Dataquest Alternative: 365 Data Science vs Dataquest Comparison

365 Data Science recognizes the challenges students face when learning data science online. To address them, it incorporated game design features, which make the whole experience fun and engaging.

All aspects of the 365 platform are designed to support and motivate students throughout their journey. In addition to the standard dashboard where you can set goals and track your progress, it offers an XP system, leaderboard, news feed, collectible cards, and much more.

The Dataquest platform has its advantages too. It is well-organized and very easy to navigate. From the dashboard, students can choose a learning path and track their progress.

Dataquest has a super interesting approach to learning data science. It offers coding challenges in the browser and no video. So, yes, you will have to read a great amount and pay attention. And while the hands-on experience is extremely valuable, some users, especially beginners, may find the lack of video lessons frustrating and challenging.

In contrast, 365 Data Science combines comprehensive video lessons with practical examples, case studies, coding exercises, and some complementary reading materials. One of its biggest strengths are the world-class instructors from blue chip companies.

This Dataquest alternative focuses on downloadable course materials: all exercises are in the form of coding notebook files, while the solutions are in solution notebook files. Each of them is downloadable.

Moreover, 365 Data Science provides plenty of additional resources, such as quizzes, course notes, and other downloadable files. Since you can store these materials locally on your computer, you get to keep all of them even after cancelling your subscription.

As we mentioned, Dataquest is popular for its „coding in the browser” feature. In fact, this is one of its strongest assets, as it is very convenient. Students don’t need to switch between different windows while learning, which makes the exercise activities seamless.

However, there is a major downside to it. Whether you need to solve a programming task during а job interview or have just landed a job as a data professional, no employer will ever ask you to code in the browser. Instead, you will need to be confident at setting up a real environment and solving complex tasks in it.

And that is exactly what 365 Data Science provides in each programming-related course–not only are there lessons dedicated to setup, but all exercise and practical tasks are carried out within the actual environment. This prepares you for the real-world challenges of any data science or analytics job.

What’s more, this approach will teach you how to solve problems in a real-world environment where coding in the browser isn’t powerful enough (for example, with very large datasets) and where you can’t ask the browser for a tip.

Dataquest and 365 Data Science both focus extensively on practical examples.

The main difference is that many of the challenges and tasks by Dataquest are not centered around business applications. The program does not include industry-specific use cases, except for APIs and Web Scraping in Python.

On the other hand, 365 Data Science highlights the business application of data science in its exercises and case studies. In its line-up, you can find courses like:

• Credit Risk Modeling in Python
• Customer Analytics in Python
• Time Series Analysis in Python
• Fashion Analytics with Tableau
• Product Management for AI and Data Science
• AI Applications for Business Success
• Python for Finance
• Web Scraping and API Fundamentals in Python

Exams indicate you meet a high standard of competence and can give you a competitive advantage, leading to more job opportunities and a higher pay scale.

365 Data Science provides the opportunity to test the skills you have acquired with 3 types of timed online exams–Practice Exams, Course Exams, and Career Track Exams.

Practice Exams are optional. Their goal is to help you gain confidence in your skills, show you if there are areas you still need to work on, and prepare you for your course exams and final career track exam.

Course Exams give you the chance to prove that you have gained the necessary skills and competencies in a certain data science area.

Career Track Exams are accessible to students who have successfully passed the required course exams in their chosen career track.

Presently, Dataquest doesn’t offer exams as a feature of their training.

365 Data Science offers 2 types of Certificates of Achievement–Course Certificates and Career Track Certificates. Both are official 365 Data Science credentials that confirm your accomplishment and domain expertise.

It is not necessary to watch all the videos in a course to earn a Course Certificate. However, you do need to be enrolled in the program and pass the course exam successfully with a score of 60% or higher.

To earn a Career Track Certificates, you need to pass 10 exams successfully–9 course exams plus a final exam with questions covering all required courses in the respective Career Track. Again, you need a score of 60% or higher.

Once earned, you can easily share them with your professional LinkedIn network or get a physical copy as a stylish testament to your achievement.

Dataquest offers Certificates of Completion, which are granted upon completing any course on the platform without the need to take an exam. If you’re counting on the Dataquest certificate to prove your experience, you may be disappointed.

The data science industry places high value on degrees, credentials, and professional certificates, especially when there is an exam required to obtain them. There is a good reason for that–certificates not only confirm subject matter expertise but are also required for certain job openings. Not to mention that employers consider certificates a measure of a candidate’s willingness to work hard and achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

Recently, Dataquest introduced a Capstone Project–an unsupervised piece of work that students must complete successfully to earn a certificate in the Business Analyst with Python career path.

Neither 365 Data Science nor Dataquest charge an additional fee for the online certificates.

365 Data Science offers best-in-class personalized customer support. All 365 Data Science instructors are involved in Q&A, answering any specific questions students might have. This is critical for beginners and is a great workaround when you get stuck and need some expert tutoring.

Dataquest does a great job in helping students, too, with its well-maintained and moderated community forum. You can post a question if you get stuck while doing one of the course challenges.
That said, the only 1-star review on Dataquest we found online was regarding the poor customer support. The dissatisfied customer complained about the way the team handled their refund request. Still, this is rather an isolated occurrence, as the majority of Dataquest reviews online are positive.

Both platforms are well-regarded by students, but 365 has many more reviews.

As of 2022, Dataquest has a 4.8 rating on G2 based on 44 reviews and 4.3 start on Trustpilot based on 11 user opinions.

With the impressive 667 reviews, 365 Data Science boasts 4.9 stars on Trustpilot. Only 4 students have left reviews about it on G2, resulting in a 4.8 rating.

• Well-structured curriculum
• Takes less time to complete a course
• Emphasis on practical experience

• Some content gaps
• No video lessons
• Lacking industry-specific use cases

• Real environment practice and use cases
• Lessons from world-class instructors
• Recognized Certificates of Achievement

• Fewer Career Tracks than Dataquest
• Courses take longer to complete

365 Data Science and Dataquest have similar pricing structures–a free plan with plenty of content available, a premium subscription with access to the entire platform, and a business package.

Dataquest Pricing

• Free subscription: access to all introductory lessons
• Premium: $49/month or $33.25/month billed annually
• Team: $1,176 billed once

• Free subscription: access to the first few lessons of all courses
• Premium: $36/month or $29/month billed annually
• Business: starts at $696/year for 2 users; the first 14 days are free