LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com)

Again, this corporate form is trying to force me to choose from products with slightly different names while not offering common options.

Udemy seems similar in many respects, but my recollection is that their subscription model was less appealing. I didn't find they offered much that Lynda.com didn't. Sitting through online instruction is time-consuming, and I didn't want to subscribe to an additional service. I may reconsider now, however, since LinkedIn's take-over. They seem to be most similar to Lynda.com. Others are really offering alternatives to university enrollment-based degree pursuing classes.

Coursera is more of a long-term instructional system. Many of their instructors are academic "celebrities" in their fields, however you only interact with a video of them, a TA, and other classmates. The project feedback from other classmates wasn't helpful, and in some cases was out-right insulting. They seem to be moving away from some of their free courses to suites of paid courses with project certificates, though often with a free non-certificate option as well. Many of the class videos can also be found on YouTube. A big drawback of most of these classes is that they're offered only at certain times, so you may have to wait months for a class to start. The Introduction to Human Computer Interaction class I took with a Stanford/UCSD professor had 4000 students in it! Those lessons had all been on the instructors faculty page as well, and are still available on YouTube, but the class projects were what made it worthwhile.

Kadenze if offering a selection of arts-related software and business courses. They have some of the top names in these fields. The class model is nearly identical to Coursera, and suffers some of the same drawbacks.

These shortcomings aren't so much due to the company offering the courses, however; many universities are now offering their classes using the same software that they both use. A friend was extremely upset after moving across the country for a graduate program, only to discover the entire class was being delivered online (before the pandemic) in pretty much the same fashion as Coursera, though with a much smaller class-size.

YouTube offers a huge variety of software training videos, but there's no vetting system, and the quality varies from exceptional to unwatchable. It's often great for tracking down an answer to software dysfunctionality though. I just watched Lynda.com's SketchUp Essentials, and had some un-explained questions that I found answers to immediately on YouTube - not on the software manufacturer's site, however!

MIT has a vast treasure trove of it's classes and syllabi available for free online. These don't include videos of the instructor lectures, however.

Community College certificate programs and classes have been a better option for me, when I just wanted to learn an application.

I have looked at Google's training courses along with other free online vendors/in-person course and no one comes close to LinkedIn Learning. They make it easy, fun, and retainable.

LinkedIn Learning wasn't our first choice; what it came down to for the organization was the cost for the value of the product. The other services provided better training, better metrics, and better reporting. LinkedIn Learning (or Lynda.com) provided the most affordable option that still (barely) accomplished the objective for our organization.

We didn't get too deep into the comparison outside of a surface review of the other options. LinkedIn Learning reps were responsive and quick to put something together to meet our needs. Moreover, initial cost fit within our budget and the integration between LinkedIn and LinkedIn Learning made it easy for our staff to get onboard. In future years, we will look to explore the above options more fully to see if they might offer more industry-specific training and development, but that seems less of a focus for something outside of the insurance industry and focused on a more widespread user base.

The quality of Udemy courses ranges from meh to blah to OK.LinkedIn Learning has better quality, the content seems more vetted, and the platform is better.

HubSpot Academy offers more specific video training on a variety of marketing and sales topics, which is also good, but LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com) offers a much broader variety of videos that accommodate needs in different areas of business from more technological to sales to leadership and management to marketing, accounting, and more.

We used an internal training solution prior to the switch, and LinkedIn Learning was leaps and bounds better than that system. I cannot speak to why it was selected, as I was not involved in the selection process.

I haven't evaluated any other learning platforms but I have really enjoyed my subscription to LinkedIN Learning/Lynda. It's allowed me to figure out how to do things on my own when I needed to. I love that it's there and I don't have to wait until a training or conference to learn more about a software or service because I just log into LinkedIn Learning and it's right there!

I preferred Lynda.com because it provided me with better choice of classes I am interested in. I also like the interface better and the overall experience, from quality of material presented to the complexity of exercises. Also, Lynda.com is integrated with LinkedIn and I feel that adding my Lynda.com achievements to my profile improves my appearance.

Udemy for Business is a crapshoot. The consistency is non-existent. Some courses go incredibly deep, while other courses don't go deep enough. Even when we got a few free months of access to Udemy - I still couldn't find why I would use Udemy over LinkedIn Learning.

Pluralsight is superior to LinkedIn Learning in programming/coding. They have a better library of content and more tests. What Pluralsight lacks is for non-developer skillsets. Buy Pluralsight for your devs.

Coursera is not at all an option for the business environment. It follows the college model of delivering content slowly and without reason. Its focus is more on high-level possibilities, not real-world things you want to solve.

With Udemy you pay per course whereas with Lynda you pay a monthly fee for unlimited courses. For people looking for a long term learning tool, Lynda is the better choice as you get more value for your money.

Coursea offers more credible certifications, while Udemy offers individual courses that don't require a monthly subscription. Ultimately, all 3 platforms provide quality content and a wide range of courses. However, some may specialize in different areas than others. My ultimate decision though would come down to pricing models. If you want unlimited access to several courses, then LinkedIn Learning is a great option. However, if you're just wanting to take a single course, then Udemy or Coursera may be better.

Lynda.com and Coursera and so similar. I believe Coursera has more statistical programming courses than Lynda.com

Lynda has a better user interface for operation and again can be used in a group setting which Coursera is not ideal for.

O'reilly Safari - it's a good tool, but more focused on reading; sorry, I just don't enjoy that! It's also not as polished in the areas of interface and navigation.

While ease of use is better with Udemy or Coursera, nothing compares to lynda.com's catalog and pricing model (other than Khan Academy re: the latter).

ITPRO has the labs and exams included in its courses but is not well broken down into short video segments.

FEDVTE can get dated on courses at times...

Our organization has used different webinars, including ones on LinkedIn, to provide similar insight. But it's a totally different ballgame. Lynda.com offers in-depth tutorials rather than just a 2-hour video broadcast. With lynda.com there are more information and experts, as well as so many different courses fit for every need/want. There is also a lot more flexibility with lynda. You can take it on the go, watch on mobile and at anytime, rather than being tied to a certain time slot.

lynda.com chooses knowledgeable instructors, who still have personality. The curriculum is is well organized, with usable download examples. However, lynda.com has not expanded in to all IT areas.

We have both lynda.com and Plural sight at my job. I like lynda.com when I am searching for a specific tool as it contains videos that hone in on teaching the attributes of a specific tool. Pluralsight's videos generally are longer and are more project based. But both sites are excellent resources. I can't really say which is better than the other.

If I were the decision-maker, I don't know if I would have chosen lynda.com. In grad school, we were required to subscribe to Treehouse for a course in web development. Treehouse has the superior platform in that it includes mandatory skill checks. Instead of simply watching a video, you have to demonstrate a skill. Treehouse has a superior system of grouping content that awards badges for completing similarly grouped training modules (javascript required completion of "Programming Languages", for example, which is also an introductory course in more advanced programs. Lynda.com's library is huge, but it is difficult to see how individual programs work together with others.

Lynda.com is more comprehensive and professional [than alternatives].

Lynda.com is sort of a glorified way to locate and manage worthwhile content, with the content itself being verified and administered. Though it comes with a premium, there are distinct advantages to Lynda.com for learning content. Convenience comes at a premium: such is life. People shop at convenience stores despite higher prices because, yes, it is convenient. Same logic applies to online learning content, especially for higher quality.