Should I upgrade to a prime lens from standard kit lens?

I have a nikon d5500. The default kit lens 18-55 is doing alright for me, but I read that a fixed focal length prime lens does better job.
I'm not sure if I have to buy it.

I don't want to spend extra money on something that is slightly better that 18-55mm.

I need your suggestions, should I buy a prime lens? Does it have a superior image quality than my zoom lens? I'm on limited budget. I will buy it if there's a significant difference.
A little guidance needed.

That wouldn't be an upgrade, one is a zoom, the other is a prime, so they would be used for different things.

The 18-55 is good for landscapes, portraits, group shots, and general photography.

A prime lens is not as versatile as a zoom, although they are often better quality optically. So what you gain on the one hand, is taken away with the other. Selling your kit lens to buy a prime would be silly, like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

It's not a good idea to just buy a lens because you can. You need to find out what you want to do with it first. It's not a case of one being better than the other, they are just different.

What are you going to use it for? Can't give you a proper recommendation without knowing.

The 18-55 kit lens is a very good lens. If you have bags of extra money buy a prime lens of your choice.

BUT learning how to use your current tools better with improved lighting and composition will give MUCH MORE upgrade than any lens you could buy. A good solid tripod is a GREAT investment though.

Study…
Art
Lighting
Composition

And take lots of photos to hone your craft.

That's really not true anymore. In old days, it was true that prime lenses were better than zoom. Actually, zooms 30 years ago were AWFUL.

Today though, with computer aided designs, zooms are excellent. Some of my zooms are far better than many primes still on market. Your 18-55 kit lens is actually a very good lens. I have one. Only drawback is, it's rather dark. So if you want f/1.8, I guess you can't have that. Even then, with today's camera, you can crank up the ISO and basically do something similar.

I wouldn't bother, and I wouldn't bother until you want that prime lens for needs you actually have.

I have 35mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8, 105mm f/2.8 Macro, and many other zooms. I rarely use the first two. Macro gets used sometimes for close up works and few specific things. Most of the time, I'm using zoom. I simply don't want to carry more lenses for no added benefit.

My guess is that you wouldn't be able to tell any difference in photo quality, if there actually is any. Besides you would be swapping a nice versatile multi-range zoom for a single focal length lens. Why? Doesn't make much sense.

You don't upgrade lenses. You add to them.

Anyone who says the kit lens is bad doesn't know photography. The kit lens is an excellent all-around lens to shoot landscapes and large groups to people, pets and most anything to head shots and portraits. If you find something else that the kit lens can hardly do, buy a new lens to make that easier. You add to the capabilities of your lens collection. You don't replace them.