If you’re familiar with Udemy, then one of the questions that you might have been pondering is ‘is Udemy legit?’
As an instructor, it’s important to know if Udemy is legit or a scam. In my opinion, Udemy is a legitimate platform. Apart from providing students with courses at affordable prices, it also gives course creators a platform to share their knowledge and make money.
There are lots of courses on Udemy. These courses are on various topics like AWS, Data Science, Machine Learning, Python, and Artificial Intelligence. There are also hobby-related courses on musical instruments, cooking, painting, dancing, and lots more.
Although Udemy has cons, its pros outweigh the cons. In this article, I will shed light on why I believe Udemy is legit and not a scam.
Is Udemy Legit or a Scam?
Udemy is a legitimate company. The company was founded in 2010 by Eren Bali, Gagan Biyani, and Oktay Caglar.
The company has grown rapidly within a short period. It has over 100,000 courses and over 8,000 instructors. Many people see Udemy as a scam due to its exponential growth and the availability of many courses.
Udemy allows anyone to create and upload courses on the platform. You don’t need to have any teaching experience before you can create a course on the site.
Although the reputation of Udemy has been soiled in the past as a result of courses created by people with questionable expertise.
Not all courses on the platform are created equally. Some of the courses are below expectations. However, there is a way through which people can find the right courses on Udemy.
What are the Features of Udemy?
These features are mainly meant for those that want to enroll in courses on Udemy. Here are some features that make Udemy a legitimate platform:
1. Technical Features
The series of technical features that Udemy has is one of the most important features of the platform. The video player and downloadable content on the site are not only easy to work with, but they are also high-quality.
I’ve never had any experience where they crashed. You can easily download and work with them.
Also, when you purchase a course, you will get lifetime access to the course. You can return to the downloadable content any time you want.
Udemy can be used with web browsers as well as iOS and Android OS. You can also take your classes on your smartphone, computer, and other devices.
2. Certificate of Completion
Some courses on Udemy offer certificates of completion. When you complete a course, you will be issued a certificate of completion. You can print out this certificate and include it in your portfolio.
Depending on the type of class that you are taking and why you’re taking it, you may either find this useful or not.
3. Ability to Test a Course
Some online learning websites require you to buy a course based on your instinct and the features described in the course’s advert alone. You will not know if the course is right for you until you enroll in the course.
With Udemy, you can test a course before you register for it. If you are not satisfied with any course, you can return it within 30 days, provided you have not covered a huge chunk of the content of the course.
4. Resources to Help Learners
Each Udemy course has standard features that you will love. For instance, each course has video lectures, text lectures, and audio lectures. Most of the classes have quizzes and are also subtitled (provided the instructor decides to add them).
Some courses also have supplementary resources and completion certificates. In some cases, you can also read and post questions, post reviews, and take notes.
All the features stated above support my view that Udemy is legit.
What Are the Requirements of Udemy Course for Instructors?
As an Udemy course creator, the content of your video must not be less than 30 minutes. You must also have at least 5 learning modules.
In addition, Udemy carries out a quality review process that your course needs to pass through before it can be released to students. This is done to ensure that your course is valuable.
What Are the Topics You Can Teach on Udemy?
Udemy allows course creators to publish online courses on almost any topic. However, you cannot create courses on the following topics:
- Animal cruelty
- Sexuality
- Weapons instruction
- Nudity and attire
- Dating and relationships
- Content for young people
- Illegal activities
- Violence
- Misleading content
- Inappropriate language
Udemy’s Restricted Topics also contain more information that you can get more insights.
What Are the Best-Selling Udemy Categories?
Udemy has courses in different categories. Some of the best-selling categories include:
- Development
- Design
- IT and software
- Marketing
- Business
- Personal development
- Music
- Photography
What Are the Best-Selling Courses on Udemy?
If you want to make money with online courses, then you need to create courses on topics that are in high demand. Some of the best-selling courses on Udemy include:
- Graphic design
- AWS certification
- Website development
- Excel
- Python
- Javascript
- Data science
- Digital marketing
- Unity
- Microsoft certification
- Project management
- English language
- Machine learning
In addition to the lists above, these online course topics will also give you more ideas on the type of courses to create on Udemy.
Are There Any Udemy Alternatives?
1. Teachable
Teachable is a good alternative to Udemy. Although the platform allows you to create and publish your course, you will need to handle the marketing by yourself. Udemy, on the other hand, helps you handle the marketing of your online course.
Website: teachable.com
2. LearnDash
Although Udemy allows you to publish and sell your online courses, LearnDash serves as a learning management plug-in for WordPress where you can build courses on your WordPress site.
Website: learndash.com
3. Thinkific
Thinkific allows you to create and publish your online course.
The main difference between this platform and Udemy is that Udemy helps you handle marketing while Thinkific has a flexible website design and you will also be in charge of marketing to increase your online course sales.
Website: thinkific.com
4. Udacity
Udacity offers paid courses and nano-degrees that cost $399 monthly. The courses take between 2 and 6 months to complete. On the other hand, courses on Udemy are cheaper and can be completed within a shorter period.
Website: udacity.com
What Are the Pros and Cons of Udemy?
Just like any online learning platform, Udemy has its pros and cons. Here are some of them:
Pros
- It is very affordable. The popular courses on the platform are usually discounted and can go for as little as $19.99.
- The platform has over 600 free courses if you have a tight budget.
- There is a 30-day refund policy.
- Once you buy a course, you will have lifetime access to it.
- There are over 150,000 courses that you can choose from.
- Some courses offer completion certifications.
Cons
- The courses are not accredited.
- Udemy certificates are not recognized by educational institutions or employers.
- Some courses are very expensive.
- Quality control may be difficult to achieve because the platform has more than 150,000 courses.
- Some Udemy courses are outdated.
- The content are created by instructors and are not regulated by Udemy.
- Some of the reviews are misleading.
How Much Can You Make Selling Courses on Udemy?
Some Udemy instructors make $20,000 per month while others don’t make anything. However, the difference between instructors that earn high and those that are not making any money is the effort successful instructors invest into their courses.
Selling online courses on Udemy requires in-depth research and hard work before you can get the result you desire.
However, there are some limitations that you cannot do without on the platform. For instance, irrespective of how extensive your course is, it cannot cost more than $199.99.
Also, since Udemy is in charge of marketing, they can set your course on sale and reduce the price to $9.99.
What Sets Udemy Apart from Other Online Learning Platforms?
It can be tough to find the right course considering all the noise on the internet. Udemy is different from other online learning platforms in many ways.
For beginners, it has the largest number of courses. You can choose from thousands of courses and you are not limited to some niches unlike what is experienced on other platforms that focus on some specific topics.
However, Udemy does not offer the best financial incentives for course creators. Although Udemy has lots of tools that they can use to market their courses, pricing can be challenging and often end up confusing the instructor and the student.
Note that Udemy is one of the few courses that have an open network. This makes it easy for instructors to create, market, and sell their online courses.
The platform has over 42,000 instructors, 30 million students, and numerous courses in 50 different languages. These make it an ideal option for both instructors and learners.
Is Teaching Courses on Udemy Worth It?
Considering all the features that Udemy has as well as its benefits, I’d say it’s worth it to teach on Udemy. If you are a beginner, Udemy is a good platform to make your name known in the market.
The platform also has a fair revenue share model. As a content creator, you will earn 97% of the sales that you generate by yourself while you will earn less if Udemy generated the sales for you.
However, Udemy may not be the right platform for you if you want to create extensive courses that are priced above $200.
FAQs
Is Udemy accredited?
No, Udemy is not accredited. Although the platform offers certificates of completion to showcase your achievements to potential employers, it is not an accredited institution. The certificates obtained on Udemy cannot be used to obtain course credit at any university.
Can Udemy help you land a job?
Udemy may not be accredited, however, it offers a great way to build and develop skills that will increase your chances of getting a job.
Since skills are valuable assets, they help you qualify for a job that you desire. They also get you promoted to a higher position. If you don’t have the resources to pursue traditional education, you can make use of Udemy.
Apart from that, some new fields and skills are not associated with any degree. You will need to learn those skills on your own. Udemy makes the process of learning such skills easier.
Do Udemy courses expire?
Irrespective of the cost of the course, all courses on Udemy have lifetime access. This means that you pay once and have access to the courses anytime you want.
Will Udemy promote your course?
Yes, Udemy will promote your course. Udemy handles the marketing of the courses on its platform.
Conclusion
Final Thoughts: Is Udemy Legit?
Udemy is a legitimate online learning platform that offers lifetime access to tons of online courses at affordable rates.
Learners can choose from different subjects to learn new skills. The platform is an all-in-one solution for improving one’s skills.
Udemy also helps instructors to create courses and make money from selling them. There are lots of tools and resources on the site that you can use to create your online course.
However, you should focus more on providing value in your courses. This is the best way to portray yourself as an expert and increase learners’ engagement with your course.
For more tips that will help you succeed as an online course creator, check out this guide on how you can create profitable online courses.
Thanks for reading.
