If you’ve been researching digital marketing courses in India, there’s a good chance both IIDE and Kraftshala School of Business have come up. They’re among the most talked-about options – and for good reason. But they’re built differently, serve different learner goals, and deliver different outcomes. This comparison breaks down both programs across the metrics that actually matter: curriculum depth, learning hours, placement outcomes, fees, and ROI – and, wherever a claim can be checked, it gets checked.
All data referenced here is sourced directly from the official program pages and batch-wise placement reports of both institutions.
A Quick Overview of Both Programs
IIDE offers two online digital marketing certifications – the Advanced Certification in Digital Marketing (ACDM) and the Professional Certification in Digital Marketing & Strategy (PCDMS). Both include a Generative AI specialisation. The ACDM is aimed at students and beginners, while the PCDMS targets working professionals and those looking to move into more strategic roles. IIDE also offers an optional 5-day offline campus immersion at their Mumbai or Delhi campuses, along with weekday and weekend batch scheduling.¹
Kraftshala School of Business offers the Marketing Launchpad Program (MLP) – a digital marketing course built around placement outcomes. It runs for 24 weeks (6 months) with 920+ hours of live learning, and is available in both a full-time weekday format and a part-time Sunday batch (plus a Hindi-medium edition), making it more accessible than it’s often given credit for.²
Institute-Level Comparison
Before narrowing to specific programs, here’s how the two institutions compare as a whole.
| Kraftshala School of Business | IIDE | |
| Founded | 2016² | 2016¹ |
| Type | Business school focused on AI-led marketing and sales² | Digital marketing training institute¹ |
| Campuses | Gurugram² | Mumbai, Delhi¹ |
| Programs offered | Marketing Launchpad Online Digital Marketing Course (full-time and part-time both versions), PGP in AI-Led Marketing (offline), PGP in AI-Led Sales, Marketing & Business (online and offline both versions)² | ACDM, PCDMS, an 11-month on-campus PG, a UG program, and BBA partnerships¹ |
| Learners trained | 100,000+² | 10,000+¹ |
| Placed alumni | 3,300+ (batch-wise, public)² | Not separately published (~500 in annual reports)³ |
| Placement rate | 94% (marketing), 100% (sales)² | 93% (institute claim, no batch-wise data)³ |
| Highest package (institute-level) | ₹22 LPA (PGP in AI-Led Sales, Marketing & Business)² | ₹19 LPA³ |
| Google rating | 5.0 (Gurugram), 4.6 (Delhi) | 4.7 (Mumbai), 4.6 (Delhi) |
Kraftshala is the more recognised name across the marketing and sales industry and is the single largest talent supplier to several of the world’s biggest agencies. It has been a training partner to IIM Ahmedabad, and companies like HUL, Taco Bell, Myntra and P&G have run training programs with it.² Across all its programs it has trained 100,000+ learners and placed 3,300+ through its placement-linked tracks – each of those placements documented in a public, batch-wise report.² IIDE, by contrast, doesn’t publish a standalone placed-alumni count; the figure in its annual reports is far lower (around 500), with no batch-wise breakdown to verify it against.³
For this comparison, we’ll primarily compare IIDE’s PCDMS with Kraftshala’s MLP, as they’re the closest equivalents in terms of scope and target audience.
1. Program Duration and Format
| Kraftshala MLP | IIDE PCDMS | |
| Duration | Full-time: 24 weeks (6 months)² Part-time: 11 months | 4-6 months¹ |
| Format | Full-time (Mon–Sat) or Part-time (Sundays 10 AM–7 PM & 3-4 hours on weekdays)² | Online; weekday (MWF) or weekend (SS) batches¹ |
Both programs offer scheduling flexibility – the common assumption that Kraftshala is exclusively a full-time boot camp isn’t accurate. The Sunday batch (and Hindi edition) makes it workable for employed professionals and freshers too, at the same depth.²
The one format difference in IIDE’s favour is the offline component. IIDE’s optional campus immersion gives students a chance to work on live briefs, visit an agency, and build in-person connections – something Kraftshala’s online MLP doesn’t replicate (though its offline PGP does, with senior brand and agency leaders meeting students in person roughly every other week).¹ ²
Verdict: Kraftshala. Kraftshala offers more ways in – full-time, part-time Sunday, and a Hindi edition – so the flexibility edge is actually its own, and while IIDE’s online course adds an optional campus immersion, Kraftshala’s offline PGP delivers deeper in-person industry access (senior brand and agency leaders roughly every other week).
2. Curriculum Depth and Learning Hours
This is where the two programs diverge the most.
| Kraftshala MLP | IIDE PCDMS | |
| Total Live Learning Hours | 920+² | 190+¹ |
| Core focus | Strategy, execution & repetition² | Broad Overview¹ |
| AI integration | Woven into every module (incl. vibecoding)² | Separate Gen AI specialisation¹ |
Kraftshala’s 920+ live hours are almost five times IIDE’s. The full-time format accounts for part of that, but it mostly reflects a deliberate approach: skill-building through repetition and live practice, not just instruction.²
IIDE’s curriculum leans toward broad overview, business-side breadth; Kraftshala’s leans toward strategy and execution-first, hands-on practice – which is what recruiters actually hire on.¹
Kraftshala’s curriculum covers: Brand Strategy, Meta Ads, E-commerce & Quick Commerce, Google Search Ads, Advanced Google Ads, SEO/AEO/GEO, Programmatic Advertising (DV360), Content & Social Media, Google Analytics & Dashboards, Excel & Data Analysis, Problem Solving, and Human Skills (communication, mock interviews, CV building, aptitude, storytelling).²
IIDE’s PCDMS curriculum covers: Marketing Foundations & Analytics, Content & Social Media Marketing, Performance Marketing, Search Everywhere Optimisation (SEO/AEO/GEO), Professional & Agency Readiness, E-commerce Management, Marketing Automation, Business Analytics & CRO, and Media Planning & Strategy.¹
Both integrate AI tools – Kraftshala uses them across every module, from strategy to execution (right down to vibecoding),² while IIDE runs a dedicated Generative AI specialisation with tools like Claude and ChatGPT built into each subject area.¹ The structural difference is real: AI woven through the work teaches you to do the job the modern way; AI parked in a specialisation teaches it as a topic.
Verdict: Kraftshala leads decisively on live hours and execution depth, and still covers the strategic ground – media planning, business analytics, brand strategy – so it wins on both practice and strategic breadth, not just one.
3. Projects and Hands-On Experience
| Kraftshala MLP | IIDE PCDMS | |
| Number of Projects | 9² | 4¹ |
| Project Type | Live, budget-backed campaigns² | Brand projects (strategy + brief-based)¹ |
| Platforms Covered | Meta Ads, Amazon, Google Ads, SEO, Programmatic (DV360), Blog, Social Media, Short-form Video² | Social Media, Search Marketing, E-commerce, Capstone¹ |
Kraftshala’s 9 projects each involve real brands, real budgets, and live campaign execution – students run Facebook and Instagram campaigns, Amazon ads, Google Search campaigns, SEO audits, programmatic media plans on DV360, SEO blogs on WordPress, organic social media strategies, and short-form videos for Instagram and LinkedIn.² All of it gets published and goes live.
IIDE’s 4 projects are built around real brands (students have worked on briefs for companies like Delhivery, IKEA, and Good Earth¹), but the format is strategy-and-brief focused rather than budget-backed execution.
The distinction matters more than it looks. Anyone can describe how a Meta campaign works; far fewer have actually spent a budget, watched it underperform, and fixed it – and that second group is the one that gets hired.
Verdict: Kraftshala has more than twice the projects than IIDE, all on real budgets and live platforms – decisively more hands-on experience, and exactly the kind of proof-of-work employers test for.
4. Placement Outcomes
This tends to be the deciding factor for most students – and it’s also the area with the starkest difference between the two programs.
| Kraftshala MLP | IIDE PCDMS | |
| Students Placed | 3,300+ (batch-wise, public)² | 500+³ |
| Average CTC | ₹5.5 LPA⁴ | Not publicly disclosed³ |
| Highest CTC | ₹10.40 LPA² | Not disclosed for the course³ |
| Placement Rate | 94%² | Not publicly stated (93% institute claim)³ |
| Time to Placement | 80%+ within 2 months² | Not disclosed |
| Placement-Linked Fee | Yes – 60% refund if job < ₹4.5 LPA² | No |
Kraftshala’s placement volume is far larger – 3,300+ placed vs. 500+ – but the bigger difference is verifiability. Kraftshala publishes its results batch by batch, all the way back to Batch 1, and only releases a batch’s report once it crosses 90% placement. The counting is strict, too: a learner is only marked “placed” once they hold a full-time job, so an internship that doesn’t convert returns them to the placement pool rather than being logged as a success.² The placement-linked fee is a genuine differentiator: if you don’t land a job at ₹4.5 LPA or above, 60% of your fee is refunded – financial accountability that’s rare in this space and signals real confidence in outcomes.²
IIDE, by contrast, asks for your trust without the receipts. It names companies like Dentsu, HiveMinds, Performics, Publicis Groupe and Madison World,¹ but doesn’t consistently disclose a batch-wise placement rate, a time-to-placement figure, or salary data.³ And the scale of presence at those very agencies tilts heavily one way – a LinkedIn headcount shows roughly 310+ Kraftshala alumni at Publicis versus IIDE’s 38, and 100+ at WPP Media versus IIDE’s 38.⁵
Verdict: Kraftshala wins heavily on outcomes. Kraftshala’s larger verified volume, a salary-linked refund, published time-to-placement, and public batch-wise data – versus IIDE’s placement claim you can’t independently check.
5. Fees and ROI
| Kraftshala MLP | IIDE ACDM | IIDE PCDMS | |
| Program Fee | ₹1.59L + 18% GST² | Not listed publicly | ₹1.6L–1.8L (estimated)³ |
| Effective Fee if Unemployed After | ₹63,600 (after 60% refund)² | – | Full fee (no refund policy) |
| Avg. CTC Post-Program | ₹5.5 LPA⁴ | – | Not publicly disclosed³ |
| Estimated ROI | +245.91%⁴ | – | Not reliably calculable³ |
The base fees are almost identical, but only one side shows you what you get for the money. Against its ₹1.59L fee, Kraftshala publishes a ₹5.5L average CTC – a +245.91% return⁴ – and if the placement outcome doesn’t meet the ₹4.5 LPA threshold, the effective fee paid drops to ₹63,600, not ₹1.59L.² That shifts the risk calculus meaningfully for job seekers.
IIDE publishes no average CTC for its online course, so a like-for-like ROI can’t be reliably calculated – and there’s no refund to cap your downside.³ For working professionals, IIDE may point to career progression, freelance growth or business outcomes that don’t show up in a starting-salary number; those are legitimate, but they aren’t a published, provable return.
Verdict: Kraftshala. Same fee, but only Kraftshala publishes a provable +245.91% return and caps your downside with a 60% refund. IIDE’s return is asserted, not shown.
6. Learning Environment and Immersiveness
Kraftshala’s weekday program runs Monday to Saturday on a structured, full-day schedule – covering live lectures, project work, expert feedback sessions, and Human Skills. Students consistently describe it as immersive and disciplined. The Human Skills component – communication, problem-solving, storytelling, mock interviews and aptitude – runs as a core track throughout, not an elective add-on.²
IIDE’s structure is more modular and paced, with online sessions, industry masterclasses, and self-paced components.
Verdict: Kraftshala. Its structured, immersive environment with an integrated Human Skills track is purpose-built to turn learners into hired candidates – the more demanding format, but the one that reliably produces the outcome.
7. Placement Transparency
This is an underrated factor when comparing programs – and one where the two institutions are meaningfully different.
| Kraftshala MLP | IIDE PCDMS | |
| Placement Report Frequency | Every batch, publicly available² | Intermittent yearly reports³ |
| What’s Disclosed | Batch-wise CTC range, company names, roles, placement rate² | Aggregate data; batch-level breakdown not consistently available³ |
| Where to Access | placement-reports.kraftshala.com² | iide.co/pdf/IIDE-Placement-Brochure.pdf³ |
Kraftshala publishes detailed placement reports for every single batch since inception – placement rates, salary ranges, hiring companies and roles.² This level of granularity is rare in edtech. If you want to see exactly how one batch performed versus another, that data is publicly accessible without speaking to a counsellor or taking anyone’s word for it.
IIDE publishes placement data intermittently, usually as a consolidated yearly brochure.³ It includes alumni stories and headline numbers, but the batch-level breakdown and consistent year-on-year comparison that would let you verify the claims aren’t there.
Verdict: Kraftshala, decisively. Batch-wise public reporting since inception versus intermittent aggregate brochures – if you want to verify the claims before you pay, only Kraftshala lets you.
8. Alumni Network
IIDE claims 10,000+ alumni globally¹ – but that’s a trained figure over its full history, not a placed one. Kraftshala has trained 100,000+ learners and placed 3,300+ through its placement-linked programs,² and it’s the single largest talent supplier to India’s top agencies and a growing set of D2C brands.
That network also compounds into real careers: Kraftshala alumni – Tarun Tawar went from a WPP Media internship to Associate Director there; Aayush Saraiya from Performics to Client Solutions Manager at Meta; Dev Bhatia from Performics to Expert Consultant at Bain & Company; Sahil Bhatla is a Senior Brand Manager at Nestlé; and Rahul Garg is now Category Lead at Zepto after Unilever and Amazon. Alumni now sit inside Nestlé, ITC, Google, Meta and Bain, among others.²
IIDE’s longer operating history gives it a broad, general network useful for diverse exposure; Kraftshala’s is deeper and more concentrated inside the companies that actually hire digital marketers.
Verdict: Kraftshala. On the metric that matters – alumni placed inside the companies that hire marketers – its network runs deeper.
Who Should Choose What?
Choose Kraftshala’s MLP if you:
- Are a fresh graduate or career switcher with a clear goal of landing a digital marketing job
- Are comfortable with both – an intensive weekday schedule for 6 months, or the flexible part-time batch which runs for 3-4 hours on weekdays and 8 hours on Sundays, for 11 months.
- Want live project experience with real ad budgets across multiple platforms – Meta, Google, Amazon, DV360
- Value placement accountability backed by a transparent financial refund model and batch-wise public reports
- Are comfortable in a high-output, boot-camp-style environment
Choose IIDE’s PCDMS if you:
- Want a broader overview of digital marketing.
- Value the offline campus immersion for in-person networking and agency exposure
- Are targeting freelance rather than an entry-level placement – and are comfortable without a placement guarantee
The Bottom Line
If you’re a fresher or career switcher who needs a job in digital marketing and can commit for six months, Kraftshala’s placement-first, accountable model is built for exactly that – and it costs less in effective terms. If you’re interested in freelancing or only want a broad overview of digital marketing, IIDE’s PCDMS gives you the curriculum, scheduling options and offline experience to do that.
Do your own research before deciding. Read Kraftshala’s batch-wise placement reports, check both alumni bases on LinkedIn, and attend a free masterclass from each. This is a meaningful investment of time and money – it’s worth taking an extra week to get it right.
Sources
1) IIDE Online Digital Marketing Course page – iide.co/online-digital-marketing-course/ (accessed August 2026)
2) Kraftshala Marketing Launchpad program page – https://www.kraftshala.com/marketing-launchpad/digital-marketing-course/ (accessed August 2026)
3) IIDE Placement Brochure 2024-2025 – iide.co/pdf/IIDE-Placement-Brochure.pdf (via Kraftshala compare page source list)
4) Kraftshala vs IIDE comparison page – https://www.kraftshala.com/compare/kraftshala-vs-iide/ (accessed August 2026); avg. CTC of ₹5.5 LPA and the ROI figure are sourced here, as this data point isn’t explicitly stated on the MLP program page itself
5) LinkedIn alumni headcounts – Kraftshala (linkedin.com/school/learn-kraftshala/people/) and IIDE (linkedin.com/school/iide-online/people/) (accessed August 2026)
6) Kraftshala batch-wise placement reports – https://placement-reports.kraftshala.com/
All data is based on publicly available information. Program details, fees, and placement figures may change – verify directly with each institution before enrolling. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
