LinkedIn Learning, formerly known as Lynda.com, is an online learning platform that offers a variety of video courses taught by industry experts on topics like business, technology, creative skills and more. With over 16,000 courses available, LinkedIn Learning aims to help professionals gain new skills and advance their careers. But how much does all this valuable learning content actually cost? Let’s take a closer look at LinkedIn Learning’s pricing and plans to understand just how expensive it is to access this popular e-learning platform.
LinkedIn Learning Pricing Plans
LinkedIn Learning offers three main pricing plans for individual subscribers:
Monthly Subscription
The Monthly Subscription gives you full access to all 16,000+ courses and new content as it’s added for $29.99 per month. This plan bills you monthly and you can cancel anytime.
Annual Subscription
The Annual Subscription gives you full access to all courses for one year for $299.88 paid upfront. This works out to $24.99 per month, so you save $5 per month compared to the monthly plan.
Premium Career Subscription
This plan gives you access to all courses plus premium features like offline viewing, curated course recommendations and integration with LinkedIn profile data for $29.99 per month. It bills monthly and you can cancel anytime.
In addition to these individual plans, LinkedIn Learning also offers enterprise and team plans for businesses. These provide employee access to the full course library and admin dashboards for managing and tracking learning. Pricing is customized based on number of users.
So at the individual level, LinkedIn Learning costs between $24.99-$29.99 per month. But how does this compare to other online learning platforms? Let’s evaluate a few alternatives.
LinkedIn Learning Compared to Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning community with courses focused mainly on creative skills like design, photography, writing and technology. An individual Skillshare membership costs $99 for an annual subscription or $19 per month for a monthly subscription.
This makes Skillshare’s monthly plan $10 cheaper than LinkedIn Learning’s $29.99 monthly fee. However, Skillshare has a much smaller course library at under 10,000 classes compared to LinkedIn Learning’s 16,000+. The course quality and instructor expertise also tends to be higher with LinkedIn Learning.
So while Skillshare is cheaper, you get access to far fewer courses. LinkedIn Learning provides more robust business, tech and career-focused content.
LinkedIn Learning Compared to Udemy
Udemy is a large marketplace platform with over 213,000 online courses on topics like programming, marketing, music and more. Udemy has a unique pricing model where most courses can be purchased individually, with prices ranging from $9.99 to $200 per course.
Udemy does offer a monthly subscription plan granting access to a select number of premium courses for $29.99 per month. This matches LinkedIn Learning’s standard monthly pricing, but you only get access to a limited subset of Udemy’s huge course library.
With LinkedIn Learning you get unlimited access to all 16,000+ courses for that same $29.99 monthly fee. So you’ll get far more content for your money compared to a Udemy subscription.
LinkedIn Learning Compared to Pluralsight
Pluralsight is focused specifically on tech and developer skills training through online video courses and interactive coding challenges. An individual subscription costs $29 per month or $299 per year, very similar to LinkedIn Learning’s pricing.
However, Pluralsight only has about 7,000 courses compared to LinkedIn Learning’s 16,000+. And Pluralsight’s courses are concentrated just on technical subjects, while LinkedIn Learning covers business, creative and technology topics.
So with LinkedIn Learning you essentially get twice the content spanning more subjects for the same monthly price as Pluralsight.
Is LinkedIn Learning Worth the Money?
Given how LinkedIn Learning compares favorably to competitors regarding its extensive course library and monthly subscription cost, it offers solid value for the money.
You gain unlimited access to over 16,000 expert-led courses for $29.99 a month, which breaks down to less than $1 per course. This very affordable considering the high production quality and level of teaching expertise provided.
LinkedIn Learning is particularly worthwhile for users who:
- Want to develop business, technology and creative skills
- Need robust content to support organizational training needs
- Value high quality instruction from industry experts
Users who only need more niche skills training may be better off with a more specialized platform like Pluralsight for tech or Skillshare for creative skills.
But for most professionals looking to expand their knowledge across a wide range of topics, LinkedIn Learning provides tremendous value at $29.99 per month. The extensive expert-taught courses make it easy to gain new skills quickly.
What Features Come With LinkedIn Learning?
In addition to unlimited access to all 16,000+ courses, LinkedIn Learning includes several other beneficial features:
Offline viewing –
Download courses to view offline on mobile devices. Great for learning on-the-go without an internet connection.
Course Certificates –
Earn completion certificates to showcase new skills learned. Certificates can be added to your LinkedIn profile.
Course Discussion Forums –
Engage in discussions and ask questions in each course’s dedicated message board community.
Curated Recommendations –
LinkedIn Learning leverages data from your profile and learning history to suggest personalized course recommendations.
Learning Dashboard –
Monitor your learning progress and achievements in one place. Track course completion status and progress toward goals.
Integrated with LinkedIn –
Tie your learning directly to your professional identity on LinkedIn through profile syncing.
These extras help provide a robust and well-rounded learning experience that goes beyond just video lessons.
What Courses Are Included?
LinkedIn Learning grants unlimited access to the full library of over 16,000 courses across the following topics:
Business Courses –
Leadership, entrepreneurship, management, sales, project management, human resources and more.
Technology Courses –
Coding, web development, cybersecurity, game development, data science and other technical skills.
Creative Courses –
Design, photography, video, music production, 3D animation and various creative software proficiencies.
Software Courses –
Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Suite, Quickbooks and other business applications.
New courses are continually added across these subject areas, ensuring content stays fresh and relevant. There are always new skills to acquire through LinkedIn Learning, no matter your current expertise level or interests.
How Long Are the Courses?
LinkedIn Learning courses range from 30 minutes to 10+ hours depending on the scope and complexity of the material being taught. Here is a breakdown of the typical course lengths:
- 30 minutes to 2 hours – Quick introductory courses teaching basic concepts and techniques.
- 2 to 4 hours – Intermediate skills building, covers core knowledge in a specific subject.
- 5+ hours – Advanced training and certification prep courses with extensive material.
- 10+ hours – Highly comprehensive programs like technology bootcamps.
Shorter courses are great for learning bite-sized topics or quickly sampling an area of interest. More extended courses allow you to gain deeper mastery of complex subject matter.
With an average course length of around one hour, LinkedIn Learning makes it easy to fit learning around your schedule. You can tackle in-depth expertise building or quick skills training as needed.
What Levels Are the Courses?
LinkedIn Learning offers courses for all levels of learners from beginners to advanced. Each course is clearly tagged by difficulty level:
Beginner Courses –
Introductory level requiring no prior experience. Covers core concepts and foundations.
Intermediate Courses –
Expand on basics for those with some existing experience. Take skills to the next level.
Advanced Courses –
Specialized material requiring solid working knowledge. Up-skill experts.
This range enables you to start as a total novice on a topic or deepen existing proficiency with higher learning. For critical business and technology skills, progressive course learning paths make mastering a subject easy.
Who Creates the Courses?
LinkedIn Learning courses are created by over 15,000 industry experts. Instructors include:
- Accomplished business leaders and authors
- Award-winning creative professionals
- Experienced technology practitioners
- Recognized academic educators
Some of LinkedIn Learning’s most popular instructors include:
Randall Stutman –
Director of UCLA Anderson’s Global Leadership Program teaching leadership.
Morten Rand-Hendriksen –
Web development and WordPress expert with a masters in learning technology.
Anita Brown –
Digital marketing strategist and founder of lead-generation agency Social Butterfly Media.
Chris Mattia –
Photographer and digital artist whose work has been featured by Apple and Wired.
Courses are all taught by genuine subject matter experts who are passionate about passing on their knowledge. The high caliber of instructors contributes to LinkedIn Learning’s quality learning experiences.
How Does LinkedIn Learning Compare to Free Resources?
The breadth and quality of LinkedIn Learning comes with a subscription cost, unlike free resources like YouTube or MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). However, LinkedIn Learning offers some meaningful advantages over relying only on free learning options:
Structured Programs –
Courses are organized learning programs, not disjointed YouTube videos.
Expert Instruction –
Learn from seasoned professionals, not random YouTubers of varying skill.
Curated Content –
Course library is carefully curated, not overwhelming like YouTube or MOOCs.
Interactive Elements –
Discussion forums and coding windows make courses engaging.
Progress Tracking –
Learning dashboard helps monitor your achievement.
While quality free resources abound, LinkedIn Learning combines structured programs, expert teachers, and progress tracking in one platform. For busy professionals seeking efficient and effective skills building, the subscription fee brings real added value compared to free options.
Is LinkedIn Learning Worth the Cost for Organizations?
For companies needing to train large workforces, LinkedIn Learning also offers enterprise and team plans beyond the individual subscription. Is the platform worth the investment for organizational learning needs? Let’s explore the benefits:
Cost-Effective –
Unlimited access to thousands of courses for a flat rate is far cheaper than custom development.
Efficient –
Employees can learn at their own pace rather than attending fixed-schedule training sessions.
Scalable –
Quickly upskill large teams with asynchronous online courses.
Measurable –
Admin dashboards track learner progress and completion.
Consistent –
All employees learn from the same expert-led courses.
Expandable –
Add or remove user licenses as needs change.
While pricier than free resources, LinkedIn Learning enterprise access offers a scalable, consistent and measurable training solution for teams and companies. The platform is highly valued by leading global organizations like Adobe, Buzzfeed and Volvo.
For managing workforce skills development, the benefits of LinkedIn Learning make the business investment worthwhile for many organizations both large and small.
Conclusion
At the individual subscription level, LinkedIn Learning offers extensive value at $29.99 per month. You gain unlimited access to over 16,000 courses taught by recognized industry experts across business, technology and creative disciplines.
While pricier than some free resources, LinkedIn Learning provides structured learning, expert instruction and progress tracking lacking in many free options. For efficiently developing in-demand professional skills, the platform is well worth the monthly fee.
For organizations, LinkedIn Learning enterprise plans enable managing and scaling employee skills training in a way free resources cannot match. Despite higher cost, the benefits of structured online learning make LinkedIn Learning a sound L&D investment.
So whether you are an individual, team, or entire company looking to unlock new skills, LinkedIn Learning provides huge value that justifies the reasonable price tag. The breadth of robust training content makes LinkedIn Learning affordable compared to alternatives when you consider the tangible skills gained.
While not cheap, a LinkedIn Learning subscription costs a fraction of tuition for in-person courses or degrees. For the price, it is a very reasonably priced platform for acquiring career-boosting skills and knowledge.