Udacity vs Codecademy: Which one is better to learn Coding

 

Overview – Udacity vs Codecademy

There was a time when learning to code was considered only for geeks. But that is not the case today.

Coding can help you succeed in today’s world.

Now that you have decided to learn to code and sorted out two best options, you are not able to make up your mind between the two: Udacity or Codecademy. 

Even I was confused when I wanted to learn Python as I was a beginner. 

Hence I tried 3 platforms Udacity, Codecademy, and Datacamp.(Later I went with Udacity)

That is why I think I am the right person to write on Udacity vs Codecademy, to help you choose the best platform. 

For those who are new, Codecademy and Udacity are both online education institutes that provide courses programming where Codecademy is specially focused on programming languages, Udacity being versatile in many fields.

Before moving to the complete overview on Codecademy Vs Udacity, let me congratulate you on embarking your journey in the field of programming. 

Choosing between the two Udacity and Codecademy could be challenging as both of them are well known. 

In this article, I have done a detailed side-by-side comparison on Udacity Vs Codecamp, their pricing, duration of the courses, and the value they bring to the table. 

I am sure by the end of this article you will be able to choose any one of DataCamp and Codecademy to start on your journey in web development. 

What is the main difference between Udacity and Codecademy?

Codecademy is an online education company that provides students different programming languages to learn at their own pace like Java or Python, whereas Udacity provides more extended nanodegrees in collaboration with a leading organization that focusses on technology-oriented topics(including programming languages).

In this post, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of Udacity and Codecademy, and the quality of their courses. 

Codecademy Vs Udacity: Side-by-side comparison

	Codecademy	Udacity
Course Categories	Software development Data science Computer science Machine learning Web design Cyber security Math	Data science Artificial Intelligence Programming Autonomous systems Cloud computing Product management Career Cybersecurity Business
Price Range	$14.99 – $191.88	$399 – $2,394
No. of Courses	220+	270+
% Of Courses that are Free	40%	70%
Service Packages for:	Individuals and Businesses	Individuals, Businesses, and Government Organizations
One-one-one Tutor Interaction	None	Available
Support Quality	Good	Excellent

Codecademy was founded by students at Columbia University in 2011. 

It was set up to provide aspiring coders with easy access to affordable computer programming education. 

Since its inception, Codecademy has restructured its teaching style to keep up with the changing industry needs.

It is well known for teaching how to code and design websites for beginners. 

Their curriculum is specifically designed for students new to coding.

Therefore, it teaches starter topics for various languages such as JavaScript, CSS, Python, etc.

Udacity, on the other hand, is specialized in areas of programming, AI, Machine Learning, and Data Science. 

They provide courses called Nanodegree Programs in partnership with various organizations and universities. 

These certifications make you proficient in a specific subject or topic you choose to take.

In their School of Programming and Development, Udacity provides nanodegrees like the Java Developer Nanodegree or the Front-end Web developer nanodegree. We will discuss all the programming nanodegrees in the later section of this Udacity vs Codecademy article. 

Also read: Udacity Review: Will I get a job?

Let’s see how much both these platforms charges you to learn to code.

Codecademy vs Udacity: Key Differences

	Codecademy	Udacity
Main Niche	Coding	Tech
Degree Programs	No	Yes
Mobile App	Yes	No
Accepts Bank Transfers	Yes	No

Udacity vs Codecademy- Costs

	Codecademy	Udacity
Subscription Type	Pro Lite: monthly or annually Pro: monthly or annually	Monthly Multiple Months Access Bundle
Price Range	$14.99 – $191.88	$399 – $2,394
Free Trial	7 days	Occasional
Free Courses	Available	Available
Discounts & Aid	Student discount Annual plan saving	Personalized discounts Bundle payment savings Coupons Scholarships
Refund Policy	None	2 to 14 days
Certification Pricing	Free	Free
Payment Methods	Credit cards PayPal Bank transfers	Credit cards Debit cards PayPal

Codecademy vs Udacity: Subscriptions

You can choose from a number of plans on both platforms. Let’s take a quick look.

Codecademy

The basic courses are free, but you can pay to get access to Pro courses. Payment also ensures you earn your certificate of completion.

• Pro Lite: for $13.50/month or $126/year you get access to basic courses, pro courses, and skill paths.
• Pro: for $17.99/month or $167.88/year you get access to basic courses, pro courses, skill paths, career paths, and interview preps.

Udacity

• Monthly: You pay $399 for every month you remain enrolled in a course.
• Multiple Months Access Bundle: You pay for multiple months of enrollment at once (usually with discounts). The maximum bundle price is around $2,394 for a six-month bundle.

Both Udacity and Codecademy have free courses available.

However, the quality of free courses between the platforms is slightly different.

One of the main differences between Udacity and Codecademy are how they’re structured in terms of cost.

Let me talk about Codecademy first and later Udacity.

In the beginning, most of the courses that Codecademy was offering at were free. 

Later they started promoting their upgradable plans.

Codecademy Pro carries a subscription-based model that costs $17.99 per month.

Many people ask me “is Codecademy Pro worth it?”

The good part is you can take a free trial of the pro version for 7 days to find out if it is worth it. 

The pro version contains things that are not accessible to a free user like various quizzes, personal projects, learning paths

According to Codecademy, this premium plan is designed for people who want to take their learning experiences to the next level.

So this is the basic pricing plan Codecademy offers to its users. Now let’s talk about Udacity. 

In Udacity School of Programming, the average cost of nanodegree is $399 each which is a bit higher than Codecademy Pro. 

Udacity offers nanodegree programs, which typically consist of between 5 and 6 courses, and takes around 3 to 6 months to complete. 

The price is justified by the extra perks it offers including a personal mentor, feedback of your projects, and a verified certificate at the end. 

Earlier Udacity used to offer job guarantee but recently they have discontinued the feature. 

You have a high chance of landing into a job with Udacity than Codecademy. 

My take- Codecademy is surely less expensive than Udacity. From a job perspective, Udacity is more valuable.

Now we will have look at both the curriculums to discover who is offering more in less money.

Curriculum: Udacity and Codecademy

	Codecademy	Udacity
No. of Courses	220+	270+
Course Formats	Video and Text	Video and Text
Subject Categories	Software development Data science Computer science Machine learning Web design Cyber security Math	Data science Artificial Intelligence Programming Autonomous systems Cloud computing Product management Career Cybersecurity Business
Course Languages	1 Language	1 Language
Skill Levels	Beginner Intermediate Advanced	Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Degrees Available	None	Nanodegree (Non-accredited)
Certificates Available	Certificate of completion	Credential of completion
Main Niche	Coding	Tech

Let’s talk about Udacity first.

As stated earlier, they offer nanodegree programs which consist of 5-6 courses and generally take 3-6 months to complete.

Udacity has a much more niche curriculum. 

In its curriculum, Udacity has various courses on topics such as programming, AI, cloud computing, data science, autonomous systems, and business. 

Here we are concerned about the School of Programming and Development which consists of 17 nanodegrees in total.

Most of its courses are recognized and built by top companies like Google, AT&T, and IBM.

The latest nanodegree added to the list is the Intermediate Javascript Nanodegree (I have listed out all programming nanodegrees in the next section).

Each nanodegree consists of lessons followed by a project or quiz at the end of the course.

In the end, students have to undergo a final project called capstone project that tests the entire syllabus learners have grasped. 

Udacity also provides some free courses which are around 200 in number. However, they don’t offer any kind of certificate upon completion. 

These free courses act as pre-requisites to advanced nanodegrees.

Nanodegrees are self-paced to some extent, but it’s expected that most students will have a workload of between six and ten hours per week.

Codecademy is a great resource to learn the basics of coding in different languages. 

Talking about Codecademy, all of its courses are free. 

Their “pro” plan allows tailored lessons and tutorials for the user including live tutoring. 

Here they offer ‘Skill Paths’ and ‘Career Paths’. 

These tracks are a collection of courses for you to master a specific skill. 

For instance, in the Code Foundations Career Path, they offer courses on 

Computer Science History, then Career Exploration, and finally its applications. 

You also get access to premium features such as quizzes, portfolio-building projects, etc.

It is highly accessible, with free courses and an easy-to-use interface. 

Codecademy seems to be appealing for beginners and for those who are pursuing coding as more of a hobby than a full-time career.

Once you enroll in you get access to their self-guided, hands-on beginner classes. 

You can practice as you go and can progress at your own pace.

My suggestion is that you master the basics first and then move to their advanced classes that provide personalized support from experts. 

Subjects/Topics taught

Considering Begineer user, CodeCademy offers 12 distinct coding tracks:

• HTML / CSS
  • Python
  • Java
  • PHP
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery 
  • AngularJS / React.js
  • Ruby
  • SQL

Subjects taught on Codecademy

• Web Development
• Data Science
• Computer Science
• Developer Tools
• Machine Learning
• Code Foundations
• Web Design
• Game Development
• Mobile Development
• Data Visualization

On the other hand, Udacity offers several nanodegrees. 

• Intermediate JavaScript
• Java Web Developer
• Introduction to Programming
• iOS Developer
• Front End Web Developer
• Full Stack Web Developer
• React
• Data Engineer
• Blockchain Developer
• C++
• Data Structures and Algorithms
• Android Developer
• Android BasicsAWS Cloud Architect
• Cloud Developer
• Cloud DevOps Engineer

Who are the instructors

Instructors on Udacity are some former teachers, graduates, CEOs of some companies, etc. 

In some courses like the self-driving cars and AI, Udacity founder Sebastian Thrun is himself a course lead.

Unfortunately, Codecademy Does Not Explain Theory. 

In Codecademy’s curriculum, you don’t get to learn the theory of programming

Learning to be a developer means learning the principles of software development. 

This is one of the reasons why I choose Udacity over Codecademy.

Codecademy vs Udacity: Tutor and Student Community

	Codecademy	Udacity
Tutor Selection Criteria	Industry experts	Industry professionals
One-on-one Tutor Interaction	None	Available
Active Community	Yes	Yes
Community Response Time	Within a day	Within two days
No. of Users	50+ million	14+ million

When it comes to online learning, it helps if you’re not alone. Asking questions and getting feedback from your tutors and other learners will greatly enhance your learning experience.

Below, I’ll give you a brief rundown of how both platforms handle this aspect of online education.

Codecademy

I believe what’s most important is the ability to exchange ideas with your instructors. Some e-learning platforms provide a channel for this, while others don’t.

Unfortunately, Codecademy doesn’t offer one-on-one tutor interaction. Worry not, however, because you can always search your instructors’ names and get their websites, social media handles, and contact information.

I also think it helps to have a community of other learners like you to help when you get stuck. Codecademy has an active community made of its 50+ million user base.

I posted an inquiry on the forum and got a helpful response within a day.

Udacity

Unlike Codecademy, Udacity offers its users an avenue for one-on-one tutor interaction via the technical mentor support feature.

The platform also has an active community of 14+ million learners. When I posted on the forum, I got a response within two days, which was slower than with Codecademy.

Codecademy vs Udacity: Online Software

	Codecademy	Udacity
Compatible Platforms	Web iOS Android	Web
Interface	Easy to use	Easy to use
Key Software Features	Course recommendations Progress saver Mobile code practice	Course recommendations Progress saver
Recommendations	Good	Good
Average Software Store Rating	4.7 stars	–
Support Quality	Good	Excellent

We can’t forget that these online learning platforms are SaaS products. Hence, the quality, compatibility, and functionality of their software matter a lot.

You want to get the best user experience while learning.

Codecademy

The company offers software for the following platforms:

• Web
• Android
• iOS

All of the mobile and web versions have easy-to-use interfaces. I had no problem finding courses or customizing my account.

All of the software had some interesting features. I selected the very best. Check them out:

• Course recommendations
• Progress saver
• Mobile code practice

The recommendations were good. There was always something useful suggested for me to learn next. If you’re learning to transition into a new career, you’ll love these recommendations.

Whether you learn with your browser or mobile app, your progress will always be saved at whatever stage of the course you’re in.

Now for my favorite feature: the code practice feature in mobile apps. It helps as a great complement to your video lessons. You get to answer pop quizzes thanks to the inbuilt code editor that reinforces your coding skills.

Even though I enjoyed using these mobile apps, other users may not. So, I checked their ratings on the two most prominent software stores for mobile.

iOS (App Store): 4.8 stars from 27.4k reviews

Android (Google Play Store): 4.5 stars from 24.6k reviews

Average Rating: 4.7 stars

It’s clear that Codecademy mobile apps are loved by many students.

Udacity

Udacity doesn’t have a mobile or desktop app. You can only use the web version. It’s easy to use and comes with the following key features and more:

• Course recommendations
• Progress saver

The recommendations were pretty good. I already know what to learn next to improve my coding skills.

Codecademy vs Udacity: Support

If you encounter a problem while using any of the above software, you’ll need the help of a support team. The problem is not all online learning companies invest in high-quality support. Let’s find out what Udacity and Codecademy have to offer in terms of quality support.

I started by testing Codecademy’s team. After reaching out to them, I got a response within a day. The solution they offered me worked well.

I did the same for Udacity and got another helpful response within 24 hours.

It would seem both companies have their handle on customer service and support. But that was my experience, and for an unbiased review such as this, I needed more. So, I checked 20 of their latest customer support reviews on Trustpilot.

For Codecademy, 12 reviews were excellent, 2 average, and 6 bad. I can safely say they have good support quality. However, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

For Udacity, 17 reviews were excellent and 3 bad. They have excellent support.

Summary of Pros & Cons For Each

Udacity – Pros and Cons

Pros

• High chance of getting a Job
• Mentorship
• Career services
• Offers quality content
• Community and discussion forums
• Partnership with notable organizations
• Easy to use

Cons

• Slightly Expensive 
• No Udacity App 
• You lose access after graduating 
• Free users get a relatively small amount of courses and other content

Codecademy – Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free videos
• Network of community members to support studies
• A variety of lessons offered in 12 programming languages
• Beginner-friendly lessons

Cons

• Difficult to navigate through tabs and lessons
• Can’t skip lessons
• No free-trial of paid plans

FAQ

Alternatives to Codecademy and Udacity

In case you decide not to go with either of the two platforms under review, here are some juicy alternatives you should try.

Coursera

This is a platform with over 87 million users. It’s one of the most popular online learning services in the world. Coursera has a library of 10,800+ courses and offers several accredited degrees and certificates (including post-graduate programs). The best part is that these courses are created and delivered by top universities. It’s like attending an institution from home.

edX

The company is very similar to Coursera. With over 3,680 courses in 22 languages, edX has a lot to offer. You can also earn an accredited Bachelor’s or Master’s degree here. Although edX isn’t a tech-focused platform, you can learn to code and even earn relevant credentials with many of their courses.

Udemy

Udemy doesn’t offer accredited credentials. What it brings to the table is variety. You may choose from over 80,000 courses on hundreds of subjects. Udemy is also very affordable. My only problem with the platform is that instruct vetting isn’t as strict as with some of the others. 

freeCodeCamp

This non-profit organization offers an ideal solution for people looking to learn to code for free. The platform has all you need as a beginner trying to learn front-end and back-end development. freeCodeCamp only offers 13 courses that teach HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python majorly. You can get certificates, but these are not officially recognized.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Codecademy if you…

• are a beginner looking for the most affordable courses to start your coding journey
• prefer to learn with mobile apps
•  prefer to start with a free trial

Choose Udacity if you…

• want to learn a tech skill without accredited credentials
• find it difficult to learn without regular support from mentors
• have a large budget to learn from top tech professionals

Conclusion: Udacity or Codecademy?

After looking over the pros and cons of both, its difficult to say which one outweighs other. 

Codecademy is well suited for beginners.

It helps to start your journey in the field of programming and is good for learning basic fundamental concepts. 

If you are looking for this then Codecademy is the best platform to start with.

On the other hand Udacity is well designed for intermediate and advanced learners if you are looking at this from a job perspective.

Its certificate is well recognised and can even help you to land a job. 

Hence I recommend Udacity over Codecademy. 

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