LearnTreehouse vs. Udacity: Key Differences

Now that you’re ready to kickstart your coding career, what learning platform should you invest in — Treehouse or Udacity?

Treehouse and Udacity are both popular online learning platforms for developers no matter your skill level. They contain several coding courses to help you become an expert in your desired tech career.

So, what makes these two e-learning platforms different and how do you decide which of them is best for you? Let’s get into it.

Treehouse vs. Udacity: What’s the Difference?

Treehouse and Udacity are credible online learning platforms for aspiring developers. But, there are some differences you should take note of. 

Here’s an overview of these key differences: 

• Treehouse provides Techdegree students with 24/7 access to a dedicated Slack workspace while Udacity only offers live support on Saturdays and Sundays for its Nanodegree programs
• All Treehouse students benefit from access to a moderated community forum, while Techdegree students additionally can access an exclusive Slack community for further guidance. Udacity only offers a community forum.
• Treehouse Techdegrees cost $199 per month while Udacity Nanodegrees cost $399 per month
• For the purpose of making education affordable, Treehouse has a variety of learning resources — Courses, Tracks, and Techdegrees — with different price points, which are $25, $49, and $199 per month respectively. On the other hand, Udacity offers the $399 per month Nanodegrees and some free courses.

Course Comparison

Treehouse and Udacity consist of various tech development courses and skills to prepare you for your chosen career path. 

Here are the curriculums for each of these platforms:

Treehouse Curriculum

Treehouse is an e-learning platform that focuses on tech development courses and skills. It has different resources for developers whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced developer.

These resources include:

• Techdegrees
• Tracks
• Library, or
• Community resources.

Techdegrees are the most advanced coding programs that Treehouse has. Treehouse Techdegrees are self-paced, intensive bootcamp programs that provide the expertise and certifications that developers need to become professionals in their preferred fields of study. 

These Techdegrees are a curated curriculum of courses to help you become not just skilled, but job-ready with a portfolio that contains real-world projects.

Treehouse offers five Techdegrees to help build developers’ knowledge. These are:

1. Front-End Development: This Treehouse online Bootcamp-style coding course teaches you how to develop functional and responsive user interfaces (UI) for sites and applications. It certifies you as a front-end developer skilled in HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
2. Full Stack Javascript: This Treehouse Techdegree teaches you how to develop fully functional sites from scratch using JavaScript. It certifies you in the front-end and back-end development of websites and applications. 
3. UX Design: Treehouse UX Design Techdegree trains developers to build websites and apps with excellent user experiences (UX). It teaches and certifies you in user research and site design.
4. Python Development: This Treehouse Techdegree certifies you as a Python Developer who can build basic command lines and software apps with Python.
5. Data Analysis: This Treehouse online program teaches and certifies you as a data analyst. You learn how to analyze and interpret data from database systems, spreadsheets, and Python code.

Udacity Curriculum

Udacity has over 200 free courses and paid Nanodegree programs. The Nanodegrees are Udacity’s programs that teach and certify developers in specialized skills in data science, artificial Intelligence, and other computer science areas. 

These courses are grouped into eight schools or program catalogs. 

1. Artificial Intelligence: In this program catalog, you will find a list of courses on artificial intelligence. This AI in processes such as speech recognition and natural language processing.
2. Autonomous Systems: Udacity has a catalog that teaches you about autonomous systems and concepts such as localization, data structures and algorithms, and mapping. 
3. Business: Here, you will find courses that teach you how to achieve your business objectives. These include concepts like business strategy, user journey, and customer segmentation.
4. Cloud Computing: Udacity has different courses that teach cloud developers and DevOps about cloud computing. Courses in this program catalog cover concepts like CloudFormation, Kubernetes, AWS, and infrastructure as code.
5. Cybersecurity: This program catalog consists of courses on defending and protecting systems, networks, and sensitive data from malicious attacks. It includes concepts like zero trust security, security architect, and data security.
6. Data Science: Here, you’ll find courses on how to manage, analyze, and interpret large data sets. It includes concepts such as data streaming, machine learning, and spreadsheets.
7. Product Management: Udacity contains programs on product management to teach you the steps to follow during a product’s lifecycle. It comprises concepts like product strategy, design, development, and launch.
8. Programming: This school of Udacity contains courses on Programming. It teaches you concepts like object-oriented programming, JavaScript, Python, HTML, and CSS.

Cost Comparison

Treehouse offers a range of monthly subscriptions depending on your choice of learning material — Techdegrees, Tracks, and Courses.

However, the Treehouse online certification Techdegree programs cost $199/month.

Udacity has free development courses and their Nanodegree certification programs start at $399/month.

Here are the features included in each platform’s pricing:

Treehouse Techdegree	Udacity Nanodegree
Treehouse Techdegree students can interact with fellow students and the Treehouse student success team 24/7 via Slack.	Udacity only offers live support on Saturdays and Sundays.
All Treehouse students have access to a community forum for networking and collaboration. Techdegree students have access to an exclusive Slack group.	Udacity only has a community forum
Treehouse allows you to build a job-ready portfolio with real-world projects	Udacity programs let you practice real-world projects to develop your portfolio
There are interactive quizzes, and coding assessments to complete before becoming a certified developer	–
Companies and recruiters value Treehouse certifications	Employers recognize Udacity certificates
At Treehouse, you get access to peer-to-peer and expert reviews	Udacity also gives you access to peer reviews and support
Once you subscribe for a Techdegree, Treehouse additionally gives you access to its entire catalog library and Tracks	–
Treehouse Techdegrees cost $199 per month.	Udacity Nanodegrees cost $399 per month.

Treehouse offers a free 7-day trial for all their programs and makes it easy to cancel your subscription at any time. On the other hand, Udacity offers a 30-day free trial for their Nanodegree programs. 

Course Length Comparison

Treehouse and Udacity programs are self-paced, so you can complete your desired program when your availability permits.

Treehouse, we analyzed the learning patterns of our students to give you an estimated duration.

Here are the best schedules for our Techdegrees:

If you commit to studying for 3 hours daily, you can complete the:

• Front End Web Development Techdegree in four months
• Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree in five months
• UX Design Techdegree in three months
• Python Development Techdegree in two months
• Data Analysis Techdegree in four months

For Udacity courses, the Nanodegree programs also vary in duration. You can complete a Nanodegree anywhere from two to four months.

Customer Support Comparison

Treehouse provides Techdegree students who need additional assistance with one-on-one access to the Treehouse student success team regarding any issues they have.

Udacity also provides quality technical support to students. Udacity’s team of mentors is available to answer all the technical questions students might have. However, live chat support is only available on Saturdays and Sundays.

Treehouse Student Reviews

Treehouse’s mission is to make tech education accessible to everyone so that you can achieve your dreams.

And this is exactly what we’ve been doing — empowering more than 1.2 million people from around the world. We take pleasure in upskilling you to discover a number of opportunities. 

But don’t just take it from us. Check out what some of our students are saying:

“I saw Treehouse as the best fit for my needs at the time, because the program allows you to work at your own pace while still providing access to a community of like-minded students and professionals.

Treehouse offers an exceptional number of tools and resources that allow you to become successful in virtually any realm of programming before, during, and after your time in the program. Treehouse keeps you organized, motivated, and eager to keep learning.” — Zacharie Mcgee

“Putting aside the price, which is about 15K a year for four years in the UK, the curriculum at a university isn’t as up to speed as an online school like Treehouse.” — Duarte Monteiro

“Treehouse offered a fun and encouraging way to learn, which made me fall in love with writing code again. The chunk-sized video lessons and quizzes felt like a fun game, and I was learning a lot while having so much fun. I started out with a basic account and then decided to sign up for the Front End Web Developer Techdegree.

The Techdegree, with all the extra support included, was absolutely fantastic. Building a portfolio (both website and GitHub) has been a game changer. I loved it so much that after graduating from my first Techdegree, I immediately started on the Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree!” — Caroline Forslund

Here, you’ll find more testimonials and a breakdown of their success stories.

Treehouse vs. Udacity – Which is Right For You?

Treehouse and Udacity are both credible e-learning coding platforms that provide several interactive and intensive courses to make you a proficient developer.

Treehouse is a more affordable option that provides excellent support and will help you achieve your tech career goals.

Ready to get started with tech development? Try a Treehouse Techdegree for free today.