Last updated: September 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. Plans and programs checked on Pluralsight’s and Udacity’s own pages on 22 September 2026. See our review methodology.
By Josh Hutcheson · E-Learning Specialist
Reviewing online learning platforms since 2019. Review methodology
THE SHORT ANSWER
Choose Pluralsight if you are already working in tech and want a large library to learn from continuously: thousands of courses, skill assessments, learning paths, certification prep and hands-on labs, from $21 a month billed yearly. Choose Udacity if you want a structured program with a few substantial projects that a person reviews and grades, and a certificate that reflects them, and you can pay $249 a month or wait for a sale.
- Best for continuous learning and certification prep: Pluralsight
- Best for graded, portfolio-level projects: Udacity
- Cheapest: Pluralsight (Core Tech $21/month billed yearly; 10-day free trial)
- Careers: Pluralsight suits upskilling in a job; Udacity suits changing role
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Pluralsight vs Udacity at a glance
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| Pluralsight | Udacity | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A large technology course library with assessments and labs | Structured Nanodegree programs built around graded projects |
| Best for | Working developers, IT staff and cloud or security specialists | Career changers and upskillers who want reviewed projects |
| Price (list) | Core Tech $21/month, Complete $39/month, AI+ / Cloud+ / Data+ / Security+ $24.50/month, all billed yearly | $249/month, $212/month prepaid for four months, or $999 for a single program |
| Free option | 10-day free trial (excludes labs and sandboxes) | Free individual courses; frequent discounts |
| Library | 3,900+ courses on Core Tech; 6,500+ on Complete | The full Nanodegree catalog on any subscription |
| Feedback | Skill assessments and hands-on labs; no graded projects | A person reviews every graded project against a rubric |
| Standout features | Skill IQ assessments, learning paths, certification prep, cloud sandboxes, A Cloud Guru courses | Human project review, career coaching, MSc in AI credit on some programs |
| Subjects | Software development, IT operations, product and UX, business skills, plus AI, cloud, data and security libraries | Programming, AI, data science, cloud, cybersecurity, autonomous systems, product and business |
Library versus program
Pluralsight sells access, not a path to finish. You subscribe and dip into a library of thousands of courses, take Skill IQ assessments to see where you stand, follow curated learning paths, and practise in hands-on labs and cloud sandboxes. Nothing you submit is graded by a person. That model suits someone already in a technical job who needs to learn a new framework this month and a cloud service the next.
Udacity sells completion. Each Nanodegree is a defined sequence ending in projects that a reviewer marks against a rubric, with written feedback and the option to resubmit. That suits someone who needs proof of work: a career changer, or an engineer moving into a new specialism who wants portfolio pieces rather than watched hours.
The clearest way to decide is to ask what you need at the end. If it is knowledge you will apply at work tomorrow, Pluralsight is cheaper and broader. If it is a portfolio and a credential, Udacity is built for that.
Pricing compared
Pluralsight
| Pluralsight plan | Price (billed yearly) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Core Tech | $21/month | 3,900+ courses across software development, IT operations, product and UX, and business skills, with assessments, paths, certification prep and labs |
| Complete | $39/month | 6,500+ courses: everything in Core Tech plus the expanded AI, cloud, data and security libraries |
| AI+ / Cloud+ / Data+ / Security+ | $24.50/month each | One expanded library plus Core Tech. Cloud+ carries all A Cloud Guru courses; Data+ lists 1,400+ data science courses |
Pluralsight advertises a 30% saving for paying yearly, so month-to-month costs more than the figures above; check the toggle on its pricing page for the current monthly rate. Every plan offers a 10-day free trial, which Pluralsight says excludes lab and sandbox features.
Udacity
| Udacity option | List price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $249/month | Every program in the catalog, project reviews, career coaching and certificates; cancel anytime |
| Four-month prepaid bundle | $212/month ($848 up front) | The same subscription, 15% cheaper than paying monthly |
| Buy a single program | $999 one-time | One program at your own pace; coaching and the wider catalog stay with the subscription |
Udacity discounts these prices often; on the day we checked, a time-limited sale was cutting them by almost half. Because most programs run 40 to 80 hours, two months of subscription is usually far cheaper than the one-time price. Current codes are on our Udacity coupon page.
The gap is the whole comparison. A year of Pluralsight Complete costs about $468 at list price, less than two months of Udacity. What the extra buys on Udacity is the human review, the structure and the career support. If those do not matter to you, Pluralsight is far better value; if they do, Udacity is worth it only when you finish quickly and buy on discount.
Content and specialisms
Pluralsight is strongest where working technologists spend their time: software development, IT operations, cloud platforms, security and data. Its Cloud+ plan absorbed A Cloud Guru, which makes it one of the better places to prepare for AWS, Azure and Google Cloud exams, and its labs and sandboxes let you practise against real cloud environments. Our guides to the best Pluralsight courses and whether Pluralsight is worth it go deeper.
Udacity is strongest where a guided project makes the difference: AI and machine learning, data engineering and analysis, programming, cloud development and autonomous systems. These programs overlap most with Pluralsight’s libraries:
| Udacity program | Level and length | Rating | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backend Developer with Python (review) | Intermediate, ~49 hours | 4.6 (504 reviews) | Python backends with Flask and SQL |
| Full Stack JavaScript Developer (review) | Intermediate, ~70 hours | 4.7 (86 reviews) | full-stack JavaScript with deployment |
| React (review) | Intermediate, ~61 hours | 4.7 (574 reviews) | modern React with testing |
| Data Structures and Algorithms (review) | Intermediate, ~47 hours | 4.7 | interview preparation |
| Deep Learning (review) | Intermediate, ~50 hours | 4.7 (992 reviews) | neural networks with PyTorch |
| Deep Reinforcement Learning (review) | Advanced, ~83 hours | 4.6 (357 reviews) | advanced reinforcement learning |
A fair summary: Pluralsight has far more courses, Udacity has deeper programs on fewer topics. See our guide to every Udacity Nanodegree.
Worked example: preparing for an AWS certification
Cloud certification is the case where the two platforms diverge most clearly, so it is worth working through. Say you want an AWS associate-level certification within three months.
| Pluralsight route | Udacity route | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Cloud+ at $24.50/month billed yearly (includes Core Tech and all A Cloud Guru courses) | Subscription at $249/month, or $212/month prepaid for four months |
| What you use | Certification prep paths, hands-on labs and cloud sandboxes to practise in a real AWS environment | A cloud Nanodegree with graded projects reviewed by a person |
| Three-month cost | About $74 on the yearly plan | About $636 at four-month bundle rates, or $747 monthly at list price |
| What you end with | Exam readiness, plus an AWS certificate once you pass and pay the exam fee | A reviewed cloud project portfolio, plus the same AWS exam still to sit |
For the exam itself, Pluralsight is the better-value choice by a wide margin, and the credential employers check is AWS’s own. Udacity makes more sense if what you lack is not exam knowledge but evidence that you can build and deploy something, or if you want a structured program rather than a library to navigate alone. Some people do both: prepare cheaply for the exam, and add a project-based program later when a job application calls for one.
Teams, employers and who pays
Both companies sell to employers, and that is worth checking before you pay yourself. Pluralsight has team and business plans and is widely bought as a company-wide subscription, so your employer may already have a licence you can use. Udacity also works with organizations through its partner and enterprise offering, and its individual subscription includes career coaching and interview prep. If your learning is tied to your current role, ask about a training budget first; at $249 a month, Udacity is far easier to justify to an employer than to fund yourself.
Assessments and labs vs graded projects
Pluralsight’s answer to “how do I know I am learning?” is measurement: Skill IQ assessments score your level in a technology, learning paths sequence what to watch next, and hands-on labs and sandboxes let you practise in a real environment. It is efficient and entirely self-directed, and it produces no artefact to show an employer beyond a completion certificate.
Udacity’s answer is review. You build something substantial, submit it, and a person tells you what is wrong with it. Our graduate reviewers describe this as the part that made the price defensible: Leena Alamri said reviewers checked every requirement and usually responded within eight hours (Backend Developer with Python review), and Katharina Vujinović kept the reading her reviewers recommended long after graduating (iOS Nanodegree review).
Certificates, exams and careers
Neither platform awards an accredited qualification. Pluralsight’s value in a job search is usually indirect: it prepares you for vendor certifications such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud exams, and those vendor credentials are what employers recognize. Udacity’s Nanodegree certificate reflects projects reviewed against a rubric, and some programs carry credit toward Udacity’s accredited MSc in AI; its subscription also includes career coaching and interview prep.
If your goal is a cloud or security certification, budget for the exam fee and treat Pluralsight as preparation. If your goal is to show you can build something, Udacity’s projects are the stronger evidence.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Pluralsight | Huge library; cheap annually; Skill IQ assessments; hands-on labs and cloud sandboxes; A Cloud Guru for cloud exams; 10-day trial | No graded projects or human feedback; self-directed, so easy to drift; not built for beginners; trial excludes labs |
| Udacity | Every project reviewed by a person; structured programs; career coaching; strong AI, data and autonomous-systems catalog | Far more expensive; most programs assume prior knowledge; fewer topics; cost depends on finishing fast |
Which should you choose?
- You are employed in tech and want to keep learning: Pluralsight, starting with the 10-day trial.
- You are preparing for an AWS, Azure or Google Cloud exam: Pluralsight Cloud+, which includes A Cloud Guru.
- You are changing careers and need a portfolio: a Udacity Nanodegree, bought on discount and finished quickly.
- You want to move into AI, machine learning or data engineering: Udacity, whose programs go deeper than Pluralsight’s courses.
- You are on a tight budget: Pluralsight Core Tech at $21 a month billed yearly, or free options such as freeCodeCamp.
Comparing more platforms? See Udacity vs Codecademy, Udacity vs Treehouse, edX vs Coursera vs Udacity and Pluralsight alternatives. Current offers are on our Pluralsight coupon page.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Pluralsight or Udacity?
Pluralsight, by a wide margin. Its Core Tech plan is $21 a month billed yearly and its Complete plan is $39 a month billed yearly. Udacity’s subscription is $249 a month at list price, or $212 a month if you prepay four months.
What is the main difference between Pluralsight and Udacity?
Pluralsight is a large course library for working technologists: thousands of courses, skill assessments, learning paths and hands-on labs, with no graded projects. Udacity sells structured programs built around a few projects that a person reviews and grades.
Does Pluralsight have a free trial?
Yes, 10 days, which Pluralsight says excludes lab and sandbox features. Udacity has no standing free trial, but it offers free courses and frequently discounts its subscription.
Is Pluralsight good for beginners?
It is usable but not ideal. Pluralsight is built for people already working in or entering tech, and its value comes from breadth and assessments rather than a guided beginner path. A complete beginner is better served by a structured program or a free curriculum.
Does Pluralsight or Udacity give you a certificate?
Both give course or program certificates, and neither is an accredited qualification. Pluralsight also offers certification prep for vendor exams such as AWS and Azure, where the certificate that counts is the vendor’s, not Pluralsight’s. Udacity’s Nanodegree certificate reflects reviewed projects.
Is A Cloud Guru part of Pluralsight?
Yes. A Cloud Guru’s courses are now part of Pluralsight, available through the Cloud+ plan, which is $24.50 a month billed yearly and includes the Core Tech library.
The verdict
Pluralsight and Udacity are not really competing for the same purchase. Pluralsight is a subscription to keep learning in a job you already have, at a price that makes it easy to justify year after year. Udacity is a fixed-term investment in changing what you can do, with human review as the thing you are paying for. Pick Pluralsight for breadth, assessments and certification prep; pick Udacity when you need reviewed projects and a structured program, and buy it on sale.
Related: every Udacity Nanodegree in 2026 · our complete Udacity Nanodegree review · is Pluralsight worth it?