What Coursera does

Coursera operates a cloud-native online learning platform that aggregates educational content from 325+ partner universities and companies — including Stanford, Yale, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic — into a catalog of 315,000+ courses post-merger with Udemy. The platform serves four primary customer segments: individual learners (via Coursera Plus subscription at $239/year and à la carte course/certificate purchases), enterprises (Coursera for Business with Teams and Enterprise tiers), universities (Coursera for Campus), and government agencies (Coursera for Government). The technology stack is built on AWS infrastructure and incorporates AI-driven personalization, an AI-powered short-form content feed, agentic AI tutoring through Coursera Coach, AI-powered Role Play simulations, and integrations with ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Anthropic's Claude for AI-curriculum delivery.

Name

Coursera

Legal name

Coursera, Inc.

Website

https://coursera.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Coursera is a public online education platform serving individual learners, enterprises, universities, and governments with 315,000+ courses from 325+ university and industry partners, operating a hybrid consumer-subscription and enterprise SaaS model anchored by Coursera Plus and Coursera for Business.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Learning Platform

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Course Marketplaces (Multi-Instructor Catalogs) (MPACALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI), Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL), Higher Education Digital Courseware & Modules (EDAGAEAB), Corporate/L&D Course Licensing from Creators (B2B Upskilling) (MPACALAH)

Keywords

• Online learning platform
• Professional certificates
• Online degree programs
• Enterprise workforce training
• Higher education partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain View

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consumer Subscriptions (Coursera Plus): Annual subscription model offering unlimited access to 10,000+ courses, professional certificates, and guided projects. Consumers can also purchase individual courses, specializations, and certificates on a per-course or monthly subscription basis. This is the primary growth driver with double-digit revenue growth in recent quarters.
2. Enterprise SaaS (Coursera for Business): B2B subscription revenue from Coursera for Business (Enterprise), Coursera for Teams, Coursera for Campus (universities), and Coursera for Government. Pricing varies by team size and organizational needs with custom enterprise contracts and fixed per-user pricing for Teams tier.
3. Degree Programs: Online degree programs from partner universities including bachelor and master degrees, with pricing starting at $9,000 USD for degree programs and $2,000 for MasterTrack certificates. These provide high-value, longer-cycle revenue with credit pathways toward degrees.
4. Individual Course Purchases: One-time purchases for individual courses, guided projects starting at $9.99, and individual specialization subscriptions at $49/month.
5. Affiliate/Referral Revenue: Affiliate program through Impact network allowing partners to earn 15-45% commission on eligible course and subscription purchases referred within a 30-day cookie window.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Coursera operates a cloud-native online learning platform that aggregates courses, Specializations, Professional Certificates, MasterTrack Certificates, and full online degree programs from 325+ partner universities and companies (including Stanford, Yale, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic). It sells individual course access, annual subscriptions (Coursera Plus), and enterprise/government/campus training licenses, while layering AI-powered personalization, tutoring, and skills recommendations on top of the catalog.

Product overview

Coursera operates as a multi-sided learning platform offering individual learners, enterprises, universities, and governments access to educational content. The core product portfolio includes Coursera Plus (annual subscription for unlimited course access), Professional Certificates (job-ready credentials from employers like Google and IBM), Specializations (skill-focused course series), and Online Degrees (accredited bachelor's and master's programs). Enterprise offerings comprise Coursera for Business with Teams and Enterprise tiers, Coursera for Campus for higher education institutions, and Coursera for Government for public sector workforce development. The platform recently launched Coursera Coach with agentic AI tutoring capabilities. Following the May 2026 merger with Udemy, the combined entity serves over 290 million learners, 18,000 enterprise customers, and approximately 95,000 content creators across more than 315,000 courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Coursera Plus: Annual subscription providing unlimited access to 10,000+ courses, certificates, and guided projects
• Coursera for Business
• Coursera for Campus
• Coursera for Government
• Coursera Coach

Products and services

• Coursera Plus Annual subscription providing unlimited access to over 10,000 courses, Specializations, and Professional Certificates for individual learners seeking comprehensive skill development. Priced at $239/year (40% discount from $399) or $59/month after a 7-day free trial.
• Coursera for Business Enterprise learning platform targeting large organizations requiring workforce training, upskilling/reskilling, talent development, and analytics. Includes Coursera for Teams for small teams (fixed per-user) and Coursera for Enterprise for large organizations (custom contracts, analytics, integrations, skills benchmarking).
• Coursera for Campus Online learning solutions for universities and colleges to enhance curricula, support faculty, prepare students for careers, and offer online degree programs through Coursera's partner platform.
• Coursera for Government Training and development solutions for government agencies and public sector organizations to upskill or reskill citizens and government employees through Coursera's platform and content catalog.
• Professional Certificates Job-ready professional certificates designed with employers and universities, covering fields such as cybersecurity, UX design, data analytics, AI, and business. Offered by Google, IBM, Microsoft, Meta, and other partners, priced at $49/month.
• Guided Projects Short, hands-on learning experiences with 1-2 hours average time commitment, starting at $9.99, providing practical skill-building through completed projects in a desktop workspace.
• MasterTrack Certificates University-issued certificates with credit pathways toward degrees, priced at approximately $2,000, representing 4-7 months of coursework from accredited university partners.
• Online Degrees Bachelor's and master's degrees from accredited universities delivered entirely online, ranging from 2-4 years in duration with costs starting at $9,000 USD and payment plans available through university partners.
• Specializations Series of courses mastering a specific skill over 1-3 months, priced at $49 USD per month, building expertise in targeted professional areas such as data science, AI, and business.
• Coursera Coach AI-powered tutoring feature with agentic AI capabilities that provides personalized learning assistance, achieving 35% enterprise adoption growth among Fortune 500 firms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of learners report positive career outcomes (new jobs, promotions, improved performance)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• UdemycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Coursera completed all-stock merger with Udemy on May 11, 2026, creating combined entity valued at $2.5 billion with 290 million learners, 18,000 enterprise customers, and 315,000+ courses. Udemy operates as wholly-owned subsidiary with former Coursera shareholders owning 59% and former Udemy shareholders owning 41%.
• NIELIT (India)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2026Coursera and NIELIT signed MoU at India AI Impact Summit 2026 to explore cooperation in digital education and workforce development including reciprocal course offerings and credential pathways to enhance employability.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle is a major content partner on Coursera, offering Google Career Certificates (IT Support, Data Analytics, UX Design, Project Management, Cybersecurity, AI) and Google AI Essentials courses. Partnership enables job-ready professional certificates and AI training content.
• IBMcoreTechnology or IntegrationIBM provides AI Engineering, AI Product Manager, and Data Science professional certificates on Coursera. Partnership targets job-ready skills in AI, data science, and technology roles.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft offers technology courses and certifications on Coursera's platform, integrated into AI learning paths and professional certificate programs.
• MetacoreTechnology or IntegrationMeta provides AI and technology-focused courses on Coursera as part of the 10,000+ AI course catalog targeting next-generation tech skills.
• OpenAIcoreTechnology or IntegrationCoursera became the first online learning platform embedded directly in ChatGPT in 2025, reaching over 800 million weekly users. Partnership enables AI education integration.
• AnthropiccoreTechnology or IntegrationAnthropic's Claude AI integrated into Coursera's AI learning offerings as part of multi-AI platform strategy alongside ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot.
• DeepLearning.AIcoreTechnology or IntegrationFounded by Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng, DeepLearning.AI offers Machine Learning Specialization and Deep Learning Specialization on Coursera, among the platform's most popular courses.
• Stanford UniversitycoreTechnology or IntegrationStanford University is a founding university partner on Coursera, offering courses across computer science, AI, business, and other disciplines. Stanford professors including Andrew Ng co-founded Coursera.
• University of MichigancoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor university partner offering courses, specializations, and degree programs on Coursera across multiple disciplines.
• University of PennsylvaniacoreTechnology or IntegrationWharton School at UPenn provides business and AI courses on Coursera including AI For Business Specialization.
• University of IllinoiscoreTechnology or IntegrationUniversity of Illinois provides degree programs and courses on Coursera through its Gies College of Business and other departments.
• OrangestrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerOrange uses Coursera to support employee upskilling in data, cloud, IT, and generative AI ecosystem training. Director of ITN & Data Afef Belhadj cited partnership for transforming production methods through gen AI.
• University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (CAIDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAPB partnered with Coursera through Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (CAIDA) to offer microcredentials and professional certificates, achieving 361 course completions during 2025-26 academic year.
• Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIMAP partnered with Coursera for hands-on workplace safety training program targeting approximately 100 workers across Barbados with specialized hazardous waste and industrial safety instruction.
• Chandigarh UniversitystrategicTechnology or IntegrationIndian university partnership with Coursera recording over 83,000 GenAI enrollments as part of institutional learning programs.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS serves as Coursera's primary cloud service provider (Virginia and Oregon, USA), processing learner data and platform operations under GDPR and CCPA compliant data processing agreements.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves7 records

Direct peers

• edX: Operates a comparable online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT, offering university courses, professional certificates, and degree programs. Direct competitor in MOOC and credentialing space with overlapping university partnerships.
• Pluralsight: Technology-focused online learning platform serving enterprises and individual developers with courses on cloud, security, and software development. Direct competitor in tech skills training and enterprise certifications.
• Skillsoft: Enterprise-focused corporate learning platform offering courses, certification prep, and leadership development. Competes most directly with Coursera for Business on enterprise L&D budgets and workforce upskilling.
• Udemy: Direct competitor in online skill-based course marketplaces. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coursera post-May 2026 merger, but historically operated a comparable consumer course marketplace serving individuals and businesses with similar content categories.
• LinkedIn Learning: Microsoft-owned professional development video course platform targeting individual subscribers and enterprise L&D. Competes directly with Coursera for Business and Coursera Plus on professional skills content.

Others

• Duolingo: AI-driven language learning platform ranked #1 in TIME's 2026 America's Top EdTech list. While focused narrowly on language, it represents a comparable AI-native consumer subscription learning model and a notable EdTech benchmark.

Emerging players

• Khan Academy: Non-profit offering free online courses and learning content across a broad range of subjects. Competes in adjacent consumer learning segment and has expanded into credentialing (Khan World School) and AI tutoring tools.
• MasterClass: Subscription-based online learning platform featuring celebrity instructors across creative, business, and lifestyle categories. Overlaps with Coursera Plus on premium consumer subscription content.
• DataCamp: Specializes in data science, AI, and analytics courses with subscription model serving individuals and enterprises. Overlaps with Coursera's data science and AI catalog, particularly for working professionals.

Regional players

• Simplilearn: India-headquartered online professional training platform focused on certification courses in IT, project management, and data science. Competes with Coursera in India's rapidly growing upskilling market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coursera
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/coursera
• Facebookfacebook.com/Coursera
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coursera
• Instagraminstagram.com/coursera
• TikToktiktok.com/@coursera

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds13 records

Investors35 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coursera