Compare 2 Data Science courses from top providers — filter by price, level, provider & certificate.
All 2 Data Science courses on edX, compared by rating, level and price.
This filter returns only the free courses on edX. Two courses meet this constraint: HarvardX: Introduction to Data Science with Python and IBM Data Science Professional Certificate. Both are self-paced and beginner-friendly, but the IBM certificate is a paid upgrade while Harvard’s is included.
| Course | Level | Duration | Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| HarvardX: Introduction to Data Science with Python | Beginner | 8 weeks | Yes |
| IBM Data Science Professional Certificate | Beginner | 80 hours | No (paid upgrade) |
If you need a recognised credential, the IBM route costs extra. If you just want the skills for free, Harvard is the better pick. This filter is the wrong call if you want a certificate without paying; open the Data Science Courses with Certificate facet instead. Go back to the parent Data Science courses hub and explore the Free Data Science Courses sibling facet for more options.
Same shortlist as below, side by side — including who runs it and why it stands out.
| Course | Provider | Rating | Price | Duration | Why pick this one | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HarvardX: Introduction to Data Science with Python | 4.3★ | Free | 8 weeks | Free — and still gives a certificate | Start free ↗ | |
| IBM Data Science Professional Certificate | Free | 80 hours | Most popular — 420K learners | Start free ↗ |
For beginners, IBM Data Science (Coursera) and freeCodeCamp's free Python track are the highest-rated — both start from zero and build to real projects.
Yes. freeCodeCamp, Kaggle and IBM (audit on edX) offer high-quality free data science content. Paid courses add structure, certificates and placement support.
Roughly 4–8 months at 8–10 hours a week to become job-ready, covering Python, statistics, ML and a portfolio project.
