DataCamp vs LinkedIn Learning for Excel: which is worth the subscription?
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Public YouTube resources matched to this article's topic, functions, and practice goal.
Excel for Beginners - The Complete Course
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The Beginner's Guide to Excel - Excel Basics Tutorial
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Excel Basics - The Anatomy of a Spreadsheet
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Open on YouTube (opens in a new tab)Both are subscription platforms rather than one-time purchases, and both cover Excel, but the format and the surrounding content library are different enough to change who each one suits.
What DataCamp does best
DataCamp’s Excel tracks are built around interactive, in-browser exercises — you write formulas and complete tasks directly in the lesson, with instant feedback, rather than only watching a video.
- Skill tracks combine multiple short courses into a structured path (for example, Data Analysis in Excel)
- Progress and skill assessments are trackable, with certificates for completed tracks
- The platform’s broader catalog leans heavily toward data analysis, SQL, Python, and BI tools — useful if Excel is one stop on a data-skills path rather than the destination
- Subscription-based, priced per month or per year with a discount for annual
DataCamp is the better fit if you’re learning Excel as part of a wider data analysis skill set, and you learn better by doing than by watching.
What LinkedIn Learning does best
LinkedIn Learning’s Excel catalog is large and video-based, taught by named instructors across many specific sub-topics — pivot tables, Power Query, financial modeling, dashboards — rather than one all-in-one path.
- Deep, focused single courses on narrow topics (an hour on PivotTables, a separate course on Power Query) rather than one long track
- Completion certificates integrate directly with your LinkedIn profile, visible to your professional network
- Often bundled into a LinkedIn Premium subscription, which also includes job-search and networking features unrelated to learning
- No in-browser exercises — you follow along in your own copy of Excel
LinkedIn Learning is the better fit if you want a specific, narrow topic covered well, prefer traditional video instruction, and want the completion credential to show up where recruiters and colleagues already look.
How to choose
Choose DataCamp if you want hands-on practice with instant feedback and Excel is part of a broader move into data analysis or BI tools.
Choose LinkedIn Learning if you want to watch a focused course on one specific Excel topic and have the certificate appear on your existing professional profile.
Both offer free trial periods — the fastest way to judge fit is to try the exact course you need on each platform before committing to a year.
Go deeper with this skill
Build a confident foundation by practicing navigation, data entry, formatting, references, and simple calculations together. For this article, the goal is to practice: Compare DataCamp and LinkedIn Learning for learning Excel — interactive, skill-tracked courses vs broad video-based training.
Practice workbook setup
Create a starter workbook with one sheet for raw practice data, one sheet for formatted output, and one sheet for notes.
Practice workflow
- Enter a small table manually so you practice rows, columns, headers, and basic formatting.
- Use simple formulas such as totals, averages, and percentages before moving to advanced functions.
- Practice copying formulas while watching how relative and absolute references change.
- Format the result for readability, then remove any formatting that does not help the reader.
Quality checks
- Numbers are stored as numbers, dates as dates, and labels as text.
- Formulas copy correctly down the table without broken references.
- The final sheet can be understood without needing the practice notes.
Common mistakes
- Typing numbers with currency symbols or spaces that turn them into text.
- Copying a formula before checking whether references should stay fixed.
- Using formatting to cover unclear labels or inconsistent structure.
Next actions
- Rebuild the same workbook without looking at the tutorial.
- Turn the range into a table and repeat the formulas using table headers.
Formula focus: even if this workflow is not formula-heavy, add one check cell that confirms the final output still matches the source data.
