Hello guys in this article let’s take a look at everything you need to know about udemy versus upgrad which are the two most popular platforms for taking various online courses and learning various things for affordable price.
This is going to be a comprehensive article where it will be learning both the platforms, We will also be looking at the differences pros and cons of both the platforms, what are the customer reviews and what type of courses are available and many more details so make sure to read the article till the end to get idea of which is the best platform you should choose.
So without any delay let’s dive right in.
Udemy vs upgrad: which is best?
If you don’t want to read this entire 3000 word article then here is a quick summary.
In my overall comparison of the platforms I feel udemy is much better platform for normal users who want to basically learn new skills and get knowledge at affordable price and get lifetime access to the courses but the problem of udemy is that more than 80% of the people who purchase the courses of udemy do not complete the course, and the certificates you get from udemy are not really useful in real life job interviews but if you just talk about the skill then you can definitely get the skill and knowledge from the udemy courses.
But if we look at both platforms in detail then both are different from each other even though they offer online courses for students.
Udemy is for normal people and students who want to learn any skill or knowledge in variety of topics and there is no eligibility criteria for anyone to purchase any course on udemy but upgrad on the other hand gives you opportunity to learn any new skill and upskill yourself with any online masters or postgraduate degree like Master’s degree in data science, machine learning, law or MBA from top universities of world like Duke University, golden gate University etc without quitting your job.
So here is the perfect answer if you are confused about which platform to choose between the two.
You should choose udemy if,
- You want to learn any skill quickly without spending huge amount of money.
Udemy is more useful for casual people who want to learn some skill for low price.
You should choose upgrad if,
- You want to get education from top universities of world like to MBA from Duke University or Wharton school for affordable price without quitting your job and also get a job or salary hike.
Upgrad is more useful for students and working professionals who want to upgrade their skills and get education from top universities and change their career path, get placement in top companies.
Now that you know which platform you should be using let’s deep dive on both the platforms if you want more details and more useful information of the platforms.
So let’s dive right in.
Definition
In this section we will take a look at what is the definition and some important features of both the platforms in detail.
What is udemy & its features?
Basically udemy is open source online course platform which has its headquarters in California, on udemy you can buy and sell various online courses for affordable price and it all was started by Eren Bali, Gagan Biyani, and Oktay Caglar in 2010.
Basically this platform is focused towards students and professional people who want to learn new skills and get new knowledge in various variety of fields Which we will look at later in the article, by the way you can find both free and paid courses on the platform.
Some of the most important features of this platform are,
- There are not just video but audio and text lectures available in the courses
- You can access the courses of udemy not just on the website but also on the mobile app on Android and iOS operating system
- You get various quizzes and downloading resources after purchasing the courses and the courses are also of high quality
- You can also get support of your courses from your mentor, there are also subtitles for the courses available
- If you don’t enjoy or like the course you bought then you can get 30 days money back guarantee
- You can also see some best selling courses of udemy based upon the number of students who have enrolled in the course and the reviews of the course in individual categories if you are confused which one you should select out of many courses
- There is also q&A of course after you purchase so that you can post any of your questions to get answers from your mentor in the course
- You can also view and look at the promo videos before purchasing the course and also look at the reviews and ratings of the course
- You can also search by category in various fields and there are hundreds of courses in various categories on the platform
- You can also get several discounts on udemy courses and get most of the course for very affordable price for lifetime
- Anyone can create a course on any topic and become an instructor sell the course on udemy and make some money as passive income
- You can also get a certificate of completion of the course at the end of the course which you can add to your resume while applying for the job
And let me give you some interesting statistics about the platform which might surprise you.
More than 50 million students, 60000 expert instructors, 196000 courses in more than 6,000 categories, in 180 different countries with 75 different languages are available on udemy.
All of this statistics and numbers make it one of the best platforms for learning online courses for affordable price.
Now let’s take a look at what is upgrad and what are some important features of this platform.
What is upgrad & its features?
Upgrad which was founded back in 2015 and has its headquarters in Mumbai of India, It is online learning platform where you get undergraduate and postgraduate education for college students and working professionals so that they can upskill themselves and get better job opportunities in the life and career.
It is in simple words edtech company founded by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Phalgun Kompalli, and, Ravijot Chugh and it is one of the largest edtech companies in India and South Asia.
Upgrad has collaborations with various international universities like Ivy League and other popular universities of the world, offers online courses in various areas like data science and MBA for example.
Let’s take a look at some important features of upgrad
- There is not just video but audio and text lectures available and you can also download various file attachments like PDFs and other files and resources
- There is also a forum for students to interact and ask or answer questions related to the courses
- There is also live classes and interactions with students and teachers
- You can also get certificates after completing the course and writing the exam, certificates of upgrad are accredited and recognised by the government body
- You can both access the courses of upgrad on the official website, also view the courses offline and in mobile app of Android and iOS
- You can also get placement and jobs guarantee, salary hike after completing courses on upgrad, career assistance is also available with mentorship
- If you are confused which course you should be taking then you can talk to the support team in detail
- This platform also offers scholarships to the students based upon the exam
- You can also get to complete various projects and assignments while completing the course which will give you practical experience and also get feedback with live sessions
- You can also get EMI option if you cannot afford to pay the fee at one time
- Just like udemy you can also find many free courses that you can apply and enrol in
- Most of the instructors who teach the courses are faculty and professors of top universities of that course, instructors are very experienced and knowledgeable, friendly people.
- And again you can get the money back guarantee but there are some terms and conditions applied for individual courses which you need to read before getting the course.
These are some important features of the platform which I have noticed but now let’s take a look at some interesting statistics and facts about upgrad.
Upgrade currently has partnerships and collaborations with more than 300 different universities worldwide, more than 2 million users are registered in 50 different countries, there are 1000 different companies who are clients of upgrad where the students get employed and trained, overall it is one of the leading startups in the world in edtech space and top edtech startup in India, This company also made several acquisitions of various companies which you can check it out here.
These are all the important definition and features of the platforms now let’s take a look at what is the main difference between the two.
Differences between udemy and upgrad:
Although both the platforms offer educational courses and provide knowledge for various people but the main difference between the two platforms is that udemy on one hand offers courses in variety of categories from video editing to programming to digital marketing and music and many more but upgrad does not offer courses in all this categories, it only offers courses for specific undergraduate and postgraduate students in specific branches Which you will learn in later parts of the article.
- Second important difference between the two platforms is that the udemy courses are not accredited and recognised by any government body so the certificate you get at the end of the completion of the course of udemy is not really useful when you will be applying for a job as compared to the courses on upgrad are recognised and the certificate that you get at the end of completion of the program will definitely get you job because the platform has collaboration with various universities and companies which is not the case with udemy.
- Third difference between the two platforms is that there are more number of people who are using udemy as compared to upgrad because first of all udemy was founded back in 2010 in America which is more than one decade ago but upgrad was found in India back in 2015, and as I already mentioned earlier upgrade is a platform that helps you get online courses from top universities in that category online without fitting the job so that working professionals can upgrade the skills and get new job opportunities and upskill themselves.
- Fourth huge difference between the two platforms is related to the pricing of the courses, most of the courses on udemy are priced not more than $200 maximum and you get lifetime access to the courses and also regular updates of the courses but on the other hand because you will be getting undergraduate and postgraduate courses from top universities and faculty in upgrad the courses are relatively higher in price but you don’t need to worry because there is scholarship available and also EMI option and the price of the course on upgrade is relatively lower than the original offline program in the University.
- Fifth difference is that everyone can buy any course on udemy as there is no such eligibility criteria to purchase the course but on upgrad For example if you want to get Masters degree in data science then you will have to match the eligibility criteria of having a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% overall percentile in your degree as mandatory to enrol in the program, Just like this you have eligibility criteria for almost all the courses on upgrad.
- And the last difference is that upgrad offers more features and benefits like career assistance, networking opportunities, job assurance for the students as compared to udemy which do not offer such features except lifetime access of the course and become a member in any private Facebook or telegram group.
These are all the major differences I have found between the two platforms now let’s take a look at the similarities.
Similarities between udemy and upgrad
There are several similarities you can find between the both platforms
- Both udemy and upgrad provide online platforms where you can learn various courses like programming data science business machine learning and many more for affordable price from top instructors
- Both the platforms have amazing websites and apps for Android and iOS
- Both the platforms offer excellent customer support and have great student reviews and testimonials
- Both the platforms are unique and best in their category
- Both the platforms have millions of users worldwide and offers courses in variety of languages and countries
- Most of the courses on both upgrad and udemy are self-paced which means you can watch the videos and listen to them whenever you want
- There is also no age limit for people to purchase courses on both the platforms
These are some important similarities I have found between the two platforms now let’s take a look at the types of courses offered in both the platforms to understand both the platforms in detail.
Types of courses offered?
Let’s review both the platforms on a couple of factors which are mentioned below like,
- Types of courses offered
- Ease of use of the website
- Student reviews and testimonials
- Pricing
Let’s first start with udemy.
Udemy:
As you can see from the above screenshot all the important categories of udemy, basically the platform offers courses in variety of categories as a matter of fact the statistics show that there are more than 6000 different categories and 1500000 different courses, more than 57000 instructors.
So the platform is quite huge in statistics and numbers but udemy as a platform is actually very popular for programming and software development courses, Python boot camp course is the most popular course on udemy because more than 1.5 million students have enrolled in the course, 22 hours of video content which is great and has 4.5 star reviews, the course is available in more than 13 different languages.
And the website version of the platform which you can see in the image below.
You can see similar interface in mobile apps of both Android and iOS.
I feel the website is quite easy to use, It has a good structure and layout, although it can be sometimes overwhelming with the number of features and things that are present on the screen for beginners but as you spend more time on the platform you get used to it because there are so many courses available.
And obviously you can check the reviews and ratings of the course of the students in the website itself which is great thing and lastly, price of the course is important and Python boot camp course that I mentioned earlier can cost you anywhere between 10 to 30 dollars as the price changes frequently and you can get many coupons online to reduce the price.
Overall in terms of the content quality, user interface, student reviews and ease of use I feel udemy is definitely a good platform.
Now let’s compare this with upgrad.
Upgrad:
Now as you can see in the image above all the important courses and categories on upgrad.
You can find programs of masters degree and doctoral degree in various disciplines like machine learning data science law MBA blockchain insurance digital marketing and many more as you can see in the categories and even if you look at the content quality then it is also very good, Just like normal educational courses, the courses on upgrad are also years long like masters degree will take you anywhere between 18 to 24 months and you can also download the syllabus and program structure from the website in pdf format.
The website is also very easy to use because there are less number of courses as compared to udemy and there’s also app on Android and iOS which is also good.
More importantly there is also amazing student reviews and testimonials that you can check down here and also in the course page which is really amazing.
And you can also check the prices of the courses right on the website which is good but I feel the prices are quite expensive but I think it is worth it for students who cannot get admission into such universities offline but want to study and get the certificate from the University online.
Except pricing I think upgrad is much better platform in terms of ease of use, student reviews and content quality as compared to udemy in my opinion.
Pros and cons of both
Let’s take a look at all the advantages and disadvantages of both udemy and upgrad.
Let’s start with udemy first.
Pros and cons of udemy
Pros of udemy
- All the courses you purchase give you lifetime access to the course
- Most of the courses are very affordable and less than $30 price and there are regular discounts and sales on udemy and you can get several coupons which further reduce the price
- All the courses are frequently updated and you can also get community support and also communicate with the mentor from email and social media
- You can also get certificate after completing the course that you can add on your resume
- Udemy also offers 30-day money back guarantee if you don’t like the course you can get your money back with no questions asked
- Before you purchase any course or your doubts questions and requirements of the course are clearly mentioned on the landing page of the webpage of that course itself
- The courses are self-paced so you can watch the videos not just on website but also on app whenever and wherever you want
- You can also become an instructor and make some money by creating some course on any topic and udemy is available in variety of languages and countries
- The content quality of the courses are quite high because all the courses are first reviewed individually to match certain conditions and criteria before they get listed and available to get sold on udemy
Cons of udemy
- The certificate that you get after completing the course is not really worth it because it is not accredited and it won’t help you get a job in real life interviews
- 80% of the people who purchase courses Do not complete the course at all
- There are hundreds and thousands of courses in each category so it is very important for you to check manually things like reviews and ratings, total students enrolled and other factors but udemy offers like best seller in individual category to select the best course
These are all the pros and cons of udemy.
Now let’s take a look at pros and cons of upgrad
Pros and cons of upgrad
Pros of upgrad
- Upgrad provides online courses on various categories like MBA machine learning programming data science law from various top universities online without ever quitting the job
- You can also get placement in top tech companies like Google Oracle Microsoft Amazon after getting the courses from upgrad and there are many positive student reviews and testimonials, many students after getting upgrad courses got salary hikes and job opportunities and you can also get career assistance mentorship and other benefits
- You also get a certificate of the completing the course of upgrad, the best thing is unlike udemy upgrad courses are accredited
- Upgrade courses offers UG PG and masters courses for most affordable price possible
- They have very beautiful website and easy to use, very beginner friendly platform
- There is also EMI option to pay the fees if you don’t have money to pay it instantly
- The courses are of high quality and they are created by the instructors of top universities professors as already mentioned earlier and you can also get lots of support and live sessions, and many more benefits
- They also conduct some mock interviews and help you prepare while applying for the job and in resume building
Cons of upgrad
- The courses on upgrad are quite expensive as compared to udemy because they are not any normal random courses as they are higher education courses
- There’s also eligibility criteria for every course like if you want to do masters in data science then you will need to have a bachelor’s degree and 50% minimum percentile mandatory to get the course
- Unlike udemy, the courses on upgrad are long like 18-24 months, and you will have to put a lot of time each week to complete the assignments projects and many more and also write the exams like any normal college but online
- Still I feel there are not many top universities like Ivy League except upenn, Stanford, Harvard and MIT University others etc which are connected with upgrad maybe the collaboration would happen in future but it is certainly not there at present.
These are all the advantages and disadvantages of upgrad.
With that said let’s conclude the article.
Conclusion
These are all the things you need to know about both the platforms of udemy and upgrad.
Do let me know what are your thoughts about both the platforms in the comment section below and also share the article with your friends who are also wanting to learn something new by taking any online course for affordable price.
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