Codecademy vs Datacamp: Which is best to learn Coding in 2023?(Comparison)

	Datacamp	Codecademy
Best for	Python, R, Sql	HTML,CSS,C++ etc
Pro Price (billed annual)	$12/month	$13.99/month
Certification	Yes	Yes
Career services	Yes	No
Projects/quizzes	Yes	Yes

In this digital world, it becomes necessary to learn how to code or at least to know the basics about it.

First of all, congratulations on choosing to learn to code online. 

This decision will help to launch your career on a good path. 

You might have done your research to choose the right platform to learn to program and have ended up choosing between the two: Codecademy vs Datacamp. 

You have come to the perfect place. I have learned coding from both the platforms(currently learning DataScience from Datacamp) and I guarantee that at the end of this article you will have a definite answer on which platform Codecady or Datacamp is the best fit for you. Datacamp and Codecademy are really good platforms but differ a lot into their offerings, hence you need to find with which platform you can learn better.

Both of them are self-paced and come with monthly subscriptions which makes the decision more important. So, choose wisely!

This review is reader-supported. If you buy the course through the links mentioned in this article, we may earn some affiliate commissions.

The Main Differences between Codecademy and Datacamp: 

1. Codecademy is focused on general programming languages like HTML/CSS, Javascript, Ruby, JQuery, etc whereas Datacamp is more oriented towards languages used for Data Science like Python, R, and SQL.

2. In Datacamp the classes taught are video based whereas, in Codecademy, the classes taught are text-based.

3. Codecademy’s courses are not suitable to put on your resume as a qualification, whereas Datacamp courses are well recognized by some big tech companies.

4. Both offers free courses but Codecademy has more in-depth free courses than Datacamp.

5.DataCamp has three subscription options for individuals, whereas Codecademy offers a pro version.

6. Codecademy’s Pro plan is priced at $13.99 per month which gives you access to all courses, whereas Datacamp premium plan is priced similarly at $13/month.

7.DataCamp offers projects for every course, depending on your subscription plan, whereas Codecademy offers basic skills. 

In this post, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of Codecademy and Datacamp, and the quality of their courses. 

Overview – Codecademy vs Datacamp Online Learning Platform

Codecademy Overview

It was founded in 2011 by Columbia University students. Since its inception, Codecademy is focused on teaching programming languages. It comes with both free and paid versions. 

They teach 12 programming languages like Ruby, Python, SQL, Java, C++, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. 

To date, more than 45 million users have benefitted from the platform. 

It offers some free beginner courses with a good user interface. 

From my experience, Codecademy is more suitable for learners who pursue coding as more of a hobby instead of a full-time career.

What I didn’t like about Codecademy is that their lectures are text-based only. This is not the case with Datacamp where you get video-based lectures. 

The user interface is divided into two three columns documentation, a code editor, and a virtual browser. 

It makes it easy to learn and code simultaneously. 

You have to read the documentation and then code. The browser automatically checks and approves the code. Once done you can move to the next lesson. 

Code academy offers a career path for learners looking to excel in their careers.

Datacamp Overview

Datacamp is one of the smartest ways to learn programming languages if you are planning to make a career as a data scientist or a machine learning engineer. 

As I said earlier Datacamp offers courses on python, R, and SQL. 

They do offer some Free beginner-level courses and also come with a paid version. 

Data camps does offer projects for their students for instance for learning Python students can choose any project from a list of 39 Python projects on the platform. 

All the projects are designed by data science experts from various organizations. 

Datacamp is also a perfect place to learn R and SQL.

When you choose online education over your traditional learning, which is college or school, you will have more flexibility and the ability to learn at your own pace without even spending more money as you do in traditional learning. For any online education institute, theory and practice must go hand in hand. 

You are provided with some coding challenges where you solve some real-life data science problems. 

So, this platform is good if you want to learn the fundamentals of Python, R, or SQL as well as to dive into a particular topic within data science. The company has also courses on Excel, Power BI, Tableau, and other tools needed for working with data.

In a nutshell, the majority of courses on Datacamp help in getting knowledge of how to work with data (e.g. clean it, visualize it, etc). When it comes to navigating through the websites to find the needed course, Datacamp has a useful filter.

Courses on some technologies, such as Power BI, are also only available to users who pay for the premium plan. If you are a college or university student, you can get a massive discount off the normal price — almost 60 percent off. Also, if you are an educator and want to teach data science to your students, you will be able to use DataCamp for free.

Datacamp is designed for beginners and intermediate learners who are planning to embark on their journey in the field of data science.

Also Read: Datacamp Review: How Good the Platform Is?

Codecademy vs Datacamp: Side-by-side comparison

Codecademy is well suited for those who prefer to learn verbally (text-based), whereas Datacamp is appealing for those who prefer audio and video-based learning.

Most lessons on Codacademy are text-based which means you have to read the documentation before moving to exercises.

Once you enter your code into the interactive shell, code academy will check your code. Only if your code is right, do you get to move to the next exercise.

In Datacamp you will get video lectures from their instructors. You have to complete the video lectures and then move on to exercises.

Both Datacamp and Codecademy have mobile applications where you can learn from your smartphone anytime anywhere.

Still, I preferred to learn from my laptop as it gives me a better learning experience. You will also learn about the learning experience they provide so that you can decide based on your learning style and what connects you better.

When it comes to the length of the courses both code academy and data camp take a similar time for the completion of the courses.
Both of them try to explain the topic in detail hence you might feel that the courses are long.

When it comes to pricing, both platforms offer their paid version at somewhat the same price.

We will talk about the cost in the next section.

Datacamp vs Codecademy- Costs

Yes both of them offer free courses and also have a paid subscription. 

Both platforms operate on monthly and yearly subscriptions. 

Codecademy Basic plan – $0 /month

The basic plan is suitable for those who want to absorb all the free content available on Codecademy. 

Codecademy Pro Lite – $10.50/month billed annually

• The Codecademy Pro Lite plan is meant for developing your skills
• You get access to all the course material available on the platform. 
• With the Pro Lite version, you get access to interactive lessons along with a mobile application where you can learn anywhere on the way.   
• In addition to this, you get access to their forums and Facebook groups where you can chat with all your fellow peers and get your doubts clear. 

Codecademy Pro Price – $13.99/mo billed annually

• The full Pro version is for more fully developing your career.
• With this plan, you get access to all the same Pro Lite course material available on the platform. 
• You get additional access to the Interview Prep skills path to help you improve you interview skills
• The Codecademy Career Paths become available allowing you to follow a structured curriculum to advance your career opportunities.

Datacamp has 3 different pricing plans 

Free Basics Plan: $0/month

Datacamps’ free plan is very limited as it offers less content. Here you can access only the first chapter of any course. I suggest to try out the course you want to take and later decide whether it is worth investing your money into it or not. 

Also, you get access to seven projects; one skill assessment, and few coding challenges. 

Premium Plan: $39/month 

The plan cost $39 per month and gives you access to all the full courses and career tracks. 

You also get access to the Datacamps community chat feature. 

Premium Plan Yearly: $12/month

Datacamps best offers is their yearly premium plan. 

The annual premium plan costs you substantially less than then paying monthly. 

This plan gives you access to all the material available on Datacamp. (I have enrolled into the premium plan) 

It opens doors to all 381 courses,14 career tracks; 43 skill trades and 82 projects including priority support.

Both Codecademy and Datacamp allow you to cancel your subscription at any time.

Curriculum: Codecademy Vs Datacamp

Here are the 8 career tracks available on Codecademy: Data analyst Computer science Back end engineer Front end engineer Full stack engineer Data scientist Learn data analysis for your business Learn full stack engineering for your business.

Subjects/Topics taught

Codecademy Topics

• HTML & CSS
• Python
• Javascript
• Java
• SQL
• Bash/Shell
• Ruby
• C++
• R
• C#
• PHP
• Go
• Swift
• Kotlin

Subjects

• Web Development
• Data Science
• Computer Science
• Developer Tools
• Machine Learning
• Code Foundations
• Web Design
• Game Development
• Mobile Development
• Data Visualization

DataCamp Subjects

• data engineering
• programming
• data manipulation
•  applied finance
•  probability and statistics

Technology courses include

• Python 
• SQL
• Git
•  Shell
•  Scala
• Tableau 
• Spreadsheets

What are career tracks and skill tracks on Datacamp

• Career Tracks are a set of courses designed for a specific objective. Eg. Data Engineer, Data Analyst, and Machine Learning Scientist career tracks. 
• Skill Tracks are somewhat similar to career tracks but with a different objective. Here you set a sequence of courses to master a specific skill set. For eg. Applied Finance and Text Mining

Who are the instructors

This is where I think Datacamp takes the lead. 

DataCamp instructors are from various organizations and universities as mentioned here

Unfortunately, Codecademy Does Not Explain Theory.

For me, it was quite difficult to read the documentation and code as I was a beginner. 

Coding could be hard and having no one to explain leads to demotivation. 

I almost gave up on Codecademy.

Takeaway: Having instructors to explain the theory is the reason choose to enroll in data camp rather than code academy.

Codecademy vs Datacamp Community

Having a community is very important for collaborative learning. Both platforms have their own community where you can discuss all your doubts with other peers.

Along with other peers you get a curated list of the latest data science news and articles from experts in the field. 

You can have a look at Datacamp’s Community here. 

DataCamp is a good platform to practice data science and data analytics, related topics. They offer 24/7 support to users using forums and slack communities.

Codecademy Community

Codecademy also has a similar community of coders where users can seek help from other students taking the same course.

They also post some of the most frequently asked questions for each area of the course. You can see what other students are talking about without having to leave the course area.

Summary of Pros & Cons For Each

Pros of Datacamp

✓Easy of use

Due to its interactive design, Datacamp is easy to navigate. You can easily find sections like the “about” section, course list, and pricing. Its UI feels a lot easy to use. 

✓ Delivers quality content

The platform offers interactive learning with many videos and engaging exercises. Also, the free plan gives you access to initial chapters of courses where you can taste the quality. From my experience, I can say that it offers value for money. 

✓ Beginner-friendly

Datacamp is the perfect platform for beginners who aim to be data scientists one day. It takes you from an absolute beginner to a skilled data scientist within months of learning. Learners seem to be very satisfied with learning from Datacamp. 

✓ Transparency in pricing

Both platforms are very transparent with their pricing. 

It has a clearly placed “Pricing” button on the main page, leading you to a clear pricing plan page. 

Cons of Datacamp 

✘ No Accredited Datacamp Certificate

✘ Though it does not provide any accredited certificate, the knowledge you gain is much more valuable. 

✘ Unlike Codecademy, Datacamp offers a statement of Accomplishment after completion of the course. 

✘ Less content for free users

Datacamp only offers the first video lecture of every course for free, which is insufficient to grasp the subject properly. It just helps you to get to know how the course is structured so that you can decide whether to pay for it or not. 

Pros of Codecademy  

✓ Free version is easy to use

If you are planning to learn the basics of coding languages then Codecademy is a good place to start with. Signing up and using its basic version is very. easy.

✓ Information provided is short and crisp

They provide enough documentation for a beginner to start learning to code. Also, Codecademy has a user-friendly environment. 

Cons of Codecademy

✘ No certificate for the free course

✘ I agree that knowledge is important but having a certificate makes it documented. Unfortunately, there is no Codecademy certificate provided for the completion of its free course. 

✘ Can’t skip lessons

Users are not allowed to skip any lesson and move to the next one. This becomes harder in case you know the topic already and had to re-learn the same topic. Also if you are done with a topic, you cannot revisit or repeat it. 

✘ Lack of good projects

Codecademy is a good place to learn basics like syntax, but the lack of good practice projects makes it difficult to program in real life. 

Conclusion: Codecademy or Datacamp?

Both platforms offers good content for beginners but I can see that Datacamp overcomes Codecademy in various aspects.

Hence I recommend Datacamp to study subjects related to Data science and data analytics (Python, R, and SQL) whereas Codecademy for programming languages like HTML, CSS, Java, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions