offers an impressive number of courses, 130,000 to be exact, Lynda is one of the oldest players in the industry - founded back in 1995.
What’s important to know about Lynda is that in 2015 it became a part of LinkedIn Learning, meaning that all the courses were transferred as well. That said, you can search for available courses on Lynda’s website, however, once you choose a course, you’ll be redirected to LinkedIn Learning. Thus, keep that in mind when reading this Lynda VS Udemy comparison.
This article will help you to decide which of these two online learning platforms is more suitable for your personal wants and needs. If not, I will also introduce you to Udemy alternatives as well as Lynda.com competitors. So, you’ll get a bunch of recommended options to choose from.
Table of Contents
Udemy VS Lynda: Comparison Criteria
When comparing two different online learning platforms things can get a little messy. That’s why I have this system that includes five criteria and allows me to provide you with a thorough Udemy VS Lynda comparison.
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These five aspects that I’ve been talking about include course variety and quality, certification, ease of use, language support and pricing. Now, in order to make this Lynda VS Udemy comparison super clear, I would like to introduce to you as well as explain each of these aspects in a clear matter.
- Course Quality & Variety. The very first one and the most crucial aspect is course variety and quality. After all, the more options you get, the easier it is to find a course or program that you were looking for. That applies not only in this Udemy VS Lynda comparison but also when it comes to any other online learning platform. Course quality, I would say, is even more important than the number of courses you get to pick from. This aspect completely depends on instructors, their knowledge and professionalism.
- Certification. If you have been looking for the top online learning platforms, you probably noticed that the majority of them provide you with some sort of certification after completion. Certificates are crucially important if you want to show off your skills. They can be added to your CV, portfolio as well as shared with your employers to get a better job offer. Now, while the majority of MOOC providers offer certified courses but the thing is that a very small part of them are accredited. We’ll discuss the difference between such certificates further in this Udemy VS Lynda comparison.
- Ease of Use. Whether we’re talking about Udemy, Lynda, or any other online learning platform that you decide to use, it’s important to pay attention to usability. After all, you might be spending months or even years on a platform. Even though usability is not as important as course quality, it’s crucial to pay attention to this factor if you want to get the best learning experience. When comparing usability, I will also include Udemy alternatives as well as sites like Lynda to provide you with even more options.
- Multiple Language Support. Even though the majority of individuals speak in English, there’s a number of people who don’t know this language or only understand the basics. However, they have the same right to study online and improve their knowledge. Surprisingly or not, multiple MOOC providers support not only English but also other languages and provide you with professional subtitles. That said, when there are so many options, there’s a chance that you’ll find a platform that offers courses in your native language. In this Udemy VS Lynda comparison, we’ll see which of the two supports more languages.
- Pricing. Pricing is one of the factors that will determine which online learning platform you’re going to choose. What you should be aware of is that, in most cases, there’s more than one payment method to choose from - there are single-course payments as well as subscriptions, so you should evaluate which one is better for you. In this Udemy VS Lynda we’ll also take a look into free trials as well as the number of free courses that each of the platforms provides.
Now that you’re aware of every aspect that matters when choosing an e-learning platform for your personal wants and needs, it’s time to move to the actual comparison.
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Udemy VS Lynda: The Comparison
I’ll take a look at each of the aspects in the same order as provided before.
Course Quality & Variety
When it comes to any online learning platform, course quality is quite a tricky topic. It usually depends on the instructors that uploaded courses, meaning that some of them can provide you with high-quality videos as well as up-to-date content, whereas others might be less good and include outdated content.
Now, since Udemy and Lynda are evaluated as top-tier online learning platforms, their course quality is very high. The majority of courses that you’ll be able to find are up-to-date as well as include high-quality videos.
However, since this is Udemy VS Lynda comparison, you’re probably wondering which of them is better when it comes to the course quality. Well, since Udemy provides a significantly higher amount of courses, including free ones, there are higher chances that you’ll find low-quality content.
If you’re looking for online learning platforms that would provide you with the highest-quality content you should make sure to check out Coursera and edX. They’re also recommended for those who are looking for sites like Udemy as well as Lynda.com competitors.
Now, what about course variety?
When it comes to course variety, Udemy is a complete winner. It offers more than 130,000 different courses for you to choose from. It means that no matter if you’re looking for programming, writing, or drawing courses, you’ll be able to find multiple options!
Lynda, on the other hand, offers only 3,500 courses. However, it’s important to mention that since it became a part of LinkedIn Learning and all the courses were transferred, you can now find 12,000 available courses on the LinkedIn Learning website. Even with all the courses that were mashed up together, Udemy still provides you with so many more options.
Thus, the situation should be clear when it comes to the Udemy VS Lynda course comparison.
Certification
People who are choosing online courses with an intention to improve their knowledge and land a better job offer consider certificates as one of the top priorities.
However, there are two different types of certificates - non-accredited and accredited ones.
Non-accredited certificates do not have formal recognition, they’re simply a written reassurance that the majority of online learning platforms provide. However, it doesn’t mean that you cannot add them to your portfolio or CV.
Accredited certificates have formal recognition and they can be used to show to your employer as a document that proves your knowledge.
What’s important to understand is that very few online platforms can provide you with accredited certificates, so it’s so much better to receive non-accredited certificates than no document that indicates you completed a course.
Since you came to Udemy VS Lynda comparison you’re probably wondering whether or not they offer certificates.
I have to disappoint you, neither Udemy nor Lynda provide accredited certification. However, both of them offer certified courses. That’s definitely not the worst thing, however, you might have expected more.
Now, if you’re looking for sites like Udemy as well as Lynda.com competitors that would provide you with accredited courses, you should definitely check out Coursera and edX.
Ease of Use
When looking for online learning platforms, the majority of people pay attention to course quality and variety, however, usability is also one of the aspects that you should take into consideration. After all, you might spend months and even years on the platform.
When it comes to ease of use there are a few points to take into consideration - whether the information is provided clearly, whether a website is easy to navigate and you can find courses without much effort, and how the inside of the courses look like.
Moving to Lynda VS Udemy comparison I can say that Udemy is very easy to use. You can find courses without much trouble, it’s easy to navigate as well as track your progress.
It’s a bit different when it comes to Lynda. As I’ve already mentioned, Lynda is now a part of LinkedIn Learning, so while you’ll be able to find courses on Lynda.com, you will be later redirected to LinkedIn Learning. This can create some confusion.
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Multiple Language Support
Not all of you will find multiple language support necessary, however, if you’re not speaking in English fluently, you might be having trouble understanding some of the courses.
Now, if that’s the case, you should be looking for online learning platforms that support multiple languages.
Udemy is the most impressive platform when it comes to language support. It provides subtitles in 65 languages! This opens up new opportunities for learners who cannot speak in English.
Lynda is less impressive, though, it offers only 5 languages to choose from. While it’s not a high number, it’s better compared to some other MOOC providers that offer courses only in English.
Thus, when comparing Udemy and Lynda language support, it’s obvious that Udemy is the winner.
- Easy to use with a learn-by-doing approach
- Offers quality content
- Gamified in-browser coding experience
- Free certificates of completion
- Focused on data science skills
- Flexible learning timetable
- High-quality courses
- Nanodegree programs
- Student Career services
- Nanodegree programs
- Suitable for enterprises
- Paid certificates of completion
- A wide range of learning programs
- University-level courses
- Easy to navigate
- University-level courses
- Suitable for enterprises
- Verified certificates of completion
Pricing
You’ve probably already noticed that online learning platforms tend to have different payment methods. They include single-course payments and subscriptions.
While it completely depends on your personal preferences, single-course payments are recommended for learners who take one course at a time and spend less time on a platform. Subscriptions are recommended for very active learners who prefer taking multiple courses per month.
Udemy allows you to purchase single courses as well as offers PRO subscriptions. Lynda, on the other hand, provides you with subscriptions only. So, how does the price of these two platforms compare?
Udemy will cost you from $29,99 per month, whereas Lynda $24,99. Needless to say, the price is almost the same and not too pricey compared to some other MOOC providers. Of course, the pricing of individual courses that you’ll be able to find on Udemy varies depending on every case. You’ll be able to find courses that cost as low as $10.
Moreover, Udemy offers a 7-day trial and a 30-day refund policy. This means that even if you’re not sure whether this learning platform is suitable for you, you can check it out without risking anything.
It’s even better when it comes to Lynda because it offers a 1-month trial as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee. That sounds pretty amazing.
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Conclusions
Therefore, both Udemy and Lynda are well-known names in the industry, however, after this Udemy VS Lynda comparison, it’s clear that Udemy strongly outweighs Lynda. It has a significantly bigger amount of courses, better usability and language support.
So, if you didn’t know which of the platforms to choose at the beginning of this Udemy VS Lynda comparison, you should have a pretty good idea right now.
However, if you decide that none of these platforms is suitable for you, you should consider Udemy alternatives and sites like Lynda that are Coursera and edX.
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