In this review, I pit NeetCode against Algoexpert. It can be challenging to know which tech interview prep platform will cut it for you in the price-to-value ratio.
However, it wasn’t difficult to decide on the winner. NeetCode is by far one of the best and most affordable interview preparation resources.
NeetCode explains programming concepts in easy-to-understand language. The videos are easy to follow and there are additional courses.
The amount of value offered in the course is worth more than the price ($129 one-time fee).
And the fact that both platforms are offered by Google insiders doesn’t simplify matters one bit.
So which course takes the better route to user satisfaction? I will address that question and more in this in-depth comparison.
Let’s get started.
NeetCode vs. Algoexpert – Overview
Let’s kick off this review by exploring what NeetCode and Algoexpert have in common.
For starters, both online and web-based platforms were built with one task in mind: help aspiring software engineers prepare for their coding interviews in a hassle-free, self-paced manner.
Each course platform tackles that task with a two-pronged approach: provide pre-recorded video tutorials of coding concepts and give users access to numerous coding challenges for self-practice.
These video tutorials and coding challenges focus on the significant coding domains that feature in most tech interviews viz; data structure and algorithms, systems design, object-oriented design, machine learning, et cetera.
Both courses also feature sample interviews, communities, free resources, and support for multiple programming languages.
And, I should add, NeetCode and Algoexpert both have Google insiders as their creators.
Clement Mihailescu of Algoexpert once worked with Google and Facebook. NeetCode’s creator (he doesn’t mention his name) is still with Google and continually integrates the latest Google tactics in his course.
NeetCode vs. Algoexpert – Differences
NeetCode and Algoexpert pack many similarities but, upon deeper examination, quickly show their differences.
For one thing, Algoexpert doesn’t bring all the major coding domains under one package. You only get DS&A when you sign up for Algoexpert.
Other domains like systems expert, machine language, and Frontend are offered by the same creator on the same website but with different billing.
NeetCode, on the other hand, gives you everything at once for one low price—wait for it in the pricing section of this comparison.
NeetCode also offers far more free resources than Algoexpert, and overall, it’s the one that enjoys more updates.
Interview Questions
Finally, it’s now time to chip in one significant difference in how NeetCode handles training a bit differently than Algoexpert.
Ever wondered why NeetCode seems like another version of LeetCode? It’s because it was built with LeetCode in mind.
NeetCode actually created his course platform to assist with solving the endless questions on LeetCode in an easy way.
Because of that, you will find many LeetCode questions on NeetCode. Less so with Algoexpert.
The standard of interview questions on NeetCode is similar to what you get on Algoexpert. Except that the latter has only 180 while the former surpasses 00.
NeetCode has filters to sort by programming language or keyword.
Coding Interface for Practice
This is where things get one-sided. Only Algoexpert has an interactive coding interface, and it’s a colourful one at that with lots of functionalities.
NeetCode has no equivalent, meaning it might take longer to set up as you must purchase an external code editor.
Programming languages
NeetCode has more programming languages than Algoexpert. With the latter, you get the nine most common languages.
NeetCode ups that figure to 14. The additional languages are Dart, Scalar, Ruby, Rust, and C.
Community
Only NeetCode offers a community where you can interact with the course creator (s) and other users.
NeetCode allows you access to the community without paying for the premium subscription, but that’s not the case with Algoexpert since it doesn’t even have a community.
NeetCode.io vs. Algoexpert—Pricing
Algoexpert is currently running a promo where you get the full suite—Algoexpert, SystemsExpert, Frontend Expert, and ML Expert for $49/year instead of $196 for one year of access.
The standard billing is around $44 for Algoexpert, $69 for the tech interview bundle, which gives AlgoExpert and SystemExpert in one bundle, and $99/year for the tech interview suite that covers all the bundles Algoexpert has ever created.
NeetCode, on the hand, gives away all of its content for free except for the paid courses, which are valued at $99/year or $129 billed once for lifetime access.
PS: I got the lifetime plan too.
Pros and Cons
Let’s now judge the good and bad sides of both NeetCode and Algoexpert by evaluating where they shine and where they fumble based on what we’ve come to expect from the ideal tech interview prep course.
NeetCode Pros
Lots of Free Content
In a contest of the more generous course platform, NeetCode wipes the floor with Algoexpert.
NeetCode offers almost all of its content for free. You are really only paying for the video courses. All of its other resources are free.
Free Community
One of the best free resources from NeetCode is the free community.
You don’t need to pay or subscribe to the premium plan before you can interact with others and share your insights.
Better still, you are not restricted to certain community features or, in other ways, treated like a second-class citizen because you joined free.
User Experience
Neetcode has the better user experience of the two platforms. I noticed that it is easier to find your way on NeetCode than in Algoexpert due to the better organization.
Video/Text Hybrid Learning Format
NeetCode offers a more versatile learning experience than Algoexpert, which contains only video tutorials. Anyone who finds video inconvenient can make do with the textual lessons and vice versa.
Lifetime Access
While Algoexpert restricts premium access to only one year, NeetCode allows you to pay once and enjoy all of the platform’s content plus future updates forever.
While it can be argued that a year is enough to gain all the relevant coding interview skills, many will appreciate having a course they can always turn to for reminders without renewing their payment.
Algoexpert Pros
Interactive Code Editor
The absence of an interactive code editor is NeetCode’s major weakness. Algoexpert fixes that and shortens your setup time by developing a code editor that runs your code and gives you real-time feedback.
Mock Interviews
If, as part of your preparation, you want to experience what an actual interview looks like, Algoexpert is the one for that.
Algoexpert will fix you up with one of their experts who will drill you like that of a tech company.
Mock interviews help a lot to reduce the likelihood of panic among interview candidates. Sometimes, it takes only the fear of being interviewed to forget everything you worked so hard to learn.
Certificates and Connections
Perhaps one of Algoexpert’s most significant selling points is the promise to link you up with tech companies once you complete the course.
Algoexpert helps you build a recruiting profile and awards you a certificate, after which they recommend you to top-tier companies.
In other words, they promise you won’t have to endure the stress of applying for jobs alone. They will work the process for you.
Timed Assessments
Algoexpert curates four assessment tests for you that mimic an actual interview. They consist of interview questions that you must finish within an allotted time.
The purpose is to train you to attempt real interview questions while maintaining accuracy quickly.
NeetCode Negative reviews (Complaints)
No Behavioral Training
NeetCode is all about the technical aspects of the interview and the job itself.
All of that can only take you so far, however, especially as you will have to be a part of the team. A sound software engineer, as in any other profession, must have good etiquette and leadership, and communication skills.
NeetCode doesn’t help you with any of that.
No IDE
Interactive code editors are becoming part and parcel of coding prep platforms. So it’s a bit of a turn-off that NeetCode doesn’t ship with one.
That means you might have to set up an external code editor if you want real-time feedback for your code solutions.
No Mock Interviews
Unlike Algoexpert, NeetCode has no provision for helping you experience what a typical interview feels like. No mock interviews with a NeetCode course expert, and no timed practice too.
No Interactive Training Sessions
When it comes to preparing for technical interviews—and tech companies have some of the craziest technical interviews out there—practicing on your own might just not be enough all the time.
In addition to self-practice, guided training in live conferences with the experts is essential.
That’s when you will get ideas and tips that solving problems alone won’t give you.
For instance, no amount of problem-solving will teach you how to introduce yourself to the interviewer or what body language clues you should try to avoid.
Algoexpert Negative reviews (Complaints)
Minimal Free Content
Algoexpert has almost no free content. The highest they provide is a few questions at each difficulty level that you can attempt and get the solution without paying.
This is one weak point that NeetCode doesn’t suffer from.
NeetCode offers almost everything for free, and that’s probably the best thing to look out for in a platform that claims to help.
Having a lot of free content means more students can benefit from your help, and you aren’t out for the money alone.
Limited Behavioral Prep
Compared to NeetCode, Algoexpert does have some soft skills training. However, it’s just a 15-minute or so training video that is little more than a question-and-answer challenge.
The scope is limited and won’t do much to help you build such soft skills as handling disagreements well or thinking out of the box.
Hit and Miss Video Quality
Algoexpert has a section on its website where it touts the crisp 1080p video quality.
While the pixels are sharp enough to make for a pleasing media experience, the explanations themselves are not that clear.
Often, you will have to go on YouTube to clarify some concepts.
Adding to the problem is the way some of the videos are unnecessarily long and bury the main points in a lot of stories. At that point, you begin to wish that everything was in the form of text so you could learn much faster.
Limited Scope
This con presents itself in two areas. Firstly, the number of interview questions is highly limited. Off course, NeetCode doesn’t have all the questions either, but Algoexpert’s 180 questions is simply unremarkable.
The second area is how much you can access for your subscription fee. It doesn’t help that paying for Algoexpert alone won’t fetch you systems design or machine learning.
On NeetCode, that problem isn’t there. For a slightly higher subscription fee that doesn’t renew, you get the complete courseware which includes all the critical domains in coding.
No Interactive Training Sessions
I have discussed this under the NeetCode cons section. It’s also something that Algoexpert misses entirely.
No Community
For a tech interview prep platform that doesn’t offer interactive sessions, at least a community would have helped. Unfortunately, you don’t get that with Algoexpert.
NeetCode User Reviews
I noticed that almost all online communities speak well of NeetCode.
Even Reddit, one of the most critical communities out there, has mostly positive things to say about NeetCode, as the following snapshots show:
User Reviews of Algoexpert
If we look past the reviews on Algoexpert’s website (they can be bought), it turns out that not everyone who has used it has become a fan.
Many people complain about how explanations are not clear enough. Others don’t see any difference between Algoexpert’s videos and the free content on YouTube.
Check out the screenshots below to see what I’m saying. All are Redditers ‘ comments.
As you can see, user opinions for Algoexpert are much more negative than the ones for NeetCode.
Wrapping Up
From my experience with NeetCode and Algoexpert, I can’t say anyone platform gives the perfect feature set.
Nevertheless, NeetCode stood out with the easy-to-understand video explanations.
While Algoexpert might have been in existence longer than NeetCode, it is hardly updated and also overrated.
On the other hand, NeetCode is relatively new and constantly updated by the creator. Just looking at the free resources on the NeetCode channel will tell you about the efforts of NC in helping engineers ace their interviews.
So in this comparison between Neetcode and Algoexpert, I recommend NeetCode.
