BYJU's vs Vedantu vs Meritnation

Topic We Cover: BYJU's vs Vedantu vs Meritnation

1. Digital education: The distance travelled and the road ahead
2. BYJU’s vs Vedantu vs Meritnation: The need for comparison
3. BYJU's
4. Vedantu
5. Meritnation
6. askIITians
7. Topper Learning
8. Unacademy
9. Gradeup
10. Testbook
11. Hitbullseye
12. TCYOnline
13. The Comparison

E-learning and m-learning have become the buzz words surrounding education in the past few years. As we move into a much more technology-oriented world, every sector is being transformed and rerouted in a way which was never possible before.

25 years ago, if a student wanted to learn about a topic, he’d have to buy, borrow or issue a book related to the topic. Furthermore, if the book didn’t elucidate the concept clearly, the student would further have to wait to consult his faculty to clear all doubts.

The World Wide Web and the ubiquity of internet devices cut straight through the malaise.

Digital education: The distance travelled and the road ahead

Though the internet is yet to reach its saturation point in India, many have felt digital learning has arrived late to the party. Considering the success Khan Academy and education video channels on YouTube, one would have expected start-ups such as BYJU’s and Meritnation to have created a buzz much earlier.

‘A major part has also been the slow building of the trust factor between the Indian audience and the internet’ says Rajiv Singh, a consultant at an e-learning company. Ten years ago, nobody trusted the internet. It was fine for simple uses such as Facebook, YouTube or finding information. When it came to using services provided by the internet for education, especially paid education, nobody was ready’

Ten years down the road, Indians have begun to trust the internet. ‘We are becoming increasingly dependent on technology. Nobody wants to buy movie tickets by standing on the counter anymore, nor does anyone want to send an application form through post or make a money deposit by physically going to the bank. It is all on the internet now. The time for education to be transformed by technology is ripe’

The impact e-learning could have on traditional models of teaching such as schools and colleges won’t be as much as expected, according to Singh. ‘Parents, especially in urban areas still trust traditional schools more for teaching. Even I won’t depend on digital education alone for the education of my children. However, instead of travelling everyday for extra tuitions classes, I’d much rather have my son or daughter enrol for an online course and study at home’

According to a recently concluded study by KPMG, India’s online education sector will become a $2bn industry by 2021. If the figure does bode to be true, the face of education could change forever.

The push from the government to thrust e-learning and digital education into the mainstream is a encouraging and understandable step. Since independence, both central and state governments have found it difficult to improve primary education on a grassroots level. With digital education, the problem of bringing the best education to the last student in the most remote village will be completely removed.

Many players have entered the market for e-learning. BYJU’s, Vedantu and Meritnation are merely a few names in an industry which could go on to become the mainstream model of education dispersion in India.

BYJU’s vs Vedantu vs Meritnation: The need for comparison

Whenever a new sector comes into play, experts and analysts dive into the brass tacks of the industry, trying to understand how the market works and who the major players are.

The need for comparison isn’t an extrinsic force being threatened upon these companies. It is rather an intrinsic in this competitive world where one victor always emerges. Google consumed Yahoo and Bing, Facebook consumed MySpace and Orkut. So it is natural to ask who will consume whom in this battle for the rising digital education sector.

Besides looking at this from an analytic and statistical standpoint, there is also the need to understand the qualitative aspects of the products these companies are providing. Students who are looking at digital learning as an alternative need to know and understand the exact qualities and drawbacks of each company providing such courses.

This article will be focusing on the latter point of view i.e. analyzing each of these companies qualitatively.

BYJU's

The process of these courses ranges from 30-50k depending on the type of course. Competitive exam courses are generally more expensive compared to CBSE based courses. The course videos can be accessed through the BYJU’s learning app available on mobile and tablets.

While A-list investors are bankrolling its stride and student clamour paving its way, BYJU’s aims to become the supreme powerhouse of this industry within the next 3-5 years.

Vedantu

Vedantu is another major player in the e-learning sector. The USP of Vedantu is its unique model of having 1-on-1 live student teacher sessions. Unlike BYJU’s which is essentially selling pre-recorded sessions, Vedantu has implemented the entire social structure involving a student and teacher onto their platform by simply putting it online.

1. Booking single lessons: This session is very flexible. Students can book an individual session from a topic of their choice at the time of their convenience. These sessions usually cost anywhere between 400-900 per hour depending on the subject and the teacher has chosen for the session
2. Booking monthly tuition: Same drill. The timings for the classes will have to be predetermined. The price range for this course lies between Rs. 200 to 400 per hour.
3. Booking exam focused course: Instead of a month, you’ll be booking classes for the next 6-8 months are more depending on the exam. These courses are the cheapest and cost somewhere between Rs 80-120 per hour.

With more than 80k students having used their services, Vedantu is growing from strength to strength. It will no surprise if Vedantu does become one of digital education’s most viable asset.

Meritnation

Like Vedantu, Meritnation also offers live courses for students from classes 6-10 and specially planned JEE and NEET courses integrated with board exam studies.

Some of Meritnation course details have been tabled below:

askIITians

As the name suggests, AskIITians is an online education portal which is catered and targeted towards engineering aspirants. Founded by two IITians, askIITians was originally established to cater to the needs of students who couldn’t afford to take expensive coaching classes in Kota, Delhi and major cities in Andhra Pradesh.

The institution, askIITians offers foundation courses for students from classes 6-10 and JEE Mains/Advanced and NEET preparation programs. The fee details of some of the courses offered have been tabled below.

Topper Learning

Besides competitive exam training, Topper Learning also offers live courses for students in classes IX and X who are preparing for their respective board exams. Some of the courses offered by Topper Learning have been tabulated below along with their respective fee details.

Unacademy

One of the biggest game-changing companies in the e-learning sector has been Unacademy. Providing courses for a number of competitive exams, most notably UPSC, there model has gained widespread popularity in a short period of time because the courses they are offering are free.

Well, not all courses.

Gradeup

Gradeup launched 18 months back and in merely this relatively short period of time, they have managed to create a very stronghold over the digital learning sector of India.

With over 3.2 million in a span of 19 months, Gradeup has suddenly burst into the limelight to rival the likes of more seasoned players such as BYJU’s, Vedantu and Meritnation. Besides offering courses for the usual JEE and NEET exams, Gradeup also offers special courses for other exams such as SSC, Bank PO, UPSC, MBA entrance, GATE, IES and teaching exams.

Gradeup usually offers courses through a mobile app through which students can access study material, clear their doubts through Q&A forums and repeatedly practice important problems for the upcoming exams.

The most popular product at the company is the test series offered for various competitive exams, especially bank POs and SSC exams. Moreover, they also offer many quizzes on these exams free of cost to provide students with an alternative mode of study free of cost.

Testbook

Like Gradeup, Testbook is an app designed for students as a revision tool rather than a complete study package offering. Furthermore, Testbook focuses primarily on postgraduate professional exams such as Bank PO & SO, SSC, Railways, Delhi Police, BSNL TTA, GATE, IES and ECIL.

Besides simply offering test series to students, Testbook also provides in depth analysis of the performance of the given student and the areas in which he needs to improve to succeed. Having provided their services to over 2.99m students in just over 4 years of being in business, Testbook has expended into many exams after started off their GATE mock series in Jan 2014.

A key part of their appeal has been to reach out to a niche audience who are targeting professional exams. Rather than trying to spend endless funds trying to tap the engineering and medical exam market, Testbook has made a smart choice to remain a key player in its own niche.

Offering a variety of free and paid test series for different exams, Testbook bank upon a tried and tested model of acquiring long term customers by delivering quality content.

Some of the premier courses offered by Hitbullseye are listed below:

TCYOnline

Started back in 2009 to provide online assessment to students, TCYOnline has been a major player in the digital learning sector for a long time. Having provided services to more than 3.74m students since its inception, TCYOnline commands a major foothold in the tight space currently held by a select few companies in the e-learning sector.

TCYOnline is most popular for its test series and assessment tools for students looking for alternative sources of exam preparation. Its most famous test courses include exams such as MBA entrance exams, Bank POs, MCA entrance, JEE, GRE and CBSE board exams.

TCYOnline also outsources some of its testing materials to coaching centres and schools opening another channel for B2B growth, something other e-learning companies haven’t ventured into. Its open model to allow teachers from anywhere to post exams from an array of different segments has made the platform much more popular and versatile.

The Comparison

Coming down to the last bits, we move down to the final comparison between the giants of digital learning. Before delving into the analysis, it is necessary to clarify which factors will be incorporated for the comparison.

The factors are:

1. Affordability: The main reason students look for online alternatives in the first place is the exorbitant fees of conventional coaching centres. A major part of an e-learning company’s appeal is its ability to be affordable to a large segment of students.
2. Quality in variety: Many websites tend to overdo the number of courses they offer which later tends to affect the quality of courses being offered. With a increase in variety of courses, there is also a need to improve the quality along with it.
3. Perception: Any venture in education has a lot to do with perception and brand appeal. This is why most engineering aspirants say they want to go the IITs. Every other college is a backup option. The IIMs follow a similar trend. It is very important for companies to have a favourable impression amongst students and parents.