Khan Academy vs. Pluralsight Skills

For larger projects, product changes, legislation updates, Khan Academy makes it easy to transfer information in an easy-to-digest manner. The software works really well with adult learning as it keeps users engaged in quick bite-sized lessons. It's more appropriate for larger changes and bigger implementations. It's less appropriate for smaller projects, or minor changes/updates, where quick training sessions would suffice.

Incentivized

Awesome tool for teams looking to gain new skills or refine and update existing skills. I love the convenience of using this tool for recertification credits (i.e. PMP). Instead of identifying which classes I need to take, I can identify my interests and have recommendations presented for what paths I should take. It is a really helpful tool to create ladders for my team to transition from one role into the next. I think this is going to be a really beneficial tool.

Incentivized

• The UI is great and easy to use.
• There is a broad selection of courses, subjects, and instructors.
• The classroom integration option is awesome.

Incentivized

• Pluralsight courses are delivered at a self-directed pace, enabling users to stop, rewind, or fast forward, depending on their familiarity with the content.
• Pluralsight offers a wide variety of technical courses, providing opportunities to explore new skill areas beyond engineers' current responsibilities.
• Pluralsight is available on most platforms, providing a high level of accessibility to the content.

Incentivized

• On my iPad, to change the language of Khan, I need to change the language of my iPad in the settings
• It can be a bit messy and the category are a bit too generic, not enough per level category
• Sometimes the quizz are too simple, it would be nice to have an extra difficult one as a bonus

Incentivized

• Finding ways to make courses more interactive and less lecture oriented would be helpful.
• Quality of video and audio lectures could use updating to meet current expectations.
• Continuing to stay on the bleeding edge of technology. Some classes can be outdated.

Incentivized

Great product and service so far. Awesome new content almost every week.

Incentivized

Very, VERY easy to use.

Incentivized

I've only had to seek support one time. There was a glitch in one of my lessons and I submitted an email. The glitch was fixed by support within a few days, but I would've liked for it to be faster. However, I don't have a big complaint there because it is a free service.

Incentivized

Each feedback I do for them, I get no response. Minimal communication and followups!

The number one reason to choose Khan Academy over other options is price. If you are looking for a special skill or a quick answer YouTube is a great resource. Khan Academy is better suited for those who want to have a pseudo-classroom experience while still learning a subject or skill. I have used Lynda and Udemy; there is little difference between Khan Academy and those two options.

Incentivized

Treehouse and Pluralsight are in similar realms: video content for technology professionals. They're different in that Treehouse is geared towards beginners and people looking to switch careers to break into the industry and Pluralsight is better suited for seasoned professionals that want to hone skills and learn enterprise-level topics. Treehouse is able to really simplify a topic for almost anyone to understand. They clearly have a standard that all teachers ("authors") must follow. After a section, there's a good chance you'll take a short quiz to make sure you understand what you heard. Quizzes are not just multiple choice, you might also have to write a piece of code that accomplishes a goal that was just discussed. Pluralsight has professional and expert level content that Treehouse does not. There's not a strict standard that all authors ("teachers") must follow for providing content. Authors tend to have their own style of teaching. Very few of the courses will quiz you on comprehension. You are more responsible for your understanding of the information.

Incentivized

• It's has helped a lot of my coworkers to grasp some basic finance and computer science stuff when previously they have no idea.

Incentivized

• Pluralsight is truly cost-effective for staying relevant. An annual Pluralsight subscription for an entire team is far more cost-effective than sending one individual to in-person training for a week.
• When we need to get up to speed on a technology, our Pluralsight subscription is right at hand. One quick search and we can get started. This helps us shorten the learning curve. Trying to find an in-person course has become difficult because the market has mostly transitioned to online courses.

Incentivized