Google Colab vs Jupyter Pocket book: Key Variations Defined
Creating, organizing, and sharing computation paperwork is crucial in programming and knowledge sciences. Most individuals flip to considered one of two fashionable instruments — Google Colab and Jupyter Pocket book — to assist them handle their recordsdata.
SEE: Discover ways to change into an information scientist.

What’s Google Colab?
Google Colab is a software supplied by Google Analysis that permits customers to put in writing and execute Python code of their internet browsers. Colab is predicated on Jupyter open supply and lets you create and share hosted computation recordsdata within the cloud with out downloading or putting in something.

What’s Jupyter Pocket book?
Jupyter is the unique free, open-source, web-based interactive computing platform spun from the IPython Mission; Jupyter Pocket book is an internet software that permits customers to create and share computation paperwork.
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Quickbase
Workers per Firm Dimension
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Massive (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Small (50-249 Workers), Medium (250-999 Workers), Massive (1,000-4,999 Workers), Enterprise (5,000+ Workers)
Small, Medium, Massive, Enterprise
Options
Agile Growth, Analytics / Reviews, API, and extra
Google Colab vs. Jupyter Pocket book: Comparability desk
Software program | ||
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Beginning worth | ||
Free plan | ||
Cloud based mostly | ||
File syncing | ||
File sharing | ||
Library set up | ||
File view with out set up |
Google Colab and Jupyter Pocket book: Pricing
Google Colab and Jupyter Pocket book are each free to make use of. Jupyter Pocket book was launched as an open-source software below the liberal phrases of the modified BSD license, making it 100% free to make use of.
Though Google Colab can be free, you’ll have to pay for superior options as your computing wants improve. The next are the paid plans supplied by Google Colab:
- Pay As You Go: For this plan, there are not any fastened subscription charges; you solely pay for what you utilize.
- Colab Professional: For $9.99 per thirty days, you get 100 compute models, entry to larger reminiscence machines, and the power to make use of a terminal with the linked digital machine.
- Colab Professional+: For $49.99 month-to-month, you’ll get 500 compute models, sooner GPUs, and background execution functionality.
Characteristic comparability: Google Colab vs. Jupyter Pocket book
Cloud-based
Google Colab’s main differentiator from Jupyter Pocket book is that it’s cloud-based, and Jupyter isn’t. In the event you work in Google Collab, you don’t have to fret about downloading and putting in something to your {hardware}. It additionally means you can relaxation simply figuring out that your work will autosave and again as much as the cloud with out you having to do something.

Google Colab is nice if you could work throughout a number of units — reminiscent of one laptop at residence and one at work or a laptop computer and a pill — as a result of it syncs seamlessly throughout units.
In distinction, Jupyter Pocket book is run in your native machine, and recordsdata are saved to your laborious disk. Jupyter gives an autosaving interval you can change however doesn’t again as much as a cloud. Subsequently, in case your machine is affected, you’re out of luck. Jupyter can’t sync or share your recordsdata throughout units with out a third-party file-sharing service like Dropbox or GitHub.

Collaboration
We couldn’t speak about Jupyter Pocket book versus Google Colab with out mentioning collaboration. Because the title suggests, Google Colab is constructed to make it simple to share your notebooks with anybody — even when they’re not an information scientist. Different individuals can view your pocket book with out downloading any software program — an enormous benefit if you happen to repeatedly work with nontechies who must entry the recordsdata.

Conversely, anybody else should set up Jupyter Pocket book on their machine to share their notebooks. This received’t be a hindrance if you happen to solely work with builders, knowledge scientists, and different tech individuals who will have already got Jupyter put in. In the event you work on a extra various group, then you definitely would possibly need to take into account Google Colab as a result of sharing recordsdata is simpler.
Library set up
Since Google Colab is cloud-based, the software comes preinstalled with numerous libraries. Which means that you don’t must separate valuable disk area or time to obtain the libraries manually. The free model additionally comes with a sure degree of graphic processing models, reminiscence, and run time, which may fluctuate. You’ll be able to improve to one of many paid plans if extra capability is required. Google doesn’t disclose limits for any of its Colab plans as a result of want for flexibility.
With Jupyter Pocket book, you’ll want to put in every library you’d like to make use of onto your machine utilizing pip or one other package deal supervisor. You’ll even be restricted by your laptop’s obtainable RAM, disk area, GPU, and CPU. Having the notebooks saved in your {hardware} is safer than in a third-party cloud. Subsequently, the guide library set up could be a plus for delicate knowledge.
R Scripts
Each Google Colab and Jupyter Pocket book enable customers to run R scripts, although they’re primarily designed for Python. In Google Colab, customers can now choose to work with R by deciding on it throughout the Runtime menu. For Jupyter Pocket book, customers should set up an R kernel to work with R on their laptop.
Google Colab execs and cons
Execs
- Simple interface that’s simple to navigate.
- Entry GPU and TPU runtimes free of charge.
- Import suitable machine studying and knowledge science initiatives from different sources.
- Computerized model management much like Google Docs.
- Actual-time collaboration functionality.
- Integrates with different instruments, together with GitHub, Jupyter Pocket book, BLACKBOX AI, Codeium, CodeSquire, Google Workspace, Neptune.ai, StrongDM, Google Drive and extra.
Cons
- The free plan offers you restricted assets.
- Some customers reported points with the pace of loading new databases and knowledge frames which might be current offline.
Jupyter Pocket book execs and cons
Execs
- Fashionable, intuitive, and interactive person interface.
- Helps markdown language for documentation.
- Interactive interface makes it simple for customers to share pictures, code, and textual content in a single place.
- Helps a number of programming languages, together with Python, R, and Julia.
Cons
- Some customers reported that the software program will get sluggish or crashes generally when working with massive datasets or finishing up complicated calculations.
- Some Jupyter Pocket book customers reported that monitoring adjustments and collaborating utilizing model management instruments like Git will be difficult as a result of notebooks are saved as JSON recordsdata.
Ought to your group use Google Colab or Jupyter Pocket book?
Each Jupyter Pocket book and Google Colab stands out as the proper selection particularly circumstances. Google Colab is a superb selection for entry-level builders or nonprogrammers who need to begin shortly with out putting in something. It’s additionally an ideal concept for anybody who must share pocket book recordsdata with individuals who received’t have the correct software program put in on their units.
Lastly, Google Colab is a should for anybody seeking to again up their work to the cloud and sync their notebooks throughout a number of units — however the ease of cloud sharing means diminished knowledge safety.
In the meantime, Jupyter is best for delicate recordsdata that have to be saved off the cloud. Putting in the notebooks by yourself {hardware} additionally signifies that you by no means have to fret about your GPU or runtimes getting throttled, which may occur generally on the Colab free accounts.
Assessment methodology
We reviewed each instruments by gathering major knowledge from the distributors’ web sites and documentation; this info consists of options, pricing, and use instances. We additionally examined every resolution to achieve firsthand expertise with its usability. To find out about customers’ expertise, we evaluated present and previous customers’ suggestions from third-party evaluate websites.
Ben Abbott up to date this text in January 2024.