I took both of these. I did the one without the essay first and it took care of a huge percentage of the quizzes for the one with the essay. You can see the final project by going to the final chapter of the "Overview" - it's an essay but there are a bunch of topics to choose from. I would definitely recommend taking both since there is a good amount of overlap.
Edit to add: I will say the final is much harder for the course with the essay. I scored a 92% on the easier 106 course and an 81% on the 306. I was honestly a little worried that I didn't pass for the 306 course. The questions were much different but obviously I was panicked for no reason since an 81% easily passes the mark. You need 210 points total for the course so once you get your 100 for the quizzes, it comes down to 110 for the final and essay combined. The essay grader was a little tough, but I also haven't taken a College Comp course yet so I know my writing isn't the greatest.
Edit to add: I will say the final is much harder for the course with the essay. I scored a 92% on the easier 106 course and an 81% on the 306. I was honestly a little worried that I didn't pass for the 306 course. The questions were much different but obviously I was panicked for no reason since an 81% easily passes the mark. You need 210 points total for the course so once you get your 100 for the quizzes, it comes down to 110 for the final and essay combined. The essay grader was a little tough, but I also haven't taken a College Comp course yet so I know my writing isn't the greatest.