Hello guys, Interview preparation and upskilling in 2026 look very different from a few years ago. Companies now expect engineers to be strong not just in coding, but also in system design, architecture tradeoffs, communication, and real world problem solving.
This is where modern learning platforms like Educative, ByteByteGo, and Exponent stand out.
Instead of scattered tutorials, they offer structured paths, practical examples, and interview focused practice that mirrors what top tech companies actually test.
Educative, ByteByteGo, and Exponent have become three of the most trusted platforms for developers aiming to level up their careers. Each one focuses on a different but complementary area, which makes them especially powerful when used together.
In last 5 years, I’ve personally tried all three platforms and each offers something unique for Software engineers preparing for FAANG level interviews or aiming to grow into senior or architect-level roles.
The best part? All of them are offering massive discounts as part of their YEAR End and NEW YEAR sale that you won’t find again for the rest of the year.
This means, if you always wanted to join ByteByteGo,Educative.io or Exponent then now is the best time to join them. They are offering anywhere from 40 to 60% discounts on awesome deals for this Christmas and New Year period.
Let’s break down why you should join these platforms on 2026?
Why Join Educative, ByteByteGo and Exponent in 2026?
The simple answer to this question is to prepare well for both System Design and Coding interviews to get a job in FAANG companies, which is dream of every software engineers out there. Now, let’s go a little bit deeper to find out what are USPs of each of these three platforms and what they offer.
1. ByteByteGo: System Design Done Right
If system design interviews are your biggest challenge, ByteByteGo is hard to beat. It focuses almost entirely on helping engineers understand how large scale systems are designed in the real world.
Concepts like load balancing, caching, databases, messaging systems, consistency, and scalability are explained visually and step by step.
ByteByteGo is especially useful for mid level and senior engineers who already know how to code but struggle to clearly explain design decisions during interviews. The content is concise, practical, and aligned with how architects think.
Their Lifetime Plan at 50% off during year end and New Year sales is particularly attractive. One payment gives you permanent access, which is rare and valuable if you want a long term system design reference.
Here is the link to get discount — ByteByteGo Lifetime Plan (50% OFF)
2. Educative: Structured Learning That Actually Sticks
Educative.io is ideal if you prefer learning by reading, coding, and experimenting rather than watching endless videos.
Its interactive text based courses make it easy to go deep into topics like data structures, system design, distributed systems, cloud, and now AI engineering.
One of Educative’s biggest strengths is its breadth. You can prepare for coding interviews, learn backend and frontend fundamentals, explore machine learning, or practice real world system design, all on one platform.
Here are my favorite Educative courses for System Design and FAANG interviews:
- Grokking the Modern System Design Interview
- Grokking the Low-Level Design Interview Using OOD Principles
- Grokking the API Design Interview
- Grokking the API Design Interview
Educative also offers hands-on labs, cloud sandboxes, and AI powered features that help explain concepts, review your answers, and guide you when you are stuck.
As part of their year end and New Year promotions, Educative is offering 55% off Premium Plus for 2 years, which gives full access to courses, projects, labs, and AI features. This makes it a strong long term investment for developers planning consistent growth in 2026.
Here is the link to get discount — 👉 Educative Premium Plus (55% OFF)
3. Exponent: Practice Like a Real Interview
Exponent shines when it comes to interview realism. It focuses on coding interviews, system design interviews, and behavioral interviews, all taught by engineers from top tech companies.
What really sets Exponent apart is its emphasis on mock interviews and structured feedback.
If you already know the theory but freeze during interviews, Exponent helps bridge that gap. You learn how to communicate your thinking, ask clarifying questions, and handle follow ups confidently.
Exponent’s Annual Plan at 70% off during their year end and New Year discounts makes it one of the most cost effective ways to practice real interview scenarios with guidance.
Here is the link to get discount — Exponent Annual Plan (70% OFF)
Complementary System Design Interview Platforms Worth Considering
While Educative, ByteByteGo, and Exponent form a strong core, a few other platforms can further accelerate your preparation:
- Codemia focuses on structured coding practice and patterns, with a Lifetime Plan at 60% off. This is a site which provides Leetcode like experience for System Design interview prep. They have drawing tools as well as AI assistance plus evaluator to check your System Design solution. They also have biggest collection of System Design questions from various companies including FAANG.
- DesignGurus offers deep dives into system design and architecture interviews, with an All Course Bundle at 55% off. They are the creator of original Grokking the System Design interview course which is considered holy grail of System Design interview prep. Right now they are offering huge discount which means another great deal for FAANG aspirants.
- Bugfree.ai — AI powered mock interviews for honing your interview and articulation skills. Highly recommend for System design rount of interview to present your architecture in clean and concise manner.
Why 2026 Is the Right Time to Join Educative, ByteByteGo, and Exponent?
Last 3 years have been very turbulent for Software engineers. With massive layoffs, the competition on have increased multiple fold and the hiring bar is not getting lower.
Interviews are testing deeper understanding, clearer communication, and stronger system thinking.
Joining platforms like Educative, ByteByteGo, and Exponent now gives you time to build those skills gradually instead of cramming at the last minute.
With year end and New Year discounts offering 50% to 70% off, this is one of the best opportunities to invest in your career at a fraction of the usual cost.
Whether your goal is a better job, a higher salary, or simply becoming a stronger engineer, these platforms give you a structured and proven path to get there in 2026.
And, if you just want to join one platform, I recommend to join ByteByteGo to learn theory and System design concepts better. Ideally, you need to combine Codemia.io with ByteByteGo to prepare really well for System Design interviews in 2026.
Other Programming and Interview Articles you may like
- 20+ array-based Problems for interviews
- How Algomonster helped me to master DSA for interviews?
- 10 Best Courses to Learn System Design for Interviews
- 7 Best Courses to Learn Data Structure and Algorithms
- 25 Software Design Interview Questions for Programmers
- How to Prepare for Coding Interviews?
- 16 Best Resources for System Design Interview Prep
- Is DesignGuru’s System Design Course worth it
- Algomonster Review 2026 — Is it worth it?
- ByteByteGo vs NeetCode vs Educative? which one is better?
- Is ByteByteGo a good place for Coding interviews?
- 3 Free Books and Courses for System Design Interviews
- Is System Design Interview RoadMap by DesignGuru worth it?
- Is Exponent’s System Design Course worth it?
- LeetCode vs AlgoMonster? Which is better for Coding Interview?
- 10 Best Places to Learn System Design in 2026
- My Favorite Software Design Courses for 2026
- ByteByteGo 50% OFF? Should you Join?
- 10 Reasons to Learn System Design in 2026
- 100+ Coding Problems to Crack Your Coding Interview
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like this article then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.
P. S. — If you just want to do one thing at this moment, go join ByteByteGo and start practicing System Design questions, you will thank me later. Make it a goal for the new year and you will surely be a better Software Engineer.
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