Coursera vs LinkedIn Learning – Detailed Comparison (2024)

Let me help you decide between Coursera vs LinkedIn Learning with my detailed review, where I will discuss each platform’s Pros-cons, UI/UX, subscription model, and quality of content and tutors.

After testing both platforms and going through their courses, I like Coursera because it allows me to gain in-depth knowledge and get certificates that make my resume look stronger. 

On the other hand, LinkedIn Learning helps me to improve my interview-giving skills and strategies.

However, both platforms offer different courses that suit different needs. Therefore, I have compared them in detail below so that by the end of this post, you can choose easily between the two! 

Coursera vs LinkedIn Learning: Quick Comparison

Here are a few features of Coursera and LinkedIn Learning for your reference- 

What Is LinkedIn Learning?

LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that is brought to you by LinkedIn. What I like about this platform is that LinkedIn Learning is the perfect blend of social media and learning for job seekers. 

After finishing a course, you get to earn digital badges and certificates that you can immediately share on your LinkedIn profile. This unique feature helps you build a strong profile on LinkedIn.

Bonus Read: Here is an in-depth guide on LinkedIn Learning that will provide you with all the information about the platform.

Who Is LinkedIn Learning Ideal For?

LinkedIn Learning is for working professionals who want to develop their interpersonal skills and learn practical skills quickly to do their existing jobs to their best potential. 

It is a good option for freshers to learn and strategize their interview answers.

LinkedIn Learning: Pros and Cons

Here is a list of pros and cons of LinkedIn Learning:

What Is Coursera?

Coursera is the elite host of online courses created by top schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton and big tech companies like Google, Meta, and IBM.  

Coursera also provides shareable certifications like LinkedIn Learning on course completion, but these certificates are awarded by the school or the company that hosts the course instead of Coursera.

Bonus Read: Read the in-depth Coursera Review to know more about Coursera.

Who Should Go For Coursera?

Coursera is an ideal fit for anyone seeking in-depth knowledge in their desired field & who wants to polish their soft skills. 

Coursera is close to traditional schools’ teaching methods, making it a great option for anyone seeking theoretical knowledge.

Coursera: Pros And Cons

Let’s have a quick look at the pros and cons of Coursera:

Coursera vs LinkedIn Learning: Detailed Feature Comparison – 2024

I have compared Coursera and LinkedIn Learning based on essential features in the section below to help you decide on the best platform. 

1. Ease Of Use

I have used both platforms for a considerable amount of time, and I find the interfaces quite easy. Let us have a look at my experience of using these platforms.

Coursera Ease of use

Coursera is intuitive and straightforward to use. Navigation on the platform is made easy by various pop-ups that will help you move forward easily on this platform.

You can take any free course on Coursera right now by signing up for free using your email ID, Facebook account, or Apple ID. It is as easy as that.

Once you sign up, you can see different course categories like professional certificates, degrees, MasterTrack Certificates, and more. These categories are helpful as they make it easy to find the type of course you are looking for. You will also get the option to browse the platform subject-wise.

It was extremely easy to find courses I would be interested in on Coursera, so I also give its UX a thumbs up!

LinkedIn Learning Ease of use

LinkedIn Learning is easy to navigate however, I remember having difficulty finding the subscription details for an individual anywhere on the website the first time.

Surprisingly, I found all the payment details on the sign-up page when I tried creating my account on LinkedIn Learning. To access any course on LinkedIn Learning, you first need to get a subscription. 

After you subscribe to the platform, you can browse through all the categories of courses, which is intuitive and easy to navigate.

My Verdict: Coursera is easier to navigate as I easily found the details needed to understand the platform.

2. Enrollment Process

Let’s compare the enrollment processes of LinkedIn Learning and Coursera and further understand which one is a more convenient choice:-

Coursera Enrollment process

You can choose a single course, a monthly, or a yearly plan on Coursera. Since many courses are free on this platform, you can enroll by signing up using your email ID and beginning the course.

LinkedIn Learning Enrollment process

Unlike Coursera, you can not sign up for free on LinkedIn Learning. You must get a monthly or a yearly subscription and sign in to access courses.

So make sure you sit with all your credit card details when signing up for LinkedIn Learning.

Tip- Use the email ID you use on LinkedIn to share course certificates directly on your profile.

My Verdict: The enrollment process is easy on Coursera and LinkedIn Learning. However, enrolling on Coursera is free, making it a winner!

3. Course Quality & Quantity

Coursera and LinkedIn Learning offer various content libraries that experts curate. So, let’s review each platform’s number of available courses and evaluate its quality to understand which one is best suited for you!

Each platform’s resources include video content + transcripts, projects, assignments, quizzes, and so on, enhancing the course quality.

Coursera course quality

Coursera offers 7000+ courses across nine categories:–

• Spoken Language Learning
• Math and logic
• Data Science
• Business 
• Personal Development
• Information Technology
• Physical Sciences & Engineering
• Arts & Humanities
• Social Sciences

Overall, Coursera is known for its detailed, high-quality content as college professors from high-end universities and experts from various disciplines of technology and accountancy curate it.

LinkedIn Learning course quality

LinkedIn Learning offers over 20,000+ courses across three categories:-

• Business
• Technology
• Creative

The content is curated by industry experts who are highly knowledgeable in their respective fields. 

My Verdict: Regarding content quality, Coursera is better because it covers topics in depth. LinkedIn Learning offers many short courses on specific niches, making it a winner in the quantity of courses offered by the platform.

4. Learning Pathway

Courses offered on each platform differ widely in terms of duration and structure. So, let’s check out its details:-

Coursera Learning Pathway

Coursera offers you the option to create a personalized learning pathway for six professional categories-

• Digital Marketing
• Agile Project Management
• Network Engineering
• Data Engineering
• Design
• Data Science.

These pathways are extremely helpful for a fresher as they pave the route to becoming an expert in a particular subject. For example, if you want to build a career in Digital Marketing, complete all the courses recommended by Coursera’s Learning pathway.

LinkedIn Learning Learning Pathway

LinkedIn Learning also provides learning paths that will help you quickly gain knowledge on a specific niche. On LinkedIn Learning, the course subject being broken down is called the learning path, as shown in the image below-

My Verdict: I like Coursera’s Learning Paths better as they help you prepare for a career in a certain field instead of LinkedIn learning, which only breaks down the course chapters in the name of learning paths.

5. Free Courses

To be precise, Coursera offers 3,181 free courses, whereas LinkedIn Learning does not offer any free courses on its platform. You can take as many courses for free on LinkedIn Learning as you want during your 30-day free trial.

My Verdict: Coursera is a clear winner, as LinkedIn Learning offers no free courses.

6. Accredited Certificates

There is no competition on this front with Coursera. Coursera Certificates are not only accredited, but you can also earn college credits for the course you take on Coursera. Check this link for more information on college credits earned for Coursera courses.

Coursera Certificates also help students build a strong portfolio for their first job or make a good impression while applying for higher education.

My Verdict: Only Coursera certificates are accredited.  

7. Who has Better Instructors?

Both platforms’ instructors are well-experienced in their respective fields. But let’s see what difference exists between the tutors on each of these platforms- 

Coursera Instructors

Coursera Instructors are university professors from the Ivy League, as stated above. Most of them are Nobel prize winners, writers, Researchers, C-suite executives, etc.

A few renowned instructors teaching Coursera courses are- 

1. Barry Nalebuff teaches game theory and negotiation techniques on Coursera, and he is a Professor at Yale and coauthor of six successful books on game theory.

2. Andrew Ng teaches Machine Learning courses on Coursera. He is a Founder of DeepLearning.AI, a General Partner at AI Fund, Chairman and Co-Founder of Coursera, and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University.

3. Dr. Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University. Her class in Yale’s history is the most popular course in over 300 years.

LinkedIn Learning Instructors

Anybody can apply to become an instructor on LinkedIn Learning. All you need to do is fill in your primary information and answer a few questions to become an instructor on the LinkedIn learning platform.

Some well-recognized LinkedIn Learning Instructors are Brand Strategists, Professors, University Researchers, etc. Still, there is a high possibility that a novice is also selling their course on LinkedIn as the vetting process of instructors is not as strong as Coursera. 

A few renowned instructors on LinkedIn Learning are-

1. Jessie Withers (People Development at Google) – Jessie Withers course was the most popular 2022 LinkedIn Learning course globally.

2. Jeff Ansell is a veteran coach in the field of PR and journalism and has experience working with top companies like Wal-Mart, Proctor & Gamble, PepsiCo, and Ford.

3. Gini Von Courter has experience teaching how to use Microsoft products for 20+ years and has worked for private and government organizations as a trainer & Consultant.

My Verdict: Coursera instructors are vetted better than LinkedIn Learning, making Coursera Instructors a clear winner. 

Subscription Plans: Which Platform Offers Value For Money? 

Let’s review the subscription plans of Coursera vs LinkedIn one by one:-

Coursera Pricing

Here is a pricing table of the Coursera subscription plan for ease of understanding-

Coursera’s single course will cost you approximately $49 to $79. Getting the Coursera Plus Subscription and access to 90% of Coursera’s learning content makes more sense than buying each course individually.

LinkedIn Learning Pricing

Here is the price table of LinkedIn Learning for your reference-

You can also take individual courses on LinkedIn Learning starting at $29. But again, it only makes sense to buy the monthly subscription to access all the other courses instead of one course at the same price.

My Verdict: LinkedIn Learning is cheaper than Coursera.

Refund Policy of Coursera And LinkedIn Learning

Coursera and LinkedIn Learnings both offer a money-back guarantee. These policies are under the name “refund policy” in the help section on both platforms.

Coursera refund policy

Coursera offers a 14-day refund policy, but the catch is that this refund policy is only available on the Coursera Plus annual subscription plan.

LinkedIn Learning refund policy

LinkedIn Learning has a 30-day money-back guarantee. I definitely love this feature of LinkedIn Learning. As a customer, it helps me decide if I want to proceed with a platform without the rush to decide.

Verdict: LinkedIn Learning, with its 30-day money-back policy, is the clear winner here.

Coursera vs LinkedIn Learnings: Alternatives

It is now time to shift gears towards its worthy competitors.

1. Udemy

Like Coursera, Udemy also hosts courses from tech giants like Google, Cisco, and Microsoft. There are a lot of courses available on this platform, but similar to LinkedIn Learning, anyone can contribute to courses.

Important Details about Udemy-

• 7-Days Free Trial
• 30-day refund policy
• 3490 free courses
• Affordable

2. edX

edX is founded by alumina from Harvard & MIT. The courses offered on this platform come a little close to Coursera’s quality of courses. However, I find edX expensive because you must pay for each course individually.

Find an in-depth comparison of Coursera and edX to see how these two compare against each other and which one is right for you.

Important Details about edX-

• No subscription plans
• 14-day refund policy
• Covers latest topics
• Conducts regular bootcamps
• Each course is available for preview

3. Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a free platform focused on making education accessible to all. This Platform uses cute animations and avatars to make learning fun. Khan Academy also collaborates with the College Board to make SAT prep material available for free to all learners.

Important details about Khan Academy-

• Non-profit organization
• Free education
• Best for Children

Bonus Read: You can check the details of the tried and tested 11 Best Coursera Alternatives here.

User Reviews & Testimonials On Coursera & LinkedIn Learning

While my experience with both platforms has been fine, other users might have different perspectives. 

To help you make a decision in choosing the two, let’s go through some real-time Coursera and LinkedIn Learning reviews I found while doing my research:-

Coursera Reviews

User reviews of Coursera are primarily positive- 

LinkedIn Learning Reviews

The Users of LinkedIn Learning praise this platform for its industry-expert instructors. The overall rating is just one point less than Coursera.

Factors To Keep In Mind Before Choosing Either Coursera Or LinkedIn Learning – 2024

Before you choose any learning program, it’s important to remember:

• Check tutors’ qualifications to learn from the best.
• Check for course and certificate accreditation to enhance your CV.
• Check if the course is available to preview first so you can audit it without the financial commitment.
• Take the free trial to judge whether you like each platform’s teaching style and course structure.

Final Verdict- Coursera Is Better Than LinkedIn Learning In Terms Of The Quality Of The Content

After comparing both platforms, it is clear that both have different expertise. 

Coursera offers its learners to learn more in-depth than LinkedIn Learning. The courses available on Coursera are vetted properly. 

Furthermore, Coursera’s certifications hold a higher value than those of LinkedIn Learning. 

On the other hand, you can go with LinkedIn Learning if you want to develop interviewing strategies and learn useful skills that will help you on your job.

You can take a free trial of both these platforms to explore their features and understand the courses. 

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