Udemy reviews: why the scores clash, and when the 30 day refund applies

Udemy shows 4.7 out of 5 on three popular course pages and 1.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot. Both numbers are real, and they rate different things.

Judge billing and support by Trustpilot. Buy one course if you want to keep it. Choose the Personal Plan only if you will finish several courses in a few months.

The short version

• Keep it for good: buy a single course. Udemy gives lifetime access to that course, and eligible purchases can be refunded within 30 days.

• Learning a lot, fast: Personal Plan can cost less. Udemy refunds website subscriptions only where local law requires it, and certificate access ends when the plan ends.

• Need a formal credential: Udemy's certificate shows you finished a course. Udemy says it is not an accredited institution.

Pricing and policies were verified on 10 November 2026 from Udemy's own course, plan, and help pages. Trustpilot figures were read the same day.

Why does Udemy show 4.7 on courses and 1.5 on Trustpilot?

On Trustpilot, Udemy scored 1.5 out of 5 from 1,983 reviews on 10 November 2026. Of those reviews, 53% gave one star and 26% gave five stars.

Trustpilot says it uses technology to protect the platform but does not fact-check reviews. It also notes that Udemy has not invited customers to review recently, so the reviews may not be representative.

Its summary of 166 recent reviews says customers often complained about refunds. They also named support that relied on automated bots.

Not every low score is about learning. One review dated 1 November 2026 comes from an instructor and is about payouts from the Personal Plan.

A low Trustpilot score tells you about billing, refunds, and support. It tells you little about one course.

A course page rates one course. Each of the three listings in the next section shows 4.7 out of 5. Udemy explains how that score is built in its guide for instructors.

Students are first asked to rate after 12 to 15 minutes of video. Each rating then passes through a filter that checks whether it looks real.

The score gives more weight to engaged students and to recent ratings. It is not a plain average of every rating. The 4.7 on the Python listing isn't a simple average of its 439,735 ratings either.

Udemy's instructor guide also says ratings from students who refunded a course still count. Written reviews are optional.

Use each source for what it measures. Neither one proves that a single review is real.

For more on reading review sites before you pay, see our guide to software review platforms.

How do you tell if a Udemy course is worth buying?

Start with what the page shows. Then check the one thing a rating cannot show. Does the course fit your software, your exam, or your first project?

These are three public Udemy listings as they appeared on 10 November 2026.

All three show the same 4.7, and each needs a different check. The Excel listing gives two version ranges on one page, so test your own version before you pay.

• Read the newest written reviews, not only the average.

• Compare the last updated date with your software version or exam date.

• Watch the free preview lectures.

• Open the curriculum for the section you need first.

• Read the "This course includes" box. All three listings show a certificate of completion there.

Is Udemy Personal Plan cheaper than buying courses?

It depends on how many months you need, and on what Udemy charges your account.

Udemy says on its Personal Plan page that the plan starts at $11.00 per month. You can cancel any time. The page says billing is monthly or yearly. It does not say which choice the $11.00 belongs to.

Udemy says plan fees vary with the location of your account. Your checkout price can differ from the one here. Udemy's Personal Plan page also lists single courses at $19.99 to $199.99.

The three listings above show $59.99, $59.99, and $79.99.

All three listings carry a Personal Plan offer, so the courses are in the plan. Udemy says not every course is. Look for the Start subscription button on the course page before you pay.

Here is the worksheet with the prices shown on 10 November 2026.

The three courses cost $59.99, $59.99, and $79.99. Together, that is $199.97.

Six months of the plan at $11.00 per month is $66.00. That is $133.97 less than buying the three.

If the $11.00 rate belongs to the yearly choice, the first year is $132.00. That is 12 months at $11.00. It is still $67.97 less than buying the three.

A limited-time banner on those pages offered courses from $10.99 to new learners. If all three sold at $10.99, they would cost $32.97. Three months of the plan costs $33.00. At that price, the two are nearly equal.

Divide your course total by $11.00 to find how many months the plan stays cheaper. For $199.97, that is about 18 months. For $32.97, it is 3 months.

The worksheet leaves out the cost of losing access. Udemy says a purchased course stays yours for life. Your account must stay in good standing.

Udemy must also still hold a license to the course. Plan access ends when you cancel and the billing period closes.

Udemy's help page also says course progress and certificate access are lost when the plan expires or is cancelled. Courses you bought before subscribing are not affected.

If you want to return to a course after the plan ends, buy that course. To test your own monthly and yearly prices, use the Annual vs Monthly Calculator.

When does the 30-day refund apply, and can you cancel Personal Plan?

Udemy says eligible course purchases can be refunded within 30 days. Payments go to instructors after 30 days, so Udemy does not process later requests.

Udemy's refund policy lists reasons it may deny a refund. One is that a "notable amount of the course has been consumed or downloaded" before the request.

Others are repeated refunds for the same course and excessive refund requests. Udemy gives no percentage or number of minutes for the first reason.

A review on the Trustpilot listing says a refund was refused after 71 minutes of an 18-hour course. 18 hours is 1,080 minutes. 71 minutes is about 7 percent of that.

This is one reviewer's account, and Udemy has not published a figure to check it against.

Some payment routes only get credit. Purchases made in the Apple App Store, and some bank and cash payments, are refunded as Udemy credit only.

Decide early: watch the free previews first, and ask for a refund before you are deep into the course.

Udemy's refund policy says plans bought on udemy.com carry no 30-day guarantee. They get no full or partial refund unless the law requires one. A free trial can be cancelled at any time without a charge.

Udemy lists the countries where a subscription refund is required by law. Examples are Australia (7 days), South Africa (7 days), the United Kingdom (14 days), Germany (14 days), and Quebec (at any time).

The United States is not among the examples.

The refund clock starts on the first day of a free trial. Take Udemy's own example: a 7-day trial in a 7-day country. When the trial ends and the charge posts, no refund window is left.

Plans bought in the Apple or Google app are billed by Apple or Google. Udemy cannot cancel or refund them, so cancel in your device settings.

To cancel a website plan, open your Subscriptions page on udemy.com. Access continues until the final date of the billing period shown there.

Refund windows depend on the country on your Udemy account.

For another learning subscription that renews after a short first period, read Finelo's renewal and refund rules.

Are Udemy certificates worth anything?

A Udemy certificate shows that you finished a course. Udemy says it is not an accredited institution, and its certificates cannot be used for formal accreditation.

Only paid, approved courses offer a certificate of completion. Free courses and courses made only of practice tests do not.

Personal Plan courses give a certificate while you are subscribed. Access to it is lost if the plan ends, so download it first. Take a vendor exam such as the AWS one above.

The course is preparation. The exam is the credential. Pair the certificate with something you built or an exam you passed.

Which way should you pay?

Questions about Udemy reviews

Is Udemy legit?

Yes. Udemy is a real company, and Coursera completed its combination with Udemy on 11 May 2026. Trustpilot scores Udemy 1.5 out of 5.

Its summary points to refunds and support, so read the refund rules before you buy.

Are Udemy reviews real?

Udemy says each rating passes through a filter for real students. Trustpilot says it does not fact-check reviews.

Neither proves that a single review is real, so read many recent ones and look for details that repeat.

What are the disadvantages of Udemy?

Refunds can be denied once a notable amount of a course is used, and Udemy gives no number.

Plan certificates and progress end with the plan. Ratings describe one course at a time, so every listing needs its own check.

Do Udemy courses expire?

A purchased course does not expire. Your account must stay in good standing, and Udemy must hold a license to it. Plan content ends when the plan ends.

Can you cancel Udemy Personal Plan?

Yes, at any time from the Subscriptions page on udemy.com. You keep access until the billing period ends. If you paid through the Apple or Google app, cancel in your device settings.

Are Udemy certificates accredited?

No. Udemy says it is not an accredited institution, and its certificates show completion only. Only paid, approved courses offer one.

How do you leave a review on Udemy?

Udemy lets you rate a course after you start it, and you can edit or delete the review later. It prompts for a rating after 12 to 15 minutes of video.

Before you pay

Open the course page and read the last updated date, the newest reviews, and the "This course includes" box. Divide your course total by your monthly plan price.

If the answer is more than the months you need, choose the plan and set a reminder to cancel. If not, buy the course.

Prices and refund windows depend on the country on your account, so read your own checkout page first.