Google Colab vs JDoodle
Google Colab
colab.research.google.com
JDoodle
jdoodle.comSide by side
| Figure | Google Colab | JDoodle |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.33/mo | $4/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 9 | 13 |
| Spec score · Coding Playgrounds | 9.3 (#4) | 9.3 (#7) |
| Spec score · Code Playground Software | 9.1 (#3) | 9.2 (#1) |
| Documentation depth | Official documentation includes FAQs, example notebooks, release notes, API reference, Workspace administration help and Colab Enterprise documentation. | Documentation is organized into teacher, student, coder, writer and builder guides plus references for IDE, API, embeds, assessments, AI, extension, mobile and teams. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Language support | Colab focuses on Python and its ecosystem; it says support for other Jupyter kernels such as R or Scala has no announced timeline. | JDoodle supports 114 languages, frameworks and databases. |
| Rating on Chrome Web Store | 3.7 out of 5 from 26 reviews | 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.4 out of 5 from 57 reviews | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews. |
| Support | Users can report bugs or ask questions through Help > Send feedback in any Colab notebook. | JDoodle states that its support team answers customer questions directly and provides documentation. |
| What it does | Google Colab is a browser-based hosted Jupyter notebook service for Python, machine learning, data science and education that requires no local setup. | JDoodle is a browser-based environment for writing, running, saving and sharing code, with API, embed, assessment and AI products. |
Plans
Google Colab
- Colab Pro$8.33 a month
- Colab Pro+$41.66 a month
- ColabFree
- Colab freeFree
- Colab EnterprisePriced on request
- Colab ProPrice not published
- Colab Pro+Price not published
- Colab Pro / Pro+ / Pay As You GoPriced on request
- Pay As You GoPrice not published
JDoodle
- FreeFree
- Pro$15 a month
- EnterprisePrice not published
- API FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Student$4 a month
- API Starter$10 a month
- Pro$12 a month
- API Growth$20 a month
- Teacher$20 a month
In their own words
Google Colab
Google Colab lets users write and run Python in a browser without configuring a local environment, with access to GPUs and notebook sharing. Its hosted Jupyter notebooks combine executable code with rich text, images, HTML, and LaTeX. Data can come from Google Drive, spreadsheets, GitHub, and other sources, with Google Cloud Storage, Sheets, and BigQuery resources listed for integration. Colab AI can generate or transform code, explain Python libraries, suggest fixes, and perform multi-step data-analysis workflows. By default, it does not access Drive files or user secrets, though it can generate code to access them when explicitly requested. Google says generative-AI features collect prompts, related code, outputs, usage information, and feedback; human reviewers may process that data for up to 18 months. Free notebooks can run for at most 12 hours, depending on availability and usage. Pro+ supports continuous execution up to 24 hours when enough compute units are available. Colab also has a Visual Studio Code extension and a beta, allowlist-gated API. Paid plans start at 8.33 USD/user/mo (annual).
JDoodle
JDoodle is an online programming platform for learning, teaching and practicing code. Its browser IDE runs programs on JDoodle machines, so it requires no local IDE installation, and it supports 114 languages, frameworks and databases. The Compiler API provides REST for final results and WebSocket for streaming output and interactive programs; API and embedded submissions run with time and memory limits. Runnable IDEs can be embedded in websites, course materials and learning management systems using three lines of HTML. Education features include assignments, automated correction and grading, question types, roles and result disclosures. Mobile apps support writing and running code on iOS and Android phones and tablets. The free Chrome extension has no Firefox or Safari version. The Free platform plan does not expire and needs no credit card; it includes 1,000 executions per day and 100 saved projects. A separate API Free plan gives 20 credits per day and no internet access. Pro costs $15 a month, and Student costs $4 a month billed yearly (US$48 a year). Paid API tiers start at $10 a month.