Short answer
- Treehouse is a coding school on subscription: $25 a month for Courses, $49 for Courses Plus and $199 for a Techdegree, each after a 7-day free trial (Treehouse). Regular courses earn badges; a Techdegree ends with a verified certificate.
- Udemy is a marketplace with more than 290,000 courses. You buy single courses and keep them for life, or subscribe to Personal Plan. Paid courses come with a certificate of completion (Udemy).
- College credit: Treehouse offers ACE- and NCCRS-reviewed courses through a partner, 3 credits per course plus a $35 transcript fee (Treehouse). Udemy offers NASBA CPE credit on selected finance and accounting courses.
- Choose Treehouse for a guided path into web development with projects and a final credential. Choose Udemy for single topics, a wider catalog and courses you own.
Udemy and Treehouse both teach coding, but they’re organized differently. Treehouse builds structured tracks and a project-based “Techdegree” on a monthly subscription. Udemy sells individual courses by independent instructors across every topic, coding included. This comparison covers what each costs, what you get at the end, and who each suits. We checked both platforms on September 22, 2026.
Udemy vs Treehouse at a glance
| Udemy | Treehouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | buy single courses (lifetime access) or subscribe | monthly subscription |
| US price | per course, set by instructors and localized by country; subscription price depends on your location | Courses $25/month, Courses Plus $49/month, Techdegree $199/month |
| Free trial | only as a promotion | 7 days |
| Catalog | more than 290,000 courses, all subjects | 300+ courses, focused on coding and tech |
| Credential | certificate of completion for paid courses | badges for courses; verified certificate for a Techdegree |
| College credit | no; NASBA CPE on selected courses | yes, through the partner UPI (ACE/NCCRS), 3 credits per course |
| Refunds | 30 days for single courses; subscriptions not refunded | “You will not be entitled to a refund for any fees already paid” |
| Owner | part of Coursera since May 2026 | Xenon Partners since December 2021 |
Sources: Treehouse plans, Treehouse Techdegree, Treehouse college credit, Treehouse terms, Treehouse acquisition, Udemy annual report, SEC, Udemy lifetime access, Udemy refund policy, Coursera investor relations.
What kind of certificate you get
Treehouse: badges, a Techdegree certificate, and optional college credit.
- Regular courses: “Students earn points and badges of completion as they finish courses, which are showcased in their user profile” (Treehouse blog). Badges show progress; they aren’t a certificate.
- Techdegree: completing a Techdegree lets you “add a verified Accredible credential to your resume and LinkedIn profile” (Treehouse). Treehouse describes a final proctored exam as part of the Techdegree (Treehouse blog).
- College credit: Treehouse works with University Pathways International (UPI) on courses “approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) and/or the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).” “Each course earns a total of 3 college credits,” and you pay “a $35 transcript fee” and complete a final assignment. Treehouse says over 1,500 US institutions accept ACE and NCCRS credits; whether your college accepts them is up to the college (Treehouse).
Udemy: a certificate of completion for every paid course. Free courses and practice-test-only courses don’t include one. Udemy is explicit: “Udemy is not an accredited institution. Certificates demonstrate skills and accomplishments, but they cannot be used for formal accreditation” (Udemy). Certificates earned through a subscription are lost when the subscription ends (Udemy). Selected accounting and finance courses carry NASBA CPE credit.
The practical difference: Treehouse gives you one credential for a whole program, which an employer can verify, plus a route to college credit. Udemy gives you a certificate per course. Neither is a professional certification; for exams from certifying bodies and what they cost, see our Certification Cost Index.
Price: what each really costs
Treehouse charges monthly. There’s no annual price for individuals on its plans page:
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | $25/month | the course library |
| Courses Plus | $49/month | more features than Courses (see the plans page) |
| Techdegree | $199/month | a structured program with projects and a final credential |
Source: Treehouse plans. After the 7-day trial, Treehouse charges automatically: “You will not receive a notice from us that your free trial period has ended” (Treehouse terms). Treehouse also says it is “available for free through participating public libraries nationwide,” so check your library before you pay (Treehouse).
Udemy prices each course separately. Instructors set the price and Udemy localizes it with “a country-specific price tier matrix” (Udemy). Once bought, a course is yours for life, as long as your account is in good standing and Udemy keeps the license. See Do Udemy courses expire? for the details.
A Techdegree’s cost depends on how fast you finish, because you pay $199 for every month you’re enrolled. A Udemy course costs the same whether you finish it in a week or never.
What you learn
Treehouse focuses on coding and tech. Its Techdegree page lists programs in front-end web development, full-stack JavaScript, Python development, data analysis and UX design, built around graded projects.
Udemy covers every subject; coding is one of many, with courses from many different instructors. Quality and currency vary, so check the rating, the number of students and the “last updated” date before buying.
Which one to choose
| You want… | Better fit |
|---|---|
| A guided path into web development with projects and one final credential | Treehouse Techdegree |
| College credit you can transfer | Treehouse (via UPI), if your college accepts ACE or NCCRS credit |
| One specific skill, paid once, kept for life | Udemy |
| Topics beyond coding | Udemy |
| To learn for free | Treehouse through a participating public library, or Udemy’s free courses (no certificate) |
What about Code School?
Some people still search for “Code School vs Treehouse.” Code School was a learn-to-code platform that Pluralsight bought in January 2015 for $36 million (Pluralsight). Pluralsight shut down the Code School website on June 1, 2018 and moved active users to Pluralsight (Pluralsight). If you’re comparing Treehouse with interactive coding platforms today, see Codecademy vs Treehouse.
Frequently asked questions
Is Treehouse better than Udemy for learning to code?
Treehouse is more structured: tracks, projects and a Techdegree with a final credential. Udemy is more flexible for a single topic, but you assemble your own path from courses by different instructors.
How much does Treehouse cost?
$25 a month for Courses, $49 for Courses Plus and $199 for a Techdegree, each after a 7-day free trial. Treehouse doesn’t refund fees already paid.
Does Treehouse give certificates?
Regular courses give badges. A completed Techdegree gives a verified Accredible credential. Selected courses can earn college credit through UPI for a $35 transcript fee.
Are Udemy certificates accredited?
No. Udemy says it “is not an accredited institution” and its certificates “cannot be used for formal accreditation.”
Is Treehouse still around?
Yes. Treehouse was acquired by Xenon Partners on December 14, 2021, and its site and plans were live when we checked on September 22, 2026.
How we checked these facts. Treehouse prices, trial, refund, Techdegree and college credit details come from teamtreehouse.com and its blog; Udemy rules from its help center and its annual report filed with the SEC; the Code School history from Pluralsight. All checked on September 22, 2026. Certificate Quest is not affiliated with Udemy, Treehouse, Coursera or Pluralsight and earns nothing from links on this page.