Pluralsight vs CBT Nuggets – Which One is Better?
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IT skills are very much in demand, and we commend anyone who wants to go into IT on their decision.
When you’ve decided to take the plunge and skill up in IT and software, it makes sense to look into learning platforms where the courses are focused on your particular areas of interest. And this would include platforms like Pluralsight and CBT Nuggets.
Courses on regular learning platforms typically provide a selection of videos for you to watch, with the occasional quiz. But to learn something like coding or software development, a more hands-on approach is required. You can’t build a skill without practicing it, and that’s where platforms like Pluralsight and CBT Nuggets come in.
But if you’ve yet to decide which of these two platforms could be the right one for you, you’ve certainly come to the right place. Here we’re going to be directly comparing the platforms against important criteria, including features, pricing, usability, and so on.
You can see everything at a glance in our comparison table, or you can scroll straight down to our conclusion at the end.
Pluralsight Overview
Pluralsight offers thousands of courses authored by an elite network of industry experts, with new courses being added every day.
They are predominantly split into a handful of main categories, including cloud computing, machine learning (AI), software development, IT operations, network and cybersecurity, and so on.
If you have a specific course or topic you want to delve into, Pluralsight is sure to have it.
CBT Nuggets Overview
CBT Nuggets offers hundreds of different courses, and they are taught by some of the top vendors around, including the likes of Amazon Web Services, Linux, and Microsoft, to name but a few. And their courses tend to be tailored around specific career paths.
These career paths include network admin/engineer, systems admin/engineer, DevOps, cyber and network security, database admin & development, end-user productivity, management, and software development.
Table for Pricing Options, features, usability, and conclusion
| Pluralsight | CBT Nuggets | |
| Pricing Options | $29 per month$299 per year$499 for PremiumDiscounts for teams | $59 per month$599 per yearDiscounts for teams |
| Features | Cloud labs for hands-on learningSkill IQ & Role IQ to measure your skill levels and attainment against actual IT jobs | Virtual labs for hands-on learningKaplan® IT practice exams worth $100Accountability coaching |
| Usability | Excellent user interface, very intuitive and easy to understand | Excellent user interface, very intuitive and easy to understand |
| Conclusion | With so many courses available you’re bound to find what you’re looking forBest choice for those wanting to upskill in a less well-known facet of IT | Best choice for those who like to take practice examsBest choice for those who’d benefit from accountability coachingBest choice for those who also want to work on soft skills |
Pricing Options
Pluralsight has several different pricing plans. The personal plans are split into 3 categories.
- There’s the monthly subscription which costs $29 per month
- There’s the annual subscription which costs $299 per year (saving 14%),
- And there’s the premium subscription which costs $449 per year
All of these subscriptions can begin with a free trial. There is a separate pricing plan for booking entire teams.
CBT Nuggets is more expensive. For one individual, the prices are as follows:
- The monthly subscription costs $59
- The annual subscription is currently $599 (saving 15%)
The costs go down when there are more people on the team.
So, as you can see, Pluralsight does appear to have more value for money on the face of it. However, you also have to consider the different features of each learning platform and decide whether the additional features of CBT Nuggets are worth the extra money.
Features
Pluralsight has lots of great features.
Skill IQ is one such feature. With Skill IQ you can carry out a skill assessment in order to assess where you start on your particular learning path, so you don’t waste time on what you already know.
Then there’s Role IQ which measures your skill level directly against the job you want to train for. You can see exactly where you are against where you want to be, and exactly what your next steps should be, as well as how much progress you are making.
And CBT Nuggets also has its fair share of great features.
We love its accountability coaching, which really adds a personal touch to the learning process, and helps to keep the learner in check and on target.
And you get Kaplan® IT practice exams worth $100 to really prepare you well, so you can ace the final test.
We also love how you can join CBT Nuggets IT learner community, which can put you in touch with a network of over ten thousand IT professionals. So, if you ever have a question concerning how IT in real-world settings, you’ve got someone to ask.
Usability
The Pluralsight platform is very intuitive and easy to use. It’s pretty hands-on, and in its cloud labs, you can practice applying your tech skills to real-world scenarios and get good constructive feedback along the way.
Pluralsight also offers mobile and TV apps, and course material is also available offline, so accessibility is never a problem. We also like the course discussions, which bring a further learning element to your study.
CBT Nuggets is also easy to get to grips with, using several styles of teaching. You get engaging videos that you can access at any time, thanks to offline viewing. These videos are kept short, to the point, and are easy to follow.
Then there are the virtual labs that allow you to run the software you create to simulate real-world situations.
Conclusion
Pluralsight and CBT on the face of it certainly seem to have quite a lot in common. Specifically, how well suited they are for getting students to actually develop their skills, rather than to merely provide course videos to watch that don’t necessarily engage the students or boost their skills.
We would argue that the best and most sensible feature of any online learning platform in the arena of IT is the inclusion of hands-on practice in virtual labs. That way you can work on your software coding, and see exactly how it pans out.
Both Pluralsight and CBT Nuggets have this very important feature (though it’s not referred to as virtual labs in Pluralsight). So, this would make either of them a good IT learning platform in that sense.
However, CBT Nuggets does have a slight edge over Pluralsight, thanks to CBT Nuggets’ inclusion of Kaplan® IT practice exams. But CBT Nuggets is priced noticeably higher than Pluralsight (possibly in part due to this very feature, and possibly due to paying for the coaching).
So, in deciding which of these two platforms to go for, we think the deciding factor will be whether or not you’re prepared to pay the extra money and go for practice exams and have personalized coaching with CBT Nuggets. Or whether you’d decide to be more budget-conscious, and get great value for money with Pluralsight. Pluralsight does have everything you need.
Whichever platform you decide to go for, you will be in very good hands, you will develop some great skills that are very much in demand, and you will be well on your way to a successful career in IT.
About the Author Jacob M.
Jacob has a background in finance and engineering. Outside of his day job, he is a lifelong learner, who enjoys reading, taking online courses, and writing about what he's learned.
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