Empath vs Udemy: Which Is Better for MSP Training?

If you’re responsible for training an MSP team, you’ve probably looked at Udemy.

It’s easy to see why: thousands of courses, reasonable pricing, and coverage across nearly every technical topic. It feels like everything you need is already there.

At the same time, MSP training often extends beyond access to information. It involves developing technicians over time, reinforcing the right behaviors, and supporting consistent day-to-day performance.

This is where Empath and Udemy begin to take different approaches, reflecting not just different platforms, but different ways of thinking about MSP training.

To better understand how they compare, let’s take a closer look at each.

Empath vs. Udemy: A Quick Overview 

Before diving into the differences, it’s helpful to understand what each platform is designed to do.

• Udemy is a large online learning marketplace. It offers thousands of on-demand courses across technical, business, and soft skill topics. For individuals or teams looking to access a wide range of content, it provides flexibility and breadth at a relatively accessible price point.
• Empath, on the other hand, is a learning and accountability platform built specifically for MSPs. Its content is created by Empath Navigators, experienced MSP operators who bring real-world, in-the-trenches insight into every lesson.

At a high level, both platforms support learning, but they’re built for very different outcomes.

General Content Library vs MSP-Specific Training System

• Udemy provides a broad content library that teams can organize to fit their needs. 
• Empath provides a system where content is already aligned to MSP roles and workflows. 

Manually Curated Paths vs. Structured Learning System

In Udemy, administrators have the flexibility to build custom learning paths, assign them to teams, and enforce sequencing so technicians complete courses in a specific order.

Udemy also provides pre-built learning paths (Udemy Paths), which combine courses, assessments, and in some cases labs to help learners build specific skills. However, these paths are standardized and cannot be modified. They are designed around general skill development rather than specific MSP roles or workflows, so teams may still need to supplement or adapt them to fit their environment.

Empath takes a more pre-structured and customizable starting point. The platform includes ready-made “learning pathways” aligned to common MSP roles and functions, such as Tier 1, Account Manager, Project Delivery Basics, Cybersecurity Fundamentals, and New Hire Onboarding.

These pathways provide a foundation that teams can use immediately, while still allowing for customization. Learning Managers can personalize learning using built-in tools like the Empath Recorder, capturing how tasks are performed within their own environment and incorporating that into training.

The distinction looks like this:

• Udemy provides flexible tools to build and manage your own training structure.
• Empath provides a structured starting point that can be used and adapted as needed.

Tracking Progress vs. Integrating Training into Daily Work

Most training platforms do a good job of showing progress; what’s been assigned, what’s been completed, and how individuals are moving through content.

Udemy fits well into this model. Managers can assign courses or learning paths, monitor completion rates, and track engagement across their team. The platform also provides detailed reporting and insights, including user activity, course engagement, skills development, and learning trends across the organization.

Empath supports these same capabilities, giving teams visibility into progress and completion across their team’s learning.

Where the platforms begin to differ is how that visibility is used.

In Empath, progress is tied directly to assigned training. Only content that has been formally assigned is tracked, which helps ensure that reporting reflects intentional learning rather than casual or unstructured activity.

Assigned learning is also organized through a “What’s Next” view, which prioritizes upcoming work based on due dates and in-progress items. This gives team members a clear, guided path forward and helps keep training aligned with expectations.

Because assignments cascade from pathways down to courses, lessons, and knowledge checks, managers can structure learning at a higher level while still maintaining visibility into detailed progress across each component. This creates a more structured relationship between assignment, progress, and follow-through.

With integrations like ConnectWise PSA (and more on the way), training can sit alongside the systems your team already uses. In its current form, the integration allows teams to automatically generate training tickets for assigned courses and sync time spent on learning back into ConnectWise.

This means training can be tracked as part of operational workflows, appearing in the same system used to manage service work, rather than existing entirely outside of it. 

In practice, this leads to two different approaches:

• Udemy provides detailed visibility into learning activity and engagement.
• Empath provides that same visibility, with a more structured and assignment-driven approach that supports how training is carried out day to day.

Table outlining the key differences between Empath and Udemy discussed above.

Choosing the Right Approach to MSP Training 

Udemy can be a strong fit for teams looking to expand access to learning across a wide range of topics. Its breadth and flexibility make it useful for supporting individual development.

But for MSPs, the challenge is often less about access to content and more about how that learning is structured, applied, and reinforced across the team.

Empath is designed to support that next step, bringing together role-specific training, structured pathways, and the ability for managers to actively guide and reinforce learning as part of operations.

If you’re exploring how to build a more consistent and scalable approach to MSP training, you can see how Empath works in practice. Book a demo or start a 14-day free trial.

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