These days a lot of educational service providers have been launched online which offer plenty of courses in skill development, technology, IT, business, leadership, etc. If you wish to hone your skills or develop in some areas which are needed for your work, or just opt for personal development, these platforms have it all.
When you have numerous choices in terms of online service providers for courses, selecting any one platform becomes a tough choice. So, how can you select the platform? There are various factors which can be considered which will help you make the choice. In case you look for IT skills, you can look out for the platform offering courses in IT.
Some platforms offer a lot of discounts, many offers, free trial periods, certifications, degrees, etc. You must consider your budget, the requirements related to skills and certifications, your schedules, whether the course is required to move ahead in your career, or is just for personal development, etc.
This review will discuss two platforms that offer online learning courses and these are amongst the popular platforms - Lynda and Pluralsight. Read the article to understand more about the Lynda Vs Pluralsight and to know the platform that suits your requirements.
Lynda is a popular online learning platform in this industry. Lynda is a platform having a huge base of users and this includes people from various organizations spread all over the globe. Lynda has plenty of classes to offer, wherein you can learn certain skills like web designing, web development, software, etc., and it has some topics that hit your creative spot like photography.
Lynda is a platform that was created to help people achieve their professional and personal goals. Lynda has been in this industry for 2 decades and currently, more than 10000 firms have benefited from Lynda's online training system. One can even access the tutorials in different languages like English, German, French, Japanese, as well as Spanish.
Pluralsight is a platform that has been offering courses online since 2004! It mostly offers IT-related courses. Pluralsight offers many programs related to adaptive skill management along with many advanced learning tools. In case you are determined to develop your skills and master programming, this is an ideal platform for you. Pluralsight offers its users support 24×7 to resolve any queries. This platform is a great choice for professionals in the field of IT, construction, architecture, cybersecurity, business, information, etc.
Lynda is renowned for its courses related to marketing, web designing, sales, mobile app development, creative writing, business development, photography, or professional development. This platform has 500+ different courses. Though the majority of the courses are taught in just English, you can choose from the languages offered German, Spanish, Japanese, French in addition to English. The courses offered have very short videos that last for seconds or minutes, so these courses are not very intense or lengthy. You could also get a completion certificate when you complete some of the courses.
Pluralsight has more than 5000 different courses on Technology as well as Programming. Whether you wish to learn IT languages like Java, C, C++, Ruby, C#, JavaScript, and many more languages, or you wish to learn frameworks like Vuejs, React, etc., or even various tools like Maven, Docker, Gradle, etc., this platform is the best for it. Pluralsight is quite organized and even offers you the Skill path, where you get related skills in a group. For example, if you wish to follow the skill path for Web development you will also have JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Angular, React, and different technologies and tools used by developers. Furthermore, the Skill Path for Java has courses that have been bifurcated into levels - Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. These learning paths are very useful to students.
Lynda is an attractive e-learning platform and when you visit the site, it gives you a professional feel. Many people who have opted for this particular platform to take their courses are unhappy when it comes to the content and its quality. There have been claims on the courses being old and irrelevant topics being taught. This is mostly found in IT courses and these days technology changes every single day and there is a need to be updated on it regularly, especially for those in this industry.
It can be tough for a platform to stay abreast, however, these platforms cannot find ex. It becomes quite difficult to match these changes and the websites cannot have excuses not to stay updated, as they charge a lot for the courses and they are expected to offer the latest courses. Another issue that has been put forward is that the platform has courses where basic topics are being dragged for a good 15 minutes when it is totally not required. This becomes quite boring and frustrates the learner. Overall, the students love this platform and its courses.
Pluralsight is a platform that concentrates only on professional learning. Hence, you will observe that the Instructors have knowledge and authority on what area they cover. The platform has many instructors in Java conducting courses related to Java-like Jose Paumards' course on Java Multithreading or Richard Warburton's course on the Java Collection. The quality of instructors and their content is pretty good on this platform.
One issue brought forward is that there are many old courses on Pluralsight. For instance, classes dating to the years 2012 are not relevant now, however, you can still find them on this platform. It isrecommended that you avoid going to such courses. The platform also gives the learner certificates once they successfully complete their course.
One main feature in Lynda is its Learning paths. It is quite similar to Pluralsight's skill paths. So, in a learning path, you have a lot of sub courses under the main course. The main course is called "umbrella". Take the example of software courses. If you are interested in software development, you can move to the learning path that concentrates on this skill. And once you find it, you will have a lot of courses being taught by different instructors. Each instructor will be covering a different aspect.
Some courses form a part of the learning path, whereas some are just put together. However, when you opt for a learning path, you will need to dedicate time to complete it. Learning path courses are tougher than your normal courses. There are many learning paths and the one which matches your requirement must be selected. Also, the best part is that you can access the course in an offline mode too.
From the features offered by Pluralsight, it is very evident that this platform is quite unique. Its features are unique as well as fun which helps to ensure the student's interest is intact and it also attracts new students simultaneously.
Firstly, It has "Role IQ" as well as "Skill IQ" which are assessments done which help you understand the skills and knowledge you currently possess regarding a particular topic and the areas where improvement is required to be proficient. However, these are not tests and your answers must be honest as it gives you an insight about yourself and helps you understand what you need to focus on.
Another unique feature is known as Iris which is a kind of technology that keeps a track of the progress of the learner on this platform, evaluates the progress, and creates a development path that is based on your results. It is similar to an AI mentor online. This feature is pretty unique and you will find it only on Pluralsight. This feature has been used in Skill and Role IQ tests. Complex algorithms are used to create questions for the test.
Furthermore, there is another feature called "Paths" which are collections of courses. These are targeted at those learners who want to take a lot of courses and not just one course. Once a "path" is chosen, you get the opportunity to take a lot of courses and learn almost everything, right from beginner to advanced topics.
Lastly, the paths have been created in a manner to prepare you for certain certifications. This is available for individual learners as well as companies. This site really offers a lot of unique features that will help students and all those who have opted for these courses are quite content with the experience they have had.
Lynda's landing page gives you a preview of some of its courses and subjects. They also have the details on their promotional offer put up on the landing page, so you could check it out too. On moving downwards, you will find sections on the top courses, the learning paths, the list of partners, the reviews, etc. This is basic data that is offered by almost every platform online.
However, these sections have been presented really well on Lynda. Also, the theme is quite professional. Every single section here is simple and attractive. It is not like the generic websites. Learners can browse through the courses, subjects, etc, and once they register themselves on the platform, they can get the details on the course and materials. Once they select any course, the page will offer a detailed description of the course, the instructor details, the lectures, notes, etc.
Pluralsight's main page has a color-based design which is dark and greets you with all that you could learn on this platform. The page, though looks quite generic, the overall design gives you a feeling of having visited the website of a company. Similar to various other online learning platforms, Pluralsight has a search bar that can be used to punch in the keywords and find the desired course, or there are dropdowns which could be checked.
The list of courses is categorized - software development, creative professional, business professional, etc. When you select any category, you will be presented with a list of courses available. The list is well organized and gives all the necessary information. The pages of the courses are professional and appealing. The information of the courses have been structured really well, have been well categorized, and are simple to understand. Navigation on this platform is quite easy and simple.
There is a promotional offer wherein you can try out the platform for a month without paying any money. Once you complete this trial period of one month, you can opt for any plan as required. The monthly subscription of Lynda comes at a cost of $19.99/month. Lynda's premier subscription is priced at $29.99 a month. You can select any plan depending on the requirements of learning. However, make sure that you cancel the subscription on completion of the trial period, else the plan gets renewed automatically and you will be charged for it. The platform can also be used by organizations that wish to get their employees trained in a specific skill. There are plans even for organizations or businesses.
Pluralsight comes with a membership. In case you are interested in the courses offered on Pluralsight, then you have to buy yourself a subscription or membership. It offers a monthly and annual subscription. the monthly subscription is priced at $29 for a month and the annual subscription is priced at $299 for the year. The premium membership of this platform comes at a price tag of $499 for a year and you get access to different interactive courses, projects, assessments, quizzes, etc. Once you complete any course, you will also receive a completion certificate. In case you buy the annual membership for $499, you will be accessing more than 5000 courses in a year.
Once the subscription ends, you have to renew it to access all the courses. Flash sales are also conducted by PluralSight where you can get about 33% off on its subscription fees; so, you could get the annual PluralSight Personal plan for only $199 and you can get PluralSight Premium Plan for only $299 a year.
Is Lynda a platform that you can really invest your time and money on? Is the membership worth it? If the learner reviews are to be considered, a few have found this site to be useful and helpful and they have enjoyed the experience with Lynda. Many are quite happy about the affordable pricing on the courses. However, a few people had issues related to the course quality on Lynda.
Some people did complain about courses being old, outdated and topics taught being irrelevant, especially in the IT area. However, other than these minor issues, Lynda is a professional site that has some great courses to offer especially in skill development. If you work in the iT area or are keen to move into this field, then definitely check out the courses offered by Lynda.
Pluralsight' s learning experiences are quite similar to other websites. The site has a very positive aura surrounding it. The courses offered on this platform are very professional and a lot of additional features are offered by the platform. When these are summed up, the fee doesn't appear to be quite expensive. The features, the quality of courses, the instructor quality, etc., all put together make it worthwhile to invest in courses on this platform. Navigation on this site is simple and easy.
There are plenty of courses on IT, software, Software development, and the like and the quality of content is amazing. Also, the videos are cross-checked prior to getting uploaded and the site has a dedicated team that takes care of this. Also, you can get completion certificates when you successfully finish the course. Though the site has a monthly fee, once you check out the site, its courses, etc., you will feel that it is worth every penny invested.
Customer Reviews
Pluralsight Customer Reviews
- Lynda has good courses of top quality
- You can check out the videos on Lynda at a 2x speed
- The video tutorials come with some good commentaries
- Lynda offers a practical approach and this motivates the learner get involved in projects
- The user can obtain transcripts of the course videos
- The user can connect through LinkedIn with other members, for advice
- You can also get details about those who are checking your profile
- You can take up courses in 4 more languages other than English
- The courses have been created by experts in the subject
- The platform offers completion certificates which can also be uploaded on your LinkedIn Profile
- There are plans even for organizations who wish to train their employees in specific skills
- The organization can also keep track of the progress of their employees on their course
- The courses don't have many tests, quizzes or assignments
- The mobile applications aren't that great
- It offers programming courses for intermediate or advanced levels
- It offers Learning paths to students
- It has applications for iPhone and android
- The quality of courses is very high as they have a dedicated team to check the videos before they are uploaded
- The user can have a check on their skills
- There are more than 5000 courses offered by Pluralsight'
- You can also add Notes to the course
- The site ensures that the course materials are updated regularly
- There is no need to pay for each and every course
- The site also offers Pre as well as post-course assessments
- You can get a completion certificate when you finish the course successfully
- You can also share your interests as well as progress
- You have to pay a monthly fee or an annual fee
- Skills in coding cannot be tested online.
Both Lynda and PluralSight are platforms that offer amazing courses in the development of skills and other areas. They are exceptional platforms and have many courses for professionals and beginners. You can select any platform in case you wish to begin a course online. Both platforms have some great courses in IT, programming, software, etc. Lynda has a free trial month, so you can check it out.
Pluralsight can be a bit more expensive than Lynda, however, once you pay the membership fee, you can access all the courses that are available on the site. Finally, you must select the platform, based on what you intend to learn, what your budget is and whether you wish to opt for learning paths or skill paths, etc. Based on all these factors, you can easily go for Lynda Vs Pluralsight and begin your online courses.
