Short answer
- Lynda.com is now LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn ended “our three year transition from lynda.com to LinkedIn Learning” in May 2021 (LinkedIn). Today you get it through LinkedIn Premium, from $39.99 a month or $239.88 a year for Premium Career.
- Pluralsight is a tech-only library: Core Tech with 3,900+ courses, Complete with 6,500+, plus AI, cloud, data and security add-ons, and “over 175 certification paths” (Pluralsight, cert prep).
- Certificates: both give certificates of completion that some certification bodies accept for continuing education. LinkedIn Learning counts for NASBA accounting CPE; Pluralsight says its courses are “not pre-approved for accounting CPE credits.”
- Choose Pluralsight for in-depth software, cloud and security training and certification prep. Choose LinkedIn Learning for a broader mix of business, technology and creative skills.
LinkedIn bought Lynda.com in 2015 and replaced it with LinkedIn Learning, so “Pluralsight vs Lynda” in 2026 means Pluralsight vs LinkedIn Learning. Both changed a lot since this comparison was first written in 2022: LinkedIn Learning now lives inside LinkedIn Premium, and Pluralsight has new owners and new plan names. We checked both on September 22, 2026.
What happened to Lynda.com
LinkedIn announced the Lynda.com acquisition in April 2015, “valued at approximately $1.5 billion” (LinkedIn), launched LinkedIn Learning with Lynda’s content in September 2016 (LinkedIn), and finished the move in May 2021, with “learning history, certificates, and playlists all being automatically transferred over to LinkedIn Learning” (LinkedIn). lynda.com now forwards to LinkedIn Learning.
Pluralsight vs LinkedIn Learning at a glance
| Pluralsight | LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda) | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | technology: software, cloud, data, security, AI | Business, Technology and Creative libraries |
| How you pay | Pluralsight plans: Core Tech, Complete, or Core Tech plus AI, Cloud, Data or Security add-on | through LinkedIn Premium; no standalone plan, no single courses |
| Catalog | 6,500+ courses (Complete), 3,900+ (Core Tech) | “26,300 courses” |
| Free trial | 10 days, without labs and sandboxes | one month of Premium |
| Certification prep | “over 175 certification paths” | prep courses and Professional Certificates with partners |
| Certificate | certificate of completion for video courses | certificate of completion; Professional Certificates with exams |
| Owner | lender group led by Blue Owl (since August 2024) |
Sources: Pluralsight pricing, Pluralsight free trial, Pluralsight cert prep, Pluralsight recapitalization, LinkedIn Learning, LinkedIn Learning subscription overview, Premium Career.
What kind of certificate you get
Pluralsight: a certificate of completion for video courses. “If you have 100% completion for a video course, you can generate a certificate of completion.” It shows your name, the course, the completion date and the course hours, and it’s available for video courses only, “not other learning types” (Pluralsight).
Pluralsight says the certificate can be submitted for continuing education with organizations it has agreements with: CompTIA (CEUs), IIBA, ISACA, ITIL, PMI (PDUs) and PRINCE2. It also lists where it doesn’t count: “Our material is not pre-approved for accounting CPE credits,” and its courses “do not qualify as the authorized courses for VMware VCP certification” (Pluralsight). Pluralsight’s Skill IQ is a skills assessment of about 10 to 15 minutes with an “average of 25 questions,” not a certificate (Skill IQ).
LinkedIn Learning: a certificate of completion, plus more. You get a certificate “only if they’ve finished watching all the videos in a course or a learning path” (LinkedIn). Beyond that:
- Continuing education: LinkedIn Learning names CompTIA, HRCI, IIBA, NASBA, PMI and SHRM, and is “a registered sponsor of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)”; NASBA courses require at least 70% on an end-of-course exam (CE overview, NASBA).
- Professional Certificates with partners, with an exam that is “unproctored on LinkedIn Learning,” included in the subscription (LinkedIn).
- Academic credit: “over 42 learning paths that can be applied toward academic degrees with seven off-platform academic partners” (same source).
The practical difference: both certificates can help you keep an IT or project management certification current. If you’re an accountant who needs CPE, LinkedIn Learning qualifies and Pluralsight doesn’t. Neither platform’s certificate replaces a vendor exam; for exam fees see our Certification Cost Index.
Price
LinkedIn Learning comes with LinkedIn Premium. Premium Career “starts at US$39.99 per month/license or US$239.88 per year/license” (LinkedIn’s pricing, last updated April 20, 2026). LinkedIn Learning “does not offer one-off, a la carte purchases of individual courses, nor does it offer individual LinkedIn Learning subscriptions.”
Pluralsight shows prices in local currency. From Germany on September 22, 2026, its individual pricing page listed Core Tech at €19 a month, Complete at €35 a month, and each add-on plan (AI+, Cloud+, Data+, Security+, all including Core Tech) at €22 a month (Pluralsight pricing). We could not read a reliable US price. The 10-day free trial excludes labs and sandboxes and places a $1 authorization on your card; after it, the plan renews automatically until you cancel (Pluralsight).
Who owns Pluralsight now
Vista Equity Partners completed its purchase of Pluralsight in April 2021 at $22.50 per share (SEC filing). In August 2024, Pluralsight announced a recapitalization under which “the Investor Group will own 100% of the company,” a group of its lenders (Pluralsight). Pluralsight also bought the Code School coding platform in 2015 and shut it down in 2018 (Pluralsight).
Which one to choose
| You want… | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Software development, cloud, data or security in depth | Pluralsight |
| Prep for vendor certification exams | Pluralsight (175+ paths) |
| Business, management or creative skills | LinkedIn Learning |
| Accounting CPE (NASBA) | LinkedIn Learning |
| PMI PDUs or CompTIA CEUs | either |
| You already pay for LinkedIn Premium | LinkedIn Learning (included) |
Related: Lynda (LinkedIn Learning) vs Skillshare.
Frequently asked questions
Does Lynda still exist?
No, not as its own service. Lynda.com was replaced by LinkedIn Learning; the transition ended in May 2021.
Is Pluralsight better than LinkedIn Learning for IT?
For technology topics, Pluralsight is the more specialized library, with 6,500+ courses in its Complete plan and 175+ certification prep paths. LinkedIn Learning covers business and creative topics too.
Does Pluralsight give certificates?
Yes, a certificate of completion when you finish 100% of a video course. It can be submitted for CEUs or PDUs with organizations such as CompTIA and PMI.
Do Pluralsight courses count for CPE?
For some certification bodies (CompTIA, IIBA, ISACA, PMI and others), yes. Pluralsight says its material is not pre-approved for accounting CPE credits.
How much is LinkedIn Learning?
It comes with LinkedIn Premium; Premium Career starts at $39.99 a month or $239.88 a year.
How we checked these facts. LinkedIn Learning history, access, prices and credential rules come from LinkedIn’s press releases, help center and Premium pages; Pluralsight plans, certificates and continuing education rules from its pricing pages, product pages and help center; ownership from Pluralsight’s press releases and an SEC filing. All checked on September 22, 2026. Certificate Quest is not affiliated with Pluralsight or LinkedIn and earns nothing from links on this page.