Best Alternatives to Udemy for Digital Marketing (Australian Small Business Owners, 2026)
Jul 19, 2026
AIM and Monarch Institute Alternatives for Australian Small Business Owners
AIM and Monarch Institute are both established Australian providers, but they are built around credentials rather than around marketing your own business. AIM delivers short courses, a Mini MBA and postgraduate marketing qualifications aimed at professionals, managers and teams. Monarch Institute delivers nationally recognised VET qualifications such as the Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication, listed by course directories at around $2,900 and typically taking about 12 months with formal assessment. If you want a recognised qualification, either is a reasonable choice. If you are a small business owner who wants more enquiries rather than a credential, the alternatives are free training from Google and HubSpot, low-cost libraries such as Coursera and Udemy, or a self-paced program built for owners, such as 20 Minute Marketing at $49 a month including GST with no lock-in. The deciding question is whether you want a qualification on your CV or a set of tasks done for your business.
AIM and Monarch Institute both come up when Australian owners search for marketing training, and both are credible. They are also built for someone slightly different from you. Here is an honest rundown of what each does, and what the alternatives are if a qualification is not the point.
What AIM and Monarch actually offer
AIM, the Australian Institute of Management, has been running since 1941 and trains around 20,000 people a year. Its digital marketing faculty offers focused one-day short courses on specific channels such as SEO, email and LinkedIn, a Mini MBA in Digital Marketing, and a Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management through AIM Business School. Its own description of its audience is professionals, managers and teams, and the short courses are pitched at people managing campaigns and teams rather than running a business.
Monarch Institute is a family-owned registered training organisation offering nationally recognised VET qualifications, including the Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication and the Diploma of Marketing and Communication. Study is online and flexible, and worth noting: Monarch already delivers its content in short lessons of about 15 minutes, so the lesson format is not the difference here.
The difference is the structure around the lessons. A nationally recognised qualification means formal assessments, a language and numeracy check at enrolment, prerequisites for higher-level courses, and a course designed to run over roughly 12 months. Course directories list the Certificate IV at around $2,900, though Monarch handles pricing through enquiry, so confirm current fees with them directly.
The one question that decides this
Ask yourself who the outcome is for.
If the answer is an employer, a client who wants credentials, a career move, or a role you are applying for, then a recognised qualification is the right purchase and AIM or Monarch are sensible providers. The assessment burden is the product, not a tax on it.
If the answer is your own business, nobody is ever going to ask to see the certificate. Your customers will not, your suppliers will not, and Google certainly will not. In that case every hour spent on assessment is an hour not spent fixing your Google Business Profile, and the qualification is a cost with no return attached.
The best alternatives at a glance
| Alternative | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Google Skillshop & Digital Garage | Free | Fundamentals and Google product certificates |
| HubSpot Academy | Free | Free recognised marketing certifications |
| Coursera / Udemy | Low cost, varies | Broad self-paced libraries, quality varies |
| 20 Minute Marketing | $49/month inc. GST, cancel anytime | AU owners doing their own marketing |
| Monarch Institute | Around $2,900 (Certificate IV) | A nationally recognised VET qualification |
| TAFE / university | Thousands, loans available | A nationally recognised qualification |
For a fuller side-by-side of every option, see our 2026 guide to the best digital marketing courses for small business owners.
Start free before you spend anything
Whatever you eventually choose, do this first. Google Skillshop offers free certifications in Google Ads and Analytics, straight from the company whose platform you are advertising on, and HubSpot Academy has one of the deepest free marketing libraries anywhere. Neither costs a cent.
They are global rather than Australian, and they will not tell you what to do about your particular suburb or your quiet Tuesdays. But they will tell you within a couple of weeks whether the constraint you are actually hitting is knowledge or time. That is worth knowing before you spend $2,900 or sign up to anything, including us.
Our option, and who it is for
20 Minute Marketing is ours, so weigh this accordingly. Essentials is $49 a month including GST, and you get two 20-minute lessons every fortnight. There is no lock-in: cancel whenever you like, the new lessons stop, and you keep everything already released to you. The full Essentials program runs across 24 months, so seeing it through works out at roughly $1,176 spread over two years, against around $2,900 upfront or on a payment plan for a Certificate IV.
Every lesson ends with a task you can do the same day: set up your Google Business Profile, send an email that converts, or run a small, sensible Google Ads test. There are no assessments, no prerequisites and no qualification at the end, which is deliberate.
Why two lessons a fortnight, and not the whole thing at once
This is the part people question before they try it, so it is worth explaining rather than defending.
Forty minutes a fortnight is the entire time commitment. That is small enough to survive a bad week, a busy month, or a quarter where the business eats everything. A twelve-hour course you are meant to work through is a course you do not finish, and most owners reading this have already proved that to themselves at least once.
The gap between lessons is not dead time, it is implementation time. Most self-paced courses fail because people watch six lessons and action none of them. Spacing them means your Google Business Profile is genuinely finished before the email lesson arrives, and the email is sending before the ads lesson lands. You are not collecting knowledge, you are shipping one small thing at a time.
It is the wrong choice if you want a credential, you are building a marketing career, you need a nationally recognised qualification for funding or employment, or you want everything available immediately so you can work through it in a fortnight. In those cases go to AIM, Monarch, TAFE or a university, or buy a library course you can binge.
Which alternative is right for you?
- "I want more customers, not another qualification." A self-paced practical program built for owners, which is what we made.
- "I want to start for free." Google Skillshop and HubSpot Academy, in that order if you are already running ads.
- "I want the cheapest broad library." Coursera or Udemy, accepting that quality varies course to course.
- "I actually do want a recognised credential." AIM for professional short courses and postgraduate study, Monarch for nationally recognised VET qualifications, or TAFE and university.
- "I want a qualification but cannot afford one right now." Check government-subsidised places and VET Student Loan eligibility before assuming the sticker price is what you pay.
Frequently asked questions
Are AIM and Monarch Institute worth it?
For professional development and recognised credentials, yes. AIM has trained Australian professionals since 1941 and Monarch is a registered training organisation delivering nationally recognised qualifications. Whether they are worth it for you depends on whether anyone will ever ask to see the credential. If the business is your own, the assessment structure is cost without return.
What is the difference between AIM and Monarch Institute?
AIM focuses on professional development for managers and teams, with short courses, a Mini MBA and postgraduate marketing qualifications. Monarch Institute is a registered training organisation delivering nationally recognised VET qualifications such as the Certificate IV and Diploma of Marketing and Communication, with formal assessment and AQF recognition.
How much does a marketing qualification cost in Australia?
Course directories list Monarch's Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication at around $2,900, with diplomas and university study running higher. Subscription-based practical programs cost considerably less: 20 Minute Marketing Essentials is $49 a month including GST, or roughly $1,176 across the full 24-month program, with no lock-in.
Do I need a credential to market my own business?
No. Your customers will never ask to see one. What moves the needle is a handful of practical skills applied consistently. A credential matters when someone else is assessing you, such as an employer or a client procurement process, and not otherwise.
Why are lessons released fortnightly instead of all at once?
Because implementation is the bottleneck, not information. Two 20-minute lessons a fortnight is forty minutes of commitment, small enough to survive a busy month, and the gap between lessons is when you actually do the work. Courses released all at once tend to be consumed rather than applied, and most people never finish them.
What happens if I cancel partway through?
You stop paying and no further lessons are released, but you keep access to every lesson delivered up to that point. There is no lock-in period and nothing further owing, which is different from a qualification where withdrawing partway usually leaves you with fees paid and no credential.
What is the cheapest way to learn digital marketing in Australia?
Free. Google Skillshop offers free certifications in Google Ads and Analytics, and HubSpot Academy has an extensive free library. Both are global rather than Australian-specific, but they cover the fundamentals properly and will tell you quickly whether your real constraint is knowledge or time.
Can I get government funding for a marketing qualification?
Possibly. Nationally recognised VET qualifications may attract subsidised places or VET Student Loans depending on the course, the provider and your state. Check with the provider and your state training authority before assuming you will pay the full advertised fee.
The bottom line
AIM and Monarch are good choices if you want a credential, and the accreditation is exactly what you are paying for. If you are an Australian small business owner whose goal is customers rather than qualifications, start with the free Google and HubSpot training, and move to a practical owner-focused program when your constraint becomes time and application rather than knowledge.
Forty minutes a fortnight, $49 a month
Essentials is $49 per month including GST, two 20-minute lessons a fortnight, cancel anytime. Take the free Course Finder quiz to see which level fits.
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