14 Best R Courses Online – 2021 Guide

Review of the best R Courses online for careers in finance, AI and analytics

R has recently surfaced as one of the most widely used open-source programming languages. With over two million R users worldwide, the language has cemented its spot in the fields of data science and statistics. What’s fascinating is that this number of R users grows by 40% every year.

The language’s popularity is beginning to mobilize aspiring programmers towards finding the perfect learner’s platform to master it. To help you make the right choice, we’ve come up with a concise but succinct list of the best R courses online that can catapult you into the professional league. 

R Courses – Overview 

As a programming language, R specifically caters to statistical computing and graphics. It is similar to S and much of its code runs unaltered under R. Since it provides a curated environment for statistical and graphical computing, users have complete control over its integrated suite of software for data manipulation, visualization, and mathematical plots. 

R’s most applicable domains range from analytics-driven organizations such as Google and Facebook to finance and marketing. At intermediate and more advanced levels, R programmers leverage its flexibility in graphical and statistical techniques and in-built libraries for complex data manipulation.

Such high-end data-visualization is of extreme value in the fields of Retail, Manufacturing, BioScience, Healthcare, Sports, and more. The upcoming list of best R courses will hopefully facilitate novice learners in making more informed decisions about the R courses that align best with their learning curve. 

Best R Courses Online – Top Picks

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure at the end of this post.

Online courses around R language are curated to meet varying levels of expertise: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Here are some of the best R courses and learning paths to choose from. This list does not claim to be comprehensive.

R Courses Online – Best Individual Classes

1. Introduction to R, DataCamp 

DataCamp offers a six-module beginner’s R course for aspiring data analysts. The class focuses on helping learners master factors, lists, and data frames. From introducing data types in R and assigning variables, modules gradually upgrade more complex functions. 

Later modules focus on vectorization, working with matrices, factoring with subsets, creating data frames, and finally listing. 

What makes DataCamp’s introductory R course a preferable choice for new learners is its hands-on approach towards data from real-world cases. For example, the second module takes learners on a trip to Vegas to factorize gambling results.

To make matrices more appreciable, the course analyzes box office numbers for the Star Wars series. Such implementation allows greater retention and practice opportunities for novice learners. This is one of the best R courses online to gain a quick overview of the basic concepts. You can test the platform with their free one-month trial offer.

Instructor: Jonathan Cornelissen | Level: Beginner | Duration: 4 hours | Modules: 6
Exercises: 62 | Pricing: Standard Plan for $25/month. Premium: $35/month.

2. Programming with R, Pluralsight 

Rated 4 out of 5 stars, Pluralsight’s introductory R course is aimed at beginners looking for an entry-level career in data analytics with zero prior knowledge. Comprising of six modules, the class begins with a simple introduction to what makes R a preferred language in Data Science and Analytics.

Later modules include manipulating vectors, matrices, data frames, and managing control statements. However, you will begin by acquainting yourselves with the language’s syntax. Next comes data exploration and the different structures presented in R.

With sufficient knowledge in the backdrop, you will finally implement control statements to write your own functions. Coming out of the course, you will have achieved a foundational working knowledge of R to help the onset of an entry-level career in data analytics. 

Priced at an affordable $19 billed annually, the class offers a ten-day free trial to help learners get a feel for its content. One of the best R courses online for beginners.

Instructors: Mihaeli Danci | Skill Level: Beginner
Plans: $29/month. $299/year. View course. | Get Free 7-day Trial.

3. R Programming A-Z, Udemy 

Rated at 4.6 out of five stars, Udemy’s course on programming in R and R Studio can be studied in English, French, German, and 6 more languages via auto-translations.

Curated for its Udemy for Business collection, the course claims to train learners step-wise in successfully mastering the language. Without the need for any prior experience in programming, learners with varying skill levels are encouraged to apply. 

Udemy’s content is packed with real-life challenges, some of which are solved together while others are assigned as homework exercises. Course content includes programming principles, basics in R, matrices, data frames, and advanced visualization with GGPlot2.

Learners will have the advantage of building on previously learned concepts before embarking on more complex functions. Starting at $11.99, this is among the best R courses for beginners and students who don’t want to spend a fortune at the beginning. It can be bought in bulk with two other related courses: Data Science and Machine learning Bootcamp with Rand R Programming: Advanced Analytics in R for Data Science.

Instructor: Kirill Eremenko  | Level: Beginners | Lectures: 82
Video: 10.5 hours | User Rating: 4.6/5 ★★★★☆
Price: from $11.99 (Sale – 95% off). View course on Udemy. Browse all classes.

4. R Programming – Advanced Analytics, Udemy 

With around 50,000 enrolments and a rating of 4.7 stars out of five, R Programming is another one of Udemy’s bestsellers aimed at learners with a more intermediate skillset. 

Since it involves advanced analytics, the course is a step ahead of the introductory program described earlier. Before enrolling, learners are required to possess a basic working knowledge of R, vectorization, GGPlot2 package, and data frames. You will come out of the course proficient at Data Science and Analytics with R? 

Included in the program are lectures and exercises on data preparation (data filters, data frame index, and replacing data via median imputation methods) listing in R and the application of a suite of functions. This online R course can be bought in bulk with an introductory programming course and a curated Machine Learning boot camp.

Instructor: Kirill Eremenko  | Level: Beginners | Lectures: 53
Video: 6 hours | User Rating: 4.7/5 ★★★★☆
Price: from $11.99 (Sale – 95% off). View course on Udemy. Browse all classes.

5. Learn R, Codecademy

Codecademy’s Learn R is a beginner course aimed at learners without any prior affiliation with programming. It’s a ten-module program that grants learners a certificate of completion towards the end. 

Upon enrolling, learners will come away with skills in basic programming, organizing and modifying data frames, and data visualization that displays valuable insights. Lastly, you will be exposed to statistics and hypothesis testing to gain entry-level proficiency. 

Codecademy’s pro plans are billed at $15 annually. It includes additional practice material to develop sizeable proficiency amongst novice learners. The platform offers eligible college students a special 38% discount upon subscription, without affecting the number of available course features.

Certificate: Yes | Level: Beginner | Lessons: 10 | Completion Time: 20 hours

6. Introduction to R, FutureLearn 

Rated at 4.4 out of 5 stars, FutureLearn’s 4-week course is designed by Purdue University and puts learners abreast of airline data to master the fundamentals of R.

Here is an opportunity to implement the tools in R for analyzing big data. By applying for this course, learners will come out prepared for more complex level programs in R and an improved ability to implement data analytics. 

FutureLearn aims this R course at beginners without the advantage of prior coding experience. Introduction to R will bring you abreast of important programming functions, including importing data into R, vectorized functions, data manipulation, and predictive analytics. Learners can also sign up for the weekly newsletter for updates.

Provider: Purdue University | Certificate: Yes | Level: Beginner | Lectures: 4
Complete in: 4 weeks. 4hrs/week | Course Rating: 4.4/5

7. Statistics and R, HarvardX

HarvardX’s self-paced course on Statistics and R language offers a flexible 4 weeks of learning for fresh programmers with an intermediate skillset. Enrolment is open from March through October. Since it is an intermediate-level program, you will be expected to have prior familiarity with basic programming and Math. 

Upon enrolling, you must brace yourself for R implementation and statistical data analysis in the life sciences environment. Core topics include random variables, distributions, p-values and confidence intervals, data exploration, and non-parametric statistics. You can also opt for an associated professional certificate in Data Analysis for Life Science. 

HarvardX has divided its course into a series of seven parts. Depending on your prior experience with programming, you can opt for either the entire series or only the relevant courses. Statisticians with intermediate skills may skip the introductory R courses. As a learning tool, Statistics and R is a free course. A verified certificate will cost you $249.

Category: Statistics | University: HarvardX | Level: Intermediates
Students: >340,000 | Length: 4 Weeks | Efforts: 3-5 hours/week

Reading tips: To explore more career and skills tracks in technology, browse our lists of best DataCamp courses, Udacity nanodegrees, and Pluralsight classes.

R Courses Online – Best Career Tracks

8. R Programmer – DataCamp 

DataCamp offers an R career track comprising of fourteen R courses or modules aimed at complete beginners looking to initiate a career in data analytics. These modules span over 48 hours of dedicated learning. It finishes off with three core projects and other hands-on exercises to help candidates learn and master R.

Since the track is aimed at complete beginners, no prior experience with R or coding is required. R Programmer trains learners in writing efficient codes, manipulating data, and managing complex data using APIs. The complexity of data can range from web information, text-based data, time, and dates. 

Advanced modules then build upon prior skills. As you begin learning the ropes of R fundamentals, the modules advance to tougher concepts related to writing functions and object-oriented programming.

You’ll also be introduced to dominant R libraries including devtools, testthat, and rvest. These are crucial tools that help you with web-development, analysis, and task automation. This curated path contains some of the best R courses online if you eye a career in technical analysis. Students can make use of one month’s free trial.

Instructors: David Robinson, Rasmus Bååth, Colin Gillespie, and others.
Duration: 48 hours | R Courses: 14 | Pricing: from $25/month/annually.
Trial: Test all courses 7-days free. 

9. Programming for Data Science with R, Udacity 

Udacity’s Programming for Data Science with R is the result of a joint venture with Mode, a collaborative data science platform for SQL, Python, R, and visual analytics. This has helped Udacity’s career track incorporate more than one data analytic tool for learners’ proficiency. Upon enrolling, learners you must brace yourself for around 3 months of learning given a 10hrs/week study plan. 

Although this R nanodegree is aimed at beginners, Udacity still encourages aspiring R programmers to visit its nanodegree program in data analytics for easier accessibility to complex concepts. Programming with R begins with an introductory module on SQL and eventually moves towards R programming and version control for data sharing. 

Udacity offers learners additional privileges that include, but aren’t limited to, hands-on projects based on real-world cases, career access via resume support, and uninterrupted technical mentorship. Rated at 4.85 out of 5 stars, this online R course offers a discounted 3-months access. Financial support is available to eligible candidates.

Instructors: Josh Bernard, Derek Steer | Duration: 4 months. 10 hours/week
Level: Beginners, Intermediates | Prerequisites: None.
User Rating: 4.7/5 | Website: View Course. Discount available.

10. Data Scientist with R – DataCamp

This DataCamp R career track is also directed at novice learners without prior coding experience. In contrast with its earlier program, Data Scientist with R is an extensive career track spanning over 21 modules with 88 hours of dedicated learning. Opting for this track would require thorough commitment and a passionate fervor for mastering new skills. 

Data Scientist with R is aimed at apprising novice data professionals with R’s versatility at manipulating,  importing, cleaning, and visualizing complex data. Research-packed exercises allow learners to get hands-on with some integral skills and important packages within R. This includes ggplot2 and tidyverse packages such as dplyr and readr. 

Later modules focus on teaching machine-learning and statistical techniques to enable learners to write their own functions and execute cluster analysis. 

All in all, it’s a heavily loaded career track that will equip you with the credentials needed for a successful switch to being an entry-level data analyst. Again, before jumping to a subscription, learners have the choice to make use of the free trial to test the platform.

Instructors: Jonathan Cornelissen, David Robinson, and others
Duration: 88 hours | R Courses: 22 | Pricing: from $25/month/annually.
Trial: Test all courses 7-days free. 

11. Data Visualization with R, Pluralsight 

Pluralsight’s learning path makes use of visualization as a powerful tool to sum up millions of data points in one go. Learners of varying skill levels can apply for the track that extends from beginner-level modules all the way to advance. However, before applying, applicants must familiarize themselves with data literacy and R for data analysts. 

You may opt for a particular module depending on your skillset or choose to take up the entire track. The availability of a skill measuring test can help make an informed decision around the right level to start at. 

The introductory R courses include R graphics and visualization using ggplot2. From here the modules shift to purpose-based customization of visualized data and finally creating special purpose plots via R packages. You can start with a free trial.

Instructors:  Emilee McWilliams, Martin Burger, Chase DeHan
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced | R Courses: 5
Plans: $29/month. $299/year. View course. | Get Free 7-day Trial.

12. Analyze Data with R, Codecademy 

Codecademy’s skill path is aimed at beginners without prior skills in R programming or data analytics. Spanning over seven R courses, the online program allows novices to earn a certificate upon successful completion. 

Analyze Data with R focuses on data visualization, data cleaning, statistical analysis, and regression. Through dedicated practice, learners will be able to master basic programming skills in R, explore popular libraries (ggplot2) and some more obscure ones, dip their toes in machine learning, and generate data reports. 

Three heavy-duty projects will allow you to go hands-on with real-world data and upskill. Since it is a career track, Codecademy claims to provide step-wise guidance that builds on as you progress with the track. A free trial can help you decide if these R courses are the right fit for you, in which case you’ll be charged $15 billed annually.

Type: Skill Path | Certificate: Yes | Level: Beginner | Lectures: 7
Completion Time: 8 weeks | Course Rating: 4.8/5

13. Machine Learning Scientist with R – DataCamp

DataCamp’s third career track is aimed at entry-level programmers with a more intermediate skillset. With its introduction to advanced R programming, the career track claims to help programmers in securing a spot as data scientists. Spanning over 15 R courses, the career track requires roughly around 66 hours of dedicated learning. 

As a data scientist in the making, you’ll be faced with both supervised and unsupervised learning. Using the various tools at your disposal, you will learn how to process data for modeling, train and visualize these models, and finally, assess and tune modeling parameters for better performance. Some new tools and techniques, such as Bayesian statistics, Spark, and natural language processing, will help you augment your skillset.

Instructors: Brett Lantz, John Mount, Nina Zumel, Hank Roark
Duration: 61 hours | R Courses: 15 | Pricing: from $25/month/annually.
Trial: Test all courses 7-days free. 

14. Data Science: Foundations Using R, Coursera 

Authorized by John Hopkins University, Foundations Using R is a curated specialization that spans over five R courses and takes approximately five months to complete.

Aimed at beginners, the specialization does not ask for any pre-requisite and works with a customizable pace gauge. Upon completion, learners can earn a sharable certificate to display on their online profiles and resume. 

The initial modules focus on using R to clean, analyze and visualize data. From there, the content will shift to setting up R, R studio, and Github. Key skills involve exploratory data analysis, R programming, Regular Expression (REGEX), data manipulation, cluster analysis, and cleansing. 

According to the claims on the website, the specialization has already catapulted around 38% of the applicants into switching careers and around 15% earned promotions. The specialization costs $49/month. Coursera offers financial aid to eligible candidates.

From: Johns Hopkins University | Instructors: Jeff Leek, PhD
For: Beginners | Duration: 5 months | R Courses: 5 | Verdict: 4.6/5
Price: Try 7 days free. From $44/month. View specialization.

How to Choose the Best R Courses Online

With the smorgasbord of classes, skill tracks, and specializations available, choosing the best R courses online can be overwhelming. As with any online course, your decision must primarily begin with analyzing your skillset. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What’s your programming expertise in R (or if you have one)?
• What do you hope to attain after completing R courses? (Are you looking to upskill for an advanced-level course, or hoping to gain something career-wise?)
• What’s your motivation level to take specific R courses? 
• What are your financial circumstances?

Your choice for a particular R course will fluctuate based on how you answer the questions posited above. Remember that learning a programming language can be a strenuous process and beginners are known for dropping off in droves over the cliff of difficult syntax. Working on projects for a hands-on learning experience helps, and so does building up your motivation. To accomplish the latter, you can start with 

• Identifying the data type you are interested in, and 
• Identifying the kinds of project you see yourself doing in the future 

Lastly, your choice for a particular R course or track must be informed by your financial situation as well as goals for the future. We also recommend looking into our curated lists of Python courses and Data Analytics courses to explore similar career and skill tracks.

Best R Courses Online 2021 – Review Verdict 

Wrapping up our review of the best R courses online. With the field of data analytics burning hotter than ever, mastering the R programming language can be a valuable addition to your skillset. Given the vast array of curated R courses online, the decision will come to rest on the available resources and learning exigencies.

Economical individual R courses, such as the ones offered by Pluralsight and DataCamp, would be best suited for beginners or learners with intermediate skillsets. More advanced learners can opt for career tracks and specializations.

It would be wisest to subscribe to R courses or skill tracks that perfectly bridge your current qualifications with your future goals.

What are the best R courses online? What is your learning experience? What could providers do to improve the usability of courses? Let us know in the comments below.

Disclosure: This site contains affiliate links to some providers of online R courses. courselounge may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. It does not add any extra costs. All reviews, opinions, descriptions and comparisons expressed here are our own.