Coursera Plus Review (2024) — Is It Worth Paying?

In this Coursera Plus review, I’ve shared my honest experience after taking up the courses. I’ll share its pros, cons, and features and help you know if Coursera Plus is worth it.

I’ll also share the difference I came across when using Coursera vs Coursera Plus below.

Is Coursera Plus Worth it? My Quick Verdict

Employers recognize Coursera Certificates globally, and Coursera Plus allows you to earn unlimited Coursera certificates. According to a survey conducted by Coursera, 72% of employers agreed that a micro-credential influenced their decision-making during the hiring process.

Let’s quickly look at what Coursera Plus offers its learners to determine if it is worth the cost.

Parameters	Coursera Plus Annual Plan	Coursera Plus Monthly Plan
Price	$399/Year	$59/month
Free Trial	✅	❌
Refund Offered	✅	❌
No. Of Courses	7,000+	7,000+
Certificates	✅	✅

Coursera Plus Review- Pros & Cons

I have found many benefits of using Coursera Plus and have encountered a few easily fixable cons.

What Is The Point Of Coursera Plus?- Overview

Coursera Plus is the subscription plan offered by the online learning platform Coursera. With Coursera Plus, subscribers can unlock access to over 7000+ courses at a flat annual or monthly fee.

With the Coursera Plus subscription, you can take many courses at once and earn unlimited course certificates without the hassle of paying for each course individually.

Coursera Plus is an excellent opportunity to learn more at a discounted rate.

Who Is Coursera Plus For?

If you want to create a strong CV that will make a good impression on your future employer, Coursera Plus will help you earn accredited certificates. 

Coursera Plus is for anyone looking to finish multiple courses on Coursera’s learning platform and earn multiple certificates for industry-relevant topics that help you learn skills essential to perform a particular job.

What I like about Coursera is that it offers courses that help you learn academic knowledge and courses that help you develop your soft skills. In a nutshell, Coursera Plus is for anyone looking for overall development.

Difference between Coursera & Coursera Plus

As previously mentioned, Coursera is the learning platform, and Coursera Plus is the subscription plan. But what exactly are the parameters that make them different? Let us have a look-

Comparison Parameters	Coursera	Coursera Plus
7-day Free Trial	❌	✅
14-day Refund	❌	✅
Number of courses	10,000+	7,000+
No. of Certificates	1 certificate/ course	Unlimited
Subscription	❌	✅
Sharable Certificates	✅	✅
Cost-effective	❌	✅
Lifetime Course Access	✅	❌

If you want in-depth information on Coursera, the learning platform, read this detailed article to understand what Coursera offers.

What Is Included In Coursera Plus?

Now that you have a basic outline of the difference between Coursera and Coursera Plus, let’s look at what is included in the Coursera Plus Subscription in detail.

Free Trials and Refund options (discussed in detail in the Pricing section below) are available only with the Coursera Plus Subscription. Apart from these two perks, other perks that learners avail with the Coursera Plus Subscription are- 

Coursera Plus- Course Access

You can access Guided Projects, Specializations, and many professional certificate courses with Coursera Plus. 

1. Guided Projects on Coursera Plus

Coursera has 2,965 guided projects available, and your Plus Subscription gives you access to all of them.

Guided Projects are short courses with hand-held tutorials that can be completed in approximately 2 hours or less.

You can finish the project or assignment at the end of the course and earn a course completion certificate.

A few examples of guided Project Courses are-

• Spreadsheets for Beginners using Google Sheets

Learn how to use Excel and Google Sheets in detail in just under 2 hours with this course.

• Build a computer vision app with Azure Cognitive Services by Microsoft

This free course by Microsoft will help learners implement AI & Machine Learning solutions in Microsoft Azure in just 1 hour and 30 minutes.

• GenAI Basics – How LLMs Work by Duke University

In this one-hour course, Duke University professors explain how GenAI models are trained using easy-to-understand, non-technical language.

2. Specializations on Coursera Plus

Specialization Courses help learners hone a particular skill that will come in handy to perform a particular job over a few months.

81% of learners reported career benefits after doing a specialization. Learners can use a specialization course certificate to show their current or future employers that they are equipped with job-ready skills.

Specialization courses are more extensive than guided project courses. Usually, a series of rigorous courses and assessments is required before learners can earn a specialization Certificate.

A few examples of specialization courses are- 

• Programming with Google Go Specialization

This course is divided into three series where learners will develop skills to create concise, efficient, clean applications using Golang.

• Business Foundations Specialization by the University of Pennsylvania

University Professors have designed and developed this specialization to teach learners all the basic concepts and terminologies related to business studies.

• Machine Learning Specialization

In this specialization by Deep Learning AI, AI expert Andrew Ng teaches the essential practical machine learning skills in a beginner-friendly language in three series.

3. Professional Certificates on Coursera Plus

Professional certificates are course certificates offered by renowned organizations or institutions like, Google, Meta, or Microsoft. Unlike specializations, you can finish professional certificate courses within a few days or weeks.

It is important to note that Coursera offers 148 professional courses. Only a few are excluded from the Coursera Plus Subscription. 

To determine whether your desired course is included in the subscription, check the space marked with a red arrow in the image above. You can also check the complete list of professional certificates included in the Coursera Plus Subscription here.

The examples of professional certificate courses available with the Plus Subscription are-

• Meta Front-End Developer Professional Certificates

Experts at Meta teach this course to learners to help them learn how to build websites using coding. By the end of this course, you will be able to build your website.

• HRCI Human Resource Associate Professional Certificate

Leap into the field of Human Resources with this course and learn how professionals at HRCI recruit employees, develop policies for employees, and create a positive work environment.

• Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Learn various systems, including Linux, Domain Name Systems, Command-Line Interface, and Binary Code, from Google experts, with this professional certificate course.

Coursera Certificates

Courses Plus will allow you to score certificates from all the courses available in the Plus Subscription (7k+), but the main question remains- Are certificates from Coursera Plus worth it?

Coursera Certificates are awarded directly by the teaching institution or the organization conducting the course. This makes them worth it, as they cast a good impression on hiring managers.

You can also put the Coursera Certificate on your resume to showcase to your hiring manager that you are serious about building a career in that particular field and possess skills that will likely help the work get done.

What Is Not Included In Coursera Plus Subscription?

A few elements are not included in the Coursera Plus subscription. If you want to do those courses, getting the Coursera Plus Subscription makes no sense. You must buy these courses individually if they are not included in the Plus subscription.

Since MasterTrack Certificates and Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees are very long courses with intensive curriculums and learning materials, they are not included in the Coursera Plus Subscription.

None of the IBM professional certification courses are included in the Coursera Plus Subscription. For a list of courses not included in Coursera, check this link.

If you buy a single course on Coursera, you have lifetime access to it. However, with the Coursera Plus subscription, you can access courses only if you have the subscription.

How Much Does Coursera Plus Cost?

Let’s take a look at Coursera pricing.

A Coursera Plus subscription gives you access to  90% of Coursera’s learning material at a flat rate. For context, a single course on Coursera can cost approximately $49 and go above $2,000.

Annual Plan

When you subscribe to Coursera Plus’s annual plan, you save significantly. Here is how it works: The monthly subscription of $59 for 12 months will cost you $708 ($59 x 12= $708). By opting for the annual plan of $399, you significantly save $309 (708-399=309).

Monthly Plan

I recommend the $59 monthly plan for folks who want to take a short course that lasts only 3-4 months. However, the monthly plan has no free trial or refund option on Coursera. 

Coursera For $1

If you get the annual subscription before the offer times out, you will be charged $1 only for the first month of your Coursera Plus Subscription. Read the full details on how to get a discount and save money on Coursera here.

Free Trial And Refund On Coursera Plus

To try Coursera Plus for free, you must opt for the annual subscription. Here is a simple step-by-step guide to availing yourself of the 7-day free trial. The refund is also available on the annual subscription only. Users can claim a refund in 14 days or less. 

Coursera Plus- User Ratings And Review

Let us find out what other Coursera users have to say about how Coursera has helped them grow in their own words- 

My Recommendation Of The Best Courses On Coursera Plus

The most popular courses included in the Coursera Plus subscription with great ratings are suggested below. I have taken a few of these courses and greatly benefited from them, and I hope this helps you, too.

1. Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate

Skills you will learn	Skills for managing security risks, Linux and SQL, and automating security tasks with Python.
Duration	6 months
Rating on Coursera	4.8 out of 5
Link	Here

With this course, you can get professional training from Google and understand the importance of cybersecurity risks, how to protect an organization’s data, and more.

2. Science Of Well-Being 

Skills you will learn	Gratitude, Happiness, Meditation, Savoring
Duration	19 hours
Rating on Coursera	4.9 out of 5
Link	Here

This Yale course has helped me learn how to manage my emotions and regulate my mood. It is a boon for everyone, no age bar, and recently, they have developed a course especially for teens.

3. Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Skills you will learn	Network protocols, cloud computing, Windows operating system, Linux command line, systems administration, encryption algorithms and techniques
Duration	6 months
Rating on Coursera	4.8 out of 5
Link	Here

In this course, Google experts will teach you how to perform daily IT support tasks, including computer assembly, wireless networking, program installation, and customer service.

4. Bookkeeping Professional Certificate by Intuit Academy

Skills you will learn	Bookkeeping and accounting
Duration	2 months
Rating on Coursera	4.6 out of 5
Link	Here

If you want to qualify for the job roles of bookkeeper, accounting clerk, or accounts payable specialist, this course is highly recommended. You will also receive training on how to use QuickBooks Online, which will help you manage accounts efficiently.

5. Vital Signs: Understanding What The Body Is Telling Us

Skills you will learn	Anatomy, physiology, and understanding of how the body functions
Duration	13 Hours
Rating on Coursera	4.8 out of 5
Link	Here

I recommend this course for healthcare providers and laymen as well. It helped me understand what my body is trying to communicate with me by examining vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration rate, and pain.

Coursera Plus Reviews: From Other Users

I understand that my experience alone cannot determine if you should be investing your money into the course. Therefore, to complete this review, I took into consideration other people’s experiences and see what they are talking about.

One of the users purchased Coursera Plus and shared their experience of 6 months.

Comment
byu/words_and_stories from discussion
incoursera

As someone who takes a lot of online courses, I’m aware that Coursera or the courses are not the issues people might face. A major setback for me after buying Coursera Plus is that a lot of courses felt surface-level, probably because I was aware of the basic information and didn’t need a revision.

I feel Coursera’s courses are ideal for complete beginners who want to learn something from scratch. This is because the courses are structured that way, and if you already have basic knowledge of the topic, you might opt for more in-depth or higher-level courses. You can also filter them easily when browsing through their course catalog.

My Verdict- Coursera Plus Is Worth It

As pointed out before, Coursera courses have benefited me greatly. I have gained a lot through these courses professionally and in my personal life. If you want overall development, Coursera Plus is an excellent investment.

It is also a great way to save money. It gives you access to 90% of the courses available on Coursera’s Learning Platform. Use the tips in the pricing section to save on the Plus subscription.

If you want to earn multiple certificates and unlimited certificates, I recommend starting your journey with an annual Coursera Plus Membership today.

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