NPTEL vs Stepik
NPTEL
nptel.ac.inStepik
stepik.orgSide by side
| Figure | NPTEL | Stepik |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | 2,900 RUB/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 5 |
| Spec score · Online Course Marketplaces | 8.3 (#27) | 9.3 (#4) |
| Spec score · MOOC Platforms | 7.9 (#35) | 8.7 (#11) |
| Course formats | mixed | Stepik supports public MOOCs, private small online courses and paid courses. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | IIT Madras, Chennai, India | The company information page lists a legal address in Saint Petersburg at 2 Kantemirovskaya Street, office 202. |
| Support | Website, course availability, and access queries can be sent to [email protected]; the site lists weekday phone support from 9am to 6pm. | Stepik says its team can help authors create courses and provide help after launch and publication, including promotion. |
Plans
NPTEL
- NPTEL online certification examPrice not published
- NPTEL course enrolment and learningFree
Stepik
- BasicFree
- Free open coursesFree
- Pro2,900 RUB a month
- Enterprise500,000 RUB a year
- Paid coursesPriced on request
In their own words
NPTEL
NPTEL provides online web and video courses in engineering, science, and humanities. Course enrolment and learning are free, while an optional proctored certification exam costs Rs 1000 per course exam. Certification courses generally run for 4, 8, or 12 weeks and combine recorded lectures, assignments, and quizzes. Learners who pass receive e-verifiable certificates through their candidate login. In-person proctored exams are held in more than 170 cities in India and select cities abroad; remote-proctored exams are available in many other countries. Course videos are transcribed and subtitled, and English transcripts are translated into regional Indian languages. Teaching assistants and faculty answer questions in discussion forums, and certification-course learners can join live interactive sessions. Courses are organized into 56 domains across 13 disciplines. NPTEL is available on Android and the web and offers offline access. For most courses, certification requires an average assignment score of at least 40 and a final exam score of at least 40, though individual criteria may vary. NPTEL describes partnerships with colleges through Local Chapters and companies through its Industry Associate initiative.
Stepik
Stepik is an educational platform and online-course builder with automatic assignment checking. Registered users can create public courses for free using videos, text, and automatically checked assignments. Authors can also run contests, training, professional development, or courses for employees and customers. Courses may be free or paid; paid courses include expanded functionality and built-in payment processing, with Stepik taking a commission and charging no plan or subscription fee. Courses can be embedded with an iframe, connected through OAuth 2, or integrated with learning platforms using LTI 1.1. Named LTI-compatible platforms include Moodle, Open edX, Coursera, Blackboard LMS, Canvas, and Sakai. Stepik says its site works through an API, and learners can study on its website or mobile app. Offline learning and completion certificates are listed. Free public course creation costs nothing. Stepik says its Enterprise plan has been unavailable to new subscribers since May 2023; that plan previously limited private courses to 1,000 learners each.