Is DataCamp Premium Worth It?


Are you already a DataCamp free user, or perhaps, paying for its Standard subscription? If you’re now thinking of upgrading your current subscription, you’re probably wondering if DataCamp Premium is worth it.

DataCamp Premium is worth it, but maximize your use of the Standard plan first. So, ensure you understand the concepts taught and complete the seven projects. At that stage, DataCamp Premium is worth the extra cost. Its more extensive project portfolio can give you valuable real-world experience.

If you want to know more, we’ll walk you through DataCamp’s subscriptions and how they compare below. Once you’ve read this article, you’ll understand when DataCamp Premium is worth it.

But, if you have not signed up for DataCamp already, take the first step –

Click Here To Sign Up For DataCamp Today!

Important Sidenote: We interviewed numerous data science professionals (data scientists, hiring managers, recruiters – you name it) and identified 6 proven steps to follow for becoming a data scientist. Read my article: ‘6 Proven Steps To Becoming a Data Scientist [Complete Guide] for in-depth findings and recommendations! – This is perhaps the most comprehensive article on the subject you will find on the internet!

What Is DataCamp?

Let’s start at the beginning. DataCamp is a provider of online training for the data science field, focusing mainly on programming skills.

Training is through instructional videos with a heavy emphasis on practical coding exercises. The aim is to build learners’ ability and confidence through doing.

Even if you have no coding experience, DataCamp courses provide all you need to get you up and running with data related programming skills.

Click Here To Sign Up For DataCamp Today!

What Is DataCamp Premium?

DataCamp Premium is DataCamp’s top-of-the-range subscription plan for individuals. DataCamp offers three personal subscription levels and two for businesses. The three personal subscription levels are:

Subscription LevelCost
Free$0 per month, but you’ll have to create a free account.
Standard$300 for twelve months. This upfront payment works out at $25 per month. Alternatively, $29 per month if you pay monthly.
Premium$399 for twelve months. Paying for twelve months upfront works out at $33. Or, $49 per month monthly payments.

As you’d expect, each plan comes with different access levels, which we’ll summarize next.

Click Here To Sign Up For DataCamp Today!

How Do DataCamp’s Subscriptions Compare?

Now you’re familiar with DataCamp’s pricing, let’s see how the plans compare

FreeStandardPremium
Over 300 CoursesThe first chapter only✔ ✔ 
14 Career Tracksx
50+ Skills Tracksx
80+ Projects7 only7 only✔ 
Practice challenges (unlimited)3 sets only✔ ✔ 
Skill assessment (unlimited)1 only✔ ✔ 
Live code-alongsx
Mobile app accessx
Community chatx
Tableau, PowerBI, Oraclexx
Priority supportxx

Not surprisingly, it’s the detail that counts, so let’s look into that now. If you want to know whether DataCamp Premium is worth it, understanding what exactly you’ll get at each subscription level is crucial. Below, we’ll get into the nitty-gritty.

Click Here To Sign Up For DataCamp Today!

Free

No surprise that DataCamp’s free subscription is limited, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth having, especially if you’re a data science beginner. 

Currently, there are over three hundred courses on DataCamp. With a free membership, you get access to the first chapter of all of them. That’s not a bad offering if you’re looking for a real taste of what learning on DataCamp is like.

You’ll also get access to seven out of DataCamp’s eighty projects and three coding challenges. So, you can try out what you learn from the limited course access.

In essence, DataCamp’s free plan is nothing to sniff at. It’s an excellent way to get to know the platform and the teaching methods without any financial outlay.

So, if you haven’t even started with DataCamp – Click Here To Sign Up For DataCamp Today!

Standard

Once you move into the paid plans, your DataCamp entitlements increase significantly. Standard is the cheapest personal paid plan, giving you access to around 335 courses.

You don’t just get individual courses on the Standard subscription. It also gives you access to DataCamp’s Skills and Career Tracks.

The Tracks are pre-packaged DataCamp courses put together by DataCamp’s experts. They provide a logical, targeted learning path towards a skill or a particular data science career.

The value in these Tracks is that you don’t waste time figuring out which courses to take. It’s all done for you, so you can just get on with it, knowing that the packaged courses will take you in the direction you want to go.

As with the free plan, you’ll only have access to seven of DataCamp’s eighty projects. However, you’ll be able to take part in any number of coding challenges. Additionally, you can take unlimited skills assessments to see how you’re progressing.

There are also live code-alongs on the Standard plan, which will give you insight and experience.

Another Standard plan feature is mobile access. So, you can learn even when you’re not at your computer. Undoubtedly, it’s a great way to maximize your use of DataCamp and keep your education moving.

Finally, the Standard plan gives you access to DataCamp’s community chat on Slack. There, you can ask questions and discuss any DataCamp or data science issues, get help with your code, and exchange ideas. So, it’s a valuable resource.

As you can see, DataCamp’s Standard subscription is packed with features and certainly adds value over the free plan.

Click Here To Sign Up For DataCamp Today!

Premium

So, what does DataCamp Premium add? Well, you’ll get everything mentioned above, plus the following:

  • Access to all DataCamp’s projects: The projects are an excellent way to practice the skills you learn on DataCamp. They’re more involved than the tasks you’ll complete during the courses, so they give you a good feel for solving real-world data science problems.
  • Access to Tableau, Power BI, and Oracle content: This additional content is useful if you work with data visualization tools, Tableau or Power BI, or Oracle databases. 
  • Priority support: There’s no information from DataCamp as to what this entails. Presumably, you’ll get faster responses to any queries you raise through its support channels.

In short, the principal added feature you get with a premium subscription is access to all eighty of DataCamp’s projects

Projects are vital if you want to put what you’ve learned into practice in realistic scenarios. Additionally, they’ll give you confidence in dealing with large datasets like those you might be faced with in real life.

DataCamp’s projects are mostly guided, so you are taken through the project step-by-step. Even the unguided projects include a follow-along video, so you don’t get stuck. 

If this all sounds appealing to you:

Click Here To Get DataCamp Premium Now!

Is DataCamp Premium Worth the Extra Money?

As you’ve seen from the above, there’s a whole lot packaged into DataCamp’s Standard subscription

So, is there enough in the Premium plan to make it worth paying the extra $20 a month or $99 on an annual subscription?

In truth, in most cases, you should probably start with the Standard plan. We’ll explain below.

Beginners

If you’re new to data science, you’ll probably have more than enough to keep you occupied with a Standard subscription.

Remember that within each course, you’ll get practical coding experience as you go. Once you’ve completed a course, there’ll be daily coding challenges to work on. You’ll also be able to attend live code-along sessions.

Additionally, you’ll have access to seven DataCamp projects. Realistically, for most beginners, with all the opportunities to practice your new skills, a Standard subscription is probably sufficient.

So, beginners should start with the Standard plan and take the time to absorb all it offers. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be better able to take full advantage of a Premium subscription.

Click Here To Sign Up For DataCamp Today!

Experienced Coders

What if you’re coming to DataCamp with coding experience? Well, you may already have enough knowledge to jump straight into the Premium subscription’s eighty projects 

Even so, you may still be better off starting with a Standard subscription. That way, you can take the skills assessments and fill in any knowledge gaps, or simply work through the seven projects you get on the Standard plan. There’s no point paying the Premium rate to access those projects.

Once you’ve done those seven projects, you can upgrade to Premium to access DataCamp’s full project portfolio.

Of course, it may be only the Tableau, Power BI, and Oracle content you’re after to add to your coding skills. In that case, going straight to the Premium plan makes sense.

Click Here To Get Started With DataCamp Now!

Conclusion

DataCamp Premium is worth it, but don’t rush into a Premium subscription. 

Beginners should learn to walk before running. That means making full use of all that the Standard subscription offers first. So, get a solid understanding of the concepts taught. Then, you’ll get more value from a Premium subscription.

Even for experienced coders, it makes financial sense to start with the Standard plan, which has seven projects. Once you’ve done those, then switch to Premium to access more projects.

To make DataCamp Premium worth it, maximize your use of the feature-packed Standard plan before upgrading to Premium.

Final Words: DataCamp is an incredible platform for data enthusiasts across all levels. Irrespective of what subscription you choose, you cannot go wrong with this subscription. The important this is that you get started!

Click Here To Get Started With DataCamp Now!

BEFORE YOU GO: Don’t forget to check out my latest article – 6 Proven Steps To Becoming a Data Scientist [Complete Guide]. We interviewed numerous data science professionals (data scientists, hiring managers, recruiters – you name it) and created this comprehensive guide to help you land that perfect data science job.

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  2. DataCamp. (n.d.). DataCamp. https://www.datacamp.com/
  3. Kin, W. (2017, May 9). My journey to data science (For beginners with zero-coding experience). Medium. https://towardsdatascience.com/my-journey-to-data-science-for-beginner-with-zero-coding-experience-1e7896b564d3
  4. What does a data analyst do | How to become a data analyst | SNHU. (2020, February 24). Southern New Hampshire University – On-Campus & Online Degrees | SNHU. https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2018/10/what-does-a-data-analyst-do
  5. What is Python? Executive summary. (n.d.). Python.org. https://www.python.org/doc/essays/blurb/
  6. Tableau: Business intelligence and analytics software. (n.d.). Tableau. https://www.tableau.com/en-gb
  7. What is Oracle? (2020, September 18). EDUCBA. https://www.educba.com/what-is-oracle/
  8. What is Power BI. (n.d.). Data Visualization | Microsoft Power BI. https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/what-is-power-bi/

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Daisy

Daisy is the founder of DataScienceNerd.com. Passionate for the field of Data Science, she shares her learnings and experiences in this domain, with the hope to help other Data Science enthusiasts in their path down this incredible discipline.

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