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

	edX	Coursera	*Udacity*
Course Categories	Architecture 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 Courses	3,680+	10,800+	270+
% Of Courses that are Free	0%	24%	70%
Service Packages for:	Individuals, Businesses, and Universities	Individuals, Businesses, Universities, and Government Organizations	Individuals, Businesses, and Government Organizations
One-one-one Tutor Interaction	Limited	None	Available
Support Quality	Average	Very poor	Excellent

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

	*edX*	*Coursera*	*Udacity*
No. of Courses	3,680+	10,800+	270+
Course Formats	Video and Text	Video and Text	Video and Text
Subject Categories	Architecture 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 languages	1 Language
Skill Levels	Beginner Intermediate Advanced	Beginner Intermediate Advanced	Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Degrees Available	Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree	Bachelor’s degreeMaster’s degree	Nanodegree (Non-accredited)
Certificates Available	Professional MicroBachelors MicroMasters Executive Education Xseries	Professional MasterTrack Diploma Graduate University	Credential of completion
Main Niche	General	General	Tech

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

edX

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

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.

Check Udacity Courses & Deals

Winner is: Coursera

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

edX vs Coursera vs Udacity: Tutors and Community

	edX	Coursera	Udacity
Tutor Selection Criteria	School Business organization Non-profit organization	University instructor Industry expert Enterprise company	Industry professionals
One-on-one Tutor Interaction	Limited	None	Available
Active Community	Yes	Yes	Yes
Community Response Time	Within a day	Within a day	Within two days
No. of Users	44+ million	87+ million	14+ 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

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.