Embarking on a career change can be daunting, especially when diving into the tech world. That’s where Codecademy comes in. As a leading online learning platform, it offers interactive courses in 13 programming languages and 10 tech-related subjects, making it a solid choice for those aiming to enhance their productivity and secure flexible job opportunities. But is Codecademy the right fit for you? In this review, I’ll share my personal experience and insights to help you decide.
To ensure this Codecademy review is both detailed and helpful, I’ve thoroughly researched its courses, instructors, subscription options, refund policies, and analyzed user feedback. My background includes a Master’s degree in Teaching and Education, along with years of experience using online learning platforms. This expertise allows me to provide an in-depth, well-rounded perspective to help you decide if Codecademy is the right choice for your tech-focused career.
Catherine CookeUpskillwise Advisor
Codecademy Summary
Codecademy is an online learning platform that focuses on courses to learn to code and gain hands-on experience in a variety of programming languages. It offers courses in 13 programming languages and 10 tech-related subjects. The platform offers 3 different; the Basic free plan and the paid Plus and Pro planswhich offer additional features and both come with a free trial. As well as courses, it offers paths which are designed to give you the skills to be job ready. There is an active and supportive community who you can ask questions, and get feedback from, they also hold online events which you can stream live or watch back at a later date. To get started with Codecademy you can either try out its basic free plan or you can try one of its free trials from a paid plan.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free Courses
Codecademy offers a basic free plan where you can enjoy a bunch of free beginner courses.
Beginner Friendly
Many of Codecademy’s courses are interactive and easy to digest for complete newbies.
Interactive Learning
Codecademy’s offers a hands-on learning experience with interactive courses through quizzes and engaging content for learners.
Wide Variety
Codecademy’s catalog covers a wide variety of topics from programming languages, AI courses and tech related topics.
Supportive Community
A strong sense of community with coaches, advisors and past learners to help answer any questions and doubts you may have.
Cons
No Accreditation
Codecademy courses aren’t accredited, which means its certificates are only proof that you have successfully completed the course. If you are looking for an accredited platform to learn on, it may be worth checking out Coursera or edX.
No Refund Policy
Codecademy doesn’t offer refunds, it’s important to be aware of this before purchasing one of its subscription plans.
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Who Is Codecademy For?
You may be left thinking, is Codecademy the right platform for me?
Codecademy offers courses in programming languages, AI skills and tech-related topics. Its 13 programming languages include Python, JavaScript, Java, SQL, C++, C#, Go, Ruby, Lua, Swift, and more. Beyond the languages themselves, its tech topics span Web Development, Data Science, AI, Machine Learning, Computer Science and Cybersecurity. Many of its courses are beginner-friendly and self-paced, giving you the flexibility to learn when it suits you.
If you are a complete beginner and undecided on the right course for you, an ideal way to get started is by taking a short Quiz (see image below). The quiz will take you through a series of simple questions to help find out which career, languages and courses best suit your personal interests and strengths.
Codecademy Basic and Pro Plans
Codecademy offers a couple of individual learning plans, Basic and Pro. Each plan includes interactive lessons and daily practices, and most courses are self-paced. Be mindful that the platform also offers live workshops, so the experience isn’t entirely self-directed. The main difference between the two plans is that the Pro plan is a paid subscription, with a much wider range of resources and a focus on getting you job-ready, plus you earn a certificate of completion.
Career Path and Skill Path
If you are looking to commit to more than just an individual course, then Codecademy also offers Career Paths and Skill Paths. For example, if you know that you want to become a Computer Scientist or learn how to build websites, this may be the better option for you as the focus is to become job ready. It goes without saying that these paths require a bigger commitment, with some taking more than 30 weeks to complete plus a Certificate of Completion.
Codecademy for Business
As well as individual courses and paths, Codecademy for Teams is designed to develop more than just skills. It offers the Pro and Teams plans that include interactive learning, individual guidance and weekly reports on what your team has been learning, plus certificates for every successful course completed.
You can request a free two-week trial for the Codecademy Teams plan. You can find out more here.
How Much Is Codecademy?
Codecademy Pricing is really easy to find on the left side of the navigation bar. This is really refreshing as many times when you land on an elearning platform it can take you a while to navigate around to find its pricing plans.
Codecademy Individual Plans
Codecademy subscription plans for individuals are billed either monthly or annually. The basic plan is completely free and offers access to some free courses. The Plus plan is for individuals looking to build in-demand technical skills for work or a personal project. Finally, the Pro plan is for anyone wanting to develop skills and experience for starting a career in the tech industry.
- Basic Plan: $0
- Plus: $29.99 a month OR $14.99/month billed annually ($179.88/year)
- Pro: $39.99 a month OR $239.88 annually
If you choose the annual subscription for either the Plus or Pro plan, you’ll make a significant saving compared to paying month to month.
If you aren’t ready to financially commit, a 7-day free trial is available for both the Plus and Pro plans. If you decide within those 7 days that it’s not for you, you can cancel without being charged anything.
You can cancel your Codecademy Plus or Pro account at any time. There is also the option to pause your account.
Codecademy for Business
If you want to help your team grow and prepare them for the challenges ahead, Codecademy has business plans worth considering.
A great way to try out Codecademy with your team is with the two-week free trial, where you can invite up to 10 members of your team to test it out (see image above). The full Teams plan supports up to 50 members, so there’s plenty of room to scale once you’re ready to commit.
It offers two plans: the Pro plan and the Teams plan. The Pro plan is designed to help individuals develop skills and experience, while the Teams plan offers interactive, self-paced training built specifically for small teams.
- Pro Plan: $359 per user, per year
- Teams Plan: $24.92 per month, billed annually per user (around $299 per year), with discounts available
Be mindful that certificates are only awarded on courses and paths that are certificate-eligible, and only while you hold an active Pro or Teams membership. Not every course in the catalog grants a certificate, particularly those still in beta.
Codecademy For TeamsCodecademy Pro Student
Codecademy offers eligible college students the chance to join Codecademy Pro Student, an annual membership that gives you access to the same features as the Pro plan, but with a 35% discount off the regular price.
Codecademy Pro Student: You will pay $149.99 for the annual plan
How To Open A Codecademy Account?
The sign-up process for Codecademy is really easy. When you first land on the homepage you can click the Sign-up button in the far-right corner of the navigation bar (see image above).
- Open a browser and visit codecademy.com
- Click on Sign up
- Enter Email and Password
- Click Start coding now
Once signed up with Codecademy you will automatically have a Basic account. There are a few ways to start checking out its courses. You can either begin by browsing the catalog menu, take the quiz (ideal if you are a complete beginner) or check out the most popular courses.
Most Popular Codecademy Courses
I have highlighted the 5 most popular courses at Codecademy as it will give you a good indication of what other learners have been enjoying.
- Learn JavaScript – A course where you will learn the JavaScript fundamentals you’ll need for front and back end development. The concepts of JavaScript are broken up into 14 lessons, which will give you the foundation to use it in any environment. The course has been taken by 1.6k+ users and will take 30 hours to complete.
- Learn HTML – A course that will teach you the basics of HTML5 to start building and editing web pages. The concepts of HTML are broken up into 4 lessons. The course has been taken by close to 4k users and will take you 9 hours to complete.
- Learn Python 3 – A course that will teach you the latest and most popular programming language Python, which can be used from web development to software development and data science applications. The concepts have been broken up into 11 lessons. The course has been taken by 45k users and will take 25 hours to complete.
- Web Development – A career path that will prepare you to become a junior web designer, learning front and back end, the ability to build interactive sites and be able to communicate with web developers. The path is broken up into 11 lessons and will take you 30 weeks to complete, where you will earn a certificate on successful completion.
- Data Science – A career path that will prepare you to become a data scientist, a data analyst or use date in your job. The path is broken up into 26 lessons and will take you 35 weeks to complete, where you will earn a certificate on successful completion.
6 Tips To Find The Perfect Codecademy Course
If you are undecided about which course to choose from. I have put together 6 tips to help you find the perfect course.
Take the Quiz
If you are a complete beginner and not sure where to start, then taking the quiz to identify your programming personality, which will help identify which courses and skill paths are best for you.
The quiz will ask you 9 questions to determine your personality, where there are 4 types: User Advocate, Dot connector, Question Asker and Problem Solver. Depending on which type you are. The results will highlight which courses are best for you and potential career paths to take.
Basic Free Plan & Free Trial
When you first sign up to Codeacdemy you will automatically be on the Basic plan which is completely free and gives you access to basic courses that include interactive lessons and daily practices. Keep in mind that the courses on the basic plan are limited and may not be exactly what you are looking for.
If you do find that the Basic plan doesn’t offer you enough courses, you can always try out the 7 day free trial with the pro account (see image above) where you can enjoy unlimited learning, practice materials and other premium features.
Codecademy Forums and Community
Codecademy forum is organised into 5 categories: Get Help, Community, FAQs, Code Crew, and General Programming, and encourages you to ask questions and connect with fellow learners.
The forums encourage you to introduce yourself to the community, and there are posts dedicated to Top Questions Asked By Beginners. This is particularly helpful if you are just starting out and want answers to common questions like: How long does it take to learn to code? Or which language should I learn first?
As well as the forums, there is a Facebook group you can join plus regular events that the Codecademy community organise.
Codecademy Certificate
If earning a personalized certificate for completing a course or a path is important to you, be mindful that you need to be on either the Pro or Plus paid plan to receive one.
Codecademy Certificate of Completion
Once rewarded with your certificate, you will be able to add your full name and download it at any time. Keep in mind that this is not an accredited certificate partnered with a university or institution. It is simply proof that you have successfully completed the course. If you are looking for an accredited certificate, it may be worth checking out Coursera or edX.
Overview and Syllabus
When you click on your chosen course or path, you will be able to read the Overview and Syllabus along with some additional information like how many learners have taken the course and how long it will take you to complete.
This will be a great indicator as to whether this is what you are looking for in your chosen course or path. The Syllabus explains in more detail as to how the course is broken up into lessons, quizzes and projects.
Testimonials
A perfect way to know more about the Codecademy platform and its courses is to read and watch past learners’ testimonials of their experience.
This insight may help you with you choosing a course or give you confidence to learn with Codecademy.
Codecademy In detail
Will Codecademy Help My Career?
Codecademy courses are ideal for someone who is new to coding or wanting to develop existing skills, and the majority include real-world projects that give you a genuine taste of what working in tech looks like.
The Skill and Career Path programs are worth considering if you are looking to change or advance your career. Career Paths are built around specific entry-level tech roles, like Front-End Engineer, Data Scientist, or UX Designer, teaching you the exact languages, tools, and interview prep needed for that job. From my experience, this focused approach makes it much easier to stay on track and know exactly where you are heading.
Even though Codecademy doesn’t offer accredited certificates, it still provides you with a Certificate of Completion once you finish a course or path. You can download it and share it with potential employers.
Is Codecademy Legit?
Something which many of us ask ourselves before deciding on an elearning platform: Is this platform legit? Will it be worth my money?
Well let me reassure you.
Codecademy was founded in 2011 by Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski and its headquarters is in New York. The company has over 100 employees and by January 2020 it will expand its suite of programming languages to 13.
So yes, Codecademy is legit, and it’s safe to use, you won’t be scammed.
Codecademy Conclusion
Ok, now seems the right moment to conclude with whether Codecademy is worth it.
If you are looking to learn or build on existing skills in coding then Codecademy is a great option for you. Its courses and paths are beginner-friendly and the Career paths are ideal to building a portfolio of work that will kick-start your career.
Even though you will receive a Certificate of Completion, this certificate is not accredited. So if you are looking to earn a validated certificate that is partnered by a University or Institution then it’s best you check out platforms like Coursera and edX as probably they are a better fit.
You will love Codecademy for its:
- Interactive and engaging courses
- Beginner-friendly courses and paths
- Free plan and trial
- Supportive Community
- Student and Unemployment support
Codecademy Alternatives
DataCamp offers 780+ courses focused on data science, analytics, and related topics. It has a free plan that gives you access to the first chapters of courses, plus a Premium plan billed annually if you’re ready to commit.
Coursera is probably the best option if you want to earn accredited certificates from leading universities like Duke, Michigan, or The University of Texas. It also covers a broader range of topics and offers more courses for free.
Udacity offers 80+ Nanodegree programs and 300+ courses, all designed to prepare you for a career in the tech industry. Be mindful that most Nanodegree programs and individual course certificates are not formally accredited, but they are widely recognized by employers. Saying that, Udacity has recently launched fully accredited degree programs, including an MBA and a Master of Science in AI, so the options are expanding.
FAQs
Codecademy offers top career paths that are designed to help prepare you for a specific job role, like a Data Scientist. There is no guarantee that you’ll find a job, but it’s definitely worth adding to your resume and will be recognized by future employees.
Codecademy certificates prove to you and future employers that you have successfully completed a course or program. It’s important thought not just to rely on this when looking for a career change or job role.
Irina
24 January 2025, 11:57
they don't care much about quality. they have a tutorial video with terrible blurred image, its even impossible to see code in it. And blocked comments so noone could comment it.
Richard
19 May 2024, 04:10
Codecademy is great for beginners with its interactive lessons, but it doesn’t go deep enough for advanced learners. The Pro version is pricey, and customer support could be faster.