Coursera vs Udemy
Two education & courses affiliate programs, compared field by field on verified terms. Every figure below was checked against the official program page; each profile links the source. Scoring follows our public rubric.
10–45% by product · 30 days cookie
Good — best for career, upskilling and certification content
Udemy
Course marketplace · Education
~10–15% (varies by promo) · 7 days cookie
Weak — best for high-volume tutorial and how-to content
The verdict
Coursera — 70/100
Coursera wins by 23 points on stronger earnings structure, a longer attribution window (30 days vs 7 days), lower payout friction. Udemy still makes sense for a specific fit: high-volume tutorial and how-to content.
Verified terms, side by side
| Field | Coursera | Udemy |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | 10–45% by product | ~10–15% (varies by promo) |
| Model | One-time bounty | Percentage of sale |
| Cookie duration | 30 days ✓ | 7 days |
| Est. $/first referral | ~$25 ✓ | ~$2.5 |
| Network | Impact.com | Rakuten Advertising |
| Payout threshold | $10 | $50 |
| Payout methods | Direct deposit, PayPal | Direct deposit, PayPal, check |
| Payment terms | Monthly (Impact) | NET 60 (Rakuten) |
| Geo focus | Global | Global |
| Terms verified | 2026-08 | 2026-08 |
Score breakdown
Subscores are 1–10, weighted per the methodology.
Earnings power (35%)
Attribution window (20%)
Trust & conversion (20%)
Payout reliability (15%)
Ease of entry (10%)
Why pick Coursera
- University brands (Stanford, Yale, Google certs) convert
- Up to 45% on select products
- Evergreen "learn to code / get certified" demand
Watch out
Subscription products pay one-time only
Full Coursera profile →Why pick Udemy
- Huge course catalog covers every niche
- Perpetual $9.99–$14.99 sales convert impulse buyers
- Easy topical relevance for any tutorial site
Watch out
Deep discounting makes commissions tiny
Full Udemy profile →