Should You Use Udemy to Create and Sell Online Courses?

In recent years, the popularity of online learning has soared, creating new opportunities for course creators and educators to share their expertise with a global audience. Among the platforms offering such services, Udemy has emerged as a prominent choice for hosting and marketing online courses. However, while Udemy has its merits, it’s essential to consider the pros, cons, and available alternatives before deciding whether it’s the right fit for your e-learning business. In this article, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of using Udemy and explore alternative methods to help you make an informed decision to the question: Should you use Udemy to create and sell online courses?

Pros of Using Udemy

1. Access to a Vast User Base: Udemy boasts millions of users actively seeking educational content, which can provide significant exposure for your course.
2. Minimal Technical Hassles: Udemy handles course hosting, payment processing, and technical support, saving you the trouble of setting up and maintaining your own platform.
3. Marketing and Brand Exposure: Leveraging Udemy’s marketing efforts and brand recognition can help attract students who may not have discovered your courses independently.
4. Global Marketplace: With Udemy’s international presence, your courses can reach learners from all corners of the world, increasing potential earnings.
5. Ready-to-Use Tools: Udemy provides instructors with course creation tools and templates, streamlining the content development process.

Cons of Using Udemy

1. Limited Control Over Pricing: Udemy’s pricing structure might not always align with your desired revenue model, as they often offer deep discounts on courses.
2. Revenue Share Model: Udemy takes a substantial commission on course sales, leaving instructors with a smaller share of the earnings.
3. Lack of Student Ownership: As an instructor, you do not have direct access to student email addresses or other personal information, limiting your ability to engage with them beyond the platform.
4. Course Content Ownership: Once uploaded to Udemy, the platform retains certain rights to your course content, potentially limiting your flexibility to use it elsewhere.
5. High Competition: The sheer number of courses on Udemy can result in fierce competition, making it challenging to stand out from the crowd.
6. Pricing Policy Changes: Udemy’s frequent changes to its pricing policies can impact your earnings and long-term revenue projections.

Best Alternative to Udemy

Self-Hosted WordPress with LMS Plugin: Utilizing a learning management system (LMS) plugin like WP Courseware on your self-hosted WordPress website offers more control over your content, pricing, and revenue. You also own your content and you don’t have to worry about being banned, shutdown, or canceled. Since WordPress is so flexible, you can always change to a different hosting solution and take all your content with you.

While Udemy offers a vast user base and convenient course hosting, it comes with trade-offs in terms of revenue share, control over pricing, ownership of content and ownership of student data.

Should you use Udemy to create and sell online courses?

Consider your specific business goals and preferences before making a decision. Self-hosting your courses using a WordPress LMS plugin like WP Courseware grants more control, flexibility, marketing opportunites, branding opportunities, and long-term sustainability for your e-learning business. Weigh the pros and cons, evaluate your marketing strategies, and choose the platform that aligns best with your vision for online course creation and sales.