Google Colab vs Jupyter Notebook: Key Differences Explained

Creating, organizing, and sharing computation paperwork is crucial in programming and knowledge sciences. Most individuals flip to one in every of two fashionable instruments — Google Colab and Jupyter Notebook — to assist them handle their recordsdata.

SEE: Learn learn how to turn out to be a knowledge scientist.

What is Google Colab?

Google Colab is a software supplied by Google Research that permits customers to jot down and execute Python code of their internet browsers. Colab is predicated on Jupyter open supply and means that you can create and share hosted computation recordsdata within the cloud with out downloading or putting in something.

What is Jupyter Notebook?

Jupyter is the unique free, open-source, web-based interactive computing platform spun from the IPython Project; Jupyter Notebook is an internet utility that permits customers to create and share computation paperwork.

Google Colab vs. Jupyter Notebook: Comparison desk

Google Colab and Jupyter Notebook: Pricing

Google Colab and Jupyter Notebook are each free to make use of. Jupyter Notebook was launched as an open-source software beneath the liberal phrases of the modified BSD license, making it 100% free to make use of.

Although Google Colab can also be free, you will have to pay for superior options as your computing wants enhance. The following are the paid plans supplied by Google Colab:

• Pay As You Go: For this plan, there aren’t any fastened subscription charges; you solely pay for what you employ.
• Colab Pro: For $9.99 monthly, you get 100 compute items, entry to larger reminiscence machines, and the flexibility to make use of a terminal with the linked digital machine.
• Colab Pro+: For $49.99 month-to-month, you’ll get 500 compute items, quicker GPUs, and background execution functionality.

Feature comparability: Google Colab vs. Jupyter Notebook

Cloud-based

Google Colab’s main differentiator from Jupyter Notebook is that it’s cloud-based, and Jupyter isn’t. If you’re employed in Google Collab, you don’t have to fret about downloading and putting in something to your {hardware}. It additionally means that you would be able to relaxation simply realizing 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’ll want to 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 Notebook is run in your native machine, and recordsdata are saved to your laborious disk. Jupyter gives an autosaving interval that you would be able to change however doesn’t again as much as a cloud. Therefore, in case your machine is affected, you’re out of luck. Jupyter can’t sync or share your recordsdata throughout units with no third-party file-sharing service like Dropbox or GitHub.

Collaboration

We couldn’t discuss Jupyter Notebook versus Google Colab with out mentioning collaboration. As the identify suggests, Google Colab is constructed to make it simple to share your notebooks with anybody — even when they’re not a knowledge scientist. Other individuals can view your pocket book with out downloading any software program — a giant benefit in the event you often work with nontechies who must entry the recordsdata.

Conversely, anybody else should set up Jupyter Notebook on their gadget to share their notebooks. This gained’t be a hindrance in the event you solely work with builders, knowledge scientists, and different tech individuals who will have already got Jupyter put in. If you’re employed on a extra various staff, you then 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 varied libraries. This implies that you don’t should separate valuable disk house or time to obtain the libraries manually. The free model additionally comes with a sure stage of graphic processing items, reminiscence, and run time, which might fluctuate. You can 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 Notebook, you’ll want to put in every library you’d like to make use of onto your gadget utilizing pip or one other package deal supervisor. You’ll even be restricted by your laptop’s accessible RAM, disk house, GPU, and CPU. Having the notebooks saved in your {hardware} is safer than in a third-party cloud. Therefore, the handbook library set up could be a plus for delicate knowledge.

R Scripts

Both Google Colab and Jupyter Notebook 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 choosing it inside the Runtime menu. For Jupyter Notebook, customers should set up an R kernel to work with R on their laptop.

Google Colab professionals and cons

Pros

• Straightforward interface that’s simple to navigate.
• Access GPU and TPU runtimes without spending a dime.
• Import appropriate machine studying and knowledge science tasks from different sources.
• Automatic model management much like Google Docs.
• Real-time collaboration functionality.
• Integrates with different instruments, together with GitHub, Jupyter Notebook, BLACKBOX AI, Codeium, CodeSquire, Google Workspace, Neptune.ai, StrongDM, Google Drive and extra.

Cons

• The free plan offers you restricted sources.
• Some customers reported points with the velocity of loading new databases and knowledge frames which might be current offline.

Jupyter Notebook professionals and cons

Pros

• Modern, intuitive, and interactive consumer interface.
• Supports markdown language for documentation.
• Interactive interface makes it simple for customers to share pictures, code, and textual content in a single place.
• Supports 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 Notebook customers reported that monitoring modifications and collaborating utilizing model management instruments like Git will be sophisticated as a result of notebooks are saved as JSON recordsdata.

Should your group use Google Colab or Jupyter Notebook?

Both Jupyter Notebook and Google Colab would be the proper alternative specifically circumstances. Google Colab is a wonderful alternative for entry-level builders or nonprogrammers who need to begin rapidly with out putting in something. It’s additionally an ideal thought for anybody who must share pocket book recordsdata with individuals who gained’t have the right software program put in on their units.

Finally, 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 decreased knowledge safety.

Meanwhile, Jupyter is healthier for delicate recordsdata that have to be stored off the cloud. Installing the notebooks by yourself {hardware} additionally implies that you by no means have to fret about your GPU or runtimes getting throttled, which might occur generally on the Colab free accounts.

Review methodology

We reviewed each instruments by gathering major knowledge from the distributors’ web sites and documentation; this info contains 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 assessment websites.

Ben Abbott up to date this text in January 2024.