Pluralsight Review – Is This Platform Worth It?

Trying to select the right training platform for you or your company can be a difficult task.

Once there were only a few options to choose from, but now there is a huge list for you to consider.

Trying to narrow down the right platform for you can feel like an overwhelming task. One of these platforms you’ve probably heard of is Pluralsight.

But how can you know if Pluralsight is worth your time and investment? How does it compare to other platforms?

What are the main skills that you can gain from it? If you’re wondering about these questions, then don’t panic! You’ve come to the right place!

In this article, we’re going to be giving you a total Pluralsight review of this online learning platform. We’ll take a look at its pros, cons, and key features.

We’ve also made sure to include an extensive Frequently Asked Questions section to help answer any questions you may have left over at the end.

What Is Pluralsight?

Pluralsight is an online learning platform originally founded in 2004.

It was originally a classroom training company that revolved around sending out instructors who would attend business training events.

With the sudden expansion of the internet in the late 2000s, Pluralsight switched to an online training platform.

Now it has a huge library of over 7000 courses that are taught by a base of 1,500 instructors, who use their expert skills to teach a huge variety of different skills.

The main courses you’ll find on offer teach skills in creative professions, IT administration, and software development.

Who Is Pluralsight Best For?

We would say that this platform is best for companies or individuals looking to expand their knowledge and skills within Software Development, IT administration, Online Creative Industries, and Cyber Security.

Its video courses end with you achieving a certificate of completion.

Almost all of these certificates are then eligible to be submitted as Continuing Education Units, or Continuing Professional Education, as credits which will can then contribute to bigger things in organizations like ISACA and CompTIA organizations.

Good For Businesses?

If you’re looking to help expand the skills of your team of employees then their extensive list of team plans for businesses can be a great choice for you.

There are a lot of different ones, but the options available have been created to fulfill the needs of your specific team.

We’ll take a look at some of these plans in the section below. What About Individual Learners?

Pluralsight is also great for individual learners, offering two options for simple monthly subscriptions that will either give you the core course library, or the entire set of courses to experience.

We’re also going to take a deeper look at these plans below.

Individual Learner Plans

If you’re an individual learner, then expect Pluralsight to give you two distinct plan options to pick from.

Standard

The standard plan comes in at $29 per month and looks to give you the core library of video courses, as well as access to pathing and skill assessments.

This is a great place to start if you’re sold on Pluralsight, but don’t want to commit to anything too pricey.

The core course library features over 2000 different courses to pick through, so there’s a lot to work on before you exhaust them.

Premium

If you’re totally sold on Pluralsight as your learning platform of choice, then the premium plan is for you.

It’s $16 dollars more per month at $45, but offers you the entire expanded library and will also allow you to engage in exams, projects, and other uniquely interactive courses.

It’s only a little bit more money for a lot more content and support, so we’d say if you’re serious about Pluralsight then it’s a great investment!

Pluralsight Team Plans

If you’re a business looking to offer skills to an entire team, then Pluralsight has a lot of different options for you to choose from.

This is so they can cater to companies of different sizes.

It’s worth noting that each package requires you to have at least 2 users, which is a fair compromise. Let’s take a look at the options you can choose from.

Starter

The starter course comes as a yearly subscription that will cost you $399 annually.

It offers a limited version of its library, featuring just over 2000 different courses that you can pick from.

It also includes Skill and Role assessments that can help your team develop their skill as they work through their selected courses.

A final thing that their Starter package offers you is Curated Learning Paths and Channels, which also help your team to learn and communicate.

Professional

This package offers you everything in the starter pack but adds a lot of extra things.

With professional, you’ll get access to Pluralsight’s full library of over 7000 courses as well as secure hands-on content.

This means your team will be able to engage in Sandboxes, Real-world Projects, and Labs.

It also includes better certification options and team-level reporting and user analytics which can help your team members track their progress.

The cost of this package is a little steeper, at $579 per year, but it offers you most of what Pluralsight has to offer.

Enterprise

This is the most advanced package you can buy and it includes everything from the first two packages, including the 7000+ course library, but it also includes a lot more for you to work through.

Expect impressive skills, roles, channel analytics, role customization, and Q&A sessions with experts in their fields.

One thing we really like about the Enterprise package is how much additional support your team members will get, by making use of extensive skill development plans as well as skill progression insights.

This one costs a little more again, coming in at $799 annually or $64.91 per month. So are these packages worth the money?

This really depends on how many team members you’re looking to sign up, as well as the types of skills you’re looking to help them develop.

If you have a large team then the Enterprise Package is quite good value for money.

It offers additional support for all of your team members and will guide them through the learning process.

However, if your team is happy to be more independent learners then the Professional Package is probably the best value for money you can find.

Pluralsight Free Trial

Okay, so you’ve liked what you’ve seen so far, but you want to actually try the platform out for free.

If so, then you should know that Pluralsight offers an extensive free trial.

This is only available for personal use, but if you’re considering buying a subscription for a team or company, this will still give you a good idea of what the platform has to offer.

Pluralsight offers a 10-day free trial period that will allow you to access:

• Expanded Library: You’ll be able to check out the entire expanded Pluralsight library, including over 7000 courses.
• Hands-On Learning: This will let you see how the courses teach learners how to apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios, through projects to work on and highly interactive courses.
• Pluralsight IQ: This is a tool that lets you validate your skill levels with a series of short assessments you can take.

The free trial is pretty good, but it does require you to commit your credit card information, which will then automatically take payment once the trial period is over.

You can, however, just cancel at any time if you decide the platform is not right for you.

How Does Pluralsight Compare To Other Online Learning Platforms?

Probably the main competitors to Pluralsight are the online learning platforms Udemy and Coursera.

Let’s first take a look at the main difference between Udemy and Pluralsight so we can get a good understanding of the choice you have on your hands.

Udemy

Udemy can be better described as an online learning marketplace and this is a very different business model.

It allows you to purchase single courses from its list of courses, and once you’ve purchased one you will have lifetime access to it.

This can be a great alternative if you don’t like the idea of losing access to a course.

We would generally say that Udemy is a lot more expensive if you’re looking to take a wide variety of different courses.

Coursera

Coursera isn’t so much like Pluralsight, since it charges for a lot of individual courses.

A lot of the best courses on the platform (including online degrees, which is a great feature) can cost upwards of $9000.

It’s much more of a place where you can get serious accreditation, but it does come with a price.

Coursera does however allow you to ‘audit’ a lot of courses for free, which is an incredible opportunity for those looking to expand their knowledge without a certificate at the end.

Final Verdict

So then, what you’re probably wondering at this point of our review is – is Pluralsight worth it?

It’s hard to make that decision for you, but it’s certainly one of the better online learning platforms out there.

Almost all of the courses on Pluralsight are well-audited and comprehensive, and depending on the plan you subscribe to, you’ll get a lot of support and additional tools to help you in your journey.

That said, if you’re looking for more prestigious accreditation, then Coursera is going to be the better choice for you, and it’s good to select your learning platform with clear goals in mind.

We would say that Pluralsight is the perfect platform if you’re looking for a huge library of different courses.

It’s also got really good value for large teams with several different plans to choose from.

At the very least, we’d recommend giving the free trial a go if you’re curious, then canceling if it’s not what you’re looking for.

We hope that this review has given you some good insight into Pluralsight and you’re now a lot more confident about whether or not it’s right for you.

If you still have any questions, keep reading for our Frequently Asked Questions section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pluralsight Have Good Customer Service?

Pluralsight has quite a responsive customer service.

Because they’re a fairly large company, there are multiple channels through which you can contact them, and you can also ask questions online by accessing their Help Center.

From there you’ll be able to find a lot of different options to seek help.

What Is Role IQ In Pluralsight?

Role IQ is a way that Pluralsight measures your competency in a specific area of study.

After some quick assessments, your Role IQ will be able to tell you more about what level you’re at and how you can upgrade it.

Role IQ is a cool feature that we think really helps support learners.

Does Pluralsight Have Quizzes?

Pluralsight does have quizzes, but they call them ‘Learning Checks.’

These are placed through a lot of courses and act as markers to help you retain information.

It’s worth noting that these learning checks aren’t timed and won’t penalize you for getting any of the answers wrong, they’re just little checks to help you learn as you go!

Is A PluralSight Certificate A Good Thing To Put On Your CV/Linked In?

Providing it’s a relative course to the job/field you’re applying in, Pluralsight courses are well-known for their quality and will often be seen as a big positive for any potential job offers you’re looking at/for.

You can add them officially by entering your supplied certification number and expiry date.

You could also simply download the PDF version of the certificate you want to use and then upload it to your LinkedIn.