Monday, January 24, 2022

Pluralsight vs CodeCademy Review 2024 - Which is better to learn Programming and Development?

As a programmer, the most important thing is to keep yourself up-to-date. If you don't, your skills will become obsolete, and you may not be Marketable. Being an author of a Java blog and editor of a Medium publication, I receive a lot of queries from Programmers and Developers. Many of my readers ask me for advice like which books should I read to learn to code, which is the best site to learn to code? Where should I go for preparing coding interviews and much more? One of the questions which keep coming to me was about Pluralsight and Codecademy? Which site is better to learn new tech skills and level up your current skill?

This is an important question because learning is an essential part of professional programmers' careers. If you don't learn new things or upgrade yourself, you will leave behind in your job and career.

I continuously advise my readers and fellow programmers to invest some time and money on learning to keep themselves up-to-date with some platforms like Udemy, Coursera, OneMonth, Codecademy, Lynda.com, Team Treehouse, and Pluralsight, many of them have asked me which platform they should choose between Codecademy and Pluralsight?

While choosing between Udemy and Pluralsight is easy because one is a marketplace of courses, and you literally buy the direction you want and only pay for that, Pluralsight has a subscription-based model, and joining Pluralsight means you get access to all of there 7000+ online courses, quizzes, assessments and much more.

You don't need to choose and buy the course, you can literally take all the classes you want with just one subscription, which is kind of convenient.

But, when it comes to Codecademy and Pluralsight, both of them are very similar when it comes to payment and money, as both of them offer subscription-based models. However, there are still some critical differences between them, which we'll explore in this article.





Which is better for Developers? Pluralsight or CodeCademy?

Let's compare Pluralsight and Codecademy on three main criteria, teaching style, content, and cost. These points will then help you to make a decision on which is the best online platform to learn new technologies based upon your interest and learning style.

1. Teaching Style (Interactive Learning vs. Videos)

The first and foremost difference between Pluralsight and Codecademy is the learning style or teaching style. Codecademy is 100% interactive, where you will be doing things while reading or learning. You will have an information and practice console on the same screen, which literally encourages you to learn by doing.

While this is great, it's not always possible to do the exercise while learning online. For example, when I travel or commute to work, I prefer to watch online videos rather than coding on a terminal.

It's not only more comfortable for me to watch videos I tend to focus more on listening while sitting on a bus or train. So, if you want to best utilize your commute time and learn new technologies, Pluralsight has a lot of courses.

Since learning by doing is the best method of learning, and if you also prefer that, then Codecademy is a better choice than Pluralsight. But, if you prefer to watch videos, want to utilize your travel time better, and practice coding later in-home or office, then Pluralsight is a better choice for you.

Pluralsight vs Codecademy - Which is the Best Platform for Programmers to Level Up their skills?


2. Content

When it comes to content, particularly the amount of content, Pluralsight clearly outscores Codecademy. Pluralsight has more than 5000+ courses to learn almost anything from programming languages like Java, C++, Go, Swift, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Kotlin, Scala, Groovy, C++, C#, frameworks like Django, Flask, Spring, Spring Boot, Rails, .NET, and skills like SQL, Database, Data Science, Machine Learning, Linux and much more.

You can literally find a course to learn almost anything you want, including SVN and Git and some ancient and modern tools as well like Docker, Jenkins, Maven, Kubernetes, Gradle, WebPack, NPM, etc.

Another thing is that Pluralsight courses are mostly taught by experts in their area, which means you learn right from the authority. If you check the Pluralsight instructor's profile, you will find several renowned professionals there like Jose Paumard; one of the Java champions has many Java courses there. Richard Warburton is another Java Champion who has written Java Collection courses on Pluralsight.

While Codecademy doesn't have that many courses or skill paths, it has a cleverly designed curriculum for most of the essential skills like Web Development, Programming and Computer Science, Machine LearningData Science, and much more.

Codecademy vs Pluralsight which is better for coders


Their courses on Programming languages like  Learn Python 3Learn Java, Learn C++, Learn Go programming are also impressive. They have, in fact, created the Learn Go course together with Google, which makes it a really excellent and fun course. You learn by doing; you get instant feedback, which reinforces learning.

This means while Pluralsight provides you a one-stop-shop to learn any programming language, framework, tools, and technology, Codecademy has an ala-a-carta of some of the most popular skills. It's a unique learning methodology, and the interactive platform also helps.

While I am on content, let me point out one of the things which I didn't like about Pluralsight. Some of the courses are very old, and you better stay away from them.

Since Pluralsight has so many courses and more up-to-date ones, there are also courses lying from 2011 nad 2012, which is kind of old and not relevant anymore.  This is not a decisive factor because they literally have many options but something worth knowing.


3. Price

When it comes to price, Codecademy is slightly less expensive than Pluralsight. The Codecademy Pro membership will cost you around $15.99 per month (billed as $191.88 yearly), which gives you $48 of savings, and that's also their most popular option.

They also have a 6-month plan, which costs around $17.99 per month, and a monthly plan, which costs approximately $19.99 per month but is billed 6-monthly and monthly accordingly.

Their paid plan provides access to exclusive quizzes, projects, customized learning paths, and community support because you get a chance to connect with other Pro members to collaborate, share resources, and more.

Here is a snapshot of Codecademy Pro subscription plans:

Codecademy vs Pluralsight which is better for Programmers


When it comes to Pluralsight, their annual subscription cost around $299 (14%) saving compared to their monthly subscription, which cost around $29 per month. But, if you are lucky, you can also get a Pluralsight membership is $199 when they run their 33% OFF SALE OFFER, which is the one they are running now.

That's pretty close to CodeCademy's $191.88 plan, but you will get access to a lot more courses and content. Their annual program allows access to their entire course library, learning paths, channels, course learning checks, course discussions, exercise files, mobile and TV apps, and offline viewing, which is pretty awesome.

They also have a Pluralsight Premium plan, which costs around $499 in general, but they are offering a 33% DISCOUNT, which means you can get this plan for just $299. This plan provides access to certification practice exams, interactive courses, and real-world projects, which is what Codecademy Pro delivers.

Here is a snapshot of Pluralsight Personal and Premium Plans:

Pluralsight 33% discount coupon


So, definitely, CodeCademy is slightly cheaper; Pluralsight also is not too far behind in Price considering the amount of content they have.


That's all about Pluralsight vs. CodeCademy and which online platform should you choose for your learning. Ultimately everything comes on what you want? Which kind of teaching or learning style works for you? There is a little bit of difference in price, but when you compare the content and the sheer number of courses on Pluralsight compared to CodeCademy, that's completely justifiable.

If you prefer interactive learning and have a tight budget join CodeCademy Pro, while if you want access to a diverse online training platform and can pay $299 (because of the 33% off offer now), join Pluralsight Premium Plan.

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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like this comparison between Pluralsight and CodeCademy or any other online learning platform, then please share it with your friends and colleagues; they will appreciate it. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.

P. S. - What about me? Which subscriptions do I have? Well, I have a pretty diverse learning requirement, and I learn a lot, so I have a subscription to not only CodeCademy and Pluralsight, but also, I have bought many courses on Udemy, Coursera, OneMonth, Educative, and some other online courses platforms. Though my go-to places are Pluralsight and Udemy.

P. P. S. - If you want, you can also try both CodeCademy and Pluralsight and stick with the one you like, but don't miss the Pluralsight 33% OFF OFFER whenever you get one, it doesn't come every day, signup for their personal or premium plan to take advantage of this offer.

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

https://www.playwithatif.com Here I was writing a game by learning from codecademy

javin paul said...

@Anonymous, that's great, making games is one of my favorite way to learn to code. It's similar to project based learning where your game is your project. I have made Tetris, Tic-Tac-Toe, Breakout and Super Mario clone myself :-)

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