Short answer
- DataCamp is a data and AI skills platform with 790+ interactive courses. Premium includes DataCamp Certification (timed exams plus a practical exam) “so there are no additional costs” (DataCamp).
- Coursera is a marketplace of university and company programs. Coursera Plus costs $59 a month or $399 a year in the US; single programs cost $49 to $79 a month (Coursera). Some Professional Certificates carry ACE college credit recommendations, and Coursera also sells degrees from accredited universities.
- Free access changed: Coursera replaced free auditing with a free preview of a course’s first module in August 2025. DataCamp’s free plan opens the first chapter of every course.
- Choose DataCamp to practice data skills in interactive exercises and earn an exam-based data certification. Choose Coursera for university-branded certificates, college credit or a path toward a degree.
Both platforms teach data science, but they’re built differently. DataCamp is a single company’s interactive curriculum focused on data and AI. Coursera hosts programs from more than 375 universities and companies, across every subject. That shapes what you pay and, above all, what kind of credential you end up with. We checked both on September 22, 2026.
DataCamp vs Coursera at a glance
| DataCamp | Coursera | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | data, analytics and AI | every subject, from 375+ university and industry partners |
| Format | interactive courses with 10,400+ exercises | video content, graded assessments; Specializations end in a capstone project |
| Catalog | 790+ courses | over 10,000 courses |
| Free access | Basic plan: the first chapter of every course | preview of the first module of most courses; a few courses fully free |
| Paid access | Premium, monthly or annual; student plan at over 50% off | Coursera Plus $59/month or $399/year; single programs $49 to $79/month |
| Credentials | Statement of Accomplishment; DataCamp Certification (exam-based) | course certificates, Specializations, Professional Certificates, university certificates, degrees |
| College credit | none stated | ACE recommendations on selected Professional Certificates; degrees from accredited partners |
| Refunds | “We will not offer refunds on any fees or charges related to your Individual Plan” | Plus annual: 14 days; other subscriptions: not refunded |
Sources: DataCamp pricing, DataCamp catalog, DataCamp student plan, DataCamp terms, DataCamp certification, Coursera Plus, Coursera about, What is Coursera, Coursera course preview, Coursera terms.
What kind of certificate you get
DataCamp has two very different credentials.
- Statement of Accomplishment for finishing a course or track. DataCamp says there’s “no assessment tied to these” (DataCamp). The free Basic plan doesn’t include “Certificates of completion and industry-leading certifications” (DataCamp pricing).
- DataCamp Certification is exam-based. The Data Analyst certification, for example, combines a 2-hour timed exam, a 1-hour timed exam and a practical exam (DataCamp); the higher Data Scientist level adds a recorded presentation graded by people, with results in “up to 14 days” (DataCamp). Career certifications include Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Data Engineer, AI Engineer and Python Developer; technology certifications include SQL Associate and Python Data Associate. You have “30 days from the time you register” to finish, and career and technology certifications “are valid for two years from the date awarded” (DataCamp).
DataCamp says its certifications are “developed by assessment specialists at DataCamp in collaboration with an independent advisory panel of experienced hiring managers and industry professionals.” They’re DataCamp’s own credentials, not academic credit.
Coursera has a ladder of credentials:
- Course certificates and Specializations (course series with a capstone). “Certificates cannot be earned during the free trial” (Coursera terms).
- Professional Certificates from companies such as Google, IBM and Meta. Some carry ACE credit recommendations: Google IT Support “up to 15 college credits,” IBM Data Science “up to 12 college credits,” Meta Front-End Developer “9 college credits.” “The decision to accept specific credit recommendations is up to each institution” (Google IT Support, IBM Data Science, Meta Front-End).
- University certificates (MasterTrack and graduate certificates) and degrees, which are “awarded by accredited university partners” (Coursera degrees).
Coursera’s own terms add an important limit: completing its content “does not confer any academic credit” by itself; credit comes from the institutions (Coursera terms).
For data careers: DataCamp’s certification tests you with timed and practical exams inside one subscription price. Coursera’s IBM Data Science certificate gives you an IBM-branded certificate and an ACE credit recommendation. If you plan to go on to a degree, Coursera’s path can carry credit forward; DataCamp’s can’t. Neither replaces a vendor certification such as Microsoft’s PL-300; see our Certification Cost Index for those exams.
Price
Coursera publishes US prices on its Coursera Plus page: “$59/month, cancel anytime” or “$399/year with 14-day money-back guarantee,” after a 7-day free trial. Single programs cost $49 to $79 a month; in the US and Canada a Specialization such as Google AI Essentials costs $49 a month after the trial. Coursera Plus doesn’t cover degrees or MasterTrack certificates, and certificates earned in the first 14 days are revoked if you take the annual refund (Coursera Plus, Coursera).
DataCamp shows prices in local currency. From Europe on September 22, 2026, Premium showed “€14/month billed annually,” and the student plan €161 a year (DataCamp pricing, student plan). We couldn’t read a US price from DataCamp’s site. Certification is included in Premium; yearly plans can’t be paused, and DataCamp doesn’t refund individual plans.
What happened to free Coursera courses?
On August 8, 2025, Coursera introduced a course preview that “replaces our audit experience and gives learners the ability to preview the first module of nearly every course on Coursera for free” (Coursera blog). Some courses on topics such as mental health, refugee support and public health stay free, and some courses offer a “Full Course, No Certificate” option (Coursera). Older comparisons that say you can audit most Coursera courses for free are out of date.
DataCamp’s free Basic plan lets you do the first chapter of every course.
DataCamp vs Coursera vs a master’s degree
| DataCamp | Coursera certificates | Online master’s degree (e.g. via Coursera) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you earn | DataCamp Certification | certificate; sometimes ACE credit recommendation | a university degree |
| Awarded by | DataCamp | the Coursera partner (company or university) | the accredited university |
| Cost | Premium subscription | $49 to $79 a month, or Coursera Plus | new Coursera degree offers “under $20,000 USD” |
| Academic credit | none stated | depends on the college accepting it | yes |
Sources: DataCamp certification, Coursera Plus, Coursera affordable degrees, Coursera prior learning credit.
Coursera also lists degree programs where “your Specialization or Professional Certificate could replace one or more courses in a degree.” If a degree is your goal, that’s the main argument for starting on Coursera.
Coursera now owns Udemy
Coursera completed its combination with Udemy on May 11, 2026; Udemy is now “a wholly owned subsidiary” of Coursera (Coursera investor relations, SEC filing). More Coursera comparisons: the top Coursera alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is DataCamp or Coursera better for data science?
DataCamp is more focused and hands-on, with interactive exercises and an exam-based certification included in Premium. Coursera offers university and company programs, ACE credit recommendations on some certificates and full degrees.
Is the DataCamp certification worth it?
It’s an exam-based credential with timed and practical exams, included in Premium and valid for two years. It is DataCamp’s own certification, not a vendor or academic credential.
Can you still audit Coursera courses for free?
Not in the old way. Since August 2025, Coursera offers a free preview of the first module of most courses instead of a full free audit.
How much is Coursera Plus?
$59 a month or $399 a year in the US, with a 7-day free trial and a 14-day refund window on the annual plan.
Do Coursera certificates give college credit?
Coursera itself doesn’t grant credit. Selected Professional Certificates carry ACE credit recommendations, and colleges decide whether to accept them.
How we checked these facts. DataCamp plans, certification rules and terms come from datacamp.com; Coursera prices, terms, credentials and the audit change from coursera.org, discover.coursera.org and Coursera’s blog; the Udemy combination from Coursera’s investor relations site and SEC filing. All checked on September 22, 2026. Certificate Quest is not affiliated with DataCamp, Coursera or any of their partners and earns nothing from links on this page.