Neetcode vs. Leetcode Premium – which should you use?

LeetCode sounds similar to NeetCode, at least from the naming, so naturally, the question is, what’s the difference? Once that’s settled, which is the better platform out of the two?

This review will walk you through an overview of NeetCode and LeetCode, as well as their pros and cons.

There’s much to look forward to in this review, and I couldn’t be more excited to take you on this tour.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

NeetCode vs. Leetcode – Overview

NeetCode and LeetCode are interview prep solutions for aspiring software engineers (SWEs).

As a software engineer, you must master your coding skills, data structure, algorithms, and more.

There are many ways to accomplish that objective, and practicing coding questions is one of them.

NeetCode and LeetCode help you prepare for coding interviews by supplying you with a massive number of likely coding questions you will meet in a technical discussion.

And it’s not just random questions you will be solving. Most questions on NeetCode and LeetCode are interview questions in FAANG companies and other big-name enterprises.

That’s amazing but not surprising. Software developers created both platforms at companies like Google. 

They aim to arm you with insider knowledge of the company’s interview process so you can skip the tedious protocol they underwent to get into these tech giants.

Aside from the multitude of coding practice questions, NeetCode and LeetCode contain several tools and features to help you get the best from your preparation.

You can, for example, filter questions to solve in a particular order, crack code in multiple programming languages, get ranked on the leaderboards, and stand out to potential employers scouting for talent. 

NeetCode and LeetCode look like up-and-coming platforms to help you take off in your coding career.

The two platforms are similar in many ways, and sometimes it can look like only their names sound slightly different.

But there is a whole world of differences between the two platforms. For starters, LeetCode came first. But it had (and still has) many deficiencies.

That’s why NeetCode was spun out of LeetCode to provide what the latter missed. 

Read on to know what’s different in the DNA code of these twin brothers. 

NeetCode vs. Leetcode  – Differences 

I will be very direct about this: LeetCode has all the questions but comparatively few solutions. NeetCode aims to provide solutions to the thousands of LeetCode questions. 

NeetCode’s primary mission is to help you understand how to solve many of the questions you find on LeetCode.

That is the night and day differentiation between NeetCode and LeetCode.

With that aside, let’s move on quickly to other differences. 

Interview Questions

For many questions, no other coding interview prep platform comes close.

When you weigh LeetCode and NeetCode on the scale of quantity here, you’ll immediately realize that LeetCode is the behemoth out of the two.

LeetCode’s repository of questions has over 2,700 coding challenges leaving NeetCode in the dust with just 500+ questions. NeetCode and LeetCode are frequently updated with more questions, but the former will never catch up.

Nevertheless, it’s about more than just the number of questions. I mean, let’s face it, are you going to solve thousands of questions?

LeetCode might have the numbers, but NeetCode steals the show with a better question structure. 

NeetCode organizes its questions in a manner that gives clear direction. They call it the Algorithm Roadmap.

Instead of just picking any question without any reference point, the Algorithm Roadmap gives you a pattern of questions you should follow to master data structure and algorithms.

There are about 12 coding topics in the Algorithm Roadmap; you can see them in my full review of NeetCode here.

Inside the Roadmap, you will find interview challenges in easy, medium, and hard categories. And you can access their solutions and explanations on NeetCode’s GitHub and YouTube channels. 

It doesn’t stop there. The NeetCode channel on YouTube contains many tutorials on different data structures and algorithm concepts.

That’s another way NeetCode humbles LeetCode. NeetCode’s instructor explains everything you need to know before solving the questions. 

LeetCode leaves you to answer many of the questions on your own without the guidance of a coach. 

Coding Interface for Practice

LeetCode has a reasonably primary coding interface for solving code problems and running their solutions.

It has a white background and basic text options without any visually engaging addition.

NeetCode has no IDE for solving and running code.

Hence, you must set up an external IDE before using NeetCode. 

Programming languages

Here again (thankfully), we see LeetCode playing the game of quantity. LeetCode supports up to 23 programming languages.

You have the usual JAVA and Python and plenty of additions like Ruby, Kotlin, C++, Go, et cetera.

NeetCode has a respectable number of programming languages as well. There are up to 14 languages you can use to solve code. Swift, Java, Python, TypeScript, Dart, et cetera, are all supported. 

Courses offered

While there is much free content on NeetCode (the algorithm roadmap, the practice questions, and the discord channel), the courses are not free. That’s where a subscription to the pro version comes in. 

NeetCode has up to 30 hours of video content dedicated to the beginner and advanced aspects of data structures and algorithms.

The courses are grouped into five categories viz:

• Algorithms & Data Structure For Beginners (8.5 Hours Videos)

• Advanced Algorithms (8 Hours of Videos)

• System Design For Beginners (5 Hours Videos)

• System Design Interviews (4.5 Hours)

• Object-Oriented Design Interview (2 Hours)

LeetCode also had a data structure and algorithms course with carefully curated content with the technical interview in mind.

The course is separated into 13 chapters, of which the first two are introductory lessons outlining how to ace the course.

Here are the topics you’ll cover in it. 

Arrays and strings

Hashmaps and sets

Linked lists

Stacks and queues

Trees and graphs

Heaps

Greedy algorithms

Binary search

Backtracking

Dynamic programming

You will notice that there is no system design or object-oriented design package except for the DS&A crash course.

For the former two packages, you’ll have to manually gather coding concepts related to them or solve the questions as they come. 

I prefer NeetCode’s approach to coding interview prep. It’s so much more directional. 

Community

NeetCode and LeetCode feature a community teeming with fellow coders, both expert, and amateur.

LeetCode has the bigger community since it has been around for much longer and is also open source.

I say open source because most questions on LeetCode are submitted by people who have had interviews at major tech companies. That’s why you can see coding questions grouped by company.

There are many people on LeetCode, no argument, but NeetCode isn’t doing badly either. It has its own Discord community that is also teeming with more than 20,000 members. 

NeetCode.io vs. Leetcode—Pricing

NC and LC both strive to offer the best value for money but take separate routes to price.

LC has monthly and annual subscription plans for $35 and $159, respectively.

The annual plan boils down to $13.25 monthly, representing a huge deal.

NC also has two subscription plans, but one is a lifetime subscription, and the other is a yearly subscription.

With $149, the lifetime one-time billing is up for grabs. The yearly option goes for $99.

The pricing situation shows NC is a much better pick than LC. 

Pros and Cons

NeetCode and LeetCode were designed with you, the end user, in mind, and they do a great job overall, but they have their drawbacks.

I’ll highlight their dark sides first, and then their pros will come later. 

One thing you should note about the two platforms is their lack of any behavioral prep training. 

In other words, LeetCode and NeetCode will teach you human interaction skills like communication, teamwork, leadership, et cetera.

That’s, of course, a serious con for both platforms, but let’s continue. 

NeetCode Negative reviews (Complaints)

Minus the lack of behavioral skills training, here are the rest of NeetCode’s cons.

A. NeetCode lacks an IDE for solving code and executing code solutions.

B. Due to the above, you can’t get feedback on your code solutions. 

LeetCode Negative reviews (Complaints)

In contrast, LeetCode has several cons in its sleeve. Here they come:

Difficult for Beginners

Behind LeetCode’s questions is the assumption that you are already skilled enough to attempt the questions.

Thus, if you are a stranger to programming and want to switch careers, there are other options than LeetCode. 

NeetCode is easier on beginners because of the multitude of explanations provided in the course. 

Poorly Structured Courses

Apart from the interview crash course for data structure and algorithms, other topics have sparse organization.

LeetCode is a heap of questions on random specific topics that should have been categorized into broader domains. 

Questions are Needlessly Complicated

LeetCode has many coding questions that are more complex than what even a company like Google will ask.

Ultimately, those questions don’t boost your chances of passing the coding interview, as no one will ask them. 

Inadequate Video Explanations

Not all questions get enough explanation in the videos. 

And overall, the videos take the topics to an advanced level. So you must have a core programming background to understand them. 

Boring UI/UX & IDE

The user interface is such that it can be a bit stressful to navigate pages as the UI is rather clumsy. 

The IDE is straight, plain and less attractive than on platforms like Algoexpert. 

NeetCode Pros

If you sift out the pain points of NeetCode, you will find a lot to like about the platform.

Beginner Friendly

Unlike LeetCode, NeetCode allows even green hands to smoothly transition to programming.

The courses start from the basics and gradually get more advanced.

The best part is that NeetCode provides a plan for you to follow to master data structure and algorithms.

So you don’t have to suffer decision paralysis because of the sheer number of courses and practice challenges on the platform. 

Beautiful UI

Once you head into NeetCode’s websites, you’ll immediately be able to find your way around the platform.

The courses are lined up, and you can get in and out quickly from the pages.

You also don’t get bombarded with many tabs at a time, unlike in LeetCode. 

Well Structured Courses

When you head into NeetCode, you can be confident that you are not merely picking random courses or learning without a pattern.

All the topics have been resolved into five significant courses; within them, numerous challenges can hone your skills. 

Lifetime Access

Having a platform, you can always fall back on in your coding journey is never a bad idea.

And the fee for lifetime access is not exorbitant. You can even purchase it for a discount here. 

Multiple Programming Languages 

Multiple programming languages help aspiring SWEs solve code in any language they are proficient in without requiring them to learn a new programming dialect. NeetCode has up to 14 programming languages. 

Leetcode Pros

LeetCode might be a mixed bag, but it still needs to shine in some areas. It has some nifty features you won’t find elsewhere (and I mean anywhere else)

Plenty of Interview Questions

If numbers were everything, LeetCode would be the winner. The few thousands of questions on the platform make it highly likely that when you go for your interview (s), you might be presented with a question you have solved before on LeetCode. 

The killer feature here is the company-specific search. You can choose to focus on questions from a particular tech company.

Then there is the filter by frequency. You can select questions based on how often they appear in interview sessions. Only LeetCode has it among all the coding interview prep platforms available. 

Mock Assessment

Mock assessment is available to premium users. The evaluation is grouped according to companies, giving you an experience of what to expect.

Community

Access to the community is another perk that is unlocked for premium subscribers. 

The community has a great inclusion: there is a search button you can use to look for hints to the problem you are solving. 

Free Version

LeetCode’s free version is a highly sought-after feature that allows you access to many practice challenges. However, it’s constrained and can only go so far in helping your preparation. 

Interview Opportunities on the Platform

LeetCode wasn’t built only for aspiring programmers. It’s also a talent scout platform where companies roam to find potential employees.

By signing up for the premium plans, you can get yourself added to the leaderboards as you successfully solve more problems. Your score increases in relation to other users on the platform, and you can get a chance to stand out.  

Wrapping Up

The main takeaway from this NeetCode vs. LeetCode review is that the latter provides users with far more guidance in their preparation.

NeetCode has far more video explanations, a more accessible and intuitive UI, and more free resources.

And that’s not all. Only NeetCode will allow you to pay for lifetime access to the content.

On the other hand, LeetCode has all the coding questions in this world (hyperbolically) but, for the most part, leaves you to cut out your path yourself with little assistance in the form of mentorship or explanations.

It’s also not for beginners, unlike NeetCode, which doesn’t need you to have a core background in programming. You will need to learn a programming language, of course, but NeetCode doesn’t demand more than that. 

Based on all those facts, I see no reason not to recommend NeetCode over LeetCode. The former has all the features that count the most, and the only real gripe I have with NeetCode is the need for an IDE.

And when NeetCode does include an IDE in the future, the gap between it and LeetCode in terms of ease-of-life experience will only widen.

Or what do you think?