Hi Jacob,
Thanks for asking this question! Learn ArcGIS and Esri Academy work together, but are different resources, and are built and maintained by different teams. The primary difference is in our target audiences:
- Learn ArcGIS is mainly directed at people who are trying out a GIS product or workflow for the first time. This could be students who are completely new to GIS, or experienced professionals who want to explore a new area of GIS.
- Esri Academy (Esri Training) is mainly directed at existing customers who want to gain deeper or more comprehensive knowledge.
All of the material on Learn ArcGIS is available for free and without an account. We offer free trial accounts so anyone can access the software in order to try the lessons. The lessons on Learn ArcGIS are developed with a slightly different style than traditional courses. They demonstrate the use of the software through real-world examples.
Esri Academy offers a mixture of free and fee-based materials, including instructor-led courses, MOOCs, web courses, and training seminars. Esri Academy also awards certificates for course completion, and runs the Esri Technical Certification program.
Long story short, I recommend you take advantage of both resources! Hopefully the descriptions above will help you better decide which library to search first when you want to learn something new.
