Pluralsight Alternative: 365 Data Science vs Pluralsight Comparison
Are you considering a Pluralsight alternative? Why not contemplate how the 365 Data Science value proposition differs from Pluralsight?
Pluralsight is an online e-learning platform with an extensive library of over 7,000 courses on data science, digital business marketing, software development, and even creative classes taught by industry professionals in video format.
At the same time, 365 Data Science’s structured and more beginner-friendly teaching methods better suit beginner and intermediate students’ learning needs. Its course curriculum offers a solid foundation that lets you comprehend the more challenging topics later—including applicable business principles and programming languages like SQL, R, Python, and Excel.
Pricing: 365 Data Science vs Pluralsight
$15.37 per month
Billed annually- Online On-demand Video
- Gamifield Platform
- Comprehensive Portfolio
- Free Plan
- Step-by-Step Curriculum
- Real environment practice
- Personalized learning dashboard
- Career tracks
- Exams
$37.40 per month
Billed annually- Online On-demand Video
- Gamifield Platform
- Comprehensive Portfolio
- Free Plan
- Step-by-Step Curriculum
- Real environment practice
- Personalized learning dashboard
- Career tracks
- Exams
Course Content: 365 Data Science vs Pluralsight
365 Data Science
365 Data Science’s curriculum offers three career tracks: Data Scientist, Data Analyst, and Business Analyst. Each track starts with an Introduction to Data and Data Science—setting the foundation for the upcoming concepts and lessons.
Each course is a logical continuation of the previous one and takes skill levels that have already been attained into consideration—making 365 Data Science ideal for beginners. You wouldn’t need to follow along with repeated explanations, for instance, merely because the course creators weren't sure if a particular idea had been covered in earlier lessons.
All the Career Tracks cover the essential statistical principles needed for working with data. The Data Science career path also delves deeply into the advanced probability concepts required for students to become capable data scientists with computational thinking.
Pluralsight
Like 365 Data Science, Pluralsight courses cover all the essential data science skills (machine learning, deep learning, data visualization, data processing, statistics) in popular technologies like Python, R, SQL, Tableau, and Excel.
With specialized learning paths like Data Science for Microsoft Azure, Pluralsight is a good platform for learning individual data science skills. Still, students who want a clear and structured roadmap to build job-ready skills in their chosen career role will find that 365 Data Science Career Paths will suit their needs better.
Key Features: 365 Data Science vs Pluralsight
Learning Platform
365 Data Science acknowledges students’ challenges with online learning—such as a lack of engagement, accountability, motivation, or fun. To solve these concerns, the platform has gamified elements that promote beneficial learning practices. It also offers an experience points (XPs) system, newsfeed, collecting cards, and other features in addition to the standard learning dashboard where you establish goals and monitor your progress.
Pluralsight, on the other hand, does not offer gamified features but provides such interesting functions as Notes, which allow you to take study notes while watching a course. Students receive badges upon completing particular learning accomplishments like watch time, course completion, and learning streaks, which they can share on social media.
The most useful Pluralsight platform feature includes the video download function, allowing you to watch videos offline.
Learning Material
Learning materials help students assimilate the subject matter quicker and in ways that course videos cannot. 365 Data Science offers downloadable resources that can be stored on your computer and accessed offline.
In addition to exercise files with videos, 365 Data Science offers a variety of other resources to satisfy the needs of students, such as:
- Course Notes: This free feature offers PDF text documents that outline key ideas from a particular course.
- Templates: These code-ready templates speed up your process and reduce online browsing time.
- Infographics: These PDF documents include eye-catching graphics that help beginners explain the overall concept of the complicated field of data science.
Pluralsight also offers downloadable resources that can be stored on your computer and accessed offline. It does not offer course notes but does provide guides—equivalent to 365 Data Science Templates. Guides are text-based articles that answer various coding projects and technology questions.
Real Environment Practice
Although less practical than in-browser coding—which enables students to switch from video to coding without interruptions—the benefits of honing your abilities in a realistic setting outweigh the drawbacks by a wide margin.
Businesses expect you to set up your own program and find solutions to practical issues. This method shows you how to resolve issues in a setting where browser-based coding is inadequate for handling large datasets.
Practical Case Studies
365 Data Science emphasizes the business application of data science in its practical case studies. It offers valuable case studies where students can put what they've learned into practice in a real-world setting. For instance, 365’s Probability Course uses actual data from Hamilton College and asks students to use the Bayesian Law to decide whether the institution successfully diversifies its student body.
The platform highlights the business application of data science in its exercises and case studies in courses like the following:
- Python for Finance
- Credit Risk Modeling in Python
- Time Series Analysis in Python
- Ai Applications for Business Success
Pluralsight offers hands-on projects that help you build and deploy real-world applications using your own developer workspace. An example project includes Building Baseball Data Visualizations with Python, where students follow instructions to create data visualizations that present data on Major League Baseball All-Star Games.
Exams
Exams are ideal for students to gauge how much theoretical knowledge and practical application they’ve retained from a section or course. Passed exams demonstrate to potential employers that you possess the necessary expertise to perform your job well.
The optional practice exams of 365 Data Science evaluate your understanding of a specific area or chapter of the course. They help you find potentially essential areas for improvement and are an excellent method to prepare for the course exams.
365’s Course Assessments are comprehensive (timed) exams that gauge how much knowledge you’ve acquired from each course.
Career Track Exams are accessible only once you’ve completed each course exam in the professional track and have had your knowledge assessed from every course in the career track.
Pluralsight does not offer examinations for their courses—aside from Skill IQ, which assesses your level of knowledge in a given technology before beginning a Learning Path. They also include Role IQ, which evaluates your skill levels against the expertise your ideal career role requires.
Certificates
After completing a course or career track, a certificate from an online learning platform could be a crucial selling point for a prospective employee. The data science business places high value on certifications because they demonstrate that the individual possesses the character qualities and technical skills required to be a competitive job applicant. 365 Data Science provides industry-recognized certificates that significantly increase students’ chances of landing a data science job. When passing exams with a grade of at least 60%, students can acquire two certificates: Course Certificates and Career Track Certificates.
Pluralsight does not offer an equivalent to 365’s Career Track Certificate. Instead, they offer a Certificate of Completion—students only need to go through the course content to receive a certificate. This certification, therefore, holds less value in the job market. It’s important to note that some of the Pluralsight Learning Paths prepare you for industry certifications and examinations in companies like Microsoft, Cisco, and Amazon. But they do not guarantee successful exam completion; you still must register and pay for your exams. (Neither 365 Data Science nor Pluralsight certificates require fees.)
Q&A support
365 Data Science offers superb, personalized customer support, and instructors actively participate in responding to queries from the platform’s Q&A section. Such assistance is essential for novices when they require professional guidance.
Pluralsight provides a Discussion Board under each course where students can receive peer help on specific questions related to the course. Unfortunately, Pluralsight students do not have access to specialized, professional assistance.
Student Ratings
Both 365 Data Science and Pluralsight reviews are positive on Trustpilot and G2. Pluralsight has significantly more reviews on G2, with 4.6/5 stars based on 901 reviews, while 365 Data Science has 4.8/5 from 5 reviews.
On Trustpilot 365 Data Science scores an impressive 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 670 reviews, and Pluralsight scores a surprising 2.0 out of 5 stars out of 905 reviews with complaints regarding refunds and billing practices, as well as the difference in quality between the two Standard and Premium Pluralsight subscription tiers.
Pros and Cons
- Structured Career Track curriculum
- Comprehensive graded exams
- Instructor and peer assistance
- Recognized Certificates of Achievement
- Less mobile-friendly experience
- No guided projects
- Pluralsight mobile app
- Offline video streaming
- Diverse curriculum of software development and programming languages
- No exams
- Lack of graded assignments
Pricing
365 Data Science and Pluralsight offer free content to students who want to taste the platforms’ teaching styles before deciding on a plan.
365 allows students access to the first chapters of each course and the resources and practice exams in them. In this way, students have an excellent opportunity to decide if they want to upgrade.
Pluralsight offers a lot of free content with over 50+ free Pluralsight courses, and the first few lessons of each course are also free.
The Premium Pluralsight subscription tier gives access to the entire library of courses and exam prep for certifications, access to hands-on projects, and coding challenges—all of which are not accessible to Standard tier users.
- Free subscription: access to the first few lessons of all courses
- Premium: $36/month or $29/month billed annually
- Free subscription: access to the first few lessons of all courses
- Standart: $29/month
- Premium: $45/month billed
365 Data Science vs Pluralsight: Which one to choose?
365 Data Science provides a more structured and approachable learning environment for beginner and intermediate students with its comprehensive video classes taught by subject matter experts (SMEs) and industry-recognized credentials. 365 is the best option if you're seeking a systematic curriculum and an entertaining platform that inspires you to learn and become job ready.
Pluralsight is a good choice if you’re interested in learning various programming/coding languages like Azure, Java, or Linux—thanks to its extensive library of courses. So, if you’re interested in learning cyber security, web development—or other IT-related skills—then chances are Pluralsight has a course for that.
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