And as a new coder, you’re probably wondering which is better: Codecademy vs Udacity.
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TLDR: Codecademy vs Udacity
Codecademy Pro is an interactive platform with a focus on beginner and intermediate programmers using courses and paths.
Udacity is generally geared towards leveling up existing tech skills with its multi-course Nanodegree program.
Remote learning is more popular now than ever.
And in the world of computer programming, you don’t need a college degree to get a good, high-paying job.
So that means there are a lot of educational platforms out there. But which one is right for you?
Today we’re looking at Codecademy vs Udacity. And we’re breaking them down by:
- learning style (text or video-based)
- learning paths
- code editor features
- courses offered
- certificate of completion
- cost
And much more.
From there, you’ll decide which platform is best to take you on your programming journey.
🥊💥 Vital Stats
You can’t have a proper Codecademy vs Udacity face-off without some cold hard facts.
| Codecademy Pro | Udacity | |
| Text-Based | ✅ | ❌ |
| Video-Based | ❌ | ✅ |
| Skill Paths | ✅ | ❌ |
| Career Paths | ✅ | ❌ |
| Nanodegree | ❌ | ✅ |
| Integrated Code Editor | ✅ | ❌ |
| Certificate of Completion | ✅ | ✅ (for nanodegrees only) |
| Courses | 70+ | 195+ |
| Cost | About $240/year access to all curriculum | $200+/month nanodegree |
✨ Codecademy Pro
What is Codecademy?
Codecademy is a text-based education platform offering over 70 courses in 14 programming languages:
- JavaScript
- C++
- Bash/Shell
- PHP
- Python
- Swift
- Ruby
- Java
- Kotlin
- SQL
- Go
- R
- C#
- HTML & CSS
“I thought Codecademy was free.”
While there are some free courses available, they are geared more towards newbies. But we’ve found that most people outgrow them quickly.
However, the free courses can be a benefit for anyone starting out. You can learn what programming languages you want to pursue.
And from there, work on some more challenging courses with Codecademy Pro.
📚 Codecademy Pro
In addition to individual courses, Codecademy Pro offers complete access to the platform including:
- Full Course Catalog
- Skill Paths
- Career Paths
Now let’s take a closer look.
➡️ Courses
Over 70 courses are included in the Codecademy Pro plan. And new courses are added regularly.
These courses cover basics like Intro to JavaScript all the way up to advanced topics like Technical Interview Practice with Python.
Each course tackles multiple concepts.
And they use various learning methods:
–interactive lessons
–projects
–quizzes
And some of the more difficult concepts contain video explanations.
Some lessons also include articles.
For example, let’s take a quick peek at the course Learn Python 3.
i. Interactive Lessons
Each lesson contains:
🔷 explanation of a concept 🔷 coding instructions
🔷 concept review 🔷 community forums
ii. Projects
Many platforms offer one or two projects to work on per course. But with Codecademy Pro, you’ll create one or two projects per lesson.
iii. Quizzes
Quizzes in Codecademy Pro contain a series of multiple choice questions.
➡️ Skill Paths
Skill paths are an organized collection of courses to help you develop a specific skill. These paths typically take about 3 months to complete.
And just like the courses, you’ll learn with a series of interactive lessons, projects, quizzes and videos.
There are currently 13 skill paths on Codecademy Pro:
| 🔹Analyze Data with Python | 🔹 Visualize Data with Python | 🔹Build Chatbots with Python |
| 🔹 Analyze Data with R | 🔹Create Video Games with Phaser.js | 🔹Build Basic Android Apps with Java |
| 🔹 Analyze Data with SQL | 🔹Create a Front-End App with React | 🔹Build a Machine Learning Model with Python |
| 🔹 Analyze Financial Data with Python | 🔹Create a Back-End App with JavaScript | 🔹Build a Website with HTML, CSS & GitHub Pages |
| 🔹Pass the Technical Interview with JavaScript |
➡️ Career Paths
Career paths are designed to help you develop in-depth foundational knowledge of your career goals.
Similar to individual courses, career paths contain lessons, quizzes and projects so you can learn and practice real-world skills.
Codecademy Pro offers 4 career paths:
🔷 Code Foundations – computer science history, career exploration, applications
🔷 Computer Science – learn data structures and algorithms, master Python
🔷 Data Science – learn Python and SQL, query, analyze and visualize data
🔷 Web Development – learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript and SQL
Career paths typically take about 6-12 weeks to complete.
Code Editor
The Codecademy Pro embedded code editor features:
🔹Dark mode – Dark mode is a must-have when coding for hours on end. It looks good. Plus, it reduces eye strain.
🔹Syntax highlighting – Proper syntax highlighting is used for the programming language you’re working with.
🔹 Autocomplete – While this is a great option for seasoned programmers, newbies might want to use an outside code editor like Sublime or Brackets. And then paste your written code into the Codecademy Pro editor.
Certificate of Completion
Certificates of completion are available at the completion of any course, career or skill path on Codecademy Pro.
💰 Cost
You can get Codecademy Pro for about $240 a year, or about $20 per month.
This will give you complete access to the platform including:
- over 70 courses
- 13 skill paths
- 4 career paths
- certificate of completion
- community resources
And More.
For everything you get, Codecademy Pro offers a good bang for your buck.
👉 Check out Codecademy Pro here.
Want to know more? Check out our full Codecademy Pro review.
✨ Udacity
What is Udacity?
Udacity is a video-based learning platform containing:
- Courses
- Nanodegrees
Note: Because they contain extended curriculum and features, the nanodegrees cost money.
“But I thought Udacity was free.”
Individual courses are free. However, their nanodegree program is not.
Courses
Udacity currently offers almost 200 courses in 6 categories:
🔷 Programming and Development 🔷 Artificial Intelligence
🔷 Cloud Computing 🔷 Data Science 🔷 Career
🔷 Autonomous Systems
These courses contain:
–interactive lessons
–quizzes
And because they’re video courses, they’re ideal for visual learners.
➡️ Interactive Lessons
The interactive lessons contain explanations and how-to instructions on various topics.
For example, in their Intro to JavaScript course you:
- learn about the concept
- watch the explanation
- try it out yourself
➡️ Quizzes
These interactive quizzes come in:
🔹multiple choice 🔹drag-and-drop 🔹code your solutions
For example, here’s a coding quiz in the course Intro to JavaScript:
In the battle of Codecademy vs Udacity, we think the Udacity quizzes win the pot.
📚 Nanodegree Program
“So what is a nanodegree?”
A nanodegree is a course of study that’s typically completed within 4 months. This is similar to Codecademy Pro’s career paths.
But is Udacity accredited?
Udacity is not accredited. So this means their nanodegree program doesn’t count towards college credits.
Nanodegrees Offered
Udacity offers 52 nanodegrees in 6 catgories:
🔹Data Science 🔹Artificial Intelligence 🔹Programming
🔹Autonomous Systems 🔹Cloud Computing 🔹Business
And in each category are multiple options.
For example, in the Programming category there are 14 nanodegrees offered:
| Cloud DevOps Engineer | Front End Web Developer | Full Stack Web Developer |
| Java Developer | Cloud Developer | C++ |
| Data Structures & Algorithms | Data Engineer | Introduction to Programming |
| iOS Developer | React | Block Chain Developer |
| Android Developer | Android Basics |
And within these programs, you’ll learn a variety of skills from industry leaders. Plus they’ll provide:
👍 interview preparation 👍 resume help 👍 GitHub review
👍 job search assistance 👍 monthly 1-on-1 calls
👍 feedback 👍 LinkedIn optimization
You’ll also learn how to:
- build portfolio-ready projects
- use new tools
- advance your web developer career
- focus skills on areas such as blockchain and full stack development
And much more.
Nanodegrees are useful for honing in and leveling up your skills. But there’s a catch: You have to pay for each nanodegree course you want to take.
And with over 50 nanodegree courses, this can end up costing thousands.
So because these nanodegrees aren’t accredited, you need to decide if it’s worth your financial investment.
Code Editor
Udacity doesn’t have a code editor, so you’ll need to download one.
Certificate of Completion
Udacity does not offer certificates of completion for courses.
However, it does offer a certificate of completion for nanodegrees.
💰 Cost
Nanodegree programs cost anywhere from $200 per month and up. And that’s for only 4 months of access. But if you bundle nanodegrees or pay up front, you can get a discount.
👉 You can check out Udacity.
🥊💥 CODECADEMY vs UDACITY: CONCLUSION
So in the battle of Codecademy vs Udacity, which do we recommend?
We made our decision based on:
☑️ learning style ☑️ learning paths ☑️ code editor
☑️ features ☑️ courses ☑️ certificate ☑️ cost
Codecademy Pro is text-based with an integrated code editor. You get more features for less money than Udacity.
And for about $240 per year you get complete access to the Codecademy platform.
Udacity offers free courses with limited features. And while their nanodegree programs offer concentrated learning, they’re too expensive to justify the cost of $200+ per month with limited 4-month access.
So when it comes to Codecademy vs Udacity…
🔔 Codecademy Pro is the clear winner. 🔔
Up Next: Codecademy vs Pluralsight [Is Codecademy Worth It?]
Is Udacity accredited?
Udacity is not accredited. So while a nanodegree will give you centralized focus on a particular skill, it does not count towards a college degree. Whereas some employers may consider an extracurricular nanodegree to be a sign of discipline and dedication, you shouldn’t depend on it to land your next job.
Is a Udacity nanodegree worth it?
Udacity nanodegrees cost anywhere from $200 per month and up for a 4-month program. And with over 50 nanodegree courses, this can quickly lead to spending thousands of dollars to hone your skills. But if you decide to take one of their nanodegree courses, you’ll qualify for their 1-on-1 support. They’ll also help with your resume and review your GitHub portfolio.
Is Udacity worth it?
Udacity has over 195 free video courses. They also have a nanodegree program. The nanodegrees cost upwards of $200 per month for a 4-month program. And they do offer benefits like 1-on-1 support, resume help, job search assistance and a GitHub portfolio review. But Udacity is not accredited, so their nanodegrees are merely symbolic. So while we recommend some of their free courses, we don’t recommend the financial investment in the nanodegree.
Which is better Codecademy vs Udacity?
Codecademy Pro is text-based with an integrated code editor. You get more features for less money than Udacity. And for about $240 per year you get complete access to the Codecademy platform. Conversely, Udacity offers free courses with limited features. And while their nanodegree programs offer concentrated learning, they’re too expensive to justify the cost of $200+ per month with limited 4-month access. So when it comes to Codecademy vs Udacity, Codecademy Pro is the clear winner.