Dataquest vs. Datacamp: The Ultimate Guide

Table of Contents

• The Deep Dive: Dataquest vs. Datacamp
• Career Focus
• Datacamp Cost vs. Dataquest Cost
• Time Commitment
• Datacamp vs. Dataquest: Curriculum
• Learning Style
• Community + Support
• Datacamp Reviews vs Dataquest Reviews
• FURTHER READING

Dataquest and Datacamp are both self-paced data science classes that run on monthly or yearly subscriptions and are delivered entirely on an online platform. Both schools offer multiple career tracks which include portfolio projects and a focus on either R or Python. If you complete them in full, then these tracks take students from complete beginners to Data Analyst or Data Scientist. So, which should you choose – Dataquest vs Datacamp? Let’s break down how Dataquest and Datacamp compare to each other in terms of career focus, curriculum, cost, and learning style. 

What You Need to Know:

• Both Datacamp and Dataquest have similar price points and are delivered entirely online and self-paced. 

• Both teach a similar curriculum (Data Science, Data Analytics, and Data Engineering)

• The delivery is different – Dataquest uses project-based learning from the start, while Datacamp starts with videos and fill-in-the-blank assessments before moving onto project work.

• Dataquest offers access to its active Slack community with every subscription level. Datacamp has a community page that can be accessed by anyone. Their Slack chat, however only comes with their paid plans.

The Deep Dive: Dataquest vs. Datacamp

Career Focus

Dataquest and Datacamp both focus on data science. They each offer career tracks toward Data Analysis and Data Science. The big difference here is the scope. While Dataquest focuses on preparing its students for a career change, Datacamp offers both upskilling and career tracks. 

📌 Our Takeaway: If you’re looking for a career change, both schools are great options. If you’re looking to upskill and want a pathway to follow, Datacamp offers specific guided Skill Tracks which group 3-6 courses for a 14-30 hour commitment. 

Datacamp Cost vs. Dataquest Cost

Dataquest and Datacamp operate on subscriptions yet free trials are also available. They each offer 3 types of plans that include different perks. 

📌 Our Takeaway: If you want to make a real career change, you’ll likely need to choose the most expensive options (which have discounts for annual commitments). Dataquest is the only school that offers dedicated career counseling. Neither of these bootcamps offers scholarships or discounts.

Time Commitment

Both Dataquest and Datacamp are self-paced. You can take the courses any time, anywhere, and at your own pace. 

Datacamp offers hourly time estimates for all of their career tracks and skill tracks. 

• Data Analyst (with R or Python) career track takes about 60 hours to complete.

• Data Scientist (with R or Python) career track take approximately 90-100 hours to complete. 

• R or Python Programmer tracks estimate 43 and 52 hours respectively. 

• Datacamp’s skill tracks take about 14-24 hours. Their most popular tracks include Data Visualization with R, Probability and Distributions with R, Marketing Analytics with R, Statistics and Fundamentals with Python, and Python Toolbox. All Python tracks are a few hours longer than the R tracks. See all of Datacamp’s course offerings and estimated time commitments here. 

Dataquest estimates that Data Analyst in Python takes about 160 hours or 4-6 months to complete and Data Scientist in Python takes about 240 hours or 6-8 months to complete. They also offer a Data Engineering path that they estimate will take 80 hours or 1-3 months and a Data Analyst in R path should take 30 hours or 3-4 weeks. See all of Dataquest’s time commitments here. 

📌 Our Takeaway: Based on reviews, Dataquest’s career paths are described as being actually more efficient and focused while Datacamp takes a slightly longer time commitment. This may be because Datacamp’s curriculum is video-based while Dataquest’s curriculum is exercise-based. Depending on the student, Dataquest could feasibly take less time overall to complete. 

Datacamp vs. Dataquest: Curriculum

Both Dataquest and Datacamp offer certifications and “real-world” projects which students can use to build their portfolio and practice their skills. Two major differences between Dataquest and Datacamp’s curriculum are in design and delivery.

Dataquest aims to teach autonomy and uses project-based learning from the start while pointing students toward documentation and concepts. It is delivered entirely online and all of the exercises can be done within the student’s web browser on the Dataquest Learning Interface. The Dataquest team strictly designs courses for their predesigned career outcomes.

Datacamp’s curriculum combines short video lessons and tutorials with fill in the blank style exercises right afterward, later moving students to project work. Their online platform, called Practice Mode, offers instant personalized feedback on every exercise. Their lessons and career tracks are all written by different experts in the field. This design results in a variety of teachers and teaching styles. 

Datacamp currently has more courses in their catalog (as well as new AI skill tracks, such as AI Fundamentals), but Dataquest notes that they intend to release new course materials every 2-3 weeks. Both schools have curriculum development teams who specialize in releasing relevant content regularly. 

Learning Style

When it comes to learning style, one major difference stands out between these two online schools: Datacamp’s video curriculum and Dataquest’s ‘learn by doing’ curriculum. Their platform design is another factor to consider. 

Dataquest’s Founder and CEO says, “Motivation is the most important determinant of whether you’ll get a job.” The Dataquest team specifically designed their curriculum to be motivational by using interesting data and engaging projects. Their aim is to deliver a linear curriculum with a logical order, consistent style, and a focus on concepts. Their curriculum is best for those who learn by doing. They centered their curriculum on teaching students how to learn by pointing them to documentation more as they advance through Dataquest’s career paths. 

Datacamp theorizes that “you learn best when you get to apply what you learn quickly.” This is why their exercises are short and directly follow their video lessons. Datacamp directs students to exercises and project work right away so that “you can apply what they learn quickly.” 

Community + Support

Datacamp and Dataquest both have online communities that have chat functions and support. 

Dataquest offers access to its active Slack community with every subscription level. With their Premium subscription, students also get access to career counseling which includes résumé help. 

Datacamp has a community page that can be accessed by anyone. Their Slack chat, however only comes with their paid plans. They do not offer career counseling. 

📌 Our Takeaway: If you need career counseling or help with your résumé and you want it included in your bootcamp, Dataquest is the way to go here. 

Datacamp Reviews vs Dataquest Reviews

You can read all Datacamp reviews and Dataquest reviews on Course Report. Both schools left students loving their bite-sized lessons, guided paths, and self-paced curriculums. After scouring reviews, we’ve found the most commonly noted pros and cons of each school. 

Dataquest

• Pedro hesitated to enroll because the lessons don’t include videos but later realized that Dataquest’s lack of videos was actually better for his learning style.

• Jennifer and Pedro along with most reviewers talked specifically about how efficient Dataquest’s career paths are.

• Sahil and most Dataquest students point out how challenging the exercises are but none of them point it out as a con. 

Datacamp

• Visual learners and beginners loved the curriculum. Matthew and Bart found the videos and immediate practice helped them advance quickly.

• A few students said that they had a hard time retaining the information after the lesson because the course only offers fill in the blank exercises on their learning platform. 

• Frank and Jeremy liked how articulate and knowledgeable Datacamp’s instructors were. The school itself points out how most of their instructors are professors at universities. 

FURTHER READING

• Ultimate Guide to the Best Data Science Bootcamps
• R vs Python for Data Science
• Graduated from Datacamp? Leave a Datacamp review here!