Ubunya vs LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning picks its instructors. On Ubunya you run your own programmes.
LinkedIn Learning is a business skills library sold as a subscription to individuals and companies, often bundled with LinkedIn Premium. Instructors apply with a sample video and LinkedIn chooses who teaches and what's produced. Ubunya is for organisations that want to run their own programmes: admissions, live cohorts, attendance, fees and certificates under their own name.
The short answer
Choose LinkedIn Learning if
- LinkedIn selects you as an instructor and produces your course.
- You want exposure to LinkedIn's professional audience.
- A fee from LinkedIn suits you more than selling yourself.
Choose Ubunya if
- You want to run your own programmes, not one course in a library.
- You set your own fees and learners pay you.
- You run live and in-person cohorts with attendance.
- You want your own community and alumni network.
LinkedIn Learning and Ubunya at a glance
- Who can teach
- LinkedIn Learning: Instructors LinkedIn selects
- Ubunya: Any training organisation
- Learner price
- LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning or Premium subscription
- Ubunya: Whatever you charge
- Price to you
- LinkedIn Learning: Free; LinkedIn pays selected instructors
- Ubunya: One plan agreed with you, paid by invoice in your currency. Every feature is included.
- Best for
- LinkedIn Learning: Short business and software courses
- Ubunya: Cohort programmes
Feature by feature
| Feature | Ubunya | LinkedIn Learning |
|---|---|---|
| Community feed, categories and polls | Course Q&A | |
| Courses, lessons and progress | Produced video courses | |
| Points, levels and leaderboards | ||
| Live sessions | Live rooms in the browser, with breakout groups and recording | Occasional live events |
| Admissions | Application forms with a review queue | |
| Cohorts | Intakes with seats, dates and class times | |
| Attendance | Online and in person, with QR check-in | |
| Certificates | Issued on completion, with a public check page | Completion certificates on your LinkedIn profile |
| Small groups | Squads inside each cohort | |
| Impact reporting | Impact reports and follow-up surveys | Company learning reports |
| Payments made outside a card checkout | Bank transfer, M-Pesa, UPI, Pix, card and cash recorded, with receipts and balances | LinkedIn subscription only |
| One payer for many learners | An employer or sponsor pays for several learners | LinkedIn Learning for companies |
| WhatsApp and SMS | WhatsApp and SMS reminders and announcements | |
| Email broadcasts and automatic sequences | Course recommendations | |
| Phone app | Installable app under your own name and logo | LinkedIn Learning app |
| Web address | ubunya.com/yourname, or your own domain | A page on linkedin.com |
| Developer access | Public API, MCP server and CLI | For company learning systems |
| Fee on what learners pay | 0% | Not your sale to make |
LinkedIn Learning details as of November 2026, from LinkedIn Learning: become an instructor and published reviews. Prices and fees change, so check LinkedIn Learning's site before you decide.
Selected by LinkedIn, or running your own
LinkedIn Learning courses are produced with LinkedIn: instructors apply with a sample video, LinkedIn decides who fits its catalogue, and learners reach the course through a subscription. Completion certificates appear on learners' LinkedIn profiles, which is a real draw.
Ubunya is for organisations that want their own programmes, not one course in someone else's library. You decide who you admit, what you charge and how the cohort runs, and every certificate links to a public check page under your name.
Cohorts, not just a membership
LinkedIn Learning courses are short and self-paced. Ubunya starts from the programme: you open an intake with a start date, seats and class times, people apply, your team admits them, and they move through the cohort together until graduation.
Every learner has a record that follows them: which intake they joined, which sessions they attended, what they paid and which certificate they earned. When a funder or board asks how the last cohort went, the answer is already there.
If you only need an open membership that anyone can join with a card, LinkedIn Learning may be all you need. If you admit people into programmes that start and finish, that structure is what Ubunya is for.
Getting paid the way your learners pay
LinkedIn Learning is paid for through a LinkedIn subscription. Many of the organisations we work with are paid by bank transfer, mobile money such as M-Pesa, UPI or Pix, a company cheque, a card on their own machine (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) or cash at the first session, often in instalments.
Ubunya records each payment against the learner's fee account, issues a receipt, shows the balance and reminds people before an instalment is due, by email, WhatsApp or SMS. Nothing is taken from what your learners pay: Ubunya charges 0%.
When an employer pays for ten staff, one payer covers all ten seats and gets one invoice, while each learner still has their own place in the cohort.
Where LinkedIn Learning is the better choice
No platform suits everyone. LinkedIn Learning does these things better than Ubunya:
- Exposure to LinkedIn's professional audience.
- Certificates that show on learners' LinkedIn profiles.
- Professional production for selected instructors.
Moving from LinkedIn Learning to Ubunya
- Request a community. We set it up with your name, logo and colours, at ubunya.com/yourname or on your own domain.
- Import your members from a CSV export, with their names, emails and phone numbers.
- Recreate your programmes and courses. Lesson videos can be uploaded or embedded, and we can help with the move when we agree your plan.
- Invite members to sign in. Their history starts in Ubunya from the next intake.
Questions
How do you become a LinkedIn Learning instructor?+
You apply on LinkedIn's instructor page with a sample video, and LinkedIn contacts you if there's a fit. Some instructors are referred by existing instructors.
Can I sell my own programme on LinkedIn Learning?+
No. Learners reach courses through a LinkedIn subscription, and LinkedIn decides what's published. To sell your own programmes at your own price, Ubunya is built for that.
LinkedIn Learning or Ubunya: which should I choose?+
Teach on LinkedIn Learning if it selects you and exposure matters most. Use Ubunya to run your own academy with cohorts, fees, attendance and certificates.
Other comparisons
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