Kevin JohnsonCoursera is a leading massive open online course (MOOC) platform based in California. The company was founded by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller in 2012.
In 2015, Coursera launched Coursera for Business and Coursera for Government. Public and private institutions use these offerings to upskill and reskill their employees and civil service workers. In 2019, Coursera launched Coursera for Campus to provide online courses to universities. The company offered Coursera for Campus free after the 2020 health crisis disrupted in-person learning globally.
In 2022, Coursera attracted more than 21 million new learners and surpassed 118 million registered users. It is one of the largest online learning platforms globally. [1]
Coursera partners with over 300 universities and institutions and offers credentials, courses, certificates, guided projects, and degrees in several fields, including data science, tech, and business.
In 2022, Coursera launched two new entry-level Professional Certificates and signed multi-year partnerships with enterprise customers under Coursera for Business, Coursera for Government, and Coursera for Campus.
However, the company faces stiff competition from Pluralsight, LinkedIn Learning, Udacity, Udemy, Cloud Academy, and CBT Nuggets. [2]
Here is an in-depth analysis of Coursera’s top 15 competitors and alternatives:
1. Pluralsight Skills
Year founded: 2004
Headquarter: Draper, Utah
Pluralsight is an online education company owned by Vista Equity Partners. It offers video training courses and instructor-led educational programs for software developers, creative professionals, and IT administrators. In mid-2022, Pluralsight employed around 2,000 people but laid off 400 employees, about 20% of its staff, in Dec 2022. [3]
Pluralsight and Coursera provide educational programs for companies and individuals, but Pluralsight specializes in technology. It also offers workflow software that analyzes how work is produced using diagnostics and metrics.
So, companies can rely on Pluralsight to improve workflows and enhance employees’ skills in specific areas of software development, making it the top Coursera competitor and alternative.
2. LinkedIn Learning
Year founded: 1995
Headquarter: Carpinteria, California
Formerly Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform owned by Microsoft. This subsidiary of LinkedIn offers courses focused on employability skills for modern digital workplaces. In 2021, LinkedIn had around 16,000 employees and served users across 200 countries.
LinkedIn Learning provides courses in four categories: Business, Creative, Technology, and Certifications. Unlike Coursera, LinkedIn Learning mainly offers video-based educational content. Users can search video transcripts for specific sub-topics and add videos to their playlists.
In Aug 2022, LinkedIn published the 20 most popular LinkedIn Learning courses undertaken by over seven million people in the first half of 2022. The company made the 20 courses free to access for a month. LinkedIn Learning is a formidable competitor for Coursera. [4]
3. Udacity, Inc.
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Mountain View, California
Udacity is an educational organization that offers MOOCs. Its online talent transformation platform provides in-demand digital technologies and project-based courses supported by industry experts. Since its founding, Udacity has raised $240 million in funding from investors.
Udacity provides real-world content for job-ready competencies in AI, machine learning, data science, autonomous systems, and cloud computing. The company collaborates with over 200 global industry partners and serves 100 enterprise customers.
In Oct 2022, Udacity launched its Cybersecurity for Business Leaders Program to equip senior-level leaders with the skills to manage cybersecurity threats in digital ecosystems. Udacity is one of the top alternatives to Coursera. [5]
4. Udemy, Inc.
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Udemy is an education tech company that offers an online learning and teaching platform. The company expects to turn profitable in the second half of 2023. In 2022, Udemy hired 800 employees and increased its workforce to over 2,000, but the company laid off 10% of its staff in Feb 2023. [6]
Udemy has more than 59 million users and over 200,000 courses. Unlike Coursera, Udemy doesn’t partner with corporations and institutions for educational content. Almost anyone can create a training program to teach on Udemy.
In 2022, Udemy Business added new global customers, including BASF SE, Caterpillar, Inc., and Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The company signed a multi-year deal with Capgemini and launched several courses for in-demand skills, making Udemy a worthy alternative to Coursera. [7]
5. Cloud Academy
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Cloud Academy is an online learning platform designed for tech teams of all sizes. It offers hands-on learning programs for cloud, DevOps, software development, and related fields. According to G2, Cloud Academy has a 4.7-star rating from 403 reviews.
Cloud Academy and Coursera offer online courses and technical skills development, but Cloud Academy provides a more effective way for users to launch an enterprise technology training program at scale. Its team consists of subject matter experts, developers, animators, exam creators, lab specialists, and video producers.
In spring 2022, Cloud Academy released new training content with 16 learning paths, 94 courses, 70 exams, and 78 labs. Cloud Academy is one of the best Coursera alternatives for technical skills development. [8]
6. CBT Nuggets
Year founded: 1999
Headquarter: Eugene, Oregon
CBT Nuggets is an online training platform for certifications and IT skills. It has served IT pros and teams for over 20 years. According to G2, CBT Nuggets has a 4.7-star rating from 396 customer reviews. [9]
The main competitive advantage of CBT Nuggets is its engaging training approach. Its world-class trainers and content creators combine several strategies to ensure each lecture is fun and informative. For example, most CBT Nuggets’ educational videos are 10 minutes or less to enhance information retention.
Users can choose training content from a comprehensive library with thousands of videos on in-demand technologies from leading vendors like Microsoft, Cisco, and AWS. CBT Nuggets is one of the top alternatives to Coursera for IT training.
7. A Cloud Guru (ACG)
Year founded: 2015
Headquarter: Austin, Texas
A Cloud Guru (ACG) is an online IT training platform. It offers courses to prepare students seeking to sit for certification exams for Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and AWS. In Jun 2021, Pluralsight acquired ACG for $2 billion to expand its portfolio.
ACG has delivered training to more than 500,000 students and offers free courses to attract new learners. In Feb 2023, ACG provided 34 free cloud training programs for AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, DevOps, Kubernetes, and Linux.
The courses of ACG cater to students of all skill levels, from beginners to pros. As a subsidiary of Pluralsight, ACG has enough resources to compete against Coursera. [10]
8. Khan Academy
Year founded: 2008
Headquarter: Mountain View, California
Khan Academy is an educational organization created by Sal Khan. Its website provides short instructional videos, practice exercises, and materials, but the main benefit is its personalized learning dashboard that enables learners to study at their own pace.
Khan Academy and Coursera provide content to help learners study in and outside the classroom, and both rely on partnerships with educational institutions.
In 2022, Khan Academy partnered with Arizona State University to launch Khan World School. This virtual school uses a breakthrough schooling model to unlock new learning opportunities for high school students. Khan Academy is a worthy alternative to Coursera. [11]
9. Codecademy
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: New York City, New York
Codecademy is an online interactive platform owned by Skillsoft. It offers web development, data science, computer science, cybersecurity, and coding classes in 12 programming languages. Since its founding, Codecademy has helped over 40 million learners from 150 countries build careers in technology.
Codecademy offers an engaging, flexible, and accessible way to learn in-demand technology skills. In Feb 2023, Codecademy enhanced its product suite with upgraded features with Codecademy Pro and introduced a new upskilling product, Codecademy Plus. These enhancements increase Codecademy’s competitive advantage over Coursera. [12]
10. DataCamp
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: Fulton, New York
DataCamp is an online learning platform for students to acquire technical skills in data science, machine learning, SQL tools, and business intelligence. According to the DataCamp website, the company provides three paid plans and one free offering.
The main competitive advantage of DataCamp is its self-paced, non-proctored learning approach. Each DataCamp course offers hands-on experience and includes skill assessments to track students’ learning progress.
Learners can use the free service to complete six courses and access DataCamp’s job board; however, they’ll need to upgrade to Premium for $25/month to unlock the entire content library. Businesses can use the Teams plan for $25/month to track each employee’s progress. DataCamp is one of the top alternatives to Coursera. [13]
11. MasterClass
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
MasterClass is an online education subscription platform created by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen. Since its founding, the company has raised over $460 million in venture capital. In Jun 2022, MasterClass laid off 20% of 600 employees to adapt to the worsening macro environment. [14]
MasterClass sells subscriptions to celebrity-taught classes. Students pay a $180 annual fee to access its library with pre-recorded lectures and tutorials.
Renowned celebrity tutors on the MasterClass platform include Serena Williams, Gordon Ramsay, Issa Rae, Annie Leibovitz, and Martin Scorsese, making MasterClass a unique Coursera alternative.
12. edX
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: Cambridge, Massachusetts
edX is an MOOC platform owned by 2U, Inc. It provides university-level courses to students globally. In 2022, edX served 46 million learners.
edX and Coursera are MOOC providers and support learners at every stage, from free courses to degrees. Both partner with the world’s top-ranked universities and industry-leading companies, but edX awards the top educators for contributing to the MOOC sector.
In Nov 2022, edX announced the ten finalists for its seventh annual edX Prize for Online Teaching and Learning. edX is one of the best alternatives to Coursera for MOOCs. [15]
13. Skillshare
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: New York City, New York
Skillshare is an online learning platform offering educational videos. Students learn from professionals like social media consultant Gary Vaynerchuk, bestselling author Roxane Gay, and fashion designer Marc Ecko. In 2022, Skillshare had over 34,000 online courses on its platform.
Skillshare provides unlimited access to thousands of expert-led online courses to students with Skillshare membership, but the company offers time-limited promotions, such as 50% off for first-time members.
Each Skillshare class combines short, digestible lessons with a hands-on project. The students can share their programs with classmates or collaborate with the Skillshare community, making Skillshare a worthy alternative to Coursera. [16]
14. HubSpot Academy
Year founded: 2006
Headquarter: Cambridge, Massachusetts
HubSpot Academy is an online learning hub owned by HubSpot. It specializes in inbound marketing, sales, and customer service education. In 2022, HubSpot Academy awarded over 60,000 inbound marketing certifications.
HubSpot Academy offers courses, projects, certifications, and software training to enhance employee development and business growth. Hundreds of people complete HubSpot Academy’s award-winning certifications daily. These programs combine online courses developed by students and teachers in four languages.
In May 2022, HubSpot Academy held its World Certification Week event to encourage professionals to complete free HubSpot Academy certifications. HubSpot Academy is the best alternative to Coursera for sales reps, marketers, and customer service teams. [17]
15. CreativeLive
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: Seattle, Washington
CreativeLive is a learning platform owned by Fiverr. It offers online classes in photography, video, design, music, and other creative fields. In Jun 2022, CreativeLive acquired Wildist to expand its outdoor and adventure photography courses. [18]
CreativeLive and Coursera offer online courses, but CreativeLive specializes in the creative sector. Students can learn new skills through CreativeLive and monetize on the Fiverr platform. CreativeLive is a worthy alternative to Coursera for creative professionals.
References & more information
- Kumar, K. (2022, Dec 22). Coursera leads the revolution, integrating industry credentials into college programs. Al Arabiya English
- Coursera, Inc. (2023, Feb 9). Coursera Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Financial Results. Business Wire
- ai (2022, Dec 22). Unicorn Pluralsight Lays Off 20 Percent Of Staff, December 2022. Forbes
- Hutchinson, A. (2022, Aug 2). LinkedIn Makes its 20 Most Popular LinkedIn Learning Courses Freely Available Throughout August. Social Media Today
- Udacity (2022, Oct 5). Udacity Launches Cybersecurity for Business Leaders Program to Address Top Enterprise Threats. PRNewswire
- Shah, D. (2023, Feb 15). Udemy Lays Off ~200 Staff, After Being Only Major Player to Avoid Layoffs in 2022. Class Central
- Udemy, Inc. (2023, Feb 14). Udemy Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Results. Globe Newswire
- Nemer, J. (2022, Mar 11). Cloud Academy Spring 2022 Content Update. Cloud Academy
- G2 (2023, Jan 1). CBT Nuggets: Product Overview and Reviews. G2.com
- ACG Tech Team (2023, Feb 1). What’s free at ACG in Feb 2023? acloudguru.com
- Horn, M.B. (2022, May 31). Khan Academy and Arizona State University launched Khan World School. Forbes
- Codecademy (2023, Feb 1). Codecademy Expands Offerings With Enhanced Features for Job-Seekers, New Product for Upskillers. Business Wire
- Freeman, V. (2022, Jul 12). DataCamp: Everything You Need To Know Before Enrolling. Forbes
- Mascarenhas, N. (2022, Jun 22). MasterClass cuts 20% of its 600-person staff to get to self-sustainability faster. TechCrunch
- 2U, Inc. (2022, Nov 17). edX Announces 2022 edX Prize Finalists for Innovation in Online Teaching. PRNewswire
- Leighton, M. (2023, Jan 17). Skillshare is 50% off for first-time members. Business Insider
- Hair, J. (2022, May 13). HubSpot Announces Third Annual World Certification Week. HubSpot.com
- Schlosser, K. (2022, Jun 29). Online learning platform CreativeLive acquires Wildist. Geek Wire
- Featured Image by Nick Morrison
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