How to Use Udemy to Buy and Take Affordable Online Courses

Udemy is one of the largest online course marketplaces in the world, with over 200,000 courses covering almost every skill imaginable — from programming and data analysis to yoga, guitar playing, cooking, photography, drawing, and personal finance.

Unlike subscription services, Udemy uses a pay-per-course model. You browse the catalog, find a course you want, buy it, and own it forever. There is no subscription to maintain. Course prices often look high at first glance — many are listed at $99 to $200 — but Udemy runs frequent sales where the same courses sell for $10 to $20. It is worth waiting for a sale before purchasing at full price.

Each course is created by an independent instructor. That means quality varies — some courses are excellent, others are mediocre. Before buying, read the student reviews carefully (there are often thousands), check when the course was last updated, and watch the free preview lessons Udemy provides for every course.

Udemy courses are self-paced with no deadlines. Once you buy a course, you have lifetime access and can return to it at any time — even years later. Courses include video lessons, downloadable resources, quizzes, and in some cases coding exercises or project assignments.

A certificate of completion is provided when you finish a course. While these are not the same as formal academic credentials, they can be a useful addition to a resume or LinkedIn profile for certain fields.

Udemy is available on iPhone, Android, and in any web browser. The mobile app allows offline downloading of course videos so you can watch without an internet connection.