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Coursera logo

Coursera

Learn from top universities and companies worldwide

As of 30 August 2026, Coursera has a free plan and paid plans start at $59/month. Coursera is a leading online learning platform offering thousands of courses, specializations, and degrees from top universities and companies worldwide. Softwr lists it under LMS. Coursera is made by Coursera Inc, launched in 2012, available on Web, iOS, Android.

Overview

What Coursera does

Coursera is a leading online learning platform offering thousands of courses, specializations, and degrees from top universities and companies worldwide. From computer science to business to health, Coursera provides flexible, affordable, and accessible learning opportunities for students and professionals seeking to advance their careers.

What people use it for

  • Skill development
  • Career advancement
  • Professional certificates
  • Degree programs

The honest half

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Coursera.

  • Free audit does not include certificate upon completion
  • Limited offline access to course materials
  • Paid specializations require monthly subscription rather than one-time purchase

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of Coursera

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

  • Coursera logo
    Coursera
    vs
    edX logo
    edX

    edX: Nonprofit MOOC platform with university partnerships and free audit option

  • Coursera logo
    Coursera
    vs
    Udemy logo
    Udemy

    Udemy: Online course marketplace with millions of courses and competitive pricing

  • Coursera logo
    Coursera
    vs
    LearnWorlds logo
    LearnWorlds

    LearnWorlds: Course creation and delivery platform for professionals and organizations

Pricing

What Coursera costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

Free Audit

Free

Coursera Plus

$59 /mo

Professional Certificates

$39 /mo

Capabilities

Features

  • Video lectures

  • Quizzes

  • Peer assessments

  • Certificates

  • Mobile learning

  • Offline access

  • Specializations

  • Degrees

  • Slack

    Integration with Slack

  • Microsoft Teams

    Integration with Microsoft Teams

  • SSO providers

    Integration with SSO providers

  • HRIS systems

    Integration with HRIS systems

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Can I audit courses for free?

Yes. Most Coursera courses can be audited for free, allowing access to videos and assignments without a certificate.

Source
What is Coursera Plus?

Coursera Plus is a subscription for $59/month or $399/year providing unlimited access to over 7,000 courses and specializations with certificates.

Source
Do enterprises get custom integrations?

Yes. Enterprise plans include SSO, APIs, AI-assisted Course Builder, and 30+ LMS integrations with dedicated customer success managers.

Source
What is the cost of a degree program?

Coursera offers accredited degree programs starting at $50,000 and above, with costs varying by program and institution.

Source

Behind it

Who makes Coursera

Company
Coursera Inc
Based in
Mountain View, California
Founders
Daphne Koller, Andrew Ng

Timeline

Coursera over time

  1. Milestone2026-01-01

    Coursera reaches 162 million learners and partners with 325+ universities and companies

    Source
  2. Milestone2026-01-01

    Coursera generates approximately $650 million in annual revenue

    Source
  3. Founded2012-01-01

    Coursera founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng

    Source
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Keep looking

Where to go from Coursera

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Coursera, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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