Udemy is a popular global online learning platform offering a wide variety of courses across multiple categories, such as technology, business, marketing, personal development, design, and more. Founded in 2010 by Eren Bali, Gagan Biyani, and Oktay Caglar, Udemy has become one of the most well-known names in online education. With millions of students and thousands of instructors, Udemy provides an accessible platform where anyone can learn or teach a new skill.
In India, the demand for online learning has grown significantly due to increased internet access and the desire for flexible, affordable education options. Udemy has been able to tap into this growing market by offering courses that suit the needs of students, working professionals, and lifelong learners.
But how does Udemy earn profit, and what makes its business model successful in a competitive online education market? Let’s explore Udemy’s business model and understand how the company generates revenue.
Udemy Business Model: Online Learning Marketplace
Udemy operates on a marketplace model where it connects students (learners) with instructors (course creators). The platform serves as a digital marketplace for on-demand courses, allowing instructors to create and sell their courses while students can enroll in and learn at their own pace.
Here are the key components of Udemy’s business model:
1. Diverse Course Offerings: Udemy offers a wide range of courses across various categories:
- Technology: Programming languages, software development, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and IT certification.
- Business and Entrepreneurship: Marketing, finance, project management, and leadership.
- Personal Development: Productivity, health, wellness, and career coaching.
- Design and Creativity: Graphic design, video editing, and photography.
This diverse range of topics allows Udemy to cater to a broad audience, including students, professionals, hobbyists, and individuals looking to upskill or pursue a new career. Udemy’s flexibility makes it attractive to learners who prefer the convenience of self-paced learning.
2. User-Generated Content (Instructors as Creators): One of the key aspects of Udemy’s business model is that the content is created by independent instructors rather than the platform itself. Any qualified individual can create and upload a course to Udemy, making it a platform for user-generated content. Instructors come from various backgrounds, including industry professionals, educators, and subject matter experts.
Instructors set the prices for their courses and earn a share of the revenue generated from course sales. This model allows Udemy to maintain a vast course library without the need to create its own content, making it a scalable business.
3. Flexible Pricing for Learners: Udemy offers courses at affordable prices, making learning accessible to people from different economic backgrounds. Course prices are set by instructors, and Udemy often runs discounts and promotions to attract more students. In India, where affordability is a key factor for many learners, Udemy’s pricing strategy has been particularly successful. The platform also offers free courses, providing learners with options that fit their budget.
By keeping prices flexible and offering frequent discounts, Udemy ensures that a wide audience can access its content, contributing to higher sales volume.
4. Self-Paced Learning and Lifetime Access: One of the key features of Udemy’s platform is that courses are self-paced, meaning students can learn at their convenience without time constraints. This flexibility is ideal for working professionals, students, and others who need to balance their learning with other commitments.
Additionally, once a student purchases a course, they have lifetime access to it, which means they can return to the material anytime in the future. This feature makes Udemy more appealing to learners who want to revisit or review the content over time.
5. Mobile App and Global Reach: Udemy’s mobile app allows users to access courses on the go, providing flexibility to learn from anywhere at any time. This feature is particularly useful in India, where many people use mobile phones as their primary device for internet access. The app supports offline learning, enabling students to download courses and watch them later without an internet connection.
With its global presence, Udemy attracts a large user base from countries around the world, including India, the United States, Brazil, and Turkey. The platform supports multiple languages, allowing learners to access courses in their native language.
How Does Udemy Earn Profit?
Udemy generates revenue through various channels, primarily focused on course sales, subscription models, and enterprise solutions. Let’s take a closer look at how Udemy earns profit:
1. Revenue from Course Sales (Revenue Sharing with Instructors): The primary source of income for Udemy comes from course sales. When a student purchases a course, Udemy shares the revenue with the instructor. The revenue-sharing model typically works as follows:
- If a student buys a course through Udemy’s marketplace (via its website or app), the instructor typically receives 37% of the course price, while Udemy takes a 63% share.
- If an instructor drives sales through their own promotional efforts (such as affiliate links or personal marketing), they receive a 97% share, and Udemy takes 3% as a platform fee.
This revenue-sharing model encourages instructors to promote their own courses, driving more traffic to Udemy’s platform. With each sale, Udemy takes a cut, making this a transaction-based revenue model.
2. Udemy for Business (Enterprise Solutions): Udemy for Business is an enterprise-focused solution that offers a subscription-based model for companies looking to train their employees. Through Udemy for Business, organizations can access a curated collection of courses designed for corporate training and employee upskilling. Companies pay a subscription fee based on the number of users, allowing their employees to access Udemy’s vast library of courses.
This B2B (business-to-business) offering is a significant revenue stream for Udemy, as more companies invest in upskilling their workforce to remain competitive in a rapidly changing job market.
3. Subscription-Based Model (Udemy Personal Plan): Udemy has also introduced a subscription-based service for individual learners, known as the Udemy Personal Plan. This subscription gives users access to a selection of top-rated courses across various categories for a monthly or annual fee. Unlike the traditional one-time payment model, the subscription plan allows users to explore and take multiple courses without purchasing them individually.
The subscription model creates a recurring revenue stream for Udemy, helping the platform generate consistent income over time while offering more value to learners who want access to multiple courses.
4. Affiliate Marketing and Partnerships: Udemy also generates revenue through affiliate marketing and partnerships with external platforms and marketers. Affiliate partners promote Udemy’s courses, and for every sale made through their affiliate links, they earn a commission. Udemy benefits by reaching a broader audience through these affiliate networks, driving more course sales.
Partnerships with companies, educational institutions, and other platforms further enhance Udemy’s visibility and user base, contributing to increased revenue.
5. Promotions and Discount Campaigns: Udemy frequently runs promotional campaigns offering deep discounts on courses, sometimes reducing prices by up to 90%. These promotions drive high-volume sales, especially during festive seasons or global events like Black Friday or New Year. By offering significant discounts, Udemy attracts more users, increasing the platform’s overall revenue.
Although courses are sold at lower prices during these promotions, the high volume of transactions ensures that Udemy still generates substantial revenue.
Challenges and Opportunities for Udemy
While Udemy has become a leading player in the online education space, it faces several challenges and opportunities in India and globally:
1. Competition from Other Edtech Platforms: Udemy faces competition from other online learning platforms like Coursera, edX, Skillshare, and Simplilearn, which offer similar courses and certifications. To remain competitive, Udemy needs to continue expanding its course offerings, improving the quality of content, and offering affordable pricing.
2. Growing Demand for Upskilling and Online Learning: In India, the demand for online learning and upskilling has increased significantly, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote work. This presents a huge opportunity for Udemy to expand its user base and offer more localized content tailored to Indian learners.
3. Expanding Corporate Training Solutions: As more companies focus on employee development, Udemy’s enterprise solutions (Udemy for Business) present an opportunity for growth. By partnering with more companies and expanding its corporate training offerings, Udemy can tap into a large and growing market for employee upskilling.
Conclusion
Udemy’s business model revolves around being an online learning marketplace that connects instructors with learners. The platform generates revenue through course sales, subscription models, affiliate marketing, and corporate training solutions. With its focus on affordability, flexibility, and accessibility, Udemy has become a popular platform for learners in India and around the world. As the demand for online learning continues to grow, Udemy is well-positioned to expand its reach and profitability in the global edtech market.