Last Updated on: May 15, 2023 by Jacob Keifer | Fact Checked
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This article is an attempt by me to compare Pluralsight vs Lynda, the two most sought-after online learning platforms.
Lynda is an American online education company which provides high-quality education using video tutorials. It covers several domains of study with courses by top instructors and experts.
Pluralsight is an online training providing platform that gives users access to comprehensive and cost-effective selection. It includes high-quality learning materials and training courses.
Features
Pros/Advantages
Top instructors and experienced professionals in the field
Economical and affordable for all
Helping hand in your job search
Lynda has a Mobile Application
Pluralsight provides you all the courses at once
Pluralsight provides unique features known as “Skills IQ”
You can become an instructor in if you have good knowledge
On Pluralsight the Courses are added daily to the platform
Cons
Does not have the feature of giving reviews and ratings to t
You don’t get access for a lifetime
Lynda doesn’t have many projects in their courses
Pluralsight is focused on the IT sector and tech skills
Some courses are outdated and have not been removed
he level of the courses is advanced.
Ease of Use
While I haven't used a wide range of online training, Lynda is the most user-friendly in my experience.
The design is stylish, and the site is simple to navigate. Pluralsight is an online learning community that provides courses on technology topics such as software, IT, and business.
Value For Money
Lynda is an excellent choice for anyone looking for on-demand access to a diverse catalog of courses for a low monthly fee.
PluralSight, in a nutshell, is on the more expensive end of the spectrum, costing $35 per month.
Customer Support
LinkedIn (Lynda.com's parent company) announced in 2019 that the Lynda.com platform would be shutting down and that the Lynda content would be migrated to the LinkedIn Learning platform, a paid service offered by LinkedIn.
Please contact Pluralsight - They are delighted to hear from you. They can be reached by phone, email, or in person at any of their locations.
The problem is that there are a lot of online platforms out there and it can be hard to choose.
We believe that Pluralsight vs Lynda gives you the best chance to make the right decision for your team. You will have access to all the information you need, including the pros and cons of each platform.
It covers everything from pricing plans, features, courses offered by both companies, their course formats, etc., so no matter what kind of learner or professional you are – beginner or expert – this article has something for everyone!
Give it a read and I am sure you would emerge out clearer, to choose between Lynda and Pluralsight according to your requirements. Also, read this article to learn more about Pluralsight.
Here are the main difference between Pluralsight vs Lynda:
Pluralsight provides more sophisticated possibilities for programming and engineering, whereas Lynda provides courses in a variety of other areas as well, including educational and artistic training.
Pluralsight’s premium membership is required to access projects and examinations, but Lynda’s projects and activities are accessible through some of the company’s paid subscription tiers.
Pluralsight has some poor customer service ratings, but it does provide more advanced course routes than Lynda does. Lynda, on the other hand, has good customer service ratings but fewer in-depth courses.
Because of the epidemic, schools and places of employment have had to temporarily close their doors. As a result, there has been an increase in the demand for online learning, and online learning platforms such as Pluralsight and Lynda can flourish.
And it’s quite evident that learning platforms are making an effort to recruit new learners this April, as they are aware of the trend. Pluralsight just recently made public the availability of a free month trial, during which users will have access to an incredible 7,500 training courses.
In an effort not to be outdone, Lynda, which is also known as LinkedIn Learning, is now providing free professional development courses to students at North Carolina State University. Additionally, Lynda is providing a free mindfulness course to the general public to assist people in coping with the ongoing global crisis.
Overview of Lynda vs Pluralsight
Lynda
If you are a tech-savvy student, looking for brushing up on your skills, then you must have heard of Lynda.
An online learning platform Lynda, better known as LinkedIn Learning, has a wide range of courses in all domains.
Offering courses in Business, Technology, IT, Software, and several subjects, it is a very useful platform for people of all age groups.
For 20 years it is serving students, developers, IT professionals, businessmen, and project managers to achieve their personal and professional goals.
It has expanded over to become a global platform inculcating almost all domains of study and is accessible for all as an application as well.
Founded in 2004 by Aaron Skonnard, Keith Brown, Fritz Onion, and Bill Williams, Pluralsight was a classroom teaching company initially but later developed into an online learning platform.
This American online education company provides high-quality education using video tutorials. It covers several domains of study with courses by top instructors and experts.
A course subscription service caters to beginners as well as experts. With a certain amount of monthly fee, it opens its doors for you to a massive amount of information. Which can enrich your skills and help you attain personal and professional goals in all domains.
They are focused more on “ creating progress through technology”.
In this age of digital education where learning and earning have become more flexible, it presents a good opportunity to students, developers, and Businessmen alike. With flexible and self-paced learning courses it allows you to accommodate these courses in your schedule without much effort.
They are offering Courses in Software Development, Architecture and Construction, IT and Business, Creative Data, and Cyber Security. More than 6,000 courses are opened up with a monthly subscription and you can pick and choose as many as you like.
Lynda vs Pluralsight: Which Platform do I recommend?
Upon reviewing the websites of Pluralsight and Lynda, I observed some similarities in their interfaces, including their use of vivid colors, multiple tabs, and promotional advertisements. While both platforms appear to cater to a comparable audience, I also noticed distinct differences between them, aside from their initial overwhelming appeal.
Courses Offered: Lynda VS Pluralsight
Lynda Courses
The courses provided by Lynda that are particularly well-known include those that focus on marketing, web designing, sales, mobile app development, creative writing, business development, photography, and professional development.
This platform offers more than 500 distinct educational programs. In spite of the fact that the vast majority of classes are only provided in English, you have the option of studying in one of the following languages in addition to English: German, Spanish, Japanese, or French.
The films that are included in the courses only last for a few seconds to a few minutes, which means that the courses themselves are not extremely rigorous or lengthy. When you have finished enough of the courses, you will be eligible to get a completion certificate.
PluralSight
There are almost 5000 distinct courses on a wide variety of topics available on Pluralsight, including programming.
This platform is the best one to use if you want to learn any kind of information technology languages, such as Java, C, C++, Ruby, C#, or JavaScript, or if you want to learn any kind of framework, such as Vue.js or React, or even if you want to learn any kind of tool, such as Maven, Docker, Gradle, or any other kind of tool.
Pluralsight is very well organized and even provides you with an option called the Skill route, which allows you to obtain abilities that are related to one another in a group setting.
For instance, if you want to follow the talent path for Web development, you will also know JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, as well as Angular and React, along with a variety of other technologies and tools that developers utilize.
In addition, the courses that make up the Java Skill Path can be broken down into three distinct levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Students will find a lot of value in these different learning routes.
What Certificates do you get with Lynda vs Pluralsight?
Lynda
Lynda provides you with a shareable certificate that can be directly shared on your LinkedIn profile for your would-be employers. They are educational and valuable but not credited.
You can get these certificates by completing all videos for that particular course and it is automatically generated.
Pluralsight
Pluralsight offers you a certificate of completion which can be shared on your LinkedIn profile.
While the certificates are educational and valuable, they are not accredited and recognized by universities.
Yet the good news is that the company has had a good strong reputation for years and many large companies value the proof of Pluralsight courses.
Ease of Use Pluralsight vs Lynda
Lynda
Lynda is a very flexible, easy-to-use, and comfortable platform for students, professionals, and people from all backgrounds to learn to skill themselves.
It has fewer advertisements and you can learn with due comfort and minimum distractions.
It has an easy-to-navigate home page with a catchy tab in yellow asking you to begin your “free user trial”.
With a black and white beautiful and simple theme this MOOC is easy for a user to understand and comprehend.
Although the Home page is friendly the course page is a bit opposite as it gives a cold vibe to the user. The ‘to-the-point and short introductions make it a bit compact and formal.
The courses are also pretty good as far as I tried them, they are easy to understand and manage with time. The mobile application is also very aptly designed.
Altogether it’s fine and dandy with welcoming designs and a friendly warm feeling to welcome a learner.
Pluralsight
This e-learning platform which has stood its ground since 2004 is a growing phenomenon. And why is that?
All because of its Course Quality and its Support Quality.
On entering it you will get a feel that you have entered a professional web page.
Although the web pages are laggy and transitions are rigid, the segmentation of courses into lists eases the process of finding your course.
The lists are organized very neatly with a composite look and the course pages are very good. They are extremely professional and inviting to the learner.
Pricing: Lynda vs Pluralsight
The pricing of any platform, object, or service is a strong factor in determining its success or failure. It determines whether the users are going to (re)visit the site or not if the user base increases or decreases.
This is also generally one of the basic things a student like us looks for, what is the cost, is it worth it or not?
So now we shall determine which of the two is worth your money.
Lynda Pricing:
No.
Features
Basic
Premium
1
Monthly Pricing
$19.99
$29.99
2
Annual pricing
No
$3750
3
Custom Website
Yes
Yes
4
Courses
Yes
Yes
5
Personalized course recommendations
Yes
Yes
6
Project Files
Yes
Yes
7
Downloadable lectures access
Yes
Yes
8
LinkedIn’s Premium Career features
Yes
Yes
9
Extra Course Material
No
Yes
10
Added project Files
No
Yes
In my opinion, it is a very fairly priced plan which is economical for students.
Pluralsight Pricing
No.
Features
Monthly Plan
Annual Plan
Annual Premium Plan
1
Pricing
$19-$35
$159- $299
$239-$449
2
Entire Course Library
Yes
Yes
Yes
3
Learning Paths
Yes
Yes
Yes
4
Channels
Yes
Yes
Yes
5
Skill IQ
Yes
Yes
Yes
6
Role IQ
Yes
Yes
Yes
7
Course Completion Certificates
Yes
Yes
Yes
8
Course Learning Checks
Yes
Yes
Yes
9
Discussions
Yes
Yes
Yes
10
Exercise Files
Yes
Yes
Yes
11
Mobile and Tv Apps
Yes
Yes
Yes
12
Offline Viewing
Yes
Yes
Yes
13
Access to all Courses for a year
No
Yes
Yes
14
Practice Exams
No
No
Yes
15
Projects
No
No
Yes
16
Hands-on-experience
No
No
Yes
17
Interaction with experts
No
No
Yes
Verdict
From my personal experience as a student of both these platforms, I concluded that Lynda is an economic plan. It won’t burn a hole in your pocket and will quench your knowledge thirst as well.
Lynda offers the unique advantage of providing transparent information about the instructors of their courses. By providing instant access to their professional LinkedIn profiles, learners can gain insight into their experience and leadership roles in their respective industries.
On the other hand, while Pluralsight also identifies the instructors of their courses, the details provided are more limited. Learners can view a photo and brief bio, as well as other courses taught by the instructor. However, it may be necessary for learners to conduct additional research to determine the instructor’s qualifications, depending on the bio provided.
Pros And Cons
Lynda Pros
You get quality education from top instructors and experienced professionals in the field.
The convenience of studying and learning from your home is another level of comfort, which is conducive to learning.
The price is very economical and affordable for all. It has been kept such that it accommodates all and doesn’t weigh down on anyone’s pockets.
It provides you a helping hand in your job search. Your skills and credentials are added to your LinkedIn profile which is visible to many potential employers.
Lynda has a Mobile Application that allows you to learn while on the go and trust me it is super handy. So you should surely check it out!
Lynda Cons
Lynda does not have the feature of giving reviews and ratings to the courses, thus you can’t determine which course to choose based on its reviews. Instead, you have to follow your gut feeling.
You don’t get access for a lifetime. Once your course subscription is over then you can’t access the courses anymore.
Lynda doesn’t have many projects in their courses. Thus the majority of learning is limited to audio and video lectures only.
Pluralsight Pros
Pluralsight provides you with all the courses at once, you can pay and learn any course you want.
Pluralsight provides unique features known as “Skills IQ”, using this feature you can take a test to determine how well you have learned that subject.
You can access many exercise files. They are easily available for download in each course.
You can start a discussion forum with other learners to clear doubts and solve queries.
You can become an instructor in Pluralsight if you have good knowledge and are confident.
On Pluralsight the Courses are added daily to the platform. So you get good choices.
Pluralsight Cons
Pluralsight is majorly focused on the IT sector and tech skills
The level of the courses is advanced and so it is difficult to understand for beginners. Hence it is advised to take beginner courses on that skill before coming to Pluralsight.
Some courses are outdated and have not been removed.
The Last shortcoming of Pluralsight is that this platform is only developed for people who have prior expertise in that domain.
Although Lynda is a flexible learning platform that provides unlimited access to many courses for a flat monthly subscription fee, it may not be the ideal choice for those who are solely interested in a single course. However, if you're looking to acquire general knowledge on a wide range of topics, Lynda is an excellent option.
How many courses are available on Pluralsight?
Pluralsight provides 4500 courses from fundamentals to recent updates related to IT Technology, web development, and different programming languages which will help anyone to get complete detailed knowledge about the IT sector.
Is Pluralsight good for beginners?
Pluralsight is loved by many new to programming. Coding is a difficult skill to learn by just listening, so I enjoy using step-by-step guides and hands-on projects. Without such resources, it can be difficult for me to measure what I am learning.
Is Pluralsight free for students?
Pluralsight is not exactly free for students but it provides many incentives to students. Those students which have Microsoft Azure accounts can get up to a 12- month free trial on Pluralsight. But, the catch is that you are limited to some 35 handpicked courses library only. So it is worth it to pay up and open more courses to learn.
Final Thoughts on Pluralsight vs Lynda 2023
In conclusion, I would like to say that if you want to learn a skill from the basics at an affordable price then Lynda is the best option to opt for.
Its array of courses from creativity-oriented to Business, Technology, Software, Organization, and manufacturing gives you a good variety to choose from.
While if you are looking to develop in-depth, specialized knowledge of technical skills with hands-on projects and experiments then you should invest in Pluralsight.
As an added point you should keep in mind, that if you are a beginner then definitely begin with Lynda as Pluralsight is built for people who have Intermediate skills and are working to become experts.
Both these e-learning platforms provide top-notch services that are the best in their respective fields. If you are a beginner then I would recommend you to use Lynda, while if you are an Intermediate or expert who is looking to get on some projects then you should try out Pluralsight.
Jacob Keifer is the main author of Kawa College of Education. He spends most of his time writing best online course reviews, learning new skills, and playing chess. Jacob is a Texas-based writer and blogger with more than a decade of experience covering online education. Before launching his education blogs, he was a professional teacher who has trained many students and helped them pursue their careers.
