Udemy vs Udacity: Similar Names but How Similar Are They Really?

Today, there are loads of eLearning communities you can join to increase your knowledge and expand your skillset.

However, this means that there are lots of options to choose from. Two of the most popular ones are Udemy and Udacity.

Now, you must be wondering how these two are different from each other, which one you should choose, and which will help you grow professionally. Let’s admit it- if you aren’t looking to grow, what are you doing in life?

Below is a detailed guide to help you choose the best platform for your goals: 

What is Udemy?

Udemy is an online educational platform whose mission is to “help anybody learn anything online.” It allows instructors to plan, design, and churn out videos on almost any subject they wish to teach.

Here, instructors can teach and share their knowledge with students around the globe. Students are given the opportunity to learn new skills by exploring the extensive library available for various courses. 

Udemy targets several versatile, yet similar markets. These include the instructor who wishes to create the course, the student who applies for the course, and the organizations that use Udemy courses to design specialized courses as either a branded product or for internal employees to utilize.

What is Udacity?

Udacity is a for-profit online education provider that provides online courses known as MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses.

It mostly focuses on the job training and in-demand skills. Some courses on Udacity are produced in collaboration with universities and technology experts, such as Georgia Tech and Google.

The courses that Udacity offers are student-centric and interactive. They feature quizzes and different exercises to test knowledge before allowing students to progress to another part of the course.

After completing each assignment, students have access to a project review system that creates a detailed project report within seconds. 

They Have Similar Names, but What is the Difference?

Udemy and Udacity- both have similar names and are online learning portals, but how are they really different?

If you’re wondering which platform to choose, this guide will make your decision easier and will narrow your choices down based on your preference:

Pricing

While both Udemy and Udacity have free courses to choose from, the quality of the courses offered differs significantly.

The free courses available on Udemy upsell for paid courses even though they do not provide any real value. Udacity’s courses, on the other hand, are detailed and cover industry-relevant substance, especially as part of their Nanodegree programs (see also ‘What Is A Nanodegree?‘).

Udemy courses can cost anywhere between $10 to $200, sometimes even more. However, courses on the platform go on sale often and can sell for 90% off. It’s not uncommon to see a course with a high-rating display $199 as the regular price and $10 as the price on sale. 

Nanodegree courses available on Udacity, however, cost $399 each. While there might be premium courses that cost more, this is the price for most available courses, regardless of the course length, and whether it is a beginner, intermediate, or advanced-class level. 

Certification

Udemy offers certificates each time you complete a course on the online platform.

However, the catch is that while you can put them on your resume and claim to know the respected skill, the course you took will not be accredited like a course taken at a university or educational institute.

Hence, it is evident that the course certificates obtained via Udemy (see also ‘Is A Udemy Certificate Useful?‘) will not hold much value in the eyes of interviewers when you are applying for a job.

Courses available on Udemy are used by individuals of all ages to expand their skill set. They might want to do this as part of a new hobby or so that they can use their skill in their business or so that they can freelance in their free time. 

However, if you are looking for credentials to make your resume stand out from your peers, Udemy is not the best option for you. Instead, you might want to look into Udacity.

Even though Udacity does not fall into the accredited university category as it does not offer traditional degrees, the nano degree programs available on Udacity represent collaborations with dominant industry partners.

The partners help expand their content. Udacity program graduates have more chances of being employed by these industry partners as well.

Even though an Udacity nano degree certificate does not compare to a university degree, it helps bump your reputation and value in the job market, especially in the tech industry.

Some tech industries prefer individuals who have taken nano degree programs on Udacity over ones who hold a traditional degree. This is because they are confident that those individuals are well prepared for the job and have knowledge of the course material.

Hence, it is safe to assume that when aiming for a job in the tech industry, a Udacity nano degree will get more attention on your resume than a course certificate obtained from Udemy (see also ‘How To Add Udemy Certificate To LinkedIn?‘).

Topics

Udemy covers a wide range of topics. You will find everything under the sun on Udemy. Courses cover business, health, fitness, nutrition, marketing, personal development, graphic design, psychology, and much more.

Udemy allows you to choose individual courses based on your interest and convenience. However, these smaller courses do not tie into a larger program the way Udacity’s nano degrees do.

Udacity, on the other hand, offers a focused and niche-specific curriculum. Its courses are based on programming and development, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data science, business, and autonomous systems.

It is important to note that Udacity only focuses on tech-related courses. A total of 35 nano degrees are offered on this platform. These degrees provide industry-leading programs that are officially built and recognized by top-notch companies, including Google, AT&T, and IBM.

Even though Udacity has approximately 200 free courses available, they do not reward the individual with a certificate upon completion. The courses offered on this online platform are self-paced, but courses are designed in a way to allow students to spend six to ten hours a week per subject.

Nanodegrees include lesson plans which include exercises and instructive educational videos. There is a final project at the end of each course to test the student’s knowledge.

Instructors

Udemy allows anyone to become a course instructor (see also ‘How Much Do Udemy Instructors Make‘) (see also ‘How Much Do Udemy Instructors Make‘). However, this means that there can be some inconsistency with the quality of each course. It also means that there is no guarantee of the course material that is taught.

While some courses can be taught by experts and professionals and can hold hundreds of good reviews, other courses are hastily put together and do not provide any valuable information.

Hence, before taking a course on Udemy, you need to do in-depth research on the instructor, his educational background, and what students who have taken his/her course think. Looking at course ratings is extremely important before you purchase your course on Udemy.

In contrast, the instructors on Udacity are known for being more curated and organized. Hence, they guarantee an excellent course that you will thoroughly enjoy as well as through which you will learn.

Udacity instructors include former teachers, graduates, content developers, CEOs of different companies, as well as other educated individuals who are highly skilled at what they do.

What’s even cooler is that you can find courses where the Udacity founder and president teach the entire syllabus themselves! 

While some Udacity courses may include a single course lead, you will also find courses where ten different professionals have contributed to the syllabus.

Course Formats

Wondering what type of courses are offered on each of the educational platforms? You’ll find the following courses on Udacity. Remember, courses offered on Udacity are tech-related:

• Introduction to Machine Learning
• Marketing Analytics
• Business Analytics
• Programming for Data Science
• Data Engineering
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• C++ Engineer
• Artificial Intelligence for Trading
• Blockchain Developer (see also ‘Best Blockchain Courses‘) (see also ‘Best Blockchain Courses‘)
• Deep Reinforcement 
• Data Scientist
• Natural Language Processing
• Al Programming with Python
• Intro to Self-Driving Cars
• Android Basics
• Predictive Analytics for Business
• Front-End Web Developer

Courses offered on Udemy include everything you can think of:

• Wedding Photography: A Complete Guide to Wedding Photography
• Portrait Photography and Posing for Photographers
• Google Analytics Certification: Become Certified & Earn More
• Complete SEO Training With Top SEO Expert Peter Kent!
• Copywriting Secrets: How to Write Copy that Sells
• Successful Negotiation: Master Your Negotiating Skills
• Body Language for Entrepreneurs
• Become a SpeedDemon: Productivity Tricks to Have More Time
• Six Sigma Green Belt
• The Complete Financial Analyst Training & Investing Course (see also ‘Is eToro A Scam?‘)
• Character Art School: Complete Coloring and Painting Course

Catalogue Sizes

While Udacity expects its students to spend a total of six to ten hours per week on each subject, hence, you need to spend at least a month on each course you choose to study. You can expect to find in-depth data on each course on Udacity.

On the contrary, choosing a course on Udemy is easier. If you are looking to polish a specific skillset, simply sign up for the course and finish it within a few hours on the same day that you started.

Considering the amount of time it takes to complete a project on Udemy, it is easy to guess that the courses are not detailed. Instead, they provide an overview of the topic.  

Course Quality

On Udemy, the course quality is unreliable. Since practically anyone can teach courses, you will have to find instructors with good ratings and do you own in-depth research before purchasing a course.

While some courses will be interactive and fun, others will only display an instructor talking robotically into the camera.

Udacity courses, on the other hand, are more interactive. Since leading partners are from reputable agencies and have overlooked the development of a course, you can expect all courses to be of top-notch quality, including the ones that are free of cost. 

Advantages of Udemy

Udemy has loads of advantages. These include:

Versatile Number of Courses

On Udemy, you will find tens and thousands of courses that range from the most versatile topics to topics you wouldn’t even know could be learned.

These include music, design, and even software development. If you are looking to learn a new skill, you don’t have to worry; you’ll find it on Udemy.

Inexpensive

On Udemy, you will find courses that are priced under $200. Even though this might seem expensive, don’t worry; expensive courses go on sale very often. In fact, they can cost as low as $10.

You will also find a small percent of courses on the website available for free. What’s more is that if you enroll and pay for a course, and change your mind later, you can also obtain a 30-day refund.

Don’t Take Much Time

Since Udemy courses only revolve around critical information and skills, you can learn about any topic within a certain time frame.

Udemy courses take complicated concepts, cut off the random information, and simply them into a few hours of video lessons. Moreover, once you buy the course, you will have lifetime access to it. This means that you can study at your convenience.

Disadvantages of Udemy 

Every good thing has something bad. Udemy, too, has its drawbacks:

Not Recognized Academically

While Udemy is great for learning skills, it may not impress your potential employees looking to hire you for a job.

This is because Udemy courses cannot compare to university degrees or diplomas. They are more about developing practical knowledge, not academic credit.

Couse Quality is not Guaranteed

Remember, anyone can upload courses on Udemy. Hence, the quality of course material is not stable. It depends on each individual instructor, their educational background, and their style of teaching.

While some videos might just portray instructors speaking into webcams monotonously, others will feature interactive teaching styles, including slideshow presentations, screen captures, and illustrations.

However, it is important to remember that there is not much interaction between students and teachers.

Not Worth the Money

Say that you have a course available on both platforms, Udemy and Udacity. Chances are that the Udemy course will not quench your thirst for knowledge, despite the money that the course charges.

This is worse when you end up paying full price for a course, instead of availing it when it is on sale. While Udacity courses cover months’ worth of content, Udemy courses are only a few hours long and only give an overview of a subject.

Advantages of Udacity

So, is Udacity really better than Udemy?

Here are some of the pros of using Udacity:

Top-Notch Course Quality

Udacity has included world-renowned, leading industry experts to collaborate to make courses. Hence, its quality is automatically of exceptional value.

It doesn’t matter if the course is paid or free- the quality will remain the same. Say that you want to study a course as a hobby and the credentials don’t matter to you. In this case, Udacity offers levels of quality that you can choose from.

All these levels, however, match university-level courses. Companies like Google are directly involved in some of its course development programs.

Exceptional Course Design

None of the courses available on Udacity contain any irrelevant information.

All content is relevant, dynamic, and of high quality. It matches the level of content that you would expect at a top-tier university or academic institution.

Up-to-Date Course Material

You don’t have to worry about course information being irrelevant on Udacity. All the material on this platform contains up-to-date data and concepts.

Courses like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and self-driving vehicles are well-thought-out subjects that will be in high demand in the future. Most traditional universities, instead of covering topics relevant to the future, stay stagnant and cover topics that are out of date.   

Individual Attention

Unlike Udemy, if you choose to study a nano degree program on Udacity, you will be paired with a mentor who will always be available for any queries you have.

This mentor will guide you through the entire course, keep you grounded, and ensure that you do not slack off.

Disadvantages of Udacity

Despite its pros, Udacity has a few disadvantages, including: 

High Cost

There’s no denying that Udacity courses are expensive.

At $399 for every nano degree course, it is not accessible to loads of people, and individuals may opt for other online learning sites.

Limited Variety

If you are looking to increase your skill set in your free time, Udacity might not be the place for you.

It is mainly technology-centric and does not focus on a range of subjects. While this could work in your favor, it may frustrate you if you are looking to explore more options.

Unreliable Credits

Even though a nano degree holds more weightage on your resume than a Udemy degree, it is still considered non-traditional and cannot be compared to a university degree.

You might get lucky if you find employees who trust Udacity credentials, but chances are, they will not know too much about your program and will not be interested in finding out. 

What Can Help You Land a Job?

Learning has no limit. You can expand your skillset as much as you wish, and no one will ever stop you.

However, it is important to remember that lessons offered on Udemy are limited to polishing practical skills rather than teaching technical and academic information.

Udacity, on the other hand, is a specialized learning opportunity for those who are interested in studying technology and computer science-related subjects.

Neither of these platforms is officially recognized, nor do they have any real-world value. Still, since Udacity has partnered with industry-leading companies that influence their nano degree programs, it can help you get noticed when you apply for a job.

Udemy courses are only a few hours long, so none of your employers will be impressed with seeing them on your resume. However, that does not mean that you shouldn’t learn new skills. Remember, knowledge is power!