If you are thinking about online classes, Udemy and LinkedIn learning, formerly Lynda, are a perfect choice.
Udemy vs Lynda, which one should you choose?
Today, online classes are not only convenient, but they are also a necessity. They are a perfect choice if you wish to learn a new skill or advance your professional and personal self.
Additionally, online learning platforms like Udemy, Lynda and Skillshare offer a classroom environment in your home, office, coffee shop, etc. You get teaching techniques such as lectures and practice exercises.
The contents of the two online platforms focus on adult students who have experience in the field. They make it possible for learners to add their knowledge and expertise at their convenient time and with minimum investment.
So, which platform is the best for you between Lynda LinkedIn learning and Udemy online courses? Here, we'll have a look at what each online learning platform has to offer and which one is the best to enhance your personal, educational, and professional development (see also Udacity vs Udemy).
Udemy Online Learning Platform
In most online learning websites, the instructor credentials and qualifications are thoroughly checked and verified before signing up.
Well, not so for this online platform.
The platform allows anyone to sign up as an instructor without checking their credentials and qualifications.
This comes with its pros and cons. The positive is that you have access to an incredible number of Udemy courses, from JavaScript to Machine Learning - practically any topic that you want.
One of the major downsides to the Udemy platform is that the course quality can vary from one instructor to another. You should check out the reviews of a course before settling on it (see computer science courses). This will help you see what other students have said about it and if it is of high quality.
Udemy allows you to pay to buy each online course you want, which means you only pay for what you require.
Additionally, Udemy courses don't ask for any prerequisites or other courses on Udemy that you should complete in conjunction with others. Each course stands alone, and you are awarded a certificate of completion at the end of each course.
One disadvantage with Udemy is that if you consume a large amount of content, the cost associated with the courses will go up.
Lynda (LinkedIn Learning)
LinkedIn now owns Lynda's online learning platform.
A 100% of the platforms instructors and lessons have been moved over. The online learning platform is now known as LinkedIn Learning.
However, it still offers the same quality of services as it is known for.
Finding the course content that is most relevant to your needs is an effortless and straightforward process. They have very clear and concise titles and detailed descriptions on their videos, making it effortless to find the content you want.
Lynda courses started its operations 20 years ago. It offers its courses to over 10,000 business clients and individuals and in five languages.
Lynda boasts of an outstanding collection of video content that you can work through at your pace.
The online platform offers its courses at an affordable fee. As a student, you'll pay a subscription fee to get access to all the educational content that you want.
The videos on the Lynda platform can range from a few minutes to more than thirty minutes.
What's more?
The LinkedIn learning platform offers individual lessons instead of full courses. As such, you are free to jump around and learn as much or as little as you want.
There are no requirements for you to complete specific lessons.
So, should you go for Udemy or Lynda for your online courses? To decide which one is best for you, you need to compare the two platforms against various factors. These include:
Cost
On Udemy, you should pay for every course individually. Some courses can cost as much as $200. The best-selling Udemy courses get marked down every few weeks by 90% or more.
There are permanent online Udemy sales. As such, you can purchase a course on any topic at any time for $10. If you purchase a course, you get lifetime access to a Udemy course. This means you can review or retake the course at any time without having to pay again.
There are also free online Udemy courses that are an easy and quick way to brush up our skills, focus on a particular topic, and even make a career switch. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to gain a Udemy certificate of completion when taking free courses on the Udemy platform.
On the other hand, Lynda offers its courses using a subscription model instead of paying for each course individually.
If you purchase a course, you can get a 30-day free trial. When the free trial period expires, the subscription plan will cost you a monthly subscription of $29.99.
With the subscription plan, you get access to over 13,000 expert-led courses, from game development to full-stack development, on your computer or smartphone. You can also assess how you are making progress using quizzes and get a certificate at the end of the course.
The subscription also gives you access to project files to help you practice as you learn. You also get offline access which helps you learn while you are on the go.
Lynda also offers you personalised course recommendations depending on your job, skills, and what others in your line of work are learning.
In the cost category, neither Udemy nor Lynda comes out as better than the other. The choice between the two platforms, or any other alternative online learning platform, will depend on your activities.
If you wish to take a course or two in a month, Udemy may be the best option. However, if you are an active learner, you can take advantage of the subscription model by Lynda.
Online Learning Topics/Subjects
Lynda offers a wide range of expert-led courses on various topics, including IT, photography, business intelligence, video, web design, network administration, etc.
For example, if you sign up, you'll get thousands of videos on the programming topic.
Lynda's courses aim more at skills that you can apply in business and are less geared towards creative applications.
Lynda's courses have consistent quality from topic to topic and video to video. As such, you should expect quality videos regardless of the course you choose.
Udemy courses cover every topic and subject on Lynda's courses and more. It boasts of more the 100,000 courses, which is ten times the number of courses you get on Lynda.
However, the course quality can vary from one instructor to the other, just as is the case with Skillshare. Udemy doesn't have an approval process for instructors or their content which means anyone can sell on the platform. As such, you may get instructors whose only aim is to upsell you or others who are just there for advertisement, which should not be the case with Pluralsight that can boast of quality IT industry-expert instructors.
Both platforms offer videos and courses for general and broad course topics. These include courses on business and career applications. However, Udemy offers more niche-specific courses than you'd find on Lynda.
Instructors
Before you can settle on which platform between Udemy and Lynda is best for your needs, you should find out who the instructors are. The instructors may affect the quality of content you'll get.
The instructors on Udemy are everyday people who may have expertise or experience in a certain field and decide to share the knowledge with the world.
Their skills can vary from people with an intermediate knowledge of a topic to people with academic qualifications and work experience. The instructors are self-employed, and they receive payment directly depending on how well their course does.
As such, Udemy instructors have the incentive to offer more content. However, they may not care much about the quality as long as the course will sell.
On the other hand, the instructors on Lynda are not your everyday people. They go through an application process that LinkedIn selects. There are several factors used in selecting the instructors, including education, personal and professional accomplishments.
It is not clear how the instructors are paid. It seems they get a one-time payment for completing the course, rather than on how many views their course has attracted. As such, they can concentrate more on quality.
Instructors on Lynda are more knowledgeable and informed than their Udemy counterparts. Although they teach in a casual and informal style, you can still expect well-presented and practical information.
Lynda's line of instructors consists of experts such as Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur, and photographer Ben Long.
Certificates and Accreditations
Both online platforms offer completion certificates when you finish the course.
Neither of the certificates looks as impressive on your resume as an educational certificate from a reputable institution can.
Udemy courses are best used for individual purposes to add on knowledge or learn a specific skill. You can use the skills you learn to improve your personal life or your business. However, it may not look very impressive on a resume.
A certificate from Lynda's online platform looks more professional than from Udemy. The certificate from Lynda can be put on your LinkedIn profile to show what you've learned. Your employer can also reimburse you for the educational cost.
A Lynda certificate is an indication that you are focusing on personal and professional development by pursuing education related to your field.
You can use the completed Lynda course to negotiate for a promotion at your current employment.
However, neither Udemy nor Lynda certificates can be of much benefit if you are interviewing for a new employment opportunity.
Time
Neither of the two platforms will cost time you as long as it would take you to a conventional university.
Some courses on the platforms can take you weeks or months to complete. However, many will only take you a few hours to complete.
Final Thoughts on Udemy Vs. Lynda
There you have it—a detailed comparison of the two online platforms. You can use our comparison to decide which platform is the best for your needs, and don't forget to check out our Udacity VS Treehouse review, as well, to get insight into more online learning options.
