Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
Alison vs DataCamp
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Alison |  DataCamp |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €6.60 | €1Lower |
| Price per month | €7.99 | €1Lower |
| Platform type | Curated | Subscription |
| Number of courses | 6,000Higher | 790 |
| Price per year | €79 | Not confirmed |
| Certificate fee | Not confirmed | €0 |
| University partners | Not confirmed | 3,000 |
| Course languages | English, Spanish | Not confirmed |
| Offline downloads | Yes | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Free tier (Yes), Graded assessments (Yes), Team plan (Yes).
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Key differences
- Price from is lower at DataCamp: €1 vs €6.60.
- Price per month is lower at DataCamp: €1 vs €7.99.
- Number of courses is higher at Alison: 6,000 vs 790.
- Support channels: only Alison offers Email, Chat.
- Subjects: only Alison offers Languages, Science, Humanities.
- Subjects: only DataCamp offers Coding, Data.
- Certificate types: only DataCamp offers Professional.
Our verdict on each
Alison
Alison pairs a curated catalogue of 6,000 courses with an entry price of €6.60, and its paid plan holds €7.99 a month or €79 a year. It suits self-directed learners who want breadth plus a completion certificate, and organisations buying for a group.
DataCamp
DataCamp suits self-taught developers, analysts and small teams who want a wide catalogue without a large opening payment, and the free tier keeps a trial commitment small. A catalogue of 790 courses, a certificate that costs €0 and a low monthly price make it a cost-led pick for data skills.
Score breakdown
| Area | Alison | DataCamp |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.8HigherEntry at €6.60 sits under the site entry median, €35.08, and the yearly plan is €79. | 9.7Entry at €1 and monthly at €1 sit under the site medians €35.08 and €18.59. |
| Offer | 9.3HigherAssessments, offline download and a free tier sit alongside 6,000 courses, so the catalogue does more than listing. | 9.1A free tier, assessments and a team plan make the paid plans cover more than a single course. |
| Trust | 9.0Completion certificates with cpd recognition, and a named operator, Capernaum Limited, based in IE. | Not confirmed |
Which one suits you
Pick Alison if number of courses matter most.
Pick DataCamp if price from and price per month matter most.
The numbers side by side
| Fact | Alison | DataCamp |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €6.60 | €1 |
| Price per month | €7.99 | €1 |
| Number of courses | 6,000 | 790 |
How they place
| Ranking | Alison | DataCamp |
|---|---|---|
| Online course platforms | 6 of 269 | 27 of 269 |
| Coding and data courses | 3 of 104 | 9 of 104 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Alison | DataCamp |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | It, Business, Languages, Science, Humanities | Coding, Data, It, Business |
| Certificate types | Completion | Completion, ProfessionalCovers more |
| Credit recognition | Cpd | Not confirmed |
| Legal entity | Capernaum Limited | DataCamp, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Ireland | United States |
| Founded | 2007 | Not confirmed |
| Support channels | Email, Chat, Help centreCovers more | Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Alison | DataCamp | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | €6.60lowest quarter | €1lowest quarter | €65.50 |
| Price per month | €7.99lowest quarter | €1lowest quarter | €29.45 |
| Price per year | €79lowest quarter | Not confirmed | €180 |
| Certificate fee | Not confirmed | €0at the median | €0 |
| Number of courses | 6,000highest quarter | 790above the median | 240 |
| University partners | Not confirmed | 3,000highest quarter | 80 |
Median across 126 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Alison
Pros
- A free tier and an entry price of €6.60 mean the first step of study costs nothing to try.
- The catalogue holds 6,000 courses across it, business and languages, wider than any single-field provider on this comparison.
- The paid plan's €7.99 monthly figure sits well under the site monthly median, €18.59.
Cons
- The certificate listed is a completion certificate, completion, so anyone after a professional award should compare DRCertifications.
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre, with no phone line among the channels.
- Course material is offered in English and Spanish, which narrows the audience for a multilingual team.
DataCamp
Pros
- The certificate fee is €0 and the range covers completion and professional certificates, so a credential costs nothing extra on top of the plan.
- A catalogue of 790 courses across coding, data and it gives a learner far more to work through than a narrow single course.
- University partnerships number 3,000, adding an institutional route alongside the self-paced material.
Cons
- Support runs on help centre only, so a live voice call is not part of the plan.
- A buyer after a narrow credential has specialist options: DRCertifications lists nursing certificates from $19.99, and Academy for Health and Fitness lists UK health and fitness courses from £25.
- Because access is sold as subscription, a reader pays for the whole catalogue whether or not they work through every track.
Who each suits
Alison
Who it suits
- Self-directed learners who want many subjects under one paid plan and a free tier to start on.
- Organisations buying for a group of colleagues, where a team plan is available.
- Learners whose workplace accepts continuing professional development evidence, listed as cpd.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone chasing a professional certificate: DRCertifications covers a single certification field with an entry price of $19.99.
- Learners after a focused fitness track, where Academy for Health and Fitness lists an entry price of £25.
- Buyers who want seller-led supply rather than a chosen catalogue: Hotmart lists an entry price of $0 and runs a different model.
DataCamp
Who it suits
- Learners building data or coding skills alone, who want assessed courses and 790 options to choose from.
- People who want a certificate without a separate certificate payment, since the certificate fee is €0.
- Small teams who want one subscription with a team plan included.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers after a nursing credential alone, who may find a tighter range at DRCertifications from $19.99.
- Health and fitness learners, who may find a focused catalogue at Academy for Health and Fitness in the UK from £25.
- Readers who prefer shopping across sellers for individual products rather than holding a DataCamp subscription, where Hotmart lists courses from $0.
Current offers
DataCamp
Current offer
First period offer
First Month Special - Premium for EUR 1: EUR 1 first month
First month of Premium individual subscription
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Questions about each
Alison
How much does Alison cost to start, and what do I pay later?+
The entry price is €6.60. From there the paid plan is billed at €7.99 for a month or €79 for a year, so the yearly term is the cheaper way to cover a longer stretch of study. A free tier lets you look at the material before any of that.
Is there a free version of Alison, or do I need to pay straight away?+
A free tier is available, so you can start without paying anything. The catalogue runs to 6,000 courses, and the free tier is the practical first step for anyone deciding whether the material suits them before committing to the paid plan, where the entry price is €6.60.
DataCamp
How much does DataCamp cost to begin with?+
DataCamp sells access as a subscription, and the DataCamp subscription plan starts at €1 with a monthly charge of €1. Both figures sit at the same level, so what a reader plans for at the start is close to what the subscription repeats each month. The certificate fee is €0, so certificates add nothing.
Does DataCamp charge for a certificate?+
The certificate itself carries no separate charge. The certificate fee is €0, and the certificate range covers completion and professional certificates, so a completion certificate and a professional certificate both come without a further payment. On this measure DataCamp ranks 1 of 47 brands tracked.