Softwr

Education · head to head

DataCamp vs Snowplow

DataCamp logo

DataCamp

Education

Learn data science and AI skills online

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Snowplow logo

Snowplow

Business Intelligence

Behavioural data pipeline you run in your own cloud, relicensed away from Apache 2.0 in 2024

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DataCamp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DataCamp free tier limited to first chapter of every course only; Snowplow the core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.
  • They diverge on capability: DataCamp covers Interactive courses, Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DataCamp and Snowplow actually diverge.

Attributes where DataCamp and Snowplow differ
AttributeDataCampSnowplow
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, MobileLinux, Web, Docker
CategoryEducationBusiness Intelligence
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in DataCamp

  • Interactive courses
  • Hands-on projects
  • Skill assessments
  • Career tracks
  • Certifications
  • Workspace
  • Mobile app
  • Practice mode

Only in Snowplow

  • Own-cloud deployment
  • Schema enforcement
  • Warehouse loading
  • Enrichment
  • Trackers
  • Streaming output
  • Data models
  • Snowplow BDP

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

DataCamp

  • Interactive data science and AI education with 790+ coursesnot Snowplow
  • Career-track learning (36-44 hours) for role-specific competencynot Snowplow
  • Team upskilling with admin dashboards and learning activity trackingnot Snowplow
  • Hands-on projects, certifications, and industry-recognised credentialsnot Snowplow

Snowplow

  • A data team that needs full-fidelity event data in its own warehouse to build attribution or machine learning features rather than to populate dashboardsnot DataCamp
  • A regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud accountnot DataCamp
  • A product organisation tired of silently malformed events, which wants a schema contract enforced at collection timenot DataCamp
  • A company modelling customer behaviour across web, mobile and server events that needs them in one consistent structurenot DataCamp

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

DataCamp

  • Free tier limited to first chapter of every course only
  • Premium plan requires annual billing with no monthly option
  • Teams plan requires minimum 2+ users with annual upfront billing
  • Free tier excludes access to 790+ courses and skill assessments

Snowplow

  • The core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.
  • You run the pipeline in your own cloud, which means the infrastructure bill, the on-call rota and the upgrade work are yours, and at high event volume that operational cost frequently exceeds what a hosted product would have charged.
  • Schema enforcement is the main benefit and the main friction, because every new event requires a schema to be authored and versioned, and teams without discipline around that end up blocked on their own governance process.
  • There is no analysis layer: Snowplow delivers data to your warehouse and nothing else, so you still need modelling, a BI tool and the people to run them before anyone sees a number.
  • The licence change fractured the community, spawning an Apache 2.0 fork, which means community contributions and third-party tooling are now split across two codebases with uncertain long-term maintenance.

Pricing, plan by plan

DataCamp

Free
  • BasicFree
    • First chapter of every course
    • All cheat sheets and tutorials
    • Mobile learning
  • Premium$28/month
    • 790+ courses
    • Projects
    • Certificates
  • Teams$28/month_per_user
    • Everything in Premium
    • Admin dashboard
    • License management

Snowplow

On request
  • Snowplow BDP$undefined/year
    • Commercial pricing quoted by event volume and deployment
    • Core pipeline components under the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, not Apache 2.0
    • Trackers, analytics SDKs and Iglu SDKs remain Apache 2.0

Which should you pick?

Choose DataCamp if

  • You need interactive courses.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want hands-on projects.
DataCamp review

Choose Snowplow if

  • You need own-cloud deployment.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Docker.
  • You also want schema enforcement.
Snowplow review

Questions people ask

Is DataCamp or Snowplow better?
Neither clearly leads. DataCamp starts at Free and Snowplow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DataCamp or Snowplow?
DataCamp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for DataCamp and On request for Snowplow.
Does DataCamp or Snowplow run on more platforms?
DataCamp runs on Web, Mobile. Snowplow runs on Linux, Web, Docker.
Can I use DataCamp for free?
Yes. DataCamp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Snowplow starts at On request.
What is DataCamp best used for?
DataCamp is most often used for interactive data science and ai education with 790+ courses, career-track learning (36-44 hours) for role-specific competency, team upskilling with admin dashboards and learning activity tracking, hands-on projects, certifications, and industry-recognised credentials. Of those, interactive data science and ai education with 790+ courses and career-track learning (36-44 hours) for role-specific competency are not what Snowplow is typically brought in for.
What can DataCamp do that Snowplow cannot?
DataCamp covers Interactive courses, Hands-on projects, Skill assessments, Career tracks. Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment, Schema enforcement, Warehouse loading, Enrichment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DataCamp: What does DataCamp's free plan include?

DataCamp Basic is free and includes access to the first chapter of every course, all cheat sheets, tutorials, mobile learning, live code-alongs, competitions, a professional profile, and skill assessments.

Source
Snowplow: Is Snowplow still open source?

Not in the permissive sense. On 8 January 2024 the core pipeline moved from Apache 2.0 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, with version 1.1 following in December 2024, alongside a community licence based on the Confluent Community Licence. Trackers and analytics SDKs remain Apache 2.0.

DataCamp: How much does DataCamp Premium cost annually?

Premium costs $28 per month when billed annually, and DataCamp advertises savings of $90 with yearly billing compared to monthly rates. Premium unlocks 790+ courses, projects, certificates, and priority support.

Source
Snowplow: Can we still run it for free in production?

Free use of the relicensed core components is materially constrained and commercial use generally requires an agreement. Read the current licence text against your intended use rather than relying on older documentation.

DataCamp: Does DataCamp offer team or multi-user pricing?

Yes, DataCamp Teams is available for teams of 2 and up at $28 per user per month billed annually. It includes admin dashboard, license management, team performance reports, and SSO options (Google or Microsoft).

Source
Snowplow: Is there an Apache 2.0 alternative?

Yes, a fork called OpenSnowcat was created in response to the relicensing and continues under Apache 2.0.

DataCamp: What currencies does DataCamp accept?

DataCamp pricing is available in USD, GBP, CAD, AUD, EUR, BRL, MXN, and INR, allowing customers to pay in their local currency.

Source
Snowplow: What does Snowplow BDP cost?

Not published. It is quoted by event volume and deployment, and your own cloud infrastructure costs are separate and additional.

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