Starting new habits is hard. Research has shown that though our brains are reluctant to learn new things, the less obstacles we put in the way, the more likely we are to succeed.
But most reviews only put more obstacles in your way.
The longer something takes, the less likely you are to do it. Marketing agents know this, and even a quick decision from looking at the lines in each checkout lane can show you the same. So why would you want to waste time digging through piles and piles of online-learning-site reviews, having to run the math and stats yourself to see which is best? Long story short—you won’t.
Be we can, and we have.
We’ve reviewed the top learning sites—and now we’re bringing the results of that work to you. We’re comparing each, and not wasting your time by telling you which one is good. We’re telling you which one is best. So let’s jump into our review today, and see which is better, Udemy vs Udacity.
Udemy Vs Udacity: Meet The Sites
Udemy

Udemy’s beginning, though less auspicious than you’ll see with Udacity, is just as inspiring. The founder grew up in a remote Turkish village, began learning advanced mathematics online, and was able to create a better life through his knowledge. So Udemy’s motto is to “improve lives through learning,” and offers to help anyone learn anything—having over 3,000 topics and 65 languages with which to do so.
These topics range from Technology, to Mental Health, to Pottery. Courses are purchased individually, and consists of 5-10-minute videos and quizzes. Once you complete a course, you’ll receive a certificate of completion.
Udacity
Udacity had an academic beginning—it was founded by two Stanford professors, after they offered a single online class that drew thousands of students. Today, Udacity still draws students, now in the estimates of 11.5 million.
The majority of Udacity’s courses focus on business and technology. They boast of a student-first model, “where lifelong learners come to learn the skills they need, to land the jobs they want, to build the lives they deserve.”
Udacity’s courses are comprised of 10-20-minute videos, with a capstone project at the end of each course. There are several different tracks you can take with your learning, from purchasing individual courses, to earning your full Bachelor’s degree. However, Udacity’s flagship courses are their Nanodegrees, which you purchase a subscription to, and complete in about 2-3 months. Once you finish any course, you’ll receive a net-verified certificate, which can be proudly displayed on your resume. You can check out more about their Nanodegrees on Udacity’s site here.
Udemy Vs Udacity: Ease Of Use
Another thing that affects how likely you are to complete a task is how easy it is. If it’s difficult to even access your classes, you likely won’t learn much. How easy is it to use Udemy or Udacity? How simple are their sites to navigate? Is the learning set-up easy to follow? Let’s see how they compare.
Udemy
Udemy’s entire library is open for you as soon as you begin. While you can simply browse by scrolling through the most popular courses, or one the site recommends for you, you can also search for specific topics and keywords. Each large category is divided into small-subcategories. Remember, Udemy uses a pay per course system, so make sure to check out what exclusive discounts they may be offering here.
While picking a course can be overwhelming, Udemy simplifies the process by displaying user ratings prominently on each course. However, these ratings can be deceiving. Udemy asks user for their first review about twenty minutes into a course—which is far too short a time to judge the quality of the entire course.
Udemy does make it easy to fit learning into your busy life. Each lesson is divided into 2-to-10-minute videos, that you can easily watch between other tasks. These videos are also downloadable via their app, so you can keep your learning going when you’re on the go.
Score: 3.5/5
Udacity
Signing up for Udacity is as simple as typing in your email. Udacity immediately displays courses that it thinks you might be interested in, along with the most popular ones. You can search for certain keywords, or browse through their topics: Programing and Development, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data Science, Business, Autonomous Systems, and Career.
However, it is harder to choose courses on Udacity, as they leave off one important factor—price. You can’t see how much a course cost until you dive into the “enroll” button—and there’s a reason. Udacity’s higher prices on most courses also make it a large commitment to begin learning.
But once you do make that jump, Udacity makes it easy for you to succeed. After you finish the enrollment process, Udacity walks you through their onboarding process. In this, you preview the entire syllabus, schedule your first two weeks of studying, and set up reminders for you throughout the weeks. These personalized study reminders and other tools ensure you have strong momentum as you begin a course, which will make it easy to finish it.
Score: 3/5
Conclusion: Ease Of Use
While Udacity offers sophisticated systems to help ease your process, Udemy is simply more straightforward and easier to use. There are no confusing tracks, nor price surprises. Udemy make it simple to find your courses, and simple to begin learning.
Udemy Vs Udacity: Which Has Better Quality?
Is Udacity worth my time? Is Udacity worth my money? These are important questions to ask—after all, if you are investing your time and dollars, you need to be sure it is worth it. You need to know that these sites are high-quality. How are their teachers? Are they trusted by other large companies? Will they be safe for me to pay? Let’s see whether Udemy or Udacity has better quality.
Udemy
For Udemy to claim that they can help “anyone learn anything,” they need teachers who can teach anything—which means they allow anyone to teach. There’s very little vetting for Udemy teachers. Because of this, there’s no quality control, and Udemy certificates are worth only as much as the paper they are printed on.
Course quality can sometimes be questionable as well. Some users have complained of barely-understandable audio, or poorly-made videos. Other courses may teach unethical or scamming methods. Though most of the professors do genuinely want to teach their students to the best of their ability, they may teach information that is out-of-date, especially in technological fields.
However, Udemy does work to weed out these lower-quality courses. Their rating system is intended to let high-quality courses shine. However, as we pointed out above, review responses may not always reflect the actual quality of a course.
Score: 3/5
Udacity
Udacity doesn’t allow just anyone to teach—instead, it partners with organizations like Facebook and Google to create courses that are up to industry standards.
Udacity also have very thorough degrees. Their flagship courses, Nanodegrees, are supposed to be completed in about 2-3 months, which ensures that you have a complete understanding of the topic. However, you’ll also have something physical to show when you complete you course, because they’re project-based. Once you finish, you’ll have a blog, a marketing plan, or a coding project that show off your skills.
Udacity’s certificates are worth your money. These certificates are only issued once you complete a course with a passing grade. Certificates can be listed on your resume, or even verified by your employer with Udacity’s net-verify system.
Higher-quality sites also take better care of their customers. Udacity has an active customer service, an easily-browsable FAQ page, and a Knowledge Community where other users can help with any problems you may have run into.
Score: 5/5
Conclusion: Quality
Udacity flies ahead here. It has excellent courses, excellent certifications, and excellent partners. Along with that, their projects and personal help channels make it a higher-quality experience for users.
Udemy Vs Udacity: Special Tools/Perks
Sites may offer special tools—different things to help your learning process, or to equip you better for your career or future. Do Udemy or Udacity have anything unique to offer?
Udacity has many more tools for its users. It has its own “social media,” with encouraging challenges like #30DaysofUdacity and #LevelUpChallenge. They also offer Career Services, an invaluable resource to help you jumpstart your professional progress. This gives you tools and mentors to help you create a professional profile, polish your resume, and promote yourself on job search boards.
Since Udemy is a straightforward learning site, they don’t offer options for different learning tracks or tools.
Conclusion: Special Tools/Perks
While Udemy opts for a straightforward service with no tools or frills, Udacity offers a wide buffet of helpful services to help kickstart your career and keep you motivated.
Udemy Vs Udacity: Which Is Priced Better?
But here’s the real question you’re asking: Is Udacity cheap? Is Udemy a good price? Sometimes, the dollar sign is the great decider. It doesn’t matter how sleek and sophisticated a site is—if you can’t afford it, it will do you no good. Let’s see how Udemy and Udacity compare, and which one is cheaper.
Udemy
While many of Udemy’s course have a list price of $100-$250, in reality, almost-constant sales put their price more commonly at $15-$25 per course. So one course only costs as much as dinner for two at a restaurant. Check out what exclusive sales and discounts Udemy is offering here.
Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows you to feel confident to jump into any of their courses. Some instructors offer discounts on their courses as well—so be sure to check out their profile and any social media before you purchase a course, to see if you can get a discounted rate.
Score: 4/5
Udacity
Udacity is reluctant to show you prices until you’ve started the enrollment process—and that’s because even single courses cost anywhere from $279-$3,000.
Udacity also have different forms of payment set up. Though some courses are purchased with a single payment, their Nanodegrees have a hybrid of single payment and subscription. You purchase access to the Nanodegree for a period of time for one single price—but if you aren’t finished at the end of that time period, you can continue paying a monthly rate for access. Or, you can begin with that monthly fee, and pay as you go. For example, with their Data Engineer Nanodegree, you can pay $1695 for 5 months access, and then $339 for every month after—or pay as you go at $399/month.
Unlike Udemy, Udacity does offer a few free courses, about 200. They also offer some scholarship competitions, which allow winners to further their studies at a reduced rate, or for free. Check out more about Udacity’s pricing and what deals they may be offering here.
Score 3/5
Conclusion: Pricing
Udemy is by far the better price. They cost hundreds, if not thousands, less than Udacity, and offer a 30-day money guarantee. If you’re not trying to earn CEU’s or an official certificate, there’s no need to pour out hundreds of dollars—go with Udemy instead.
Is Either Better Suited For Different Learners?
Which site you should choose depends on your goals and wants—and those are unique to you. After all, you’re not going to enroll in a fine arts school if you want to learn welding—nor in a welding school if you’re trying to learn ballet. You want a site that is attuned to your needs. Let’s see where each site stands.
Udemy
Udemy is for the curious, and the personal learner. The site operates under the premise that anyone can learn anything—and so they offer anything you could want to learn. If you want to learn more about Beauty and Makeup, Food and Cooking, the History of an Idea, Leadership skills, or even more obscure categories like Pet Care, Udemy has something to offer. Udemy is perfect to learn a new hobby or activity, or simply for curiosity’s sake.
Udacity
Udacity is much opposite. Since Udacity is linked with large Silicon Valley corporations like Facebook and Google, most of its offerings are on the technology and business side. It takes itself seriously—it is an investment for serious learners who want to start or boost their business careers. Because their courses are so thorough, it’s for those who want to master skills—and are willing to take the time to do it.
Conclusion: Different Learning Styles
While Udemy is focused on hobbies and curiosity, Udacity is focused on business and professional learning. If you’re wanting to strengthen your resume, or upskill yourself, then Udacity would be better—but if you are simply curious to learn, Udemy is the better site.
Udemy Vs Udacity: Which Is Better?
Udemy and Udacity, despite the similar names, are very different sites. While usually our reviews pick one winner, here, our choices are essentially tied. If you’re looking for quality and tools to take you further, Udacity is a clear winner—but if you are more interested in ease of use and price, the Udemy flies ahead. In short, it comes down to your goals. Are you interested in professionally investing a sizeable amount of time and money? Then Udacity is the better site. Are you interested in fulfilling your curiosity and personally developing yourself? Then Udemy is better.
Know your goals—and you’ll know which site for you.
Alternatively, if you’re interested in a cheap way to get high-quality learning, check out our section on the ability to audit Coursera’s university-level courses for free in our complete Coursera review!