Hackerrank vs. Leetcode – Which is better?
Popular online talent marketplaces and prep platforms like Hackerrank and Leetcode are in a race to satisfy the increasing demands of the tech industry.
There is a lot of competition among tech candidates for the available jobs.
At the same time, there is more pressure on tech enterprises to optimize their hiring process to select the most qualified people.
Depending on your needs, you can expect Hackerrank and Leetcode to outperform themselves in different areas.
And that’s the focus of this review. We will examine these platforms based on the following headings; overview, target audience, differences, pros, and cons.
We will wrap up with a brief consideration of which platform can be the best alternative to either Hackerrank or Leetcode.
Let’s begin.
Overview of Hackerrank
Hackerrank (HR) is an online platform for developers and companies or businesses scouting for talents.
Hackerrank has quite a history. It started in 2009 as Interview street and was founded by Vivek Ravisanker and Hari Karunanidhi.
They had noticed a disconnect in the technical recruiting system—jobs were going to the wrong candidates.
So they set out on a mission to build a technical assessment and ranking system that would allow candidates with the right skills to be given proper recognition.
Hackerrank is like a coding public square. There are millions of developers, and programmers, name them, solving coding problems furiously round the clock.
It’s a place to showcase one’s skill and get flagged as a competent talent fit to work with big tech companies like the ones in the FAANG category.
There are thousands of questions, challenges, and contests on the platform.
Today, many companies around the world, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and VMWare, among others, flock to HR in search of qualified coders and developers.
Hackerrank aims to be the industry standard for assessing developer skills and managing technical recruitment.
To that end, it provides various tools and features to help recruiters evaluate candidates based not just on their resumes but on the depth of their skill set as well.
Overview of Leetcode
Leetcode is a technical interview prep platform and a hunting ground for tech companies.
Percy Chang founded Leetcode in 2011 in Silicon Valley. It has a team of developers and business experts from the US, China, Canada, and India at its helm.
Today, Leetcode is among the platforms top tech companies turn to when looking for qualified developers.
Leetcode provides a structured way of learning coding and other programming topics.
It offers a vast library of questions that we will consider later. It provides interview prep and many extras like community, badges, notes, etc.
On the recruiting side, it also helps companies identify top technical talents. It does this by providing online assessments, sponsoring contests, and providing training.
Hackerrank vs. Leetcode – Differences
Hackerrank and Leetcode have many similarities but are also different in several aspects.
In this section, let’s talk about their significant differences.
Supported Programming Languages
Hackerrank supports up to 40 programming languages while Leetcode is below 23.
Coding Interface
Hackerrank and Leetcode both have a good coding interface.
The code editor is interactive on both platforms. Users can run code on custom test cases and receive instant feedback.
The coding interface is also not plagued with icons jam-packed into one another.
However, in Hackerrank, when you run the code for your test case, it only runs your solution. Leetcode runs the correct answer so you can instantly know whether you are right or not.
Coding Problems
Coding problems are beyond surplus on both platforms.
But Leetcode dominates here. It has more than 2400 questions compared to Hackerrank’s respectable 1600.
Contests
Contests are courtesy of both Leetcode and Hackerrank.
Contests are held regularly every few months, and the top performers are displayed on the website.
On both platforms, participating in contests is a great way to boost your profile and increase your chances of getting a job.
Learning Resources
The learning resources a platform has can tell a lot about the kind of training a learning platform provides and how to get the most out of it.
On Leetcode, aside from the tutorial videos, the community is a vast resource. But that’s all.
Hackerrank goes much further to provide blogs on best hiring practices, job-hunting tips, industry insights, and so on.
There is also a vast resource library that contains guides, datasheets, and data-driven content for making the best hires.
And sometimes, there are webinars, on-demand events, and live chats with experts.
Finally, there’s a what’s new tab for checking the updates from Hackerrank’s website.
Certification
Leetcode doesn’t provide certification, but Hackerrank does.
In Hackerrank, you can be given certificates after you take certification courses. The problem is that failing a certification test will ruin future attempts on Hackerrank.
Interview Prep
Hackerrank does well in its interview prep features. Depending on the time they have before interviews, users can take a one-week preparation kit, a one-month preparation kit, or a three-month preparation kit.
Leetcode has similar provisions. It has a library of potential interview questions. It has expert-curated study plans to ace interviews for two weeks, three weeks, 75 days, etc. To the discussion.
In addition to that, there are company-specific interview prep sessions.
Cost
Both platforms differ widely in their costs. Hackerrank is entirely free for developers. Only companies get to pay for hosting assessments and conducting interviews.
Leetcode, however, has a free but elementary version and a paid one. You wouldn’t get much from it until you upgrade.
Who is Hackerrank for?
Hackerrank is for a broad category of people who are into programming and all that stuff.
Examples include programmers, recruiters, and those who are just programming enthusiasts.
As we continue, we’ll go into more depth about the specific types of people who could use Hackerrank.
Hackerrank for Programmers
Hackerrank’s design has much focus on programmers.
Programmers at any level can learn programming courses, get certifications, and even study what is trending in the industry and how to redefine their learning plans in the future.
A closer look at what Hackerrank has in store for programmers will explain better.
For newbies, Hackerrank has the suggestion feature that brings the in-demand programming skills to the surface. This is very helpful as it helps beginners know precisely what to start with to start their programming careers.
At the same time, as you learn with Hackerrank, your progress is visible to potential employers roaming the platform for new talents.
Intermediate programmers are not left out. They can take the courses the platform provides to update their knowledge.
They also have the community at their disposal if they have any tricky spots. Users can flaunt their skills and get performance and progress feedback.
Advanced programmers are also in for a treat. Hackerrank’s insight feature helps them to keep abreast of job trends in the industry.
And certification courses on the platform play their part in helping to make a programmer’s CV stand out.
Hackerrank for Employers and Interviewers
Hackerrank is aiming to be the go-to choice of talent marketplace for recruiters.
Hackerrank has over 18 million developers ranked on their performance and other metrics.
Employers can set their interview questions, candidates can solve them, and the results will be shared with the recruiter.
Talk about live interviews, live training sessions, business projects, and so on; Hackerrank has provision for all of that.
Hackerrank for Programming Enthusiasts
Solving challenges can be an excellent way to pass the time. It exercises the mental faculties in a way that can be fun.
So you don’t need to be a job hunter or in search of certification. You can hop on the platform and play around with the programming questions.
Hackerrank for Certification
Hackerrank is an excellent place to look into when you don’t have much experience but want better luck impressing your potential employers.
Hackerrank for Instructors
Hackerrank is an excellent place to host courses as a programming instructor.
The platform provides tools for student engagement and interaction, allowing instructors to assess students’ progress and skills through a live coding environment.
The live tools provided can also be used to focus more on a student or a group of students
Hackerrank for Job Seekers
Hackerrank also beckons job seekers. Because of its rather specific methods of ranking candidates, big companies, including many among the Fortune 100, use Hackerrank to source talents.
To vie for the top positions in Hackerrank’s leaderboard, a candidate must continue to add value to himself.
Taking the certification courses can significantly boost one’s chances of landing their dream job. If they clear all the tests, they may find a spot near the top wanted positions.
Who is Leetcode for?
One way Leetcode is similar to Hackerrank is that it is also for programmers and developers.
However, the range of people it is designed for is slightly narrower than that of Hackerrank.
I will now go through the list of people that can use Leetcode.
Amateur Programmers Who Want to Advance their Knowledge
Leetcode is brimming with programming topics from basic to complex.
Arrays, graphs, trees, dynamic programming, etc., are just some of the numerous concepts found in Leetcode.
A significant change that fans of Leetcode will welcome is the addition of videos. Previously, Leetcode was all text, but now there are video explanations of the concepts.
The explore feature is also another assistant to upgrading one’s knowledge.
It highlights featured topics you might want to consider starting with before moving on to more complex cases.
For practice to flex and build your coding muscles, there are up to 2,400 questions.
If you get stuck, there is a vast community you can always turn to for help on your questions.
Advanced Programmers Who Need the Spotlight
For advanced programmers, several features are designed to make them stand out.
Once you join Leetcode, your profile will start displaying your stats, such as your progress, achievements, and rankings.
Additionally, Leetcode holds contests, and the results are shared via the contest tab for all—recruiters included.
Recruiters
Leetcode has a long list of recruiters that regularly source for potential employees on it.
Employers can conduct online interviews on it like, though not exactly like, Hackerrank.
Besides that, Leetcode empowers companies and businesses to do things like sponsoring Leetcode contests. They can also get access to talent assessment solutions.
Job Seekers
Job seekers have their fair share of attention as well.
There are many interview prep sessions on Leetcode that job hunters can take advantage of.
On Leetcode, these interview prep sessions come in video format and are grouped according to the company. There is one for Google, Uber, Facebook, and so on.
The question bank also consists of company-specific companies.
All of that, added to the fact that companies regularly come looking for candidates on Leetcode, make the platform an excellent place to start job-hunting from.
Hackerrank Pros and Cons
Hackerrank, like every other platform, has its fair share of good points and ugly sides.
Here is a breakdown of what we like and hate about Hackerrank.
Pros
Certification
Yeah, Hackerrank is the place to go if you’re eager to add a certificate to your resume and impress potential employers more.
Besides, as you work to get your certificate, it adds to your achievements which are displayed on your profile for employers to see.
Clear-cut and Expansive Guide for Companies
Tech companies and businesses can get a lot of help from Hackerrank to plan their hiring process better.
Hackerrank’s main products are made just for that.
They break down the hiring process into its main components and clearly define what each part entails and how to apply it to your talent search.
Mostly Free for Developers
Almost everybody loves free things. And that’s what Hackerrank caters to. Everything on the platform is free.
From the most straightforward lessons, tutorials, and challenges to the most complex, you don’t have to pay a dime.
You need to pay when you want to register for an upcoming career fair.
Has More Involvement With Companies.
Hackerrank is where many companies like to pitch their hopes in to find the most qualified people.
These companies can submit their assessments to Hackerrank and invite developers on the platform to participate.
Is it interviews? You can have live discussions with candidates and evaluate them on the go as they showcase their coding skills.
Every Problem Has its Solution Worked Out.
This is something that cannot be said about Leetcode. You can find the answer to every question in Hackerrank in the editorial tab.
Cons
Wordy Explanations
Hackerrank doesn’t go straight to the main points. When using it, you can spot many unnecessary phases used to express just one idea.
No System Design Training
Hackerrank focuses mainly on data structure and algorithms but lacks system design training.
Many of the Problems are Not Mentally Challenging. Enough
Many of the questions are not mentally tasking enough. If anything, it’s just like passing a check that confirms you are good at coding and data structure.
They don’t make one think hard and logically.
No Videos
I feel this is something that you have to watch out for if you are someone who likes to learn with videos.
All the tutorials are text-based, and the danger is that they can get boring sometimes.
Leetcode Pros and Cons
There’s a reason why many companies and developers are attracted to Leetcode.
Many that have passed through the platform have a lot of good things to say about it.
Let’s talk about the pros now.
Pros
Video Explanations are Finally Available
Tutorials on Leetcode have long been based solely on text.
But now, videos are available for a more interactive and visually engaging experience.
Huge Library of Questions
Leetcode has been adding to the questions count on its website. There are over 2400 questions touching on every aspect of coding and other essential topics.
Community Support
Community support has long been a fan-favorite feature of Leetcode. With the community, you don’t have to crack your brain on everything.
You can always reach out for help when you are stuck on anything.
Lessons are Straight to the Point
This is one area where Leetcode beats Hackerrank.
Leetcode explanations do not beat around the bush and so use only as much grammar as is needed to convey ideas.
Better Testing Environment
It’s easy to see how Leetcode differs in this regard from Hackerrank when you use the code editor.
Like I said earlier, Hackerrank only runs your solution when you submit the custom test case. Leetcode runs the correct answer as well for you to see.
Cons
Leetcode is a behemoth of a question database, but that doesn’t manage to make up for the deficiencies we’ll now discuss.
Free Version is Very Limited
Leetcode is exhaustive, but not until you pay for the premium version.
Unlike in Hackerrank, you can’t go far if you’re relying on Leetcode’s free version.
The credibility of Many of the Questions is Questionable
Yes, that’s because many of these questions are added by the users. It might not be a big deal, but you must be careful not to set your hopes too high.
Not the Place for Certification
No. Not Leetcode. For that, you have to use Hackerrank. So if you need certification to take your resume to the next level, look elsewhere.
Best Interview Prep Course
Hackerrank and Leetcode both have some impressive specs to consider. The former aims to have it all. Talent scouting platform, developers hub, tons of challenges, and learning resources, name.
Leetcode also tries hard to make an impression, but the truth is, both of them still fall short of the title of best interview prep platform.
That honor goes to Tech Interview Pro, an interview prep platform developed by Patrick Shyu, also known as Techlead.
The course fixes a major flaw that many other interview prep courses, Hackerrank and Leetcode included, have.
And that’s in the aspect of soft skills.
Soft skills include communicating well with others, teamwork, empathy, leadership, and so on.
As someone who has worked as an interviewer and screened hundreds of candidates, Techlead knows just how soft critical skills are in addition to your technical skills.
Think of it: if you’re lagging in some technical aspects, you can be trained in a few months on the job, but that’s not possible with soft skills.
And with your mastery of soft skills, you can maneuver your way even if you lack some technical aspects.
Tech Interview Pro is undoubtedly the recommendation if you want training in all aspects of passing an interview.
For more information on the course and everything it packs, check it out here.
It’s not too expensive, especially in the long run. You can get the course for $997 or $597 now and access all its goodies for as long as the system exists.
Wrapping Up
By now, I’m sure you must have all the information you need to make a well-informed choice.
Leetcode?Hackerrank? Tech Interview Pro?
Leetcode has all the practice problems and video explanations, but it will not fetch you as much publicity as Hackerrank.
Hackerrank is the one with all the hype with its LinkedIn-like emphasis on talent sourcing and job hunting, but it won’t teach you any soft skills.
All three platforms have pros and cons, but Tech Interview Pro appears to have the best balance of the trio.
Related
