Best For | DataCamp is best for interactive data science, coding practice, and beginner-friendly learning. | Coursera is best for accredited certificates, university courses, and in-depth theoretical learning. |
Price | $0 | $29 |
Features | Browser-based coding | Expert instructors |
Pros | Interactive coding | University courses |
Cons | Limited theory | Some courses expensive |
Stuck between DataCamp and Coursera for learning data science? I get it—both are popular, but they work in different ways.
DataCamp is all about hands-on practice, letting you write code right away with interactive exercises. It’s great for beginners who want to learn fast without too much theory.
Coursera, on the other hand, offers university-backed courses from big names like Stanford and Google. If you prefer structured lessons, deep dives, and certificates that carry weight, Coursera might be the way to go.
So, which one should you choose? In this comparison, I’ll break down their key features, pricing, and learning styles to help you find the best fit for your data science goals. Let’s get in!
🚀 Bottom Line upfront
In comparison to Coursera, which offers courses, online degrees, and certificates in a wide range of topics, DataCamp offers courses and tracks in STEM fields. Individuals have three membership choices with DataCamp, whereas Coursera offers free access but charges individually for tracks and degrees, Depending on your subscription package, DataCamp gives projects for every course, whereas Coursera charges for peer input, projects, and course evaluations. Whereas Coursera offers both self-paced and scheduled learning, DataCamp only offers self-paced video courses.
DataCamp vs Coursera 2025: An Overview
About DataCamp
DataCamp’s website offers some free beginner-level courses. It also offers annual and monthly subscription plans to access all the premium Courses. Learners can pay $6 per month or $250 per year to access all the excellent courses.
The first chapter of these courses is free to access, giving you the essence of the Course before paying.
After completing the course, you will be issued big data certificates. Students can use these certificates to upload them to any professional network site like LinkedIn.
About Coursera
Coursera offers courses based on every topic and every branch, from mathematics and biology to business. Coursera works with different universities and organizations and helps learners gain knowledge through available courses.
Coursera offers courses for beginners and advanced-level students. Courses can be accessed for 10-12 weeks.
Each Course is divided into several weeks, with 1-2 hours of video lectures and e-material to read about the topic. After each week’s completion, an assignment is given for the students to solve.
These assignments are further evaluated, and grades are given to the students based on their performance. Some of the courses available are accessed at our own pace, but you have to match the instructor’s pace for some courses.
Coursera allows you to learn anytime and anywhere at your convenience, so learners find it super flexible to take the course on Coursera. The discussion forums available on Coursera allow you to interact, and professors actively participate in these forums.
After completing the course, you will be issued certificates, which students can upload to any professional network site like LinkedIn.
DataCamp vs Coursera: The Comparision Battle
DataCamp vs. Coursera: Curriculum
DataCamp: DataCamp seems to be more engaging for beginner-level students. It offers 325 courses based on Data Science and R programming.
Learn data science quickly with DataCamp. Each class is for 4 hours. To help you select the course, DataCamp has also introduced a skill track and career track.
Coursera: Talking about Coursera has more than 5400 active courses based on different topics. Coursera offers courses for beginners to advanced level students.
Recently, Coursera started offering you a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, which are well-recognized by universities and companies and can help students with their jobs or higher studies.
My say: If you are a beginner and want to learn some basics, then Datacamp is perfect for you, but if you are specifically looking for degrees and certificates, you should choose Coursera.
DataCamp vs. Coursera: Courses Available
DataCamp: DataCamp offers 325 courses along with 43 skill tracks and 13 career courses.
Along with the average purses offered, the skill tracks are specifically designed to enhance your skills, and the career tracks are designed to boost your career. To better understand this, let us look at the various courses available in more detail.
Here are a few examples of courses that are available on DataCamp
- Introduction to R
- Intermediate R
- Introduction to Machine Learning
- Data visualization with ggplot2
- Text mining with Bag-of-words in R
- Introduction to python
- Introduction to SQL
- Python Data Science Toolbox
- Introduction to Network Analysis in Python
Here are a few examples of skill tracks:
- Image processing
- Importing and cleaning data
- Shiny Fundamentals
- Applied Finance
Here are a few examples of career track
- Data analyst with R
- Data analyst with python
- Python programmer
- Statistician
- Machine learning scientist
Coursera: Coursera offers a variety of courses in various fields, such as arts and humanities, business, data science, information technology, health, math and logic, physical science and engineering, social sciences, and language learning.
Here are a few courses available on Coursera :
- Python for everybody
- Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)
- Applied Data Science in Python
- Market Research
- Excel skill for Business
- fundamental of Project Planning and Management
- Introduction to Psychology
- Social Psychology
Along with these courses, Coursera offers you a bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree program, which you can take and get your degree online, which is well-recognized by Industries, Companies, and Universities.
Some of the Degree programs available on Coursera
- MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship by HEC Paris
- Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from the University of North Texas
- Master of Computer Science by Arizona State University
- Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado
- Master of Applied Data Science by the University of Michigan
- MSc in Machine Learning by Imperial College of London
My say: Coursera has an edge over DataCamp as, along with regular courses, you get to have a degree in the subject or topic of your choice, and having a degree benefits your career growth.
DataCamp vs. Coursera: Instructors
DataCamp: The instructors available on DataCamp are from various organizations and Universities. DataCamp has a profile of all its tutors under each one’s bio. You can learn more about the person who will teach you from there.
Coursera: The instructors available on Coursera are from renowned top Universities, and many are still employed at those universities. Along with the bios of the instructors, you will also learn about their degrees, certifications, and credentials.
My say: While comparing the tutors in these two platforms, I found out that some tutors in DataCamp had “ Data Scientist at Datacamp ” written in their bio, which I think is very vaguely written, and I found it hard to trust them. Coursera has all university teachers as instructors who have uploaded all their degrees and certificates in their bios, and hence, it becomes difficult to doubt their credentials.
Datacamp vs Coursera: Pricing Comparison
Cost plays a vital role in deciding any learning platform. So, let us look at DataCamp’s subscription plans.
DataCamp operates on a subscription-based model, offering three main plans:
- Basic Plan – Free access to the first few lessons of each course.
- Premium Plan – Costs $12.42/month (billed annually at $149), giving access to all courses, career tracks, skill tracks, and real-world projects.
- Teams & Business Plans – Starts at $25 per user/month, offering team management tools, progress tracking, and advanced features.
With DataCamp, you get unlimited access to all courses while subscribed, but you do not own the courses permanently.
Coursera
Coursera provides multiple pricing options, depending on the course type:
- Individual Courses – Can range from $29 to $99, offering lifetime access to the purchased course.
- Specializations & Professional Certificates – Subscription-based, costing $39 to $79 per month, covering multiple related courses.
- Coursera Plus – An all-access subscription for $59 per month or $399 per year, giving unlimited access to thousands of courses.
- Degrees & Master’s Programs – Cost $10,000+, designed for formal education with university-backed certification.
DataCamp Vs. Coursera: Support
Support plays a vital role in the discussion when choosing the best online learning platform. Learning should never stop due to some problems that we encounter, and troubleshooting should always be easy.
Let us have a look at the support offered by each of these platforms.
DataCamp Support
The support page of DataCamp looks like this. When you click on “Your DataCamp Account,” this window will open.
You can find detailed help and articles related to your problems.
Coursera Support
When you click on the “help” tab on its website, the Coursera help page appears looking like this:
After clicking on the account setup, the help options appear as follows:
These help articles efficiently help you troubleshoot your problems.
My say: DataCamp and Coursera have dedicated support teams that are continuously working to improve the support they provide for their users. Contacting their support teams is also easy. When the support provided by both of them is excellent, learning will always be fun, whichever platform you choose.
Datacamp vs Coursera: Best Platform to Learn Data Science?
So, our main question is: Which is the best platform for learning Data Science courses? We would like to answer this by saying that you should be clear about what you seek from these courses to know this answer.
For beginners with just essential or no data science knowledge, Datacamp would be a great platform, and for intermediate-level learners, learning from Coursera would do wonders.
We started with a Data Science course from DataCamp and got a more professional certificate from Coursera. To form a better opinion, let’s examine the pros and cons of each platform.
DataCamp vs Coursera: Pros and Cons
DataCamp Pros
- It offers more frequent discounts and promotions than Coursera.
- Teacher discount policies.
- Offers a course in enrollment policies.
- Offers Affirm Financing support.
- Excellent international shipping policies.
- Specialized instruction provides a more detail-oriented approach to learning.
DataCamp Cons
- The advanced level course requires a financial investment.
Coursera Pros
- Coursera offers courses from some of the world’s top universities.
- Certification, as well as a capstone project, are included in specializations.
- High video quality content.
- Well-structured learning platform.
- Financial aid is available.
Coursera Cons
- Fixed dates to enroll for the course.
- Certification validity is not known.
DataScience Vs. Coursera: Recommendations
Some honest and reliable recommendations for you:
MICHAEL GRACIE: I would recommend Coursera (Specializations), particularly in math, computer science, and other STEM-oriented subjects, to those with self-discipline and a desire to learn new skills simply for the sake of it.
HENG LIM NG: Anyone who wants to improve and learn. The Andrew Ng course is necessary for those primarily interested in machine learning.
PATRICK GRAY: Coursera is suitable for people who want to take fun courses from credentialed professors at known institutions.
My Personal Experience
I personally liked Datacamp more due to its subscription facility and self-paced learning. Due to its subscription plan, I also feel that Datacamp is more transparent, and learning through it would be cheaper than Coursera.
The above comparison must have given you some proper insight into DataCamp and Coursera.
I hope I did my best to explain and help you choose between the two platforms according to your needs and level and what you wish to learn. Keep learning!
FAQs
What are the differences between DataCamp vs Coursera?
While DataCamp and Coursera are both prominent online learning platforms, they differ significantly in their offerings. Coursera provides a wide array of courses, including accredited university degrees, encompassing various subjects. In contrast, DataCamp specializes in data science and analytics. Furthermore, while DataCamp's certifications hold industry recognition, they lack formal accreditation, unlike Coursera's diplomas which are accredited.
DataCamp vs Coursera: how do the costs differ?
Both DataCamp and Coursera offer free learning options, but with a restricted range of courses and services. Coursera's pricing begins at $49 for individual courses, with a monthly plan option at $59. On the other hand, DataCamp's Premium plan is available at a monthly rate of $25.
How do you choose which online course sites to review?
Our selection of online learning platforms is guided by factors such as their market presence, popularity, and crucially, the interest and requests of our users who seek authentic reviews of various MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
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Conclusion: DataCamp Vs Coursera 2025
In this comparison of DataCamp and Coursera, key differences between the two platforms are highlighted.
Coursera is primarily known for its academic focus, while DataCamp offers a library of over 390 courses that emphasize career-oriented learning and practical skills for the industry.
Both platforms are respected in the e-learning sector and provide quality content for learners at all levels.
Coursera stands out for its excellent localization, which supports students who speak different languages. On the other hand, DataCamp is enhancing accessibility through video subtitles and feedback from its community.
Both platforms feature a combination of video lessons, downloadable resources, and hands-on projects that use real-world data and examples.
Now that the main differences are clear, it’s up to you to decide which platform aligns best with your goals. Using both may also enrich the data science learning experience. Thoughts or experiences with these platforms can be shared in the comments.
Whichever platform is chosen represents an important step toward building a better future. Good luck!
Very helpful article, just what I needed! I think I am going to try out DataCamp, as the possibility to study self-paced is very important to me.