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Google Colab vs Deepnote:
a side-by-side comparison for 2024

Comparing two data science notebooks.

A screenshot of Google Colab
Google Colab logo

Google Colab

Website
Colab notebooks allow you to combine executable code and rich text in a single document, along with images, HTML, LaTeX and more.
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A screenshot of Deepnote
Deepnote logo
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Deepnote

Website
Deepnote is a new kind of data notebook that’s built for collaboration — Jupyter compatible, works magically in the cloud, and sharing is as easy as sending a link.
Get started – it’s free
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Google Colab vs Deepnote

Google’s Colab is a hosted Jupyter Notebook service that requires no setup to use and provides free access to computing resources, including GPUs and TPUs.

Deepnote is a collaboration-oriented data platform, providing a cloud-based workspace for data exploration, collaboration, interactive chart and dashboard creation, and machine learning model development and deployment.

AI Capabilities:
Both platforms offer AI assistance for coding. Both Colab, with Codey, and Deepnote, with its Autonomous AI, boast an advanced AI agent capable of creating SQL, Python, and text blocks, ensuring expected results and self-correction. 

Jupyter Compatibility:
Both platforms are fully compatible with Jupyter, allowing seamless notebook uploading and usage.

Data Connection:
While Colab has amazing integrations with the Google Cloud stack, it is lacking in first class connections with external integrations.  Deepnote excels in integrations, featuring 40+ first class integrations. 

Data Interaction and Visualization:
Both platforms include Notebook SQL blocks with code completion and built-in data frame outputs. They also offer built-in charting solutions and support various Python charting libraries.

Data Publishing:
Both platforms offer reporting and app tools, allowing scheduling, dashboard creation, and interactive dashboarding with fine-grained permission settings.

Collaboration:
Both platforms prioritize collaboration, featuring fine-tuned permissions, collaborative notebooks, multi-user editing, and commenting.

Pricing:
Deepnote offers a free tier, a two-week trial with no credit card requirement, and permanent freemium options. Deepnote's team and enterprise plans combine seat and usage-based pricing.

Colab is usually free, as it requires the usage of other Google Products, however if your usage exceeds their free tier, you can upgrade with more traditional seat based and usage based models.

In Conclusion:
In conclusion, Google Colab and Deepnote present compelling options for data science and collaboration in 2023. Both platforms offer advanced AI assistance, Jupyter compatibility, data interaction and visualization features, data publishing tools, and robust collaboration capabilities.

However, the choice between the two platforms may come down to specific requirements. Google Colab stands out for its seamless integration with the Google Cloud stack and free access to computing resources, making it a strong choice for those closely tied to Google's ecosystem. On the other hand, Deepnote excels in its extensive range of external integrations and flexible pricing, including a free tier and freemium options.

Ultimately, your selection should align with your individual needs, considering factors such as your preferred ecosystem and the depth of external integrations required. Both platforms offer excellent collaborative environments for data science and machine learning workflows.

Google Colab

Deepnote

Setup

Is it managed?

Is it managed?

Fully managed (setup in minutes)
Fully managed (setup in minutes)

Can you self-host?

Can you self-host?

No, you must use a managed offering
No, you must use a managed offering

Features

Is it Jupyter compatible?

Is it Jupyter compatible?

Jupyter-compatible
Jupyter-compatible

Programming languages

Programming languages

Jupyter languages (e.g. Python, R)
Jupyter languages (e.g. Python, R)
SQL

What kind of data sources can you connect to?

What kind of data sources can you connect to?

Connect with Jupyter libraries (e.g. SQLAlchemy, psycopg2)
Google Drive
Connect with Jupyter libraries (e.g. SQLAlchemy, psycopg2)
Connect to data warehouses (AWS, GCP, etc.)
Connect to databases (Postgres, MongoDB, etc.)
Provided file storage

What kind of data visualization can you do?

What kind of data visualization can you do?

Jupyter data visualization (e.g. Matplotlib, Altair, Plotly)
Jupyter data visualization (e.g. Matplotlib, Altair, Plotly)
UI for building charts

Reactivity

Reactivity

No reactivity, you decide the execution order
Full, realtime reactivity

Notebook scheduling

Notebook scheduling

No notebook scheduling
Notebook scheduling is built in

Management

Reproducibility

Reproducibility

There is no support for reproducibility
Environments are reproducible by default
Run notebooks in containers

Version history

Version history

No version history
Version history is built in

Collaborative editing

Collaborative editing

No support for collaborative editors
Multiple editors at the same time

Comments

Comments

No support for comments
Comment on items within a notebook

Notebook organization

Notebook organization

View notebooks in a list
View notebooks in a tree, like a wiki

Licensing

License

License

Proprietary
Proprietary

Price

Price

Free tier
Pay-per-user
Pay for compute
Free tier
Pay for compute
Pay-per-user

That’s it, time to try Deepnote

Get started – it’s free
Book a demo

Alternatives to Google Colab and Deepnote

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