Udacity Review: Worth the High Price Tag?

Who hasn’t taught about becoming a force to be reckoned with in the tech industry after watching RDJ’s portrayal of Iron Man?

However, only a few like you have taken the necessary steps and browsed for suitable learning platforms. I appreciate that. And lets get into it.

Is Udacity a good learning platform that can help achieve your dream?

Is it reputable? Do its certificates have value? Is it too expensive? What benefits does it provide to convince you that it is the best choice? All these and the one thousand and one (yes, I stole the phrase from the story title One Thousand and One Nights) more questions will be answered in this review.

We will also take a look at the alternatives available if you find that Udacity may not be the right choice. One thing we have to be grateful for, in this increasingly digitalized world, is the availability of numerous platforms to develop ourselves personally and professionally.

Quick Overview: Udacity Review

Criteria	Our Rating
Course Quality	4.6/5
Instructors	4.5/5
Support	4.4/5
Value for Money	4/5
Ease of Use	4.5/5
Overall Rating	4.4/5

Is Udacity Legit?

Udacity is a reliable and legitimate platform with high-quality courses, industry-relevant curricula, and partnerships with top companies like Google, Amazon, and IBM.

The certifications are valuable even though they aren’t accredited.

So, there isn’t anything to worry about this platform’s credibility; start your learning journey with its support.

Pros and Cons

Perfection doesn’t exist, but we can find something near perfection if we look long enough. Is Udacity one such platform? Analyze the pros and cons to see how well it meets your expectations and the answer will present itself.

Variety of Courses

With 80+ Nanodegress, 350+ courses, and 2,500+ skills, Udacity has proven it has a variety of courses to cater to your needs.

Its tag ‘Bootcamp level quality, on your own time, at a fraction of the cost’ expresses what it has to offer quite well. 

AI, data science, business & leadership, cybersecurity, cloud computing, product management, programming, and autonomous systems are Udacity’s broad categories.

The courses can be filtered by level (beginner, intermediate, and advanced). Great, so it’s suitable for all levels.

But what is unique about that? Nothing.

However, it also offers fluency and discovery courses, which sets it apart from similar online learning platforms generally referred to as Udacity competitors.

Discovery courses are for complete newbies who have no idea what technical jargon is like. They are meant to ease learners with non-technical backgrounds into the tech field (transitions can be challenging).

Fluency courses have slightly more depth and facilitate learners’ collaboration with technical personnel.

Awesome, who said only those wanting a tech career should learn those skills? I am happy as long as I don’t gape like a fish out of water when techies start talking. Sounds like these courses are a great fit for me. What about you?

Free Resources

Udacity has 150+ free courses to explore (cue the monologue: Space the final frontier). And, their quality is just as good as the paid ones.

However, they are more of an introductory course and lack depth. The platform has informative blogs to satiate your curiosity if you have the time to read them.

The Udacity Resource Center is awesome, too. You can access case studies, ebooks, infographics, reports, and webinars without paying a dime. They act as great supplementary resources for the courses. They also help stay in touch with current industry trends.

Content Quality

The content is industry-relevant and generally passes intense scrutiny due to regular updates.

Occasionally, a few courses garner the ire of learners with content that doesn’t meet their expectations.

The hands-on projects designed to help you learn to apply what you learn in the real world are a key strength of Udacity. These projects along with a mix of videos, quizzes, and coding editors make Udacity courses more engaging. 

The instructors are top-notch, as they are either subject matter experts or industry professionals who know their stuff. Their teaching style is also commendable.

Not just me, a lot of people have expressed their delight with the mentoring approach of their Udacity instructor and the genuine feedback they provide. Paired with a relatively flexible learning schedule, these courses sound amazing, right?

Device Compatibility and User Interface

Udacity’s web version is accessible using Windows, Mac, and Linux. Since it has a responsive design, you won’t face any major problems while accessing the courses via mobile.

However, features such as the integrated coding environment and detailed project and code reviews are better accessible through laptops/computers. Udacity no longer has an app version for Androids and iOS.

The user interface is neat, clean, and navigable. The dashboard is aesthetically pleasing and the search filters are excellent. The videos don’t lag and the coding editor is functional. Briefly put, I can’t find fault with the site’s UI (but it isn’t my favorite). 

Is Udacity Subscription Worth it?

It’s common to see people gape at the Udacity pricing plans. The monthly plan costs $249, whereas the four-month plan costs $846. Both plans offer the same benefits. However, the 4-month plan is more cost-effective.

Fortunately, the Black Friday sale is happening right now, and you can subscribe at a discounted rate (55% off!).

Subscribing grants you access to all courses and Nanodegrees on Udacity. You can access all the real-world projects, get personalized feedback on said projects, and walk away with a Udacity-verified certificate at the course’s end. 

Udacity allows you to pause (temporarily suspend instead of canceling) your subscription for one to three months to avoid being billed during that time. You cannot access the course content while your plan is paused.  Quite a handy option, right?

The Single Nanodegree option is limited to select programs, and the price varies depending on the program. You can purchase multiple single nanodegree programs; however, an all-access subscription is more cost-effective. Learn more about Single Nanodegrees here.

Udacity provides a 7-day free trial; however, it is available only for users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the UK. A $10 pre-authorization hold is placed on your account, which is automatically dropped within a few days. However, if you don’t cancel the trial before it ends, you will be charged the cost of the monthly subscription plan.

The Udacity subscription plans are well worth the price as the courses help advance your career. Udacity boasts of 80% positive outcome which is great. So, subscribe today to enjoy higher pay or a successful career transition tomorrow.

If you’re looking for any discount for Udacity subscription, check for active Udacity coupon code here.

Refund Criteria

You can get a full refund within 7 days of subscribing for the first time. No refund will be provided after that or for subsequent renewals.

However, you can cancel the subscription anytime.

You aren’t eligible for a refund if you forget to cancel your free trial and get charged.

Learning Community

The Udacity community is a place for asking questions, seeking guidance, and sharing experiences. The catch? You have to be enrolled in a Nanodegree program or graduated from it.

Alumni can stay in touch or network using this space, whereas current learners use it to support each other throughout the learning journey.

Customer Support

Udacity has well-compiled help center articles to sort out the common problems users face. Seb, the chatbot, is normally helpful but doesn’t know what to do with extremely specific questions.

For example, I asked it about the process of unenrolling from the Kotlin Bootcamp, and it directed me to unhelpful articles. It could have simply replied that it isn’t possible to unenroll from specific courses on Udacity.

You can delete your account and create one again after 7 days or simply not attend the course you enrolled in if you don’t want it. Remember, deleting the account is not the same as canceling your subscription. You will be charged as long as the subscription is active even if your account is deleted. So, remember to cancel it!

The Udacity support agents are generally prompt and responsive. However, some have reported that the responses are slow at times.

You can reach them using the Udacity contact email – support@udacity.com – to sort out any issues you encounter.

Career Assistance

Udacity offers several career resources that help you optimize your resume, prepare for career-specific interviews, strengthen job profiles, etc. They are pretty useful. So, check them out to learn to communicate why and how you are a suitable candidate for your dream job.

Udacity Reviews from Other Users

Users appreciate the platform’s high-quality content, career resources, supportive instructors and community, real-world projects, and self-paced learning schedules. However, they wish the prices were lower, the content quality more consistent, and the lessons more bite-sized. Overall, Udacity is an excellent choice if you don’t mind spending some big bucks. 

Alternatives

Coursera

The Udacity Vs Coursera debate was bound to come up, as a significant portion of Coursera’s course collection relates to technical skills. I would say Coursera is bigger, badder, and better than Udacity with its vast, impressive course collection and accredited certifications (something Udacity doesn’t provide).

Udemy

In the Udemy Vs Udacity discussion, I favor the former for its affordability. You get lifetime access to the courses you buy, and they usually cost a fraction of what you must pay for course access on other platforms. You can always get a refund if you don’t like the purchased course within the month subject to certain conditions.

Codecademy

Codecademy is a marvelous platform for learning to program. The in-built coding editors ensure you learn by doing and see the results immediately. Udacity has an in-built coding environment, too. But it loses its edge in the Codecademy Vs Udacity debate because some Udacity Nanodegrees require additional software installation to learn.

edX

edX allows you to audit its courses, and the content is designed in collaboration with top universities such as Harvard, Berkeley, and MIT. In the edX vs Udacity battle, edX is triumphant because its certificates are more valuable than Udacity’s. They are globally recognized and trusted by employers.

Final Verdict: Is Udacity Worth It?

Udacity is one of the best online learning platforms for honing technical skills. It even has a few unique courses and programs such as Intro To Self-Driving Cars. The courses do help achieve professional development. So, yes, it is worth it. However, if you want something more affordable, choose one of the alternatives mentioned above. 

FAQ’s about Udacity

1. Can Udacity get you a job?

Though it can equip you with the necessary skills and help you prepare as best as you can for interviews, Udacity can’t guarantee you a job. After all, landing a job depends on several other factors, not skill alone (though we wish it was).

2. Can you audit Udacity courses?

This option seems to have been available in the past; however, you can no longer audit Udacity courses.

3. Are Udacity Certificates recognized?

Potential employers recognize the value of a Udacity certificate, but the certificates aren’t accredited.

4. Does Udacity offer financial aid?

Udacity doesn’t offer any financial aid directly. You can view the available third-party Udacity scholarships here. You can sign up for their mailing list to know about future scholarships.

5. Are Udacity Nanodegrees free?

No, a Udacity Nanodegree is not free. However, the site does offer free courses for all skill levels.

6. Are Udacity Courses accredited?

No, Udacity courses are not accredited. However, they are well-structured and have great content quality.

7. Do we get a certificate for Udacity’s free courses?

No, the Udacity free courses are for enriching your knowledge. You don’t get a certificate for completing them.

8. Is Udacity better than Coursera?

Udacity’s unique selling point is its mentor support. They provide helpful project feedback that makes you ready to face real-world scenarios. Coursera is better at providing in-depth content, course variety, and degrees. So, is Udacity better than Coursera? The answer depends on what you value.