Udemy
Depends
Confidence: High
Buy it for cheap, self-paced learning on almost any topic . at discount prices, never list.
Comparison
Udemy vs LinkedIn
Udemy and LinkedIn both land on Depends.
Depends
Confidence: High
Anyone job hunting or building a career should use the free tier . it's the industry default.
| Compare | Udemy | |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Self-taught developers and hobbyists | Job seekers |
| Who it's not for | Anyone needing accredited or employer-recognized credentials | Budget buyers . Premium value is widely panned |
| Privacy | Alleged April 2026 breach (ShinyHunters claim, ~1.4M user records); no public security page found.⁵ | Mature security program (disclosure, trust center, encryption) but recurring breach and leak headlines from 2012 to 2026. |
| Support quality | BBB and complaint-site grievances documented | No usable support evidence in sources |
| Public sentiment | Sentiment is split: learners praise the cheap, broad catalog while critics cite uneven course quality, pricing tactics, and support friction.¹ | Sentiment is love-hate: users credit LinkedIn for landing jobs but pan Premium pricing and the feed.12 |
| Biggest gotcha | Inflated list prices with perpetual 'sales' . Udemy settled a $4M deceptive-pricing lawsuit.⁴ | Premium renews around $30/month; many reviewers say the value doesn't hold up.11 |
Pick Udemy when
- Self-taught developers and hobbyists
- Budget upskilling bought on sale
- Companies wanting an off-the-shelf course library
When Udemy is not a fit
- Anyone needing accredited or employer-recognized credentials
- Teams requiring compliance-grade training tracking
- Buyers who pay full list price
- Orgs with strict vendor security requirements
Pick LinkedIn when
- Job seekers
- Recruiters and B2B sales teams
- Personal branding and networking
- B2B marketers
When LinkedIn is not a fit
- Budget buyers . Premium value is widely panned
- Privacy-sensitive users given repeated leak headlines
- Anyone who wants networking without an engagement feed
- Teams treating it as a CRM . use a real CRM or spreadsheet
Sources
- Udemy Reviews | Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
review
review
news
- ShinyHunters Claims Udemy Breach of 1.4M Users | eSecurity Planetesecurityplanet.comsecurity
- Have I Been Pwned: Udemy Data Breachhaveibeenpwned.comsecurity
official
- Udemy - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgofficial
news
review
- LinkedIn Faces Growing Complaints From Recruiters Over Rising Prices . The Informationtheinformation.comnews
review
- Career Plans and Pricing | LinkedIn Premiumpremium.linkedin.comofficial