Hi, I’m Olga! I have years of experience in data science, most recently at eBay. Now I work as an industry mentor at Pathrise, helping data scientists land a great role through technical workshops and 1-on-1s. Check out my article where I compare Codecademy vs Udemy.
- Similarities and differences between Codecademy vs Udemy
- Topics offered on Codecademy vs Udemy
- Prices for Codecademy vs Udemy
- Ratings and reviews of Codecademy vs Udemy
- Alternatives to Codecademy vs Udemy
- How do Udemy and Codecademy compare to Pathrise?
Similarities and differences between Codecademy and Udemy
Codecademy and Udemy both offer courses in data science, web development, and software engineering.
Similarities
- Both programs are remote and self-paced.
- Free or low-cost options are available.
- Courses are open to anyone with no formal admissions process.
- They offer a wide range of course levels and tech topics that cover 12+ programming languages.
Differences
- Codecademy courses are hands-on, with a curriculum full of projects and assignments. Udemy courses usually consist of recorded lectures.
- Udemy offers lifetime access to their courses, but Codecademy’s paid courses require users to pay monthly for a membership.
- Codecademy only offers courses on tech topics. Udemy has courses on dozens of tech subjects plus humanities as well.
- Udemy’s courses are uploaded by individual experts and teachers. Codecademy designs their own courses.
Courses offered by Codecademy and Udemy
Both Codecademy and Udemy offer courses that cover the following topics and many more:
- Web development
- Data science
- Machine learning
- Software engineering
Udemy also has courses that cover dozens of other topics, including:
- Product management
- Digital marketing
- UX design
- Humanities
- Business analytics
- Business development
- Sales
Prices for Codecademy and Udemy
While Codecademy used to be completely free, now only their beginner courses and a few intermediate level classes are free. Many courses require users to pay for memberships, ranging from about $20 to $40 per month. In addition to more coding content, the paid “Pro” plan comes with unlimited mobile practice, real-world projects, step-by-step guidance, and even opportunities for peer collaboration.
Udemy hosts many more online courses, with over 100k classes on topics ranging from coding to humanities. While most are paid, nearly 600 are available free. Paid programs range from about $10 to $300, but most can be purchased with a coupon for under $50. No prior experience is required for their 500+ “all levels” courses, but intermediate and expert level classes are designed for people with some background in the subject. However, there is no admissions process, so anyone can technically enroll in any program. While the curriculum sometimes includes demos and assignments, Udemy mostly hosts recorded lectures. Courses are required to be at least 30 minutes long with at least 5 lectures or modules. However, anyone can upload on Udemy and they have over 57,000 instructors, so the curriculum can vary.
Ratings and reviews of Codecademy and Udemy
Reviews for Udemy are mostly positive, with users praising the wide variety of 100k+ free and low-cost courses. However, because Udemy hosts so many different courses taught by 57,000+ different instructors, course quality can vary. Their platform holds a 4.5/5 star rating on Switchup. Some students described course offerings as a “mixed bag” with lots of good courses but “some not so good” courses too. A few Quora reviewers were concerned that so many new course uploads are lowering the quality. Some Udemy reviewers also had issues with support and the admin team. Students reported missing discounts and issues with refunds. In addition, some students were frustrated with lengthy response times. On the whole, though, grads were impressed with Udemy’s courses and instructors.
Codecademy holds mixed to positive reviews. Quora users appreciated the hands-on projects and assignments. They also enjoyed the free courses. However, some reviewers on Reddit didn’t think the paid content was worth the price. The program only holds 3.24/5 stars on Switchup, where some users noticed errors in the curriculum. Others were disappointed by Codeacadmey’s administration because some students were accidentally charged for services they had canceled. Overall, most users were satisfied with Codecademy’s free and low-cost courses.
Alternatives to Codecademy and Udemy
If you decide not to enroll in Codecademy or Udemy, you might want to look into one of the alternative resources below instead:
- The massive online learning platform Udacity hosts free and paid courses on dozens of tech topics. They collaborate with top tech companies like IBM and Google on the curricula. Students in their nanodegree programs get 1-on-1 mentoring with both a career coach and a technical mentor. Learn more about Udacity in our review.
- Like both Codecademy and Udemy, the popular online learning platform Skillshare is remote and self-paced. They host 19,000+ free and paid courses in a wide variety of tech topics, including web dev, UX/UI design, business analytics, and more.
- Another big online learning platform is edX. They offer self-paced courses with degree certificates from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. Their courses cover a wide variety of tech topics, including software engineering, web dev, digital marketing, business, and sales. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Aspiring software engineers and UX designers can check out Kenzie Academy, a full-time tech bootcamp that offers in-person and online courses. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- The popular tech bootcamps, BrainStation, Thinkful, and Flatiron School offer programs in software engineering, data science, and many other topics. While they may be more intense than self-paced programs like Codecademy and Udemy, students learn tech skills at a very fast pace.
- Another online platform that hosts thousands of online courses is Coursera. Their courses are taught by professors from accredited universities with hands-on assignments, recorded video lectures, and community discussions.
- For students seeking remote courses on a budget, Treehouse and Pluralsight could be worth considering. Like both Codecademy and Udemy, these online platforms host hundreds of self-paced and flexible tech courses to help people launch their careers.
- The self-paced coding bootcamp CodeX Academy helps people launch new careers in software engineering and web development. Students get job support and even 1-on-1 mentoring. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- Students seeking digital marketing, UX design, sales, or business development courses can also check out GrowthX Academy. Their SaaS program includes 1-on-1 mentoring with lots of hands-on, practical assignments with a similar style to Codecadmy’s hands-on coding projects and assessments. Read more about GrowthX Academy in our review of the program.
- For those interested in self-paced data science learning, Data Science Dream Job offers remote, flexible courses for aspiring data analysts and data scientists.
- The popular online data resource DataCamp has over 300 short courses on data science subjects. Like Udemy and Codecademy, their courses are short and flexible, only about 4 hours each.
- Students seeking a product design program with self-guided options can check out DesignerUp.Their courses include video lectures, quizzes, and even 1-on-1 mentoring opportunities for students in their mastercourse. Read more about DesignerUp to see if it’s right for your goals.
- Similarly, the online bootcamp Designlab teaches the skills people need to land an entry-level UX design job. Read our review of Designlab for more details.
- With courses in programming, data science, and much more, Springboard can be a good alternative. Students receive 1-on-1 mentoring and build over 14 portfolio projects. If students don’t land a great job in 6 months, they get a refund. Learn more about Springboard in our program reviews.
How do Udemy and Codecademy compare to Pathrise?
Codecademy and Udemy offer online courses that help people learn the skills they need to launch tech careers. While both programs offer part-time and self-paced courses in web development, software engineering, and data science, Udemy’s 100k+ courses cover a much wider variety of topics including UX design, product management, digital marketing, and humanities topics.
Although both Codecademy and Udemy host courses that teach on-the-job skills, neither help users through the job search or offer any kind of career services. As a full service organization, Pathrise helps with every phase of the job search, including resume writing, LinkedIn profile optimization, portfolio reviews, reverse recruiting & cold emailing strategies, behavioral & technical interview prep, salary negotiation, and much more. Fellows in our program work 1-on-1 with experienced mentors who have already helped 700+ students and professionals land great tech jobs.
While Codecademy and Udemy courses are open to anyone, fellows in the Pathrise program should have some experience in their chosen field so that they can get the most out of our technical interview curriculum. We offer tracks in software engineering, product design, data science, digital marketing, sales, product management, strategy, and ops. Rather than upfront payments like Udemy and Codecademy, fellows in our program can pay with a 9% income share agreement (ISA) so they don’t pay until they land a great tech job.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that helps people land their dream job in tech. With our tips and guidance, fellows can see their interview scores double and their application responses triple, landing jobs in just 3-5 months on average. If you want to optimize your job search by working 1-on-1 with a mentor, become a Pathrise fellow.
Apply today.
