Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
DataCamp vs The TEFL Institute
What sets them apart
| Compare |  DataCamp |  The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €1 | $40 |
| Certificate fee | €0 | $0 |
| Free tier | YesHas it | No |
| Platform type | Subscription | Curated |
| Price per month | €1 | Not confirmed |
| Free trial length | Not confirmed | 3 days |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 14 days |
| Number of courses | 790 | Not confirmed |
| University partners | 3,000 | Not confirmed |
| Access period | Not confirmed | 6 months |
| Offline downloads | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Markets | Not confirmed | GB, US, CA, ZA, IN, AU, NZ, CN, RU, DE, FR, ES, NL, VN, AE, IT, PL, TH, TR |
Same on both: Graded assessments (Yes), Team plan (Yes).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- DataCamp scores higher overall: 9.4 vs 9.0.
- Free tier: only DataCamp.
- Support channels: only The TEFL Institute offers Email, Phone, Community.
- Subjects: only DataCamp offers Coding, Data, It.
- Subjects: only The TEFL Institute offers Languages.
Our verdict on each
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.
The TEFL Institute
The TEFL Institute fits readers who want a single online route to a TEFL certificate: the exam fee is included, tutor support and job support come with it, and 120 hours of study ends in a certificate bundled with the course. The catch is no free tier and no practicum attached.
Score breakdown
| Area | DataCamp | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.7HigherEntry at €1 and monthly at €1 sit under the site medians €35.08 and €18.59. | 9.2Entry at $40 with a $0 certificate fee, so the certificate adds no charge of its own. |
| Offer | 9.1HigherA free tier, assessments and a team plan make the paid plans cover more than a single course. | 8.9Assessments, offline download and a team plan, with 6 months of access after enrolment. |
| Trust | Not confirmed | 9.1Accredited by deac with credit recognition for cpd and ofqual, from a provider founded in 2017. |
Where they rank in our lists
| Ranking | DataCamp | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Online course platforms | 27 of 269 | 1 of 269 |
| Online professional certificates | 13 of 86 | 1 of 86 |
Where each is licensed and available
| Country | DataCamp | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States | Ireland |
Where these facts come from
DataCamp
- datacamp.com: 14 facts, checked September 30, 2026
The TEFL Institute
- teflinstitute.com: 18 facts, checked September 30, 2026
Every fact side by side
| Fact | DataCamp | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Coding, Data, It, Business | Languages |
| Certificate types | Completion, Professional | Completion, Professional |
| Credit recognition | Not confirmed | Cpd, Ofqual |
| Legal entity | DataCamp, Inc. | The TEFL Institute Limited |
| Headquarters | United States | Ireland |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 2017 |
| Support channels | Help centre | Email, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more |
Certifications
| Fact | DataCamp | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Certification type | Not confirmed | Tefl |
| Course hours | Not confirmed | 120 hours |
| Teaching practicum | Not confirmed | No |
| Accreditation | Not confirmed | Deac |
| Exam fee included | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Tutor support | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Job support | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Typical completion time (weeks) | Not confirmed | 2 to 4 |
| Delivery | Not confirmed | Online |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | DataCamp | The TEFL Institute | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | €1lowest quarter | Not confirmed | €29.45 |
| Free trial length | Not confirmed | 3 dayslowest quarter | 14 days |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 14 daysat the median | 14 days |
| Number of courses | 790above the median | Not confirmed | 240 |
| University partners | 3,000highest quarter | Not confirmed | 80 |
| Access period | Not confirmed | 6 monthslowest quarter | 12 months |
Median across 169 listed providers.
Pros and cons
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.
The TEFL Institute
Pros
- The exam fee is included in the course price, so there is no separate exam payment to budget for on top of tuition.
- The advanced TEFL course runs 120 hours of study, with a completion pace of 2 to 4 weeks for anyone planning a study schedule.
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so a phone line and a help centre sit alongside email during the course.
Cons
- There is no free tier, so the only no-cost option is the test TEFL course that runs 3 days.
- The certification carries no practicum, so supervised classroom practice has to be arranged outside the programme.
- A free trial length of 3 days places The TEFL Institute low on that measure among the brands compared here.
Who each suits
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.
The TEFL Institute
Who it suits
- Learners who want a TEFL certificate with the exam fee already included and no separate certificate charge.
- Anyone who wants tutor support and job support built into the same course rather than sold as an add-on.
- Schools and employers buying training for several teachers, since a team plan is offered and lessons can be downloaded for offline study.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers set on the lowest entry price should start with DRCertifications, listed at $19.99.
- Anyone after a free catalogue to browse rather than a paid certificate should compare Hotmart, listed at $0.
- Shoppers after a fitness qualification rather than a TEFL certificate should compare Academy for Health and Fitness, listed at £25.
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
The TEFL Institute
Current offer
Free trial
Free 3-Day Level 5 Diploma Trial: 3 days
Sample 3 real Level 5 Diploma modules with unlimited access over 3 days
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Questions about each
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.
The TEFL Institute
How much does a TEFL certificate from The TEFL Institute cost?+
The listed entry price is $40 and the certificate fee is $0, so the certificate is not a separate charge added on afterwards. Read those lines together rather than the headline figure alone. A cheaper starting price elsewhere does not always mean a cheaper finished certificate, since certificate charges often sit outside the entry number.
Can I try The TEFL Institute for free before paying?+
There is no free tier, so nothing on the paid catalogue opens at no cost. What is free is a test TEFL course that runs 3 days, long enough to see how the material is organised and how the assessments are framed. It samples the course rather than granting permanent free access, so the paid course still has to be budgeted for.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
- DataCamp vs Future Skills Academy
- The TEFL Institute vs 101 Blockchains
- The TEFL Institute vs Milan Fashion Campus
- DataCamp vs Learning 24/7
- DataCamp vs Techurie
- DataCamp vs Academy for Health and Fitness
- The TEFL Institute vs ACLS Now
- The TEFL Institute vs Codecademy
- The TEFL Institute vs TEFL.org
- The TEFL Institute vs Fiszki
- The TEFL Institute vs Legale Lover
- The TEFL Institute vs Code Labs Academy
- DataCamp vs International Open Academy