Table of Contents
- Coursera Review – Best Online Learning Platform
- Features of Coursera
- Benefits of Coursera
- Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Coursera
- Instructors
- Pricing
- Free Courses
- Time Commitment
- What Do the Customers Think?
- Best Online Learning Platform
- Lynda (Linkedin Learning) Review – Best Online Courses for Practical Learning
- Features of Lynda
- Benefits of Lynda
- Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Lynda
- Instructors
- Pricing
- Free Courses
- Time Commitment
- What Do the Customers Think?
- Best Online Courses for Practical Learning
- Coursera vs Lynda – Buyers’ Guide
- Instructors
- Price
- Free Courses
- Time Commitment
- Final Verdict
Lynda is an excellent choice if you are an online course creator interested in management technology. Whereas, Coursera offers great courses related to programming.
But, which online learning platforms offer a more satisfying learning experience?
In this Coursera vs Lynda comparison, we will go over both the programs to decide which one is the best for you as an online course creator.
| Features | Coursera | Lynda |
|---|---|---|
| Instructors | 5 stars | 4 and a half stars |
| Pricing | 4 stars | 4 and a half starts |
| Free courses | 3 and a half starts | Unavailable |
| User experience | 4 stars | 4 and a half stars |
| Time commitment | 4 and a half stars | 5 stars |
We’ve given you a brief overview of what both the online learning platforms have to offer. Let’s move further to an in-depth analysis of their features, benefits, pros, and cons.
Coursera Review – Best Online Learning Platform
If you’re an online course creator who wants to invest your time gaining more knowledge about your course topic, Coursera is the way to go.
It is a MOOC courses platform that offers courses created by the most renowned universities in the world including Stanford, UPenn, Duke, and many more.
In fact, If we compare Coursera with other online learning platforms, it’s hard to find a close match in regards to course quality and presentation.
In terms of courses, it offers:
- Degree programs
- Individual programs
- Specializations
Features of Coursera
- Free courses
- Personalized browsing
- Personalized homepage
- Smart-Review
- Progress checker
- Guided projects
- MasterTrack Certificates
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Easy to use • Convenient • Provides official certifications • Over 1000 free courses • Excellent course quality • Active community | • Have to pay for each course • Have to sign-up to see the pricing • Less flexibility • More time consuming as compared to its competitors |
Benefits of Coursera
You might be wondering if Coursera is worth it for you as an online course creator.
Our answer is Coursera is worth it for anyone looking to gain knowledge about programming.
It offers courses on the following programming languages:
- jQuery
- Javascript
- Python
- Ruby
- PHP
- JAVA
Coursera courses also include:
- IT
- Business
- Health
- Arts and Humanities
- Languages
- Math
- Computer Science
So, it has something for any topic you would require to learn about.
When testing out the website we found the courses extremely easy to navigate. Each course had the name of the university, the instructor, and a short introduction to the course.
In addition to this, you can also find a brief video of the instructor about the course. This is especially beneficial for those who learn better through video-based instructions.
Moreover, if we compare Lynda vs Coursera, Coursera has the following advantages:
- Unique curriculum.
- Certifications upon completion of courses and specialization tracks.
- Ability to obtain a full degree.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Coursera
Instructors
As we mentioned earlier, Coursera partners with some of the best universities in the world.
Therefore, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from some of the most well-known instructors.
Almost every professor at Coursera has a Master’s, Ph.D. as well as significant real-world professional experience.
Pricing
A huge downside to Coursera is that you cannot see its pricing without signing up.
This was quite inconvenient for our team while researching the platform. However, after a bit of digging, we were able to see the different pricing Coursera has to offer.
Since Coursera’s pricing varies due to many factors, it is hard to give a universal price.
For single courses, you can expect to pay between $30 to $100.
Since specializations are a series of courses, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee to get access to the lectures. They usually cost between $40 to $80 per month.
Degree programs, on the other hand, are multi-year projects. They will cost you between $15,000 to $25,000.
Free Courses
Coursera offers around 2000 free courses in almost all subjects.
It also does a great job making its free courses easy to find through its filter system. They include everything from Computer Science to Math and Logic.
However, the free courses do not come with a certificate.
Time Commitment
When it comes to time commitment, you won’t have the same freedom to learn at your own pace as Lynda.
This is because each Coursera course starts and ends on a specific date. So, there’s a deadline you’ll need to reach to complete the course and receive certification for it.
For Degree programs and specialization you’ll have to organize your workload in a way that you’re able to take all the necessary courses when they become available.
Furthermore, for specialization courses, you’re looking at weeks or months of commitment to complete them whereas the degree program might take you up to three years.
What Do the Customers Think?
During our research, we found no shortage of praises for Coursera. It has a collective of 4.5 out of 5-star rating on www.g2.com
Many Customers claimed it to be one of the best online education platforms since it provides certifications from the most well-respected universities.
While other students were impressed with the minimalist interface of the website. It made it easy for them to locate the online courses through the main menu or the filter tool.
Coursera courses also have excellent video tutorials and many free courses to bridge the gap between the knowledge you lack by providing a satisfactory learning environment.
Below are some of the positive reviews we came across:
Best Online Learning Platform
The best online learning platform is Coursera since it offers thousands of online courses ranging from specializations to full degrees. It works with some of the best educational institutions to come up with course material that is flexible, relevant, and affordable.
Lynda (Linkedin Learning) Review – Best Online Courses for Practical Learning
To start analyzing Lynda, let’s take a look at its background.
Lynda is the predecessor to Linkedin Learning. It was developed by the renowned businesswoman Lynda Susan Weinman in 1995.
In 2015, however, Linkedin brought the company to convert it into the Linkedin Learning Project.
But, since Lynda already has an excellent reputation, they decided to maintain the previous hosting site and the name Lynda associated with Linkedin Learning.
As a result, you can access Lynda courses through:
- The Linkedin Learning Project by becoming premium on Linkedin
- Directly through Lynda.com
So, if you are looking to develop your skills in Creative, Technology, or Business related subjects to create a more successful online course business, you’re looking into the right platform.
Features of Lynda
- Cross-Platform Support
- Video Player Options
- Transcript Learning Support
- Learning Paths
- Easy to follow Video Tutorials
- Multiple Languages
- 30 Day Free Trial
- Linkedin Learning for Teams
- Course Recommendation
- Access to interactive quizzes and tests
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Can watch on the goIn-depth video lectures • Easy to use • Flexible • Best instructors • Variety of payment plans | • Course presentation isn’t always on point • Not the best value if you’re interested in only one course • Some Lynda courses are outdated |
Benefits of Lynda
As opposed to Coursera, Lynda has a much wider range of topics.
It includes everything from web development, computer science, data science to business and photography.
Here are some examples of the Lynda courses offered:
- SEO Fundamentals
- Google Sketch-up 8
- Logic Pro 9
- Wacom Essential Training
- Revit Architecture
- Unity 3D 3.5 Essential Training
- Rhino 4.0 Essential Training
- Photoshop CS6 One-on-One Fundamentals
- Foundation of Photography: Fundamentals
- Foundation of Programming: Fundamentals
And many more courses.
As an online creator, choosing a platform that is accessible on multiple devices is important.
Luckily, you can access Lynda from your computer and mobile device. It also gives you the option to download lectures for offline viewing.
Moreover, after paying the subscription price there is no limit to how many courses you can take.
It also offers personalized course recommendations.
These recommendations are based on your job, current skills, etc. You can use this feature to find exactly the right course you’re looking for to enhance your online course business.
Another great feature we loved about Lynda and Linkedin Learning is they offer Learning Paths. They are great for going beyond taking just a single course.
They make it extremely easy to view courses on different levels such as beginner and advanced. You can quickly filter through the courses and their lengths through their course-filtering facility.
Factors to Consider Before you Decide to Buy Lynda
Instructors
If we compare Lynda vs Coursera, Lynda’s instructors may not have the same level of qualification as Coursera.
But, the online education platform makes up for it through other features like interactive quizzes, auto-graded or peer-graded assignments, and one-on-one interaction with the instructors to facilitate learning.
Pricing
To access the lectures and quizzes on Lynda you’ll have to pay a monthly subscription.
It will cost you $29.99 per month for unlimited access to over 13,000 courses.
Linkedin Learning also offers an annual billing system. If you decide to go for that you’ll save 33% of the full year. The annual payment will cost you $239.88 or $19.99 per month.
Free Courses
Although Linkedin Learning does not have free courses, you can access its courses for free through their 30-day free trial.
Time Commitment
While researching the platform, we noticed Lynda courses to be relatively short as compared to its competitors.
This is great if you want to complete a course over the weekend, or in a few hours.
Since Lynda gives you unlimited access to the full site, you can also take a single course and drop it anytime you want.
As an online creator, it’s a good idea to dabble between courses until you find exactly what you are looking for.
What Do the Customers Think?
Similar to Coursera, we went through reviews for Lynda (or Linkedin Learning). It also has a 4.5 out of 5-star rating on www.g2.com.
Customers were extremely pleased by its subscription model, especially the fact that you get a 30-day trial free of cost. You also get Lynda certificates upon completion of the courses.
Another thing that most people appreciated was the wide range of courses offered. They were able to download the Lynda courses to learn on the go.
Here are some of the positive reviews to read:
Best Online Courses for Practical Learning
Lynda provides the best online course for practical learning. They offer great courses that you can utilize to learn new skills and improve your online course business. Since the courses are self-paced, you have the flexibility to learn anytime or anywhere you want.
Coursera vs Lynda – Buyers’ Guide
As an online courses creator, you’ll need to learn specific skills to have a successful business.
However, it’s hard to find the right e-learning platform that will aid you in your professional development throughout your career.
In this section of the Lynda vs Coursera comparison, we will go over some factors you need to look out for before you subscribe to an online education platform.
Instructors
The qualification of the instructors is one of the most important things to consider.
Do your research and go for that platform that has courses designed by trainers from the most well-renowned academic institutions.
Price
The pricing plans of an online learning platform can easily be something that makes or breaks it.
Therefore, as an online course creator, you’ll need to research and go for a platform that has courses within your budget.
Free Courses
If you are an online course creator who has just started out, we imagine you won’t have a big enough budget.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to go for an e-Learning platform that offers free courses to get your money’s worth.
Time Commitment
When it comes to time commitment, go for courses that have well-timed courses.
They shouldn’t be too long or too short.
Also, look for flexible and self-paced courses so you can learn at your own convenience.
Interested in finding out how to get into online course business easily, take a look at the complete guide on our website.
Final Verdict
This concludes the ultimate comparison between Coursera and Lynda. However, the question remains, which one to choose, Lynda or Coursera?
Coursera is an ideal choice if you are looking for certifications to go with your online course business. They offer courses on the behalf of some of the best schools around the world.
While Linkedin Learning or Lynda is a more flexible and cost-effective option since you get unlimited access to all courses offered on their website.
Which platform is the best for you? Let us know in the comments below.