What the terms say
The wording differs but the rule is the same: one account, one person, and no handing over your password. LinkedIn also requires one account in your real name. Coursera describes your licence as personal and non-transferable, and Educative says it may suspend or terminate an account immediately and without notice.
| Platform | Key wording | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Coursera | You agree to use only one user account unless Coursera expressly permits otherwise, and you will not share access to your account or access information with any third party. You may not let anyone besides yourself access your account. | Terms of Use and Acceptable Use Policy |
| Educative | You may not share an account with any other person. Its FAQ adds that it does not authorize sharing content with others. | Terms of Service, Account section; Educative FAQ |
| Alison | Each Alison account is intended for use by a single individual for personal learning purposes only. The only stated exception is sharing access solely to purchase certificates, diplomas or gift cards. | General Terms, sections 1.4 and 1.5; Offline Learning Terms of Use |
| LinkedIn (including LinkedIn Learning) | You will not share your account with anyone else. You may not use or attempt to use another's account, such as by sharing log-in credentials or copying cookies. | User Agreement, sections 2.1, 2.2 and 8.2 |
Why certificates make sharing a bad idea
A certificate says that the named account holder completed the work. Alison's terms list completing courses, assessments or exams on behalf of another user as prohibited, and LinkedIn ties your account to your real name. If two people take courses on one account, every certificate carries one person's name, and the other person has no record of their own.
There is also a practical risk. Educative's terms say it may suspend or terminate an account immediately and without notice. If a shared account is suspended, both people lose access to whatever progress and history they built up in it at the same time.
Legitimate options for households and teams
| Option | Who it fits | Published cost or terms | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separate Coursera Plus subscriptions | Two adults who both want the catalogue | $59 a month each with a 7-day free trial, or $399 a year each with a 14-day money-back guarantee | Coursera Plus page |
| Coursera for Teams | Small organizations, clubs or businesses | 2 to 499 users; 14-day money-back guarantee; price did not load on the page we checked; 500 or more users go to Enterprise | Coursera for Teams and compare-plans pages |
| DataCamp Teams | Teams of two or more learning data skills | $14 per user per month billed annually; Premium for one person is also $14 a month billed annually; Basic is free with the first chapter of courses; the page also showed an unexplained $28 special price, so confirm at checkout | DataCamp pricing page |
| Educative team subscription or gift | Small teams, or one person buying for another | Team subscription named in the Subscription FAQ; enterprise free trial with no credit card; pricing page links to Gift a Subscription; prices not shown | Educative Subscription FAQ, business and pricing pages |
| Alison free accounts and gift cards | Any household | Courses are free to study; each person needs their own account; gift cards buy a Digital Certificate or Diploma for someone else and are non-refundable | Alison app page, terms and gift card article |
| LinkedIn Learning through an employer | Employees | Employer buys the subscription and controls access to it, and receives usage reports, but gains no rights to your personal LinkedIn account | LinkedIn User Agreement, section 2.2 |
Worked example: a household of two (invented)
Mia and Leo both want Coursera courses. Two annual Coursera Plus subscriptions cost 2 x $399 = $798 for the year. If Leo only needs three months, his share as a monthly plan is 3 x $59 = $177, so the household spends $399 + $177 = $576. Sharing Mia's account would save money on paper but breaks Coursera's terms and leaves Leo with no certificates in his own name.
If they were learning data skills instead, DataCamp Premium for each person is $14 a month billed annually, or $14 x 12 x 2 = $336 a year for two, and each person keeps their own progress. If one of them only wants a taster, DataCamp's free Basic account opens the first chapter of each course.
What is allowed: a checklist
- Give each learner their own account, even on free platforms such as Alison.
- Pay for another person's certificate or plan through the vendor's gift or purchase route rather than by logging in as them; Alison explicitly allows sharing access only for buying certificates, diplomas or gift cards.
- For a group, use a team plan rather than one shared login.
- If your employer pays, use the seat it assigns to your own account, and expect it to see usage reports.
- Never share a password, even with family; every set of terms above prohibits it.
What we could not check
Udemy's and Skillshare's terms pages returned access errors when we checked on 30 October 2026, so they are not in the table. Read each platform's current terms before buying, and look for the words account, share and credentials.
Questions before you decide
Can two people share one Coursera Plus account?
No. Coursera's Terms of Use say you will not share access to your account or its access information with any third party, and its Acceptable Use Policy prohibits letting anyone besides yourself access your account.
Can my partner use my Educative subscription?
No. Educative's Terms of Service say you may not share an account with any other person, and its FAQ says it does not authorize sharing content with others. Educative offers team subscriptions and gift subscriptions instead.
Can someone else log in to my Alison account to buy my certificate?
Alison's terms make one exception to single-person use: sharing access solely to purchase certificates, diplomas or gift cards. Using the account for anyone else's learning or completing assessments for another user is not allowed.
Is a team plan the only way to cover several people?
No. Separate individual accounts are always allowed, and some platforms offer gifts, such as Educative gift subscriptions and Alison gift cards. Team plans such as Coursera for Teams, which Coursera says includes skill tracking, or DataCamp Teams for 2 or more people, give each learner a seat of their own.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Coursera Terms of Use Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Coursera Plus pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Coursera for Teams Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Coursera for Business: compare plans Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Educative: Terms of Service Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Educative: FAQ (sharing content) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Educative: Subscription FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Educative: for business Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Educative: pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Alison: Terms of use Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Alison Help Center: What is an Alison Gift Card? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Alison: Online learning app page Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- LinkedIn User Agreement Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- DataCamp: pricing and FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.