💻 Coding · 🎓 Courses and learning platforms
Udemy
By Udemy, Inc. (affiliate of Coursera). Visit Udemy
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
Udemy is a large marketplace of video courses made by independent instructors, on coding, design, music, business, test prep and much more. Teens often use it to learn programming or a creative tool: they watch lessons, do quizzes and coding exercises, and keep lifetime access to bought courses. It is built for adults, so a teen can only use it through an account a parent opens and manages.
Our take: Useful for motivated teens learning a specific skill with a parent's account; younger children and kids who need guidance should skip it.
| Ages it suits | 18+; teens about 13-17 only through a parent's account |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | 18+ to create an account. A teen above their country's digital consent age (13 in the US, 16 in Ireland) may not open one, but a parent can open an account and help them use suitable courses. Children below that age may not use Udemy at all, even with a parent. Coaching is 18+ only. (terms) |
| Price | Paid. Courses bought one at a time (new-learner deals from $14.99) or the Personal Plan subscription from $13 a month (Oct 2026). Single courses can be refunded within 30 days; subscriptions cannot. |
| Works on | Web, iPhone and iPad, Android |
| Account | A parent's account |
| Ads | Not stated |
| In-app purchases | Yes |
| The AI in it | An AI assistant and AI-powered coding exercises help learners inside courses; Udemy says it does not use personal data to train these models. |
What's good
- Huge range of practical courses, strong for coding
- Lifetime access to bought courses
- 30-day refund on single courses
Watch for
- Not for under-18s on their own
- Quality varies by instructor
- Frequent sales and upsells
- Ad-tracking cookies on by default in the US
Data and privacy
Collects account, profile (public) and learning data, uses session replay, and uses cookies that share data with third parties for cross-context advertising unless you opt out. It markets its affiliates' products, including Coursera's, and says it does not use personal data to train generative AI models. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
No independent study found; course quality depends on each instructor.
Alternatives to Udemy
Desk researchFreeNo ads
AmblesideOnline
AmblesideOnline (volunteer advisory) · ages about 5-18 (Year 0 to Year 12)
A strong free plan for homeschool families drawn to Charlotte Mason and literature-rich learning; secular families or those wanting an interactive program should look elsewhere.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
AoPS Online
Art of Problem Solving (AoPS Incorporated) · ages grades 5-12 (about 10-18)
A strong fit for a child who loves hard math and wants contest prep; a child who is behind in math needs something gentler.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Babbel
Babbel · ages about 13+ (built for adults)
A solid choice for a motivated older teen; younger kids are not allowed and are better served by kids' apps.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Beast Academy
Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) · ages 6-13 (levels 1-5, roughly grades 1-5)
A great fit for curious or advanced elementary kids and homeschoolers who enjoy a challenge; kids who need gentle catch-up practice should start elsewhere.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Codecademy
Codecademy LLC · ages 16+
A good next step for a motivated 16- or 17-year-old; younger kids need a coding tool built for them.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Connections Academy
Pearson · ages grades K-12
Worth a look for families who need school at home and have an adult free to coach; families expecting it to match a good local school should read the research first.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.udemy.com/terms/
- https://www.udemy.com/terms/terms-of-use/
- https://www.udemy.com/terms/privacy/
- https://www.udemy.com/pricing/
- https://answers.jocolibrary.org/faq/306500
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.