AlgoExpert vs. Leetcode – Which program is better?
Algoexpert is a video-based platform for brushing up on software development and coding-related topics, especially for interview sake.
Algoexpert is relatively niche and focuses mainly on data structures and algorithms. The course itself is one of five courses put together by Clement Mihailescu for learning software topics.
The other four are System Expert, ML Expert, Frontend Expert, and Programming Expert.
The course platform is fairly new as it launched in 2017 but to date, it has helped a lot of people get jobs in FAANG companies.
Let’s shift the focus to Leetcode now. Leetcode was created by Percy Chang in Silicon Valley to be a preparatory aid for tech interviews as well as a ranking platform showcasing the very best developers for companies searching for competent hands.
The platform has been around since 2011 and many find it a handy addition to their resources for tech interview prep.
Leetcode is essentially a huge library of questions and little else. There are no courses, video or otherwise.
But it also features assessments, contests, and even a leaderboard showing the top winners based on metrics like who has solved the most questions, the highest scorers, and so on.
Algoexpert and Leetcode differ in a lot of ways. First, Algoexpert gives full training in the form of video courses unlike in Leetcode where you can only solve questions.
Then, in my opinion, Algoexpert has more features dedicated to helping you pass interviews, take mock interviews, and behavioral video tips for example.
On the flip side, Leetcode is more of a hall-of-fame environment where you engage in contests, get scored, and are ranked by your peers.
AlgoExpert vs LeetCode Comparison
Algoexpert and Leetcode are very dissimilar platforms for basically the same task but they share many of the features we have come to expect of an interview prep platform such as programming questions, community, interview questions, and a coding interface.
Let’s discuss their take on those features.
1. Programming Questions
Each platform on its own has plenty of programming questions but when compared side by side, a clear winner emerges.
Algoexpert has 160+ questions on every aspect of data structures and algorithms but the real elephant here is Leetcode.
Leetcode has over 2200 questions on nearly every aspect of software development. Is it binary trees, graphs, arrays, et cetera, Leetcode has it all.
It will be nearly impossible to run out of problems for self-practice if you are using Leetcode.
And it’s not just in the numbers that Leetcode leads. When it comes to sheer organization, it also has the upper hand.
Leetcode has a section full of the most likely programming questions that different companies ask in their interviews. You can then focus your attention on a particular company’s most likely questions.
2. Community Discussions
Communities are one of the most sought-after features in any course platform, tech or otherwise.
Leetcode has one of the most robust communities in any tech interview platform.
Algoexpert on the other hand doesn’t have an official community of its own but you can come across Algoexpert users like you on Discord.
One thing I noticed on Leetcode is that there is a discussion board for every question where you can give your opinions on a question and ask for help on a difficult problem.
All in all, Leetcode has a fine community which is a boon since no one can know everything or even learn everything on their own.
3. Interview Questions
This is another area where the two platforms take different approaches.
On Algoexpert, the interview questions are in the coding interview assessment which you have to take after completing the usual coding topics on Algoexpert.
The interview assessments simulate a day of real-life interviews. You get to solve two questions for four hours, take a one-hour break and solve another two questions for the next four hours.
You also get a behavioral interview prep with Algoexpert that comprises videos with answers to behavioral interview questions.
On Leetcode, there are a whole lot of questions under the interview category. They are specially formulated to match the standard of the average tech company.
One neat feature of Leetcode is that you can engage in an interview simulation where you select a company and they give you a sample question.
4. Pricing
Algoexpert costs $49 annually for unrestricted access to the course contents.
Leetcode has a free plan which many people love but the more useful features like interview simulation and company-specific questions are only available in the premium version.
The premium version costs $35 per month for a monthly subscription. For an annual subscription, all you will pay is $159 every year.
5. Coding Interface
The coding interface on both platforms is also different enough to comment on.
Leetcode’s coding interface is pretty plain with a barebones arrangement of computer statements.
Algoexpert has a more beautifully designed and user-friendly UI for the coding interface.
It allows you to choose everything at your convenience such as programming language, syntax highlighting, font sizes, theme color, and so on.
Is LeetCode Premium Worth It?
In a word, yes. Leetcode premium unlocks access to more than two thousand coding questions that can expose you to a lot of perspectives.
Many have tried Leetcode and found that it worked well for them. It does require a lot of discipline and diligence to benefit from the platform, but at least, you’ll be needing those two qualities in the real job too.
That said, Leetcode may not be all you need for a typical FAANG-level company.
Lesser companies might be content with you showing off your coding and other technical skills—Leetcode is perfect for that—but as you aim higher, you’ll need more than just technical skills.
For instance, you’ll need to have your resume optimized to stand out from the crowd and you also need soft skills like communication skills and decision-making skills for big companies like Google to be sure that you can have a bright future with them.
Is AlgoExpert.io Worth It?
Algoexpert corrects one major flaw of Leetcode since the former features a more interactive video learning experience.
More importantly, though, Algoexpert shows you the patterns that connect the vast majority of coding problems.
That’s far better than solving heaps and heaps of coding problems and can save you much time and stress.
Following Algoexpert’s method has helped over 100,000 software engineers ace their tech interviews. That’s to tell you that Algoexpert is no amateur in the technical interview space.
So yes, Algoexpert is worth it.
Which is Better LeetCode or AlgoExpert? Let’s Decide!
Making the right decision between Algoexpert and Leetcode comes down to picking the one that has the most important features and that has the better style of teaching.
On Leetcode’s side, we have a behemoth of a coding problems library, second only to Hackerrank.
The caveat? Many of those questions are user-supplied, which means there could be errors with them.
Secondly, there are opportunities to participate in contests with other Leetcode users after which your scores will be displayed and ranked on the leaderboard. Pair that with the robust community and Leetcode puts up a solid fight.
Thirdly, the option to pick company-specific questions while preparing for interviews is a nice one.
On Algoexpert’s side, you are forced to have second thoughts about solving all the coding problems in the world if you can go the easier way and learn the patterns or the principles that tie these problems together.
Algoexpert also dabbles with soft skills through its behavioral interview prep which guides you through the proper etiquette to adopt when interviewed and when on the job.
It’s not too comprehensive, but at least, Leetcode doesn’t have any of that.
Then, are contests really important to you? You might not give a dime about challenging someone else as long as it’s clear that you are good at what you do.
Also, Algoexpert’s creator, Clement has established solid connections with top tech companies and he allows Algoexpert users to benefit from that through the recruiting profile provision.
What the recruiting profile does is that once you are registered in it, you become very visible to recruiters. Think of it as being placed toward the front seat so that you can be easily noticed by tech companies.
In summary, Algoexpert has a better style of teaching and more preparatory features. In addition to that, the recruiting profile perk means that you have a good level of post-training support from Algoexpert to make you more visible to large tech companies.
AlgoExpert vs LeetCode: Conclusion
This review has aimed to clarify the strengths and weaknesses of Algoexpert and Leetcode and I’m sure you got value from it.
Simply put, both platforms are for different categories of people striving for the same aim.
I would recommend Leetcode for those who like to participate in challenges and show off their skills.
Algoexpert is better suited to those whose concern is to learn the principles to approach just about any kind of coding problem.
It’s a matter of what you prioritize.
Do feel free to let me know in the comment box below which platform you prefer using and why.
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