SystemsExpert vs Grokking the System Design Interview… Which prep course is better?
FAANG coding interviews are hard enough. But now more than ever, systems design questions are becoming a standard part of their interview process.
Companies like Google and Facebook are unforgiving. They want you to prove your knowledge of complex, large-scale systems that are maintainable and reliable.

Interviewer: Design Netflix.
Interviewee: Oh… Um… okay. Let me just get organized here.
How do you even begin to tackle that?
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๐ฌ Unwrapped ๐ฌ in 30 seconds (TLDR)
So which is the better systems design course – SystemsExpert or Grokking the System Design Interview?
Well, we recommend taking them both.
โก๏ธ Grokking the System Design Interview is text-based. And it has more resources available for systems design basics. So you can start with the fundamentals and build a strong foundation.
There are plenty of interview questions, but the absence of a mock interview scenario may leave you wanting more.
And that can lead you towards being prepared for SystemsExpert.
โก๏ธ SystemsExpert is video-based. Because of this, it moves at a faster pace than Grokking the System Design Interview. It provides a refresher of key terms and concepts, but the meat is in the detailed systems design interview questions.
So you can be confident with the foundation you built from Grokking the System Design Interview. And you can apply that to the SystemsExpert systems design questions.
SystemsExpert vs Grokking the System Design Interview: Comparison
Both courses were created by people that have worked at various FAANG-level companies.
SystemsExpert is a video-based, highly-interactive course. It was created by Clรฉment Mihailescu (ex-Google, ex-Facebook) and Antoine Pourchet (ex-Uber).
And Grokking the System Design Interview is a text-based course with ample media-rich examples. It was created by hiring managers from Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Now let’s take a glace at some basic similarities and differences between the two courses:
Grokking the System Design Interview | SystemsExpert | |
Level | Beginner | Advanced |
Course Style | Text-based | Video-based |
Lessons | 31 | 25 |
Playgrounds | 2 | 0 |
Interactive Workspace | No | Yes |
Code Snippets | 22 | 16 |
Illustrations | 102 | in-video |
Problems | 15 | 13 |
Glossary | Yes | Yes |
Developed by FAANG employees | Current | Former |
Cost | ~$79 for course, $250 for platform | ~$79 for course, $139 for platform |
And now let’s take a closer look at what SystemsExpert and Grokking the System Design Interview have to offer…
SystemsExpert
SystemsExpert is updated regularly with new questions, features and more.
It’s separated into 2 sections: Systems Design Fundamentals and Hand-Picked Questions.
1. Systems Design Fundamentals
You’ll start the SystemsExpert course by watching videos on 25 modules. Each covers a specific concept:
๐ท Leader Election ๐ท Peer-to-Peer Networks ๐ท Configuration
๐ท Hashing ๐ท Load Balancers ๐ท Replication and Sharding
๐ท Polling and Streaming ๐ท Rate Limiting ๐ท MapReduce
๐ท Client-Server Model ๐ท Storage ๐ท Network Protocols
๐ท Logging and Monitoring ๐ท Publish/Subscribe Pattern
๐ท Key-Value Stores ๐ท Relational Databases ๐ท Proxies
๐ท Latency and Throughput ๐ท Caching ๐ท Availability
And more.
Each module contains a video explanation of a systems design concept.

And it’s accompanied by a list of key terms you should be familiar with.
In addition, more difficult concepts include a code example for clarification.

The modules are organized to build upon concepts from previous modules.
2. Hand-Picked Questions
Each question is presented in the form of a mock interview, which is an effective method of interview preparation.
There are 13 hand-picked questions. And you’ll design:
โ๏ธ AlgoExpert โ๏ธ Code-Deployment System โ๏ธ Stockbroker
โ๏ธ Facebook News Feed โ๏ธ Google Drive
โ๏ธ Netflix โ๏ธ Reddit API โ๏ธ Uber API
โ๏ธ Slack โ๏ธ Airbnb
Each question is neatly organized in SystemsExpert’s dark mode 4-pane integrated workspace:
Prompt: Here is where you’ll see the interview question. In addition, you’ll see recommended clarifying questions to ask the interviewer.
Scratchpad: You can write down all notes in an HTML-enabled note-taking window.

Video Solution: This is where you’ll hear the mock interview take place. Clรฉment asks the interviewer clarifying questions. And from there, he writes and draws out solutions as if an actual interview was taking place.
Solution Walkthrough: This list of walkthroughs is used to clarify the explanations in the video. Plus, these are great as a reference point when revisiting the question.
And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s an expandable glossary with about 100 key terms you can easily reference throughout these systems design questions.
New! SystemsExpert now has a 50-question quiz and a systems design certificate.
๐ฐ Cost:
You can get SystemsExpert for about $79 for an annual subscription.
Or you can buy the SystemsExpert & AlgoExpert bundle for about $139 for an annual subscription.
Check out SystemsExpert here. ๐จ Use coupon code realtoughcandy at checkout and save 10%. ๐จ
Want to know more? Check out our full SystemsExpert review.
Grokking the System Design Interview
In contrast to SystemsExpert, Grokking the System Design Interview is geared towards engineers in the earlier stages of systems design.
In addition to a thorough explanation of fundamentals, they also recommend various resources to get more in depth with key concepts. And from there you can graduate to navigating systems design problems.
The course is separated into two sections: System Design Problems and Glossary of System Design Basics.
1. System Design Problems
System Design problems include:
๐ข Web Crawler ๐ข Facebook’s Newsfeed ๐ข Ticketmaster
๐ข Dropbox ๐ข Facebook Messenger ๐ข API Rate Limiter
๐ข YouTube ๐ข Typeahead Suggestion ๐ข Twitter Search
๐ข Uber backend ๐ข Yelp ๐ข Nearby Friends ๐ข Netflix
๐ข URL shortening service ๐ข Pastebin ๐ข Instagram
Each section is broken down into multiple parts using:
๐ป text explanations ๐ป code snippets ๐ป illustrations ๐ป playgrounds
For example, let’s look at Web Crawler.
You’ll learn:
โ๏ธ what a web crawler is
โ๏ธ requirements and goals of the system
โ๏ธ design considerations
โ๏ธ capacity estimation and constraints
โ๏ธ high level design

โ๏ธ detailed component design
โ๏ธ fault tolerance
โ๏ธ data partitioning
โ๏ธ crawler traps
And more.
2. Glossary of System Design Basics
This section covers:
๐ฃ Key Characteristics of Distributed Systems ๐ฃ Load Balancing
๐ฃ Caching ๐ฃ Data Partitioning ๐ฃ Indexes ๐ฃ Proxies
๐ฃ Long-Polling vs WebSockets vs Server-Sent Events
๐ฃ Redundancy and Replication ๐ฃ SQL vs. NoSQL
๐ฃ CAP Theorem ๐ฃ Consistent Hashing
Here you’ll find extensive explanations and uses for each concept.
For example, Load Balancing looks at:
- benefits of load balancing
- load balancing algorithms
- redundant load balancers
- backend health check methods

And more.
New in October 2020!
SystemsExpert now has a 50-question quiz and a systems design certificate.
๐ฐ Cost:
You can buy the Grokking the System Design Interview course for about $79 for lifetime access.
Or get complete access to over 150 courses and learning tracks on the Educative platform for about $21 per month.
Check out Grokking the System Design Interview here.
SystemsExpert vs Grokking the System Design Interview: Conclusion
We recommend taking SystemsExpert and Grokking the System Design Interview when preparing for your systems design interview.
With the expansive resources available on Grokking the System Design Interview, you’ll build a strong foundation of fundamentals.
Plus there are plenty of systems design questions for you to work on. But the lack of mock interview scenarios is something this course is lacking.
However, the questions on SystemsExpert are all mock interview scenarios. And with their refresher of key terms and concepts, it’s a well-rounded course.
So our SystemsExpert vs Grokking the System Design Interview recommendation: Prepare for your systems design interview using both SystemsExpert and Grokking the System Design Interview.
Up Next: Is AlgoExpert worth it in 2020? [AlgoExpert.io review]
Is Grokking the System Design Interview course worth it?
If you’re preparing for a FAANG-level systems design interview, Grokking the System Design Interview course is definitely worth it. This text-based course contains 31 lessons. And you’ll learn systems design basics and key concepts. From there you’ll work on systems design questions asked at real FAANG interviews.
Is SystemsExpert for beginners?
SystemsExpert is not for beginners. It’s geared towards developers preparing for FAANG-level systems design interviews. The video-based course contains 25 modules covering systems design fundamentals. Plus you’ll work on questions asked at actual FAANG interviews. In addition, all questions are presented in mock interview form. And you’ll work on them using the advanced 4-pane integrated workspace.
How do I get a FAANG job?
It all starts with preparation. We recommend these courses: 1. Grokking the System Design Interview. This text-based course covers systems design fundamentals. And has ample resources. Plus you’ll work on systems design questions asked at actual interviews. 2. SystemsExpert is a video-based course. It also covers systems design concepts and questions. Plus, the questions are in an advanced 4-pane integrated work environment.
How good is Grokking the System Design Interview course?
Grokking the System Design Interview is ideal for systems design interview prep. This text-base course covers systems design fundamentals with links to resources. Plus you’ll work on systems design questions asked at actual interviews.
How good is SystemsExpert?
SystemsExpert is a must-have course for systems design interview preparation. It’s video-based and covers 25 key systems design concepts. From there you’ll work on systems design questions asked at actual FAANG interviews. And you’ll do all work in an advanced 4-pane integrated workspace. Plus, it’s regularly updated with new questions and features.