vs.
Course Marketplace
8.6
10
Course Marketplace
8.5
10
edX vs. FutureLearn - Complete Comparison
Written by
Janosch Herrmann
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Overview
ToggleDescription | edX edX is an online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012. They focus on university-level courses, developed in collaboration with their countless university partners (like Harvard and Berkeley University), and other education providers worldwide. From regular online courses to full online degrees, edX has a broad variety of offerings in 30+ categories, taught by academics from the world's best universities. | FutureLearn FutureLearn is a British online learning platform that offers courses developed by their more than 175 university partners worldwide. The platform was founded in 2012 and has since attracted more than 10 million learners worldwide. |
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Types of courses | edX MASTERS DEGREE Masters DegreeComplete a full Master's degree from one of edX's partner universities $10000 - $100000 USD Full-time study BACHELORS DEGREE Bachelors DegreeComplete a full Bachelor's degree from one of edX's university partners $10000 - $50000 USD Full-time study INDIVIDUAL LEARNING Professional certificatesEarn a certificate for a career-relevant skill with a course from edX's institutional partners $300 - $1000 USD Self-paced INDIVIDUAL LEARNING XSeries certificatesGet in-depth knowledge of a topic with a course created by one of edX's university partners $100 - $1200 USD Self-paced COHORT BASED Executive EducationCourses targeted towards educating leaders & executives. $500 - $3000 USD 3–6 weeks PARTIAL BACHELORS MicroBachelorsPartial undergraduate programs for specific learning $2000 - $10000 USD Part-time study PARTIAL MASTERS MicroMastersPartial graduate-level programs for specific learning $500 - $5000 USD Part-time study INDIVIDUAL LEARNING edX coursesThe classic courses that edX offers. They're typically free and come with optional paid certificates. Free 3-5 hours per week | FutureLearn BACHELORS DEGREE Bachelor's DegreeGet a Bachelor's degree from one of FutureLearn's partner universities $10000 - $30000 USD 10-15 hours per week MASTERS DEGREE Master's DegreeGet a Master's degree from one of FutureLearn's university partners. $10000 - $40000 USD 1-3 years INDIVIDUAL LEARNING Short CoursesShort courses on a wide variety of topics, created by universities and other institutions FreeIncluded in subscription 2-4 hours per week INDIVIDUAL LEARNING MicrocredentialsCreate specialized courses created by top academic institutions worldwide. Some courses might count as academic credit towards a degree. $500 - $1000 USD 6–12 weeks |
Subscription plans | edX No subscription plans available | FutureLearn PERSONAL FutureLearn UnlimitedUnlimited access to 1400+ online courses from FutureLearn $20 - 40 USD per month |
Pros & cons | edX
| FutureLearn
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General information
ToggleType | Course Marketplace | Course Marketplace |
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Number of courses | 4000+ | 2000+ |
Popularity | Popular | Relatively niche |
Available categories | Architectural DesignArts & CraftsBusiness Analytics & IntelligenceCareer DevelopmentComplianceContent MarketingCreativityCryptocurrency & BlockchainDatabase Design & DevelopmentDesign Tools | Business Analytics & IntelligenceComplianceData ScienceDesign ToolsDigital MarketingEntrepreneurshipFinanceIT CertificationsLanguage LearningLeadership |
Available languages | EnglishMandarin ChineseHindiSpanishArabicFrenchRussianPortugueseGermanJapanese | English |
Evaluation
ToggleFull score | 8.6 10 | 8.5 10 |
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Features
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Available apps |   | No apps available... |
Company
ToggleCompany name | edX Inc. | FutureLearn Limited |
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Company size | Large | Medium |
Founded in | 2012 | 2012 |
Headquarters | United States 🇺🇸 | United Kingdom 🇬🇧 |
Founders | Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | The Open University |
External reviews | App Store 4.77300 reviews Play Store 4.6105000 reviews  Trustpilot 2.31304 reviews | Trustpilot 4.7740 reviews |
Our opinion
ToggleedXedX offers a great variety of high-quality courses, which can help you advance your career in almost every industry. We particularly like that a lot of their regular courses are offered for free, and you only have to pay for the certificate (which is optional). The rest of their offering on the other hand is usually a bit pricier, but the quality of the learning materials is still really high. In our eyes, edX is a great learning platform, especially well suited for students looking to take on full online degrees, as well as students looking for digital certifications from well-trusted organizations and institutions, if price isn't their biggest concern. If you're on a budget, you can still take advantage of their large catalog of free courses.
FutureLearnFutureLearn is one of the few online learning platforms that offer full online degrees. We also like that you can access a lot of their regular courses for free for a limited amount of time, with the upgrade to the paid course being offered as an optional add-on. In contrast to some other similar companies, their offering is also a lot more streamlined and easier to understand, which we think is another benefit of FutureLearn. That said, their catalog isn't as big as that of some of their competitors, which means that you might not find the course you're looking for, especially if it's a bit more niche. Overall, we can recommend FutureLearn for students that want to take full online degrees, as well as students that want to learn with courses from universities, instead of courses from individual instructors.
