edX online learning vs Academia.edu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
edX online learning
Access thousands of online courses and degree programs from top universities and companies. Upskill in critical disciplines, strengthen your resume, and advance your career on your own schedule. Stream content, download materials, and test your knowledge with quizzes and exams.
- Thousands of courses and programs
- World-class academic and industry partners
- Career skill development
- Professional certificate programs
- Degree programs
- Stream online courses
- Download course materials
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edX is the online learning platform that prepares you for every career moment. Register for free, and get immediate access to: * Education for every budget and background. Choose from thousands of courses and programs — from free courses to full degrees — that match your personal, professional, and financial needs. * World-class academic and industry partners. Discover immersive programs from Harvard, Amazon, Google, MIT, IBM, and hundreds of other exceptional institutions around the world. * Learning that drives meaningful career outcomes. Upskill in dozens of critical disciplines — like AI, supply chain management, and sustainability — to build a résumé-redefining skill set. It’s never too late or too early to join edX. Our courses and programs meet you where you are in your professional trajectory. You can: * Switch industries. Launch, change, or advance your tech career with immersive boot camps. * Strengthen your résumé. Deepen your expertise and showcase your skills with professional certificate programs. * Level up as a leader. Learn to lead initiatives and teams with executive education programs. * Earn a degree. Unlock new career opportunities with master’s, doctorate, and undergraduate degree programs. Make your next career move on your schedule. With edX’s free mobile app, you can: * Stream online courses in AI, cybersecurity, data science, and more. * Download course materials and transcripts for uninterrupted access. * Test your knowledge with quizzes, assignments, and exams. * Discover and enroll in new courses and programs as your skills evolve. Visit: edx.org Like: facebook.com/edx Follow: x.com/edxonline and instagram.com/edxonline
Academia.edu
Access a vast library of open-access research papers on your mobile device. Discover new studies, track mentions and readership of your work, and connect with fellow scholars. Explore millions of academic papers on diverse topics.
- Discover and read research
- Save research papers
- Track mentions and readership
- Search scholarly topics
- Connect with scholars
- View colleague activity
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Get the world’s largest open access library in your pocket with the Academia mobile app. Use the app to: - Discover, read and save new research - See who has mentioned you in their work. - See who is reading you papers and profiles. - Search for scholarly research on thousands of topics. - Find and connect with like-minded scholars - See what friends and colleagues are working on Academia.edu has over 23 million academic papers to explore from by millions of researchers around the world. Download the app to access your Academia.edu account whenever and wherever your curiosity strikes. __ Academia.edu Terms of Use: https://www.academia.edu/terms
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Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Academia.edu at every 2 weeks against edX online learning's every 5 weeks. Academia.edu also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). edX online learning's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 74%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. edX online learning sells 42 one-off in-app purchases and Academia.edu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for edX online learning against 4.8 for Academia.edu. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 17K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of edX online learning's written reviews are positive against 74% of Academia.edu's.
edX online learning ships an update every 5 weeks, Academia.edu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | edX online learning | Academia.edu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (11K ratings) | 4.8 (17K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.9% of reviews — better | 73.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11K | 17K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | edX LLC | Academia.edu |
Customer experience
edX online learning
Academia.edu
User reviews
edX online learning
From 11K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient learning on the go
- 💡 Wide variety of courses
- 🌟 High-quality content from renowned institutions
- 👍 Intuitive interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app performance
- 🔍 Lack of progress tracking
- 📱 Limited functionality compared to website
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate courses
- 🔍 Inconsistent user experience
Academia.edu
From 17K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Helpful for research and learning
- 📚 Comprehensive academic resources
- 🔍 Useful for finding relevant papers
- 🌐 Connects researchers globally
- 💡 Innovative academic platform
Room to improve
- 💰 Sudden price increase for Premium
- 🔍 Unintuitive search and navigation
- 🔒 Sign-in issues and frequent log-outs
- 📤 Unwanted notifications and emails
- 🔍 Difficult to access full papers without subscription
Bugs and requests
edX online learning
Reported bugs
4 issues- Videos not playing or freezing
- Frequent app crashes or refreshes
- Login issues and loss of course progress
- Incompatibility with certain devices
Requested features
5 requests- Improved progress tracking and bookmarking
- Split-screen support for note-taking
- Offline mode for all course content
- Better search and filtering options
- Seamless sync between app and website
Academia.edu
Reported bugs
3 issues- PDF files not loading properly
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Inconsistent behavior across platforms
Requested features
5 requests- Landscape mode support
- Improved search and filtering options
- Ability to bookmark and organize papers
- Better integration with other research tools
- More transparent pricing and subscription options
In-app purchases
edX online learning
- Upgrade Course8 variants$5.00
- Upgrade Course2 variants$10.00
- Upgrade Course2 variants$19.00
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- Upgrade Course$20.00
- Upgrade Course7 variants$25.00
- Upgrade Course$26.00
- Upgrade Course11 variants$29.00
- Upgrade Course$30.00
- Upgrade Course6 variants$39.00
- Upgrade Course$45.00
- Upgrade Course16 variants$49.00
- Upgrade Course8 variants$50.00
- Upgrade Course$54.00
- Upgrade Course$55.00
- Upgrade Course18 variants$59.00
- Upgrade Course$60.00
- Upgrade Course6 variants$69.00
- Upgrade Course$79.00
- Upgrade Course15 variants$99.00
- Upgrade Course2 variants$100.00
- Upgrade Course$105.99
- Upgrade Course6 variants$119.00
- Upgrade Course$123.99
- Upgrade Course$124.99
- Upgrade Course3 variants$129.00
- Upgrade Course20 variants$149.00
- Upgrade Course3 variants$150.00
- Upgrade Course$159.00
- Upgrade Course4 variants$169.00
- Upgrade Course$186.99
- Upgrade Course13 variants$189.00
- Upgrade Course9 variants$199.00
- Upgrade Course$200.00
- Upgrade Course9 variants$209.00
- Upgrade Course7 variants$219.00
- Upgrade Course$229.00
- Upgrade Course8 variants$249.00
- Upgrade Course11 variants$299.00
- Upgrade Course$300.00
- Upgrade Course$349.00
- Upgrade Course$449.00
- Upgrade Course$829.00
Academia.edu
- Academia Premium - Monthly$9.991 Month
- Academia Premium - Annual$98.991 Year
- Academia Premium - Annual7 Days trial$98.991 Year
Questions
Is edX online learning free?
Is Academia.edu free?
Which has better reviews, edX online learning or Academia.edu?
Do edX online learning or Academia.edu have ads?
Which is updated more often, edX online learning or Academia.edu?
Other comparisons
