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SQL Course Reviews: Every Course and Practice Site That We Ranked

By Owen Middleton · Updated November 2026

Which SQL course or site is right for you? It depends on your goal. Here is the best pick for each goal in our SQL course reviews:

On each line, we name the pick of that review. We do not name our own course there; its ranks follow.

We compared 24 SQL courses and practice sites on 4 ranked lists, 37 ranked entries in all. We print the tests and their points on each list, and we score every entry on the same tests.

We make SQLMaxx Learn, and we scored it too. Here are its ranks:

  • SQL courses at every price: rank 1 of 9.
  • SQL courses at no cost: rank 1 of 8, a shared rank.
  • SQL courses ranked by data analyst job skills: rank 3 of 8, a shared rank.
  • Sites to practice SQL: rank 1 of 12, a shared rank.
  • SQL certifications: rank 6 of 11, a shared rank.
  • Free SQL certificates: rank 1 of 9.

Inside a shared rank, we list our own course last.

How SQLMaxx reviews SQL courses

We score each SQL course and site on tests that we print, not on star ratings, and we keep the source and the check date of each fact. We buy no paid course for a review. For 13 of the 23 other products, we read only the public pages and the free part of the site. For the four ways that we know a product, the rule for a tie and the age limit for a fact, read how we review SQL courses and practice sites.

Every SQL course and site that we reviewed

Here you find the SQL learning resources and training platforms from our 4 lists, one row per product. Under each other name, we say what the product is best for, from the first list in the index that ranks it. In each list column, we give the rank of the product on that list. Select a rank to open our review of that product on that list.

  • We make it

    SQLMaxx Learn

    All 66 lessons and 615 graded problems are free, but you practice only in PostgreSQL.

    Every price
    rank 1 of 9
    No cost
    rank 1 of 8
    Analyst job skills
    rank 3 of 8
    Practice sites
    rank 1 of 12

    We built it, and we scored it on the same tests.

  • DataLemur

    Lessons linked to interview questions

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    rank 6 of 8 DataLemur SQL Tutorial
    Analyst job skills
    rank 1 of 8 DataLemur SQL Tutorial
    Practice sites
    rank 8 of 12 DataLemur SQL questions

    We used a free account and paid for nothing.

  • SQLZoo

    Free practice, four SQL engines

    Every price
    rank 2 of 9
    No cost
    rank 1 of 8
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 3 of 12

    We audited it free.

  • Codecademy

    A 5-hour first look

    Every price
    rank 6 of 9 Codecademy Learn SQL
    No cost
    rank 8 of 8 Codecademy Learn SQL
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • DataCamp

    Beginners who will pay

    Every price
    rank 2 of 9 DataCamp SQL Fundamentals
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    rank 1 of 8 DataCamp Associate Data Analyst in SQL
    Practice sites
    –

    We used a free account and paid for nothing.

  • Dataquest

    Guided projects, forum with staff

    Every price
    rank 2 of 9 Dataquest SQL Skills for Data Analysis
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    rank 6 of 8 Dataquest SQL Skills for Data Analysis
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • LearnSQL.com

    One payment, 884 challenges

    Every price
    rank 5 of 9 LearnSQL.com SQL from A to Z
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    rank 5 of 8 LearnSQL.com SQL for Data Analysis
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • SQLBolt

    Lessons with short tasks, a check on each

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    rank 3 of 8
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 6 of 12

    We audited it free.

  • ThoughtSpot

    Analysis lessons and cases; you check answers yourself

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    rank 3 of 8 ThoughtSpot SQL Tutorial (formerly Mode)
    Analyst job skills
    rank 3 of 8 ThoughtSpot SQL Tutorial
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • Codewars

    Short puzzles, a test on each

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 1 of 12 Codewars SQL kata

    We audited it free.

  • Coursera

    University course, final project

    Every price
    rank 7 of 9 Coursera SQL for Data Science
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • Exercism

    SQLite; Exercism says that volunteers give feedback

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 9 of 12 Exercism SQLite track

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • freeCodeCamp

    A free certification with an exam

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    rank 7 of 8 freeCodeCamp Relational Databases
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • Google Data Analytics Certificate

    Full analyst program; SQL is one tool

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    rank 7 of 8
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • HackerRank

    Short challenges; four engines on the challenge that we opened

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 9 of 12 HackerRank SQL practice

    We used a free account and paid for nothing.

  • Khan Academy

    A slow start, with a hint on each step

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    rank 3 of 8 Khan Academy Intro to SQL
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    –

    We audited it free.

  • LeetCode

    Paid interview practice

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 11 of 12 LeetCode Database problems

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • LinkedIn Learning

    Short SQLite videos

    Every price
    rank 9 of 9 LinkedIn Learning SQL Essential Training
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • PostgreSQL Exercises

    PostgreSQL, up to recursive queries

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 4 of 12

    We audited it free.

  • sql-practice.com

    Quick practice, no sign-up

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 4 of 12

    We audited it free.

  • StrataScratch

    Interview questions, paid bank

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 6 of 12

    We audited it free.

  • Udacity

    Short free course; no CTEs, no projects

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    rank 7 of 8 Udacity SQL for Data Analysis
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • Udemy

    Video lessons, PostgreSQL on your computer

    Every price
    rank 7 of 9 Udemy Complete SQL Bootcamp
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    –

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

  • W3Schools

    Keyword quizzes

    Every price
    –
    No cost
    –
    Analyst job skills
    –
    Practice sites
    rank 11 of 12 W3Schools SQL Exercises

    We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

In each cell, we give the rank of the product on that list, not a score. For example, with rank 2 of 9, we show the second place of 9 entries. We give the same rank to entries with the same total. With a dash, we show that the product is not on that list.

SQLMaxx rankings of SQL courses, in short

We use different tests on each list. For each list, we show ranks 1 to 3 with their points, and what each product at rank 1 is best for.

SQL courses at every price, ranked

The 9 Best SQL Courses, Paid and Free, Ranked

  1. 1. SQLMaxx Learn, 11 of 13 points
  2. 2. DataCamp SQL Fundamentals, Dataquest SQL Skills for Data Analysis and SQLZoo, 10 of 13 points each
  • SQLMaxx Learn (ours): All 66 lessons and 615 graded problems are free, but you practice only in PostgreSQL.

SQLMaxx Learn: rank 1 of 9.

SQL courses at no cost, ranked

The 8 Best Free SQL Courses, Ranked

  1. 1. SQLZoo and SQLMaxx Learn, 11 of 11 points each
  2. 3. Khan Academy Intro to SQL, SQLBolt and ThoughtSpot SQL Tutorial (formerly Mode), 9 of 11 points each
  • SQLZoo, best for: Practice questions on four SQL engines.
  • SQLMaxx Learn (ours): All 66 lessons and 615 graded problems are free, but you practice only in PostgreSQL.

SQLMaxx Learn: rank 1 of 8.

SQL courses ranked by data analyst job skills

The 8 Best SQL Courses for Data Analysts, Ranked

  1. 1. DataCamp Associate Data Analyst in SQL and DataLemur SQL Tutorial, 10 of 10 points each
  2. 3. ThoughtSpot SQL Tutorial and SQLMaxx Learn, 9 of 10 points each
  • DataCamp Associate Data Analyst in SQL, best for: One paid track, if you have never coded.
  • DataLemur SQL Tutorial, best for: Free lessons, linked to interview questions.

SQLMaxx Learn: rank 3 of 8.

Sites to practice SQL, ranked by six tests

The 12 Best SQL Practice Sites, Ranked

  1. 1. Codewars SQL kata and SQLMaxx Learn, 13 of 13 points each
  2. 3. SQLZoo, 12 of 13 points
  • Codewars SQL kata, best for: Short puzzles, a test on each.
  • SQLMaxx Learn (ours): All 66 lessons and 615 graded problems are free, but you practice only in PostgreSQL.

SQLMaxx Learn: rank 1 of 12.

Which SQL course reviews should you read first?

Start from your goal. We use different tests on each list.

Is SQL still worth learning in 2026?

Yes. Employers continue to name SQL as a skill for data analysts and for other data jobs. One limit: you can ask an AI tool for a query, but you must still read the query and check its result yourself.

On a separate page, we compare the studies of SQL in job posts and ask: is SQL still relevant?

Questions about SQL course reviews

Which SQL course has the best reviews?

We give no star ratings, so our answer is rank 1 on each of our lists:

  • On our list of SQL courses at every price, we give rank 1 to SQLMaxx Learn.
  • On our list of SQL courses at no cost, we give rank 1 to two products. They are SQLZoo and SQLMaxx Learn.
  • On our list of SQL courses ranked by data analyst job skills, we give rank 1 to two products. They are DataCamp Associate Data Analyst in SQL and DataLemur SQL Tutorial.
  • On our list of sites to practice SQL, we give rank 1 to two products. They are Codewars SQL kata and SQLMaxx Learn.

We make SQLMaxx Learn, and it has rank 1 on three of these lists, so check those ranks with care. See every product in the index.

Are SQL course reviews biased?

Some can be. Companies that sell a course write many pages about SQL courses. We make SQLMaxx Learn, so read our reviews with care too.

Here is what we do about it:

  • We print our tests on each list.
  • For each fact, we give its source and the date of our check.
  • We tell you how we know each product.
  • In a tie, we list our own course last.
  • We show our rank where it is not first: on our list of SQL courses ranked by data analyst job skills and SQL certifications.

Is Dataquest worth it for SQL?

For SQL alone, we do not rank it above DataCamp. On one of our lists, we rank DataCamp higher than Dataquest: SQL courses ranked by data analyst job skills (rank 1 against rank 6), and we give the two the same rank on one other list. See the Dataquest card on our list of SQL courses at every price.

Choose Dataquest if you want guided projects and a forum where you can ask questions. In the path, you do 3 guided projects, for example "Customers and Products Analysis Using SQL" and "SQL Window Functions for Northwind Traders". Dataquest says that all learners can ask questions in its community forums and "get help from fellow learners and Dataquest staff". Premium learners get priority support. Its limit: You need a Premium subscription for the full path, the assessments and the certificate. How we know it: We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview.

Is W3Schools good for SQL?

W3Schools is in the lower half of our list of sites to practice SQL: rank 11 of 12. We scored one W3Schools product, W3Schools SQL Exercises. We give it 7 of 13 points. We give the same rank to LeetCode. Best for, on our list of sites to practice SQL: Keyword quizzes.

Its strength: W3Schools gives many tutorial chapters a short exercise set, and you need no account to start. Its limit: You fill in blanks or pick answers. In the exercises, you do not write and run full queries.

How we know it: We judged it from the public syllabus and free preview. See the W3Schools card on our list of sites to practice SQL.

Start SQLMaxx Learn lesson 1

We make SQLMaxx Learn, a free SQL course, so we gain when you start it. You can start lesson 1 in your browser with no account. You write each query in a real PostgreSQL database.

Start lesson 1