edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Which Should You Choose?

Losing money on a subpar course is only one of many issues online learners face. The scariest problem is that after the course, you go into the real world unprepared. This problem has ruined many careers! If you’re trying to pick an e-learning platform based on edX vs Coursera vs Udacity, you should be careful, so you don’t ruin yours.

You see, there’s a lot of vital info people don’t know about these ed-tech services. For instance, a friend of mine never knew they could get their Master’s degree from home using Coursera or edX. Thankfully, I informed them before they spent tens of thousands of dollars getting the degree in an expensive traditional university.

To help online learners like you, I recently took courses on all three platforms. From my experience, I’ve created this honest and detailed review. With it, you’ll have all you need to choose which of the three services is best for you.

Even if you don’t have the time to read every detail, you’re fully covered. The summary section below can help you make a quick yet informed decision.

edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Summary and Overview

edXCourseraUdacity
Course CategoriesArchitecture
Art
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Communication
Computer Science
Data science
Design
Economics
Education
Electronics
Energy & Earth Sciences
Engineering
Environmental Studies
Ethics
Food & Nutrition
Health & Safety
History
Humanities
Linguistics
Law
Literature
Mathematics
Medicine
Music
Philanthropy
Philosophy
Physics
Science
Social Science
Data science
Computer science
IT
Personal development
Business
Linguistics
Mathematics
Engineering
Health
Social science
Art
Data science
Artificial Intelligence
Programming
Autonomous systems
Cloud computing
Product management
Career
Cybersecurity
Business
Price Range$49 – $4,725$39 – $45,000$399 – $2,394
No. of Courses3,680+10,800+270+
% Of Courses that are Free0%24%70%
Service Packages for:Individuals, Businesses, and UniversitiesIndividuals, Businesses, Universities, and Government OrganizationsIndividuals, Businesses, and Government Organizations
One-one-one Tutor InteractionLimitedNoneAvailable
Support QualityAverageVery poorExcellent

Still can’t decide? Check the sections below for more in-depth info based on several relevant factors.

edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Courses and Subjects

edXCourseraUdacity
No. of Courses3,680+10,800+270+
Course FormatsVideo and TextVideo and TextVideo and Text
Subject CategoriesArchitecture
Art
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Communication
Computer Science
Data science
Design
Economics
Education
Electronics
Energy & Earth Sciences
Engineering
Environmental Studies
Ethics
Food & Nutrition
Health & Safety
History
Humanities
Linguistics
Law
Literature
Mathematics
Medicine
Music
Philanthropy
Philosophy
Physics
Science
Social Science
Data science
Computer science
IT
Personal development
Business
Linguistics
Mathematics
Engineering
Health
Social science
Art
Data science
Artificial Intelligence
Programming
Autonomous systems
Cloud computing
Product management
Career
Cybersecurity
Business
Course Languages
22 languages
58 languages1 Language
Skill LevelsBeginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Degrees AvailableBachelor’s degree
Master’s degree
Bachelor’s degreeMaster’s degreeNanodegree (Non-accredited)
Certificates AvailableProfessional
MicroBachelors
MicroMasters
Executive Education
Xseries
Professional
MasterTrack
Diploma
Graduate
University
Credential of completion
Main NicheGeneralGeneralTech

When choosing an online learning platform, its course structure and quality should be major deciding factors. Here’s how all three services stand:

edX

edX Courses

Volume isn’t the only indication that an ed-tech company has a higher chance of meeting your needs. You also have to consider variety. Do they offer enough subject categories in your field? Are they focused more on one niche (e.g., tech)?

edX has over 3,680 video and text-based courses in 30+ subject categories, including data science, law, and engineering. These courses also come in up to 22 different languages, including English. You can choose whichever helps you learn more effectively. 

They also provide courses that cover beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels. To ensure you don’t enroll in a program that’s too complex or basic for you, always check its kill level.

edX partners with top universities such as MIT and Harvard university to provide accredited degree programs. You can earn a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with edX. 

A certificate is different from a degree, mainly because of how long it takes to get them. With edX, you can earn the following certificates:

  • Professional
  • MicroBachelors
  • MicroMasters
  • Executive Education
  • Xseries

Coursera

Coursera Courses Explore

With more than 10,800 courses (video and text formats) in 10+ categories, Coursera has the upper hand in terms of sheer volume. These courses also come in 58 languages.

For skill level, you get content for beginners, intermediates, and advanced learners. And like edX, Coursera partners with top universities, allowing you to earn accredited Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees. I also found the following obtainable certificates:

  • Professional
  • MasterTrack
  • Diploma
  • Graduate
  • University

Udacity

Although most of Udacity’s courses are tech-centered, they still offer more than 270 video and text format courses in 9 categories. The online course materials only come in the English language, but they offer online learning content for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels.

Udacity doesn’t offer any accredited degree program, but you can earn their trademark Nanodegree, which is recognized by top companies such as Shell, Toyota, and even the US Air Force. You will earn a certificate of completion with each course.

Winner is: Coursera

They have the biggest course volume and the most language options.

edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Tutors and Community

edXCourseraUdacity
Tutor Selection CriteriaSchool
Business organization
Non-profit organization
University instructor
Industry expert
Enterprise company
Industry professionals
One-on-one Tutor InteractionLimitedNoneAvailable
Active CommunityYesYesYes
Community Response TimeWithin a dayWithin a dayWithin two days
No. of Users44+ million87+ million14+ million

People learn at different paces, but everyone learns better with some help from mentors and other subject experts. That is why I strongly believe online learning platforms should allow students to interact almost freely with their instructors and other students.

How these tutors are selected is also another important factor.

edX

edX Schools and Partners

The company only allows instructors who are representatives of schools, business organizations, and non-profit organizations.

edX doesn’t give direct access to tutors, but you can still communicate one-on-one via the course discussion forum. There I could ask questions about the overall course or a specific unit I had trouble understanding. I consider this a limited interaction, but it was helpful.

With over 44 million users, the edX community was pretty active, and I got responses within a day.

Coursera

Coursera Schools and Partners

This ed-tech company will accept any qualifying university instructor, industry expert, and enterprise company who can add value to their catalog.

Unfortunately, you can’t get one-on-one tutor interaction on the platform. Your best chance is to find their contact details through the organization’s website or Google search.

However, Coursera has an active community of 84+ million users, and you can get a forum response within a day.

Udacity

Udacity Tutors

Udacity only allows top industry professionals to create courses for their platform. You can enjoy real one-on-one interaction with them via the technical mentor support system.

Although Udacity only has 14+ million users, its community is fairly active, and I got responses within two days.

Winner is: edX

They have the most helpful community among the three platforms.

edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Online Software

edXCourseraUdacity
Compatible PlatformsWeb
Android
iOS
Web
Android
iOS
Web
InterfaceEasy to useEasiest to useEasy to use
Key Software FeaturesCourse recommendations
Inbuilt media player
Progress saver
Offline learning
Course recommendations
Inbuilt media player
Progress saver
Offline learning
Course recommendations
Progress saver
RecommendationsAverageGoodGood
Average Software Store Rating4.7 stars4.3 stars
Support QualityAverageVery poorExcellent

Ed-tech services can be considered SaaS. Hence, their UI, UX, compatibility, functionality, and support are vital to your learning.

edX

Besides the default web app, edX also offers apps for Android and iOS. Both mobile platforms have a combined average rating of 4.7 stars from 103k reviews.

They also offer the following features and more:

  • Course recommendations
  • Inbuilt media player
  • Progress saver
  • Offline learning

For me, offline learning was most helpful. I could learn in places without Wi-Fi, which allowed me to study while commuting. Their course recommendations were pretty average, as I didn’t get enough career-advancing suggestions.

I checked 20 of edX’s latest customer support reviews on Trustpilot. 8 of them were excellent, 1 was average, and 11 were bad. It’s clear that edX has average support quality and can improve.

Coursera

Coursera App

This platform also has Android and iOS apps. Together, Coursera apps have an average rating of 4.3 stars from 229.4k reviews.

App features include:

  • Course recommendations
  • Inbuilt media player
  • Progress saver
  • Offline learning

Vs edX, the course recommendations were good, and the offline learning was helpful.

Unfortunately, I found 17 bad Trustpilot reviews for Coursera and only 3 excellent ones. Their support quality is clearly very poor and needs a lot of improvement.

Udacity

Udacity only has a web app and no mobile apps, which was a bummer. This limits the software’s only noteworthy features to their course recommendations (which were good) and progress saver.

On Trustpilot, I found 17 excellent Udacity support reviews and 3 bad ones. Safe to say, their support quality is excellent.

Winner is: Coursera

Although their support is poor, they have the easiest-to-use app with good course recommendations.

edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Pricing Comparison

edXCourseraUdacity
Subscription TypeIndividual Course enrolment: one-time
Program Bundle enrolment: one-time
Single course certificate: one-time
Multi-course certificate: monthly
Plus (Unlimited certificates): monthly or annually
MasterTrack certificate: one-time
Degree: one-time
Monthly
Multiple Months Access Bundle
Price Range$49 – $4,725$39 – $45,000$399 – $2,394
Free TrialMost courses are trial-based7 to 14 day free trialOccasional offers
Free CoursesNoneAvailableAvailable
Discounts & AidFinancial aid
Scholarships
Financial aid
Scholarship
Personalized discounts
Bundled payment savings
Coupons
Scholarships
Refund Policy2 to 14 days14 days (Plus and Single course only)2 to 14 days
Certification PricingPaidFreeFree
Payment MethodsCredit cards
Debit cards
PayPal
Credit cards
Debit cards
Prepaid cards
PayPal
Credit cards
Debit cards
PayPal

Although the table above has all the info you need to compare the pricing on all three e-learning platforms, I decided to provide more details about their subscription plans (with price ranges below).

edX

edX Programs Pricing

You can pay to learn on edX in two ways:

  • Individual Course enrolment: you pay for a single course that’s stand-alone or part of a program. Prices range from $49 to $300.
  • Program Bundle enrolment: you pay for all of the courses (2 or more) within a program at once. Prices range from $300 to $4,725.

Coursera

Coursera Plus Pricing

There are five ways to subscribe to Coursera:

  1. Single Course certificate: You pay to learn one course and get a professional certificate. Pricing ranges from $39 to $99.
  2. Multi-course certificate: This is a certificate that requires you to complete multiple courses over several months; hence, you pay $39 monthly.
  3. Plus (Unlimited certificates): You pay monthly or annually to get access to an unlimited number of courses at $59/month or $399/year.
  4. MasterTrack certificate: This involves a one-time payment of $2,000 to$ 5,000.
  5. Degree: You’ll also pay for an accredited degree program. They typically cost from $9,000 to $45,000

Note that although the base fee is $39/month for many courses and they are self-paced, it may take you several months to complete each.

Udacity

Most courses on Udacity are priced the same, with differences in their average duration. This system results in two package options:

  • Monthly: You pay $399 for every month you remain enrolled in a course.
  • Multiple Months Access Bundle: You pay for multiple months of enrollment at once (usually with discounts). The maximum bundle price is around $2,394 for a six-month bundle.

Winner is: edX

edX has affordable and clear pricing even though they don’t offer free courses – you can still learn for free but have to pay for a certificate

edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Pros and Cons

edX

Pros

  • They offer a wide variety of subject categories.
  • Many of the courses are highly affordable.
  • Programs come in a variety of languages.
  • They offer accredited degrees and certificates.
  • There’s an active community to help you solve problems.
  • The mobile app makes studying faster.
  • You can get a free trial.

Cons

  • No free course – you have to pay for a verified certificate.

Coursera

Pros

  • You’ve got lots of courses to choose from.
  • Programs come in a wide variety of languages.
  • They offer accredited degrees and certificates.
  • There’s an active community to help you solve problems.
  • The mobile app makes studying faster.
  • They offer a free trial.

Cons

  • You don’t get one-on-one interactions with tutors or mentors.
  • Coursera has poor support.
  • You may find it difficult to determine the exact price for many of the programs.

Udacity

Pros

  • Udacity provides quality tech-centered courses.
  • You get one-on-one tutor interaction.
  • They have excellent support.
  • You can enjoy big discounts.

Cons

  • You can only learn effectively if you understand English.
  • Udacity doesn’t offer accredited degrees.
  • There are currently no mobile apps.

FAQ

Which is better edX or Udacity?

From the number of wins in all Udacity vs Coursera rounds above, it’s clear that edX is better than Udacity when it comes to tutors, community, and pricing.

Which is more valuable edX or Coursera?

With edX, you get a lot more value for money. The platform offers accredited degrees at prices that are more affordable than Coursera’s.

Are edX courses better than Coursera?

The Coursera – edX debate shows that both course providers have similar lesson quality. However,  edX has better tutor interaction and a wider course range, while Coursera provides more volume and language options.

Alternatives to edX, Coursera, and Udacity

If none of the three platforms catches your fancy, here are some alternatives:

  • LinkedIn Learning
  • MasterClass
  • Pluralsight (Check my blog for the latest Udemy vs Pluralsight review)
  • Skillshare

Which Should You Choose?

Choose edX if you…

  • want the most affordable option
  • need cheaper accredited degrees
  • can’t find your course category on any of the other two services

Choose Coursera if you…

  • don’t mind paying a high price for a quality accredited Bachelor’s or Master’s degree
  • can’t find a course in your preferred language on any of the other two platforms
  • spend a lot of time in places without internet connection
  • are looking to get an online diploma
  • need free online courses in non-tech spaces

Choose Udacity if you…

  • want to learn a tech skill without accredited credentials
  • find it difficult to learn without regular support from mentors
  • need free courses in tech spaces
  • have a large budget to learn from top tech professionals

My Final Verdict

If I were to choose an overall winner, I’d give the title to edX. edX is my pick because it has all of the advantages that Coursera and Udacity have to an impressive extent. It’s affordable, user-friendly, and supportive – just like Udacity. edX also comes with accredited degrees and certificates – just like Coursera.

You can still go for any of the other two services. The lists above should help with your pick. All three online learning platforms shine brightest in certain scenarios. What matters most are your learning needs. Good luck!

References

https://www.northeastern.edu/bachelors-completion/news/degree-vs-certificate/

https://www.ringcentral.com/gb/en/blog/definitions/software-as-a-service-saas/

Josh Hutcheson

E-Learning Specialist in Online Programs & Courses Linkedin

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Online Courseing is a comprehensive platform dedicated to providing insightful and unbiased reviews of various online courses offered by platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and others. Our goal is to assist learners in making informed decisions about their educational pursuits.
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