Codecademy Reviews & Ratings 2021

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8.6
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Codecademy is an online course provider that offers an extensive range of courses in 12 different programming languages. If you’re a budding coder or just looking for a new hobby then perhaps Codeacademy is just for you.

$21.00

(Last Updated On: December 7, 2023)

Is Codecademy worth it?

You might be wondering whether or not Codecademy is legit or if it is come kind of scam. There is no need to worry on this point, Codecademy has been around since 2011 and has helped millions of people from all over the world learn new skills or develop the coding skills that they already possess.

Entrepreneurs Ryan Bubinski and Zach Sims founded the company in August 2011. Both men had attended Columbia University in the USA, with Bubinski graduating in 2010, and Sims actually dropping out so that he could focus on Codecademy. The site claims to have helped over 45 million people develop their coding skills since its launch. In our Codecademy review we will explore the options available, including Codecademy free.

Introduction

The site offers courses for a diverse range of programming languages and subject areas. Web development, computer science and data science are among the topics in which courses are offered, and Python, Javascript, PHP, C++ and HTML & CCS are among the programming languages covered. Courses are grouped according to ‘Paths’ at the Codecademy website.

These ‘paths’ allow you to concentrate either on courses that will help you develop your career path or your skill path. We found during our Codecademy review that the skill paths focus on giving you specific skills that will improve your readiness for specific jobs. The career paths have a greater focus on giving you a firm foundation to pursue certain tech careers.

Many courses at the site are offered under the Codecademy free option, and most people who use the site have benefitted from this option. Check out our John Academy review if you are interested in other free courses. You can also opt for the paid ‘Pro’ subscription on the site, and this gives you access to a greater range of interactive course materials and other resources. A number of these Pro courses are exclusive to the site. Some courses are as short as three hours, while others take 10 weeks to complete, depending on the path and the subject area.

Read on to discover more detail about just how Codecademy can help you improve your skills and develop your career in tech.

 

Codecademy: How Expensive is Codecademy in 2020?

One of the best things about Codecademy, as explored in our Codecademy review, is that many of its courses are offered for free. This means that you can access all of the most basic courses, many of which teach a very specific skill in a matter of hours, very easily indeed.

If you want to take some of the Pro courses, then that means taking out a monthly subscription. These subscriptions cost £15.99 per month for UK learners, and offer you the chance to take on more advanced skills courses. Much more interactive content is provided on the Pro courses that this subscription covers, our Codecademy review found.

Pro courses teach you “job ready” skills that can be applied on a practical basis and help to improve your career prospects. When viewed in this context, the Pro subscription looks like very good value indeed. You can also benefit from being able to practice skills on your mobile device, something which is very limited for basic users of Codecademy.

Corporate users, who want to sign up their teams for courses, will need to use the site to obtain a quote. This is a very simple process, though, that can be handled entirely online. Team subscriptions offer the same access and courses as Pro deals, as well as providing additional support information such as team performance reports, unlimited licence switching and flexible start dates.

What Courses Are Available At Codecademy?

Obviously, as you can probably tell from the name, this is a course provider for learners who want to improve their coding skills. While other Codecademy reviews may only focus purely on coding, we go deeper in our analysis. Computer science and programming is very much the order of the day here, and you will not find courses that cover any other topics, such as photography or cookery.

Web Development

When it comes to web development, Codecademy offers an extensive and impressive range of courses, covering a varied array of topics. The Career Path section of Web Development teaches HTML, CSS, JavaScript and React. Aspiring front end and back end engineers will benefit from the courses in this section. The Skills Path section allows you to sharpen up skills like building websites and creating back ends.

Programming

The Programming section at Codecademy provides learners with the opportunity to learn the world’s most popular programming languages. You can learn to automate tasks, sort data and search through effectively, and manipulate files. The Career Path in this section offers a full course in Computer Science, while the Skills Path offers courses in things like using Python and data structures.

Data Science

The Data Science options at Codecademy are also excellent in their scope and range of coverage. Learners who opt for the career path section can learn SQL, Python and all the skills that are needed to analyse, visualise and query data. The Skill Path section covers those same topics, but with a focus on them as individual skills.

Partnerships

The Partnerships section at Codecademy is particularly interesting, as the courses are offered in partnerships with leading companies from the tech sector. Learners here can take courses in subjects like Introduction to Alexa, and Watson IPI (as used by IBM). Although smaller in range than the other sections, the Partnerships section has some really interesting course son offer.

Design

Codecademy’s Design section is where learners should head if they want to know how to bring tech products to life. During our Codecacademy review we found courses in this section offer users the chance to learn skills in areas such as colour design, HTML, navigation design and responsive design. There is no Career Path here, just the Skills Path.

Game Development

If you want to learn how to produce the next blockbusting video game then the Game Development section at Codecacdemy is a good place to start. You can take courses in PHaser.JS, and there are both Career Path and Skills Path options. The number of courses is significantly fewer in this section, though.

Content Quality at Codecademy?

Codecademy provides an extensive range of computer skills courses for both casual learners and people who are looking to strengthen their chances of pursuing their chosen career in the tech industry. The course content covers a wide range of industry sectors and skills. Read on throughout our Codecademy review to get a taste of what their course quality is like, and to work out whether is Codecademy is worth it.

There have been suspicions expressed by some reviewers that experienced tutors are actually pretty rare at Codecademy, and junior staff might be producing resources that are slightly beyond them. Given the vast range of courses on offer, this might be an issue in some courses. However,  we must stress that many reviewers are also very positive about the tutoring and course materials, asserting that they were perfect for their level of ability. There were also more positive reviews from users who wanted to learn very specific skills, rather than looking for the more complex courses that provide a career path. This might be something to bear in mind if you are considering using Codecademy’s Career Path sections.

Course length — too long, too short?

The courses at Codecademy vary quite considerably in length. How long you will need to spend learning on the various courses really does depend on the subject that you are studying. Career Path courses also tend to be much longer than Skill Path courses. Some basic skills courses at the site can be completed in a matter of hours, while other courses can take up to 15 weeks. Career Path courses can take as long as six months. You need to check the time period of the course that you want to take before committing to it.

The courses seem to be designed so that the time commitment from learners is appropriate. Learning a single basic skill is never going to take as long as completing a full course that teaches all the key concepts in something as complex as design or data management. You need to be aware of this variation in time when you are signing up for a course at Codecademy.

Reputation of Codecademy: What Are The Students Saying?

The user reviews that Codecaedmy receives online form a pretty mixed bunch. While there is the usual range of moans and gripes from people who have signed up for courses without reading the terms and conditions properly, there are also quite a few more reasonable complaints about course materials. Many learners complain that there is a bit of a ‘one size fits all approach’ taken to learning, and that more complex concepts do not receive adequate explication in some courses.

Some users have also expressed suspicion about the expertise of the tutors, especially when it comes to the more complex courses that might require more individual, one-to-one support from tutors. This seems to be a particular issue for learners who already have some ability and knowledge of the areas that they have chosen to study, which might be worth noting.

There are, however, plenty of positive Codecademy reviews where learners praise the courses for providing them with just the skills that they needed. Plenty of learners feel that the course materials are well pitched, and that they cover the necessary concepts. There is also a Codecademy Community page on Facebook which provides plenty of insight into how learners feel about the courses at the site, which can help you work out whether is Codecademy is worth it..

Most of the opinions expressed on the Facebook page are positive, and the site has clearly fostered something of a community spirit among those people who have completed courses. We suspect that the simpler you keep things at Codecademy, the better the overall service you receive. More complex concepts seem to suffer from a lack of tutor expertise, and the longer courses do not seem to have been as well-designed as the shorter courses. However, with over 45 million customers so far, Codecademy is clearly doing most things right.

 

 

8.6Expert Score
Codecademy Reviews & Ratings 2021 If you want to learn coding skills, this is where you should start. The basic skills courses are excellent. More complex courses may not be as well designed, though. And as Codecademy free is also an option, we suggest you explore that. Overall Codeacademy is a great place to sharpen your coding skills and we recommend it.
PROS
  • Codecademy provides an extensive range of computer skills courses for both casual learners and people who are looking to strengthen their chances of pursuing their chosen career in the tech industry. The course content covers a wide range of industry sectors and skills. 
CONS
  • There are several online Codecademy reviews which mention that courses at the very basic level are good when it comes to content and tutoring, but that standards slip a little when it comes to more advanced courses.

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