Does Pluralsight Block Accounts With Multiple Users?

Pluralsight is a fantastic online learning resource that, as their website says, can help you “upskill and reskill”.

You can think of it as Coursera or Udemy but specialized for the tech world, giving them a strong footing in this niche of the online learning market. (Check out ‘20 Pluralsight Best Courses Available In 2023‘)

Yet, as fantastic as PluralSight can be for those who wish to invest in their personal or professional development, their user policies could do with a little polishing. For instance, their rules regarding accounts with multiple users can be disruptive for individual users. So, can multiple people use the same Pluralsight account?

In this post, I’ll be discussing whether PluralSight blocks accounts with multiple users, and the problems surrounding such a policy.

Does PluralSight Allow Multiple People To Use A Single Account?

PluralSight states in no uncertain terms that multiple users are not permitted to use a single account.

Each subscription comes with a single-user license, so anyone who wants to continue using the platform’s resources without such a license is technically stealing content.

The company’s exact words on the matter are as follows:

“Each learner needs their own license to watch content on the PluralSight Skills platform … Accounts are personal to the learner using them and cannot be shared or reused.”

That seems fair enough, right? When you go to the store and buy a loaf of bread, you don’t get to take another one for free to give to your hungry friend, so why should PluralSight permit learners to essentially duplicate their product and offer it out for free? (See also ‘What Does Glassdoor Say About Pluralsight?‘)

However, when you offer a remote learning service, it can be incredibly tricky to enforce such a rule, especially in a manner that doesn’t also inhibit learners who are playing by the rules.

How Does PluralSight Crack Down On Multiple Users?

There are a number of methods a content company can use to prevent the unfair distribution of their product:

• Develop a sense of account ownership — You know how Spotify learns about your listening habits and tailors their service to you specifically? Well, that’s a perfect example of developing account ownership.

Users don’t want to share their accounts because it’s only going to mess with their algorithms and spoil their user experience.

E-learning platforms can do a similar thing by offering custom progress points with rewards and developing tailored lesson suggestions and goals.

• Single-sign-on technology — Having users sign in through one of their socials is an example of single-sign-on technology. People are less inclined to hand out their social details, so account sharing plummets.

• IP monitoring — Whenever we do something online, it’s attached to an IP address, so by monitoring the IP addresses of users, a company will notice when two different addresses are attempting to use the same account.

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any stretch, but you get what I’m driving at. 

The Problem With Pluralsight’s Single-User Enforcement

PluralSight is so ruthless when it comes to cracking down on account sharing that they don’t allow learners to use their platform across different browsers, especially if somebody starts watching one of their instructional videos on one browser and then tries to finish it off in another.

As far as the company is concerned, different browsers mean different users, which of course isn’t always the case.

I don’t know about you, but I use a couple of different browsers day to day, as each caters to slightly different needs, and I’ll of course use all the same Gmail login details on each one.

It’s then all too easy to forget which one you were using last and simply dig back into the PluralSight content on whichever browser you’re currently using.

Your account will then swiftly be blocked by an automated service protection protocol — It’s caught out many a user!

The fact that PluralSight has this policy isn’t necessarily the problem here; the problem is that they don’t make their methods for combating account sharing clear.

In light of this, a lot of the time, honest users just trying to take advantage of the product they’ve paid for are punished — They break no rules, yet the platform treats them like a deviant.

But this isn’t the only issue with PluralSight’s policy. The company will also block your account for what they describe as “excessive usage”, as heavy content use is one of the metrics they use to weed out account sharing.

Many users have reported that their accounts were blocked simply for using PluralSight resources two days running, which obviously isn’t acceptable.

Thankfully, there’s a way to get your PluralSight unblocked…

How To Get PluralSight Account Unblocked?

Getting a PluralSight account unblocked is relatively easy. Simply drop the support team an email at support@pluralsight.com explaining the situation, then await their instructions.

If you’d prefer to talk to someone over the phone, and if you need help please contact the support team at 1-801-784-9007.

Should this be the first time your account has been blocked for allegedly breaking the platform’s policies, you won’t have any problem getting it back up and running, but they will give you a warning.

If you fail to acknowledge this warning and end up intentionally or unintentionally breaking the terms of the user agreement again, they will not give you another chance. Your account will be blocked indefinitely.

Is this fair if you never actually shared your account with anyone? No, absolutely not. Should PluralSight ease its standards? Probably.

But as this is unlikely, if you plan on using their platform, it’s essential that you learn the finer points of the user agreement before you pay for a subscription.

Does PluralSight Offer Team Accounts?

PluralSight understands that sometimes it’s necessary for entire teams of people to work within one learning ecosystem, which is why they offer team accounts.

However, even then, every individual user must have a license to access the content; there is no master license given to the organizer, as this power could be abused.

Your team account options are three-fold:

• Starter — Your team gets access to the core content library and receives curated learning paths, but analytics are limited.

• Professional — Your team gets access to the full PluralSight content library, and team reporting is enabled. The learning will be more hands-on, and some of it is focused on exam prep for real-life certifications.

• Enterprise — Maxed out everything! Detailed analytics, advanced content, development plans, role customization, expert Q&As… you name it!

Both Starter and Professional plans are for between 2 and 10 people, whereas Enterprise plans are for 11+ people.

Whether there’s a member capacity in the Enterprise plan is unclear, but it’s fair to assume that the platform will work hard to cater to your needs if you contact them and explain your situation.

Final Thoughts

I think it’s fair to say that PluralSight has gone a bit too far in its attempt to crack down on account sharing, as the methods used are ruining the user experience of honest people.

Over time, this messy situation will likely lead to a nose dive in subscriptions, and a loss of revenue steeper than that they’d experience if a few people got away with sharing their account.

Hopefully, the company will at least amend how they carry out their problematic deterrents, but until then, learners have to be very careful not to break the terms of the user agreement and get their account blocked or deleted.

https://youtu.be/zsT8uVS9aac