Online learning has taken the world by storm (or pandemic), especially within the last year. There are perhaps few platforms as well known as Udemy, one of the original course platforms first launched in 2009 to bring affordable education to the masses.
But is Udemy worth the price? In our Udemy review, we’ll explore that question – and many more.
Source: Udemy
What is Udemy?
Udemy is one of the largest educational platforms in the world with more than 40 million students and 155,000 courses. As a student, it provides nearly unlimited opportunities to become an expert in your passions. And as an instructor, you gain access to millions of soon-to-be educated individuals eager to pay for your product.
However, unlike online learning platforms Teachable and Thinkific, Udemy is more stringent in its teaching requirements. For example, they set standards for how to design your courses, as well as pricing maximums.
But for the price, Udemy provides a global marketplace with extensive support, multi-language translations, and tons of expert instructors teaching a wide variety of topics. Plus, users can take advantage of Udemy’s iOS and Android mobile apps to expand their audience.
Udemy Pros
- Built-in marketplace markets your courses to 40 million potential students
- Plenty of insights to improve your product
- Top-notch earning potential for in-demand topics
- Mobile apps for students to learn on the go
- Quick and easy setup
- Course review by subject matter experts
Udemy Cons
- No flexible pricing plans or monthly subscriptions
- No customer phone service
- Pricing caps
- High marketing costs
- Strict publication requirements
Source: Udemy
Udemy Review: How to Get Started
Udemy functions a little differently than many other online learning platforms out there. That’s why we’re here to break down the nuances for you.
Step 1: Create Your Course
Your first step in becoming a successful Udemy educator is designing your course. This involves shooting your videos, outlining your lesson plans, and writing accompanying text. You’ll also want to edit a preview video for the next step. Creating an online course could be a gateway to financial freedom!
Step 2: Design Your Landing Page
After your course is ready to go, it’s time to create a CLP, or course landing page, where prospective buyers go after clicking your course. Here, potential students will engage with your content for the first time – and decide whether or not to buy.
Elements you need to include for a successful landing page include:
- Course title, subtitle, and description
- A suitable image
- Preview video
- And your biography
That said, unlike many other online learning platforms, Udemy doesn’t allow for tons of branding or customizations. Instead, your information will be inserted into a standard template.
Step 3a: Pricing
Udemy lets you price your course one of two ways. You can offer a free course to generate interest or share your passion with the world – or charge between $20 and $200 apiece. At this time, you can also offer discounts or coupon codes to drum up interest and push sales.
Step 3b: Become a Udemy Premium Instructor
If you find that you can’t set a price tag for your courses, you probably aren’t a premium instructor with Udemy yet.
Fortunately, the joining process is simple and free. Just build your course, enter your price in the List Price field, and hit save. Then, continue with the publishing process. You should be approved in just two days!
Step 4: Submit for Review
Before your course goes live, you have to submit it for review to the Udemy Quality Review team. Typically, this process takes about two days.
Source: Udemy
Udemy Review: Benefits
Udemy’s vast name recognition makes it a prime place to get your start in the e-learning space. But it’s not just the name that’s the game.
Large Student Base
With over 40 million students around the globe, Udemy is one of the largest online learning platforms in existence. That’s a lot of potential customers!
Quick Way to Jumpstart your Educator Career
Although some may view this as a downside, Udemy comes with no complicated website or course building steps. Just record your content, write your text, and start selling. Udemy takes care of everything else, from taxes to SEO to quality review.
The Udemy Teaching Center
Udemy’s Teaching Center is a place where experienced and aspiring educators congregate to learn how to make money teaching online courses. Whether you need a refresher on video creation, student engagement, or just how to sell successfully on Udemy, they have everything you need to become a success.
Source: Udemy
Udemy Review: Drawbacks
Udemy’s unusual business model comes with a number of drawbacks. While they’re not insurmountable, they’re certainly important considerations in choosing the right place to sell your online courses.
Course Requirements
Unlike many other online learning platforms, Udemy sets strict standards for publishing educational content.
To start, your courses must contain at least 30 minutes of video content apiece. Additionally, you must include a minimum of five lectures or learning modules, and all courses are subject to their Quality Review Process before publication.
Price Limitations
Due to Udemy’s unique marketplace structure, course instructors are rather handcuffed in their earning abilities.
To start, you can’t price a single course for more than $199.99, no matter how extensive or time-consuming.
Additionally, because Udemy does all their marketing internally, you may find your course suddenly on sale for as little as $9.99 with no warning. Not only does this cut into your profits, but you may even lose money when accounting for the time and resources you poured into designing your courses.
No Personal Relationship (or Sales Funnel)
Udemy handles all communication between students and instructors internally. While this provides an extra layer of security, it also means that educators can’t build a loyal audience – or a mailing list for their sales funnel.
No Customized Branding
Udemy’s plug-and-play model makes quick work of getting set up. But it also means that there’s no opportunity to customize your course with a logo, color scheme, or even fun fonts. While Udemy is a great place to start for simplicity’s sake, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of sameness that permeates the marketplace.
Udemy Review: Pricing
Udemy’s unique – and somewhat complicated – pricing is based on a revenue sharing model. In other words, your profit margins are determined by how students find your course:
- Instructor Promotion Sales. When students purchase your course via your referral link or coupon code, you get to keep 97% of your revenue.
- Non-Instructor Promotion Sales. Udemy’s updated revenue sharing models provides instructors with 37% of all revenue for Udemy sales “where no instructor coupon or course referral link was used.” This applies to sales made when users browse the marketplace or click on an advertisement.
Note: When you make sales through the iOS or Android apps or other third-party platforms, additional fees may be assessed.
Source: Udemy
Udemy Review: Frequently Asked Questions
Due to Udemy’s unique nature, you may still have some questions. Fortunately, we’re here to answer them!
Who Can Teach on Udemy?
As long as you don’t teach a restricted topic, anyone can put a free course on Udemy. If you’re interested in making a profit on your knowledge, you’ll need to apply to become a premium instructor. (But don’t worry – that process is free!)
How Much Can You Make on Udemy?
Your profit potential on Udemy is subject to factors like your niche, how you market your courses, and the effort you put in. Some instructors rake in thousands of dollars per month, while others pull in a few hundred dollars at most.
That said, Udemy’s price cap and marketing tactics can limit your earning potential significantly. At the same time, it evens the playing field for instructors who produce informative, in-demand content.
What Topics Can You Teach on Udemy?
Udemy maintains a list of restricted topics, including:
- Certain aspects of suggestive or explicit topics
- Illegal or unethical activities
- Weapons instruction
- Topics related to violence or cruelty
- Misinformed or misleading content
- Content geared specifically toward young people
Does Udemy Own My Online Courses?
Nope! Udemy hosts and markets your courses – but you own the intellectual property. That means all the credit and rights are yours to keep (even if you do have to share your profits).
Udemy Alternatives
Udemy fits a unique niche in the e-learning space – but it’s not for everybody. And if you’re on the market for a Udemy alternative, look no further.
Source: Thinkific
Thinkific
Thinkific is a learning management system that serves the edupreneur and small business community. With their simple-yet-comprehensive course builder tools, you can design your educational career from the ground-up with a variety of templates, optional coding, and plenty of branding opportunities.
Plus, you’ll gain access to tons of integrations, a dozen media inserts and uploads, and community and group discussions. And if you need instant access to your money or even your own URL, Thinkific provides that, too!
Source: Kajabi
Kajabi
Those who need a full-service online learning platform may look toward Kajabi as their one-stop shop for marketing and customization tools. For instance, you can enjoy:
- Built-in analytics
- Personalized marketing tools
- Payment platform integrations
- Dynamic templates with a drag-and-drop editor
And let’s not forget Kajabi’s live event hosting – a handy tool in the post-pandemic learn-from-home era.
Source: Teachable
Teachable
Teachable is another online learning platform that contains some notable differences. For instance, Teachable focuses more on independent marketing, whereas Udemy is all about their affiliate and advertising partners.
Moreover, while Teachable’s customizations are limited compared to, say, Thinkific’s, they still provide:
- A comprehensive drag-and-drop editor
- Built-in data analytics
- Affiliate marketing
- 130+ currency support
Not to mention, Teachable’s paid plans come with no transaction fees and native Stripe or PayPal payment processing.
Source: Udemy
Udemy Review: Is This Online Course Platform Worth It?
Udemy is a great place for beginning course instructors to learn the ropes in a low-risk, quality-checked environment. If you’re in the market for a source of passive income, their global marketplace isn’t a bad place to put your name out there.
That said, Udemy does cramp your style and cap your earning potential per course. Plus, entrepreneurs who use Udemy’s advertiser and affiliate marketing will find their revenue share dwindle rapidly. As a rule, the more you rely on their network, the less you earn. But the more you self-promote, the more work you have to put in.
And when you’re ready to jump ship for an online learning platform that provides more creator control, there are plenty of alternatives waiting for you.