Coursera review
Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Coursera Plus suits learners who want a single subscription across many subjects, with 10,000 courses from 375 university partners. It fits study at whatever pace suits, and it costs more at renewal than single-qualification rivals such as DRCertifications, which lists $19.99 at entry.
Key facts
- Best for
- One subscription covering a wide subject range, with a certificate at the end of it.
- Price from
- €42 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Price per month
- €51 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Price per year
- €346 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free tier
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free trial length
- 7 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Money-back period
- 14 days (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Platform type
- University (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Number of courses
- 10,000 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- University partners
- 375 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Graded assessments
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Team plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Coursera Inc. (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 2012 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Subjects
- Coding, Data, It, Business, Languages, Humanities, Science
- Certificate types
- Completion, Professional, Degree
- Official website
- coursera.org
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
Pros and cons
Pros
- Entry at €42 sits below the €44.59 recorded for online course platforms, and the €346 annual plan for Coursera Plus sits under the €169 for the same group.
- A catalogue of 10,000 courses drawn from 375 university partners, spread across coding, data and it.
- Certificates come in completion, professional and degree forms and assessments are included, so a paid subscription ends in something to show.
- A free tier and a team plan are both available, so a group can browse the catalogue before paying for Coursera Plus.
Cons
- Support runs on help centre and community only, while 52% of the brands compared list phone support, so anyone wanting a direct line meets a gap.
- Renewal is the figure to watch on Coursera Plus: €346 a year against single-certificate entry prices of $19.99 at DRCertifications and £25 at Academy for Health and Fitness.
- The free trial lasts 7 days, which is shorter than the 10 day median across the site.
- The catalogue sits with partner institutions under a university platform model, so course quality follows the partner rather than one house standard.
Who it suits
- Learners who want coding, data and business material under a single subscription rather than a single paid certificate.
- People who need a credential, since completion, professional and degree certificates are available on Coursera.
- Teams and study groups, since a team plan is available on top of the free tier.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone buying a single nursing certificate, where DRCertifications lists $19.99 at entry.
- Learners after a health and fitness qualification, where Academy for Health and Fitness lists £25.
- Readers whose budget starts at nothing, since Hotmart lists $0 at entry rather than a subscription.
Plans and prices
Coursera Plus is the paid tier, and it carries two prices worth separating. The entry price is €42, which is what a new subscriber meets. After that, Coursera Plus renews at €51 a month or €346 a year. The entry figure is a door rather than the ongoing cost, and the renewal figure is the one that belongs in a study budget. That split matters in a comparison. The annual figure for Coursera Plus covers a full catalogue for a full year, while $19.99 at DRCertifications leads into nursing certificates and £25 at Academy for Health and Fitness leads into a single qualification. Readers who know the exact credential they need can spend less elsewhere. Readers who want to move between coding, business and humanities without paying again for each course stay with the subscription. Paying monthly spreads the cost, paying yearly commits for longer. Both figures cover the same plan rather than separate course prices, which makes the free tier a sensible starting point for anyone still choosing.
Core features
A free tier is available, and the paid plan adds a free trial of 7 days plus a money-back period of 14 days. Those windows are short, so a trial fits a single module or a short course rather than a full term of study. The catalogue is the reason most readers stay. Coursera lists 10,000 courses, and they come from 375 university partners, so the material is written and taught by institutions rather than by a single in-house team. Assessments are part of the plan, which means courses are checked instead of left as passive video, and a certificate follows the work. A team plan is available for groups and companies, so a shared budget can cover several learners on the same subscription. Between the free tier, the trial and the money-back period, there is room to sample the catalogue before committing to a longer stretch.
The company behind it
Behind Coursera Plus sits Coursera Inc., a company headquartered in the United States and founded in 2012. The university partnership model that supplies the courses has been in place since then, so the provider is a long-standing operator rather than a new entrant, and the same partner network sits behind the certificates. Learner support runs through help centre and community. Help is therefore written documentation plus answers from other learners, rather than a direct line to a person, and that is worth weighing before anyone signs up for a long plan. Anyone who wants a named contact on the phone should compare providers with that in mind. The practical read is a large established company with a broad catalogue, sold as a subscription and backed by partner institutions.
How Coursera compares
8.9 vs 9.0
8.9 vs 8.8
8.9 vs 8.6
8.9 vs 9.1
8.9 vs 8.7
Frequently asked questions
How much does Coursera Plus cost?+
Coursera Plus has an entry price of €42, then renews at €51 a month or €346 a year. The entry figure is what a new subscriber meets, while the monthly and annual figures are the ongoing cost of keeping the plan. Anyone budgeting for a term of study should work from the renewal figure rather than the entry price.
Is there a free trial or a free tier?+
There is a free tier, and the paid plan carries a free trial of 7 days. That is shorter than the 10 day median across the site, so a trial suits a single module or a short course rather than a full programme. The free tier is the better place to browse the catalogue before paying anything.
What is the money-back period on Coursera Plus?+
Coursera Plus carries a money-back period of 14 days. That matches the 14 day median for the brands compared, so it is the common length rather than an outlier. Set against the shorter trial, it gives some room to decide after subscribing rather than before.
What certificate do I get at the end of a course?+
Certificates come in completion, professional and degree forms on Coursera, so the same subscription can carry a completion record, a professional certificate or a degree route. Which one applies depends on the course rather than on the platform. Learners who need a specific credential for a job should check the course listing before enrolling.
How many courses are there and what subjects are covered?+
The catalogue holds 10,000 courses across coding, data and it. That spread is the main argument for a subscription rather than a single purchase, since moving from coding to business or languages does not mean buying a second course. Materials come from 375 university partners, which is where the teaching and assessment sit.
Who runs Coursera and where is it based?+
The platform is operated by Coursera Inc., headquartered in the United States and founded in 2012. The university partnership model behind the catalogue dates from the same period, so the provider is an established operator rather than a new entrant. Course content itself is written and taught by the partner institutions.
How do I get help on Coursera?+
Support runs through help centre and community, so answers come from the help centre or from other learners in the community. 52% of the brands compared list phone support, so Coursera sits with the platforms that offer no direct line. Questions tied to a specific course tend to get the quickest response through the community route.
Is a single certificate cheaper elsewhere?+
Often, yes. DRCertifications lists $19.99 at entry and Academy for Health and Fitness lists £25, each covering a single qualification. Coursera Plus renews at €346 a year for a whole catalogue, so the comparison only favours Coursera when more than a single credential is wanted.
Sources
- coursera.org checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Number of courses, Free tier, Legal entity, Subjects, Support channels
“Unlock 10,000+ courses with a subscription - Coursera Plus”
- coursera.org/about checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Platform type, University partners
“Coursera was launched in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller”
- coursera.org/about/how-coursera-works checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Certificate types
“Professional Certificates, MasterTrack Certificates, Degrees - Earn a certificate upon completion”
- coursera.org/courseraplus checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Graded assessments, Free trial length, Money-back period, Price from, Price per month, Price per year, Team plan
“Learn job relevant skills and tools with hands-on labs and projects - Coursera Plus”
Compiled from 4 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Coursera
One subscription covering a wide subject range, with a certificate at the end of it.