Introduction

Udemy is one of the largest and most trusted online course marketplaces in the world, offering knowledge creators an unparalleled opportunity to share their expertise and earn income from a global audience of millions of learners.

Whether you’re a first-time creator testing your first course, or an established educator looking to expand your reach, Udemy provides accessible, low-risk tools to publish, promote, and monetize your knowledge. In this review, we break down how Udemy works, its key benefits, monetization options, and how creators can make the most of the platform.

What Is Udemy?

Udemy is a leading global course marketplace with a built-in audience of over 70 million active learners. Instead of building your own website from scratch, you can publish your courses directly on Udemy, and the platform handles hosting, payment processing, security, and student discovery for you.

For creators, Udemy removes nearly all technical barriers to launching an online course. It’s an ideal starting point for new instructors, and a powerful additional revenue channel for established creators who want to reach new audiences they could never access on their own.

Udemy Monetization & Revenue Share

Udemy offers multiple ways to earn from your courses, with different revenue share rates depending on how students find and purchase your content. This gives creators flexibility to choose the strategy that fits their goals.

For creators who bring their own students, the 97% revenue share is extremely competitive — you keep almost all revenue while leveraging Udemy’s secure hosting, payment system, and course delivery tools. For organic marketplace sales, the platform invests heavily in marketing, search optimization, and user acquisition to bring new students to your courses on autopilot.

Flexible Pricing & Promotional Tools

Instructors can set their course prices within a range of tiers from $9.99 to $199.99. The optional Udemy Deals Program lets the platform run promotional discounts, which can dramatically boost enrollment volume and help your course reach more students. Many creators use promotions strategically to grow their student base, collect reviews, and climb the marketplace rankings.

Skillshare: Another Popular Creator Option

Alongside Udemy, Skillshare is another well-known marketplace for creative skills. It operates on a subscription model, where teachers earn recurring royalties based on how many minutes of their content are watched by premium members.

• Earn royalties for every minute of your content watched by premium members
• Great for short, engaging creative classes in design, photography, and lifestyle topics
• Generous referral bonus program for creators who bring new members to the platform
• Low barrier to entry for new creators looking to build passive income streams

Many successful creators publish on both Udemy and Skillshare, diversifying their income and reaching different types of learners across multiple platforms.

Key Benefits & Things to Consider

Building Your Course Business With Udemy

Many successful course creators use Udemy as a core part of their business strategy. Top instructors earn six-figure incomes on the platform, and even newer creators can build meaningful passive income over time with consistent effort.

A popular and effective strategy is the dual-platform approach: use Udemy to validate your course ideas, reach thousands of new learners, and build your reputation as an expert. Then, you can invite your most engaged students to your own platform for higher-tier programs, coaching, or advanced courses.

Udemy + Your Own Platform: A Powerful Combination

Udemy and self-hosted course platforms work best together, not as competitors. Each serves a different purpose in your creator business:

• Use Udemy for: Discovery, audience growth, course validation, and passive front-end income
• Use your own platform for: Premium programs, community building, live cohorts, and higher-margin offers
• Combined benefit: Leverage Udemy’s massive traffic to feed your own brand and build long-term, sustainable revenue

For creators just starting out, Udemy is the perfect low-risk starting point. As you grow, adding your own hosted platform lets you increase your average revenue per student and build deeper relationships with your audience.

Popular Complementary Platforms

Many creators pair Udemy with a self-hosted platform for their premium offerings. Well-regarded options include:

• Ruzuku — Simple, streamlined platform with zero transaction fees
• Teachable — Feature-rich with strong marketing and mobile tools
• Kajabi — All-in-one solution for courses, email, and sales funnels
• Thinkific — Highly customizable for detailed branded experiences
• Podia — Affordable all-in-one for courses, downloads, and community

Final Verdict

Udemy is an excellent platform for knowledge creators, and one of the best places to launch your online course journey.

For new creators, it offers an unbeatable low-risk entry point: zero upfront costs, instant access to tens of millions of students, and all the tools you need to publish professional courses. For established creators, it’s a powerful discovery channel that can bring in new students you’d never reach on your own.

Used strategically — either as a standalone income stream or as a top-of-funnel channel for your own brand — Udemy is a valuable asset for almost any knowledge creator. It’s easy to get started, scalable over time, and a proven way to turn your expertise into income.

Frequently Asked Questions