VERDICT
How much does Coursera cost in 2026?
Coursera Plus costs $59 a month or $399 a year and covers most of the catalogue, including the Google, IBM and Meta certificates. A single course costs about $49 one-time, and the price for Specializations and Professional Certificates is $49 a month until you finish. Free auditing ended in August 2025, so the free option now is a first-module preview or financial aid. The Teams plan, at $399 per user per year, gives you what individual subscriptions can’t: reporting, learning paths, and admin control.
How to choose the right Coursera plan
If you’re committed to learning — for a career change, a promotion, or building AI skills for your current role — the annual Coursera Plus plan at $399 a year is the cleanest, most cost-effective option, and it covers more than you’ll probbaly use. If you’re sure you need just one course or certificate for one job application, buy it individually.
Coursera’s pricing makes most sense once you’re past casual browsing. But Coursera is one of the e-learning companies with a fairly complex and not always transparent pricing model. So in this article we break down all of Coursera’s options, how much each costs, and which one is right for you.
Prices are time-sensitive, so we check and update them often. Prices verified on coursera.org in October 2026. Always check the live price, as seasonal promotions may apply.
Coursera pricing at a glance (October 2026)
| Plan | Best for | Price (USD) | Price (GBP) | Price (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free preview (formerly audit) | Sampling a course’s first module before paying | $0 | £0 | €0 |
| Individual course | One specific certificate | $49 | £36 | €42 |
| Specialization / Professional Certificate | One structured program | from $49/mo | from £36/mo | from €42/mo |
| Coursera Plus (monthly) | Flexible short-term access | $59/month | £43/month | €51/month |
| Coursera Plus (annual) | Best value for serious learners | $399/year ($33.25/month) | £296/year (£24.67/month) | €346/year (€28.83/month) |
| MasterTrack certificate | Graduate-level credential | $2,000–$5,000 total | — | — |
| Bachelor’s degree | Full undergraduate qualification | $9,000–$25,000 total | £14,666–£21,829 total | — |
| Master’s degree | Full postgraduate qualification | $15,000–$50,000 total | £11,102–£14,835 total | €22,950–€24,950 total |
| Coursera for Teams (B2B) | Teams of 2–499 | ~$399/user/year | ~£296.66/user/year | ~€346.05/user/year |
| Coursera for Enterprise | 500+ employee organisations | Custom quote | Custom quote | Custom quote |
*Prices checked in the US, UK, and Germany manually, 10 October 2026.
Buy an individual Coursera course if you:
- Need one specific certificate — say, a Google Data Analytics or IBM AI certification
- Won’t be taking more than 1–2 courses in the next year
- Prefer a one-time payment rather than a recurring subscription
- Are targeting a single skill gap rather than a broad career transition
Choose Coursera Plus if you:
- Plan to complete three or more courses or specializations in the next 12 months
- Are in the middle of a career pivot and need to build several skills at once
- Want to experiment across subjects without paying per course each time
- Need multiple certificates for your CV or LinkedIn profile
Choose a business plan if you:
- Are an HR manager, L&D lead, or team lead looking to upskill a group
- Have 2–499 employees who need structured learning with progress tracking
- Want to run custom learning paths, not just assign open courses
- Need admin reporting, SSO integration, or a dedicated account manager
How Coursera pricing works
Coursera was known for offering thousands of single courses for free — without a certificate, but with full access to lectures and readings. The free offering by Coursera ended on 8 August 2025, when Coursera replaced auditing with a free preview of each course’s first module. Today your free options are that preview, financial aid, and a 7-day free trial of Coursera Plus.
Now, Coursera pricing splits into three main paths:
Pay per course. The majority of individual courses cost $49 as a one-time purchase. You get the certificate, graded assignments, and lifetime access to that course’s materials. This makes sense if you want one specific credential.
Subscribe to Coursera Plus. At $59/month or $399/year, you get unlimited access to over 10,000 courses, specializations, and professional certificates. No per-course charges. This is the better option the moment you’re taking more than a handful of courses in a year. Most AI automation courses and generative AI courses available on Coursera are included in the Plus subscription — so if building AI skills is your goal, the annual plan covers almost everything you’d pick from those lists.
Enrol in a degree program. Coursera partners with real universities to offer accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees fully online. These cost $9,000–$50,000 depending on the institution and program, and they are placed completely outside the Plus subscription.
What you might not like is that Coursera Plus does not cover everything. Degree programs are excluded. Some MasterTrack certificates ($2,000–$5,000) require separate payment. That said, for most learners, the subscription covers essentially everything they’d want.
What happened to Coursera’s free audit option?
Coursera quietly ended most free auditing in August 2025, after a leadership change put previously free university courses behind a paywall. What used to be “audit”, which was full access to lectures and readings without paying, has largely been replaced by a free preview: typically just the first module, often a single introductory video.
In practice, that means the free tier in 2026 works like this: you can browse the catalog, preview the opening module of most courses, and access a shrinking number of older courses that still carry the classic audit option. For full lectures, graded work, or a certificate, you’ll need either a one-time course purchase (usually $49) or a Coursera Plus subscription. If a course page shows “Preview” instead of “Audit,” the paywall applies. Financial aid remains the free route — it still covers full access and the certificate if approved.
Overall, the change caught people mid-course. On DeepLearning.AI’s learner forum, the first threads in August 2025 were from students who’d finished week one in audit mode and found weeks two to four locked; moderators confirmed there was no longer a way to access most course content for free.
How much is Coursera Plus?
Coursera Plus is the subscription most people should consider seriously. It comes in two plans, and the annual one is where the savings are. Here’s the full breakdown:
| Plan | USD | GBP | EUR | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $59/month | £43/month | €51/month | Testing the platform, or one short burst of study |
| Annual | $399/year | £296/year | €346/year | Anyone taking more than two programs in a year |
Twelve months of monthly billing costs $708. The annual plan is $399, so paying up front saves you $309. The same holds in the other currencies: £516 against £296, a saving of £220, and €612 against €346, saving €266. Around 43% in all three.
Trial and refunds
You get seven days free before Coursera charges you. Enough time to start a course, watch a few hours of it, and see whether the library covers what you want to learn.
On the annual plan there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee after that. Monthly works differently: cancel any time and you keep access until your billing period ends, but you don’t get cash back for the month you’re already in.
One warning before you start a trial. Coursera’s Trustpilot rating is 1.3 out of 5 across roughly 1,180 reviews, and most of the complaints are about billing rather than price: trials converting to paid plans without a clear notice, charges continuing after a cancellation, and support that’s hard to reach. If you sign up, set a reminder for day 6 of the trial, screenshot your cancellation, and check your statement the following month.
What you get, and what you don’t
Coursera Plus covers more than 10,000 courses, Specializations and Professional Certificates. That includes the Google, IBM and Meta certificates, plus university content from Duke, Stanford and Johns Hopkins. Hands-on projects are in, and so are unlimited certificates for everything you finish.
Degrees and MasterTrack certificates are not included, along with a small number of courses and Professional Certificates from certain partners. Check the course page for the “Included with Coursera Plus” label before you assume yours is covered.
When Plus is cheaper
The comparison most people want is Plus against a single Professional Certificate subscription. A certificate costs $49 a month.
At $49 a month, you’d need roughly eight months on that certificate before Plus would have been the better option financially. So if you’re doing one certificate and you finish it in six months, paying for the certificate on its own is cheaper. Plus wins when you’re taking two or more programs, or when you’re honest with yourself about how long you’ll take.
If you’re on the fence, the annual plan at $399 (or lower with a promo) is almost always the better choice over monthly. For a deeper look at whether the subscription delivers on its promise, read our Coursera Plus review — it covers course quality, certificate value, and downsides alongside the pricing.
Individual course pricing
Not everyone needs a subscription. If you want one specific course with a certificate and nothing else, buying individually makes sense.
Individual course prices run $49 per course. Specializations — which bundle several courses together into a structured program — are typically priced as monthly subscriptions at $49/month until you finish.
A typical specialization takes two to four months to complete. If you have two specializations in mind, it makes sense to pay for the annual Coursera Plus plan.
Professional certificates — Google’s, IBM’s, Meta’s — work the same way. They cost from $49/month and take three to six months on average. A Coursera Plus subscription covers all of them with no per-program charge.
Degree program pricing
Coursera’s degree programs are in a different category entirely — these are accredited qualifications from real universities, not just certificates you earn on a platform.
| Degree type | USD | GBP (approx) | AUD (approx) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degrees | $9,000–$25,000 | £7,000–£19,500 | A$13,500–A$37,500 | 2–6 years (flexible) |
| Master’s degrees | $15,000–$50,000 | £11,700–£39,000 | A$22,500–A$75,000 | 1–3 years |
| MasterTrack certificates | $2,000–$5,000 | £1,560–£3,900 | A$3,000–A$7,500 | 4–12 months |
GBP and AUD figures are approximate conversions. Degree programs are typically invoiced in USD regardless of your location — confirm the exact billing currency with the programme before enrolling.
These are not covered by Coursera Plus. They’re full degree programs from schools like the University of London, University of Michigan, HEC Paris, and Illinois Tech. For context, these programs cost a fraction of on-campus equivalents — a master’s through Coursera’s university partners typically runs 20–40% of what the same degree costs in person.
MasterTrack certificates are the programs with the design between a professional certificate and a full degree. They’re university-designed, credit-eligible, and aimed at professionals who want graduate-level credentials without committing to a full degree.
Financial aid is available for many courses, specializations, and professional certificates — not degree programs. You apply directly from the course page. Applications ask about your educational background, employment status, and learning goals. Answers need to be substantive (at least 150 words each). If approved, you get full access including graded work and the certificate for free, with 180 days to complete it.
Coursera for Business pricing: teams and enterprise
Coursera’s business plans work differently from the individual pricing. They’re aimed at companies that want to upskill employees at scale, with admin controls, reporting dashboards, and custom learning paths.
There are two main tiers:
Coursera for Teams is for groups of 2–499 people. Pricing starts at roughly $399 per user per year, billed annually. At that price, each seat is equivalent to the annual Coursera Plus plan — but with added admin features, team progress tracking, custom learning paths, AI-assisted learning guidance, and content translations. The minimum team size varies, but groups of 5–25 are the typical entry point.
Billing quarterly instead of annually raises the price to $438.90 per user per year.
Coursera for Enterprise is for organisations with 500+ employees. Pricing is custom, quoted based on learner count, content tier, and contract length. Enterprise plans add dedicated customer success managers, SSO and HRIS integrations, custom content creation tools, and a more hands-on onboarding process. There’s typically a minimum annual contract value.
Coursera doesn’t publish Enterprise prices. Vendr’s procurement data, last updated February 2026, puts the average Coursera contract at $49,000 a year, with negotiated rates of $250 to $550 per learner per year.
A few practical notes on business pricing:
Volume gets you discounts. Teams in the 25–100 user range regularly negotiate 10–20% below the listed rate by committing to longer contract terms or higher seat counts.
Not all content is in the Teams plan. The full Coursera Plus library is available, but some premium content, degree programs, and certain MasterTrack certificates require separate agreements.
Enterprise customers get content creation tools. Coursera’s AI-assisted course builder lets companies create internal training courses on top of the existing catalog — something the Teams plan doesn’t include.
| Plan | Users | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coursera for Teams | 2–499 | ~$399/user/year | SMBs, department-level L&D |
| Coursera for Enterprise | 500+ | Custom quote | Large organisations, complex integrations |
We’ve checked the reviews: Business buyers rate it far higher than consumers do — 4.5 on G2 and 4.4 on Gartner Peer Insights — with reviews pointing to catalog breadth and learning paths; the recurring caveat is outdated material in specific courses.
How Coursera compares to competitors on price
| Platform | Individual course | Subscription | Certificate included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coursera Plus | $49 | $399/year | Yes, unlimited | University-backed credentials |
| Udemy | $11–$200 (frequent sales) | None | Yes, per course | One-off skill purchases |
| LinkedIn Learning | N/A | $240/year | Yes | Professionals on LinkedIn Premium |
| Skillshare | N/A | $167.88/year | Yes | Creative skills |
| edX | $50–$300 | None standard | Yes | MicroMasters, university credit |
*One thing to know about the Udemy row: Coursera completed its merger with Udemy on 11 May 2026. The two platforms still run separately and neither has announced price changes, but you’re now comparing two products from the same company.
So, looking at the prices, Udemy is cheaper if you’re buying individual courses on sale (they discount aggressively, often to $13–$15), LinkedIn Learning is cheaper on subscription ($240/year vs $399) but has a smaller, less rigorous catalog; Skillshare is the cheapest subscription but might not offer the course you need.
Coursera is a more premium option because its certificates come from recognisable institutions. A certificate from a Google, IBM, or Johns Hopkins program on Coursera carries more weight with employers than a generic “course completion” badge from most alternatives. If you’re also weighing Coursera against Udacity — which takes a different approach with project-based nanodegrees — our Coursera vs Udacity comparison covers the pricing difference alongside what you get for the money.
Frequently asked questions
Is Coursera free?
Coursera used to be, but now it’s not. Until August 2025, you could audit most courses in full for free; today most courses offer only a free preview of the first module, with full lectures, graded work, and certificates behind payment. Financial aid is available for learners who can’t afford course fees; applications are reviewed within 15 days on average.
How much does Coursera Plus cost per month?
The monthly plan is $59/month. The annual plan works out to $33.25/month ($399/year). If you’re comparing those two options, the annual plan is meaningfully cheaper — you save $309 over 12 months — and it includes a 14-day money-back guarantee that the monthly plan doesn’t offer.
Is the $49 fee per course or per month?
Both exist, and the enroll button tells you which one you’re looking at. A standalone course is a one-time payment — usually $49 — that buys you 180 days of access, graded assignments, and the certificate. A Specialization or Professional Certificate is a monthly subscription at a similar price ($49/month) that keeps billing until you finish or cancel, so a 4-month program costs 4 payments, not one. This is the single most common billing surprise on Coursera: people assume $49 is the total, complete the program slowly, and pay double or triple what they expected. If the checkout says “per month,” budget by your realistic completion speed — or compare against Coursera Plus at $59/month, which covers the same programs with no per-program meter.
Does Coursera Plus include everything on the platform?
Most things, but not all. Coursera Plus covers 10,000+ courses, specializations, and professional certificates. It does not cover degree programs ($9,000–$50,000), most MasterTrack certificates ($2,000–$5,000), or guided projects sold separately. For the vast majority of learners, the exceptions don’t matter.
How does Coursera for Business pricing work?
Coursera for Teams starts at roughly $399 per user per year for groups of 2–499 people. Coursera for Enterprise serves 500+ employee organisations at custom pricing. Business plans add admin dashboards, custom learning paths, progress reporting, and team management tools that don’t exist in individual plans. Enterprise contracts also include SSO, HRIS integrations, and a customer success manager.
Is Coursera Plus worth it for a career change?
Yes, if you’re taking more than two or three courses. Most career transitions require building skills across multiple areas — data analysis, project management, AI tools, communication — and buying individual courses adds up fast. At $399/year, Coursera Plus is cheaper than two professional certificate subscriptions run at full monthly pricing.
Does Coursera pricing differ by country — UK, Europe, Australia?
Yes. Coursera sets a separate list price per region instead of converting from dollars, so Coursera Plus is $59/month in the US, £43 in the UK and €51 in the eurozone, or $399, £296 and €346 annually, with other markets priced locally too. Standalone courses follow the same pattern: the same University of Michigan course is $49, £36 or €42 depending on where you’re browsing from. Degrees are the exception, since tuition is set by the university rather than Coursera and doesn’t convert at all – the University of London BSc runs £14,666 to £21,829 whether you apply from London or Berlin.
Can I get a Coursera certificate for free?
Through financial aid, yes. You apply from the course page, answer questions about your background and goals, and Coursera reviews the application within about 15 days. If approved, you get full course access including the certificate at no cost. Financial aid is available for individual courses, specializations, and most professional certificates — not for degree programs or MasterTrack certificates.
Why is Coursera so expensive now?
Mainly because the free tier shrank. Until August 2025, you could audit most courses for free and only pay for the certificate; now you get the first module and pay for the rest. List prices themselves haven’t moved much: Plus has been $59 a month and $399 a year throughout 2026.