Is NeetCode worth it? AlgoPath vs NeetCode, compared
Short answer. NeetCode shows you how a solution is found. AlgoPath makes you write the algorithm before you ever see one. If you learn well by watching, start with NeetCode. If watching has stopped moving you forward, come here. The first 33 AlgoPath steps are free, so trying it costs nothing.
Updated 15 October 2026.
Side by side
| NeetCode | AlgoPath | |
|---|---|---|
| The unit of work | One interview problem | One algorithm |
| What you produce | A solution to that problem | The algorithm, then a system that uses it |
| Explanations | A video per problem | Written theory, then a hint ladder that nudges instead of answering |
| Languages | Solutions in several | Six, running in the browser: JS, TS, Python, PHP, Java, C# |
| Where your code runs | Your own editor | In the browser, with the tests |
| Order | A curated list, pick as you like | 150 steps in a fixed chain |
| Free part | The videos and the NeetCode 150 and 250 lists | The first 33 steps |
| Paid part | Pro: $119 a year or $297 once | One payment, no renewal |
Where NeetCode is better
The videos. Hundreds of them, free, and the explanations are clear.
The NeetCode 150 is a good list. Someone hands you an order and talks you through every answer. AlgoExpert sells the same kind of list, 200 questions with a video each, for a yearly fee.
AlgoPath has no video library of that size.
Is NeetCode worth it
The free half is worth it for almost anyone. Hundreds of clear video explanations cost nothing, and no subscription is needed to watch them.
Pro is a separate question. It costs $119 a year or $297 once, and it adds video courses and a larger problem bank with its own code runner. The NeetCode 150 and 250 lists stay free without it.
Pay for it if you want courses that teach each topic from the start. Skip it if your problem is that you can follow a solution and cannot produce one.
That gap is the one thing a video cannot close. Watching someone reason is not the same as reasoning.
Where AlgoPath is better
Watching a solution and producing one are two different skills. This trains the second.
Every step hands you a file with a signature and a TODO. Tests come with it. You write the body. The tests stay red until it works.
Then the same function goes into a small production case. You see the algorithm doing a job.
There is also a trainer for pattern recognition, 52 of them. And a timed round for speaking under pressure.
Using both
This is the common route, and it works.
Build the algorithm here first. Then watch the NeetCode video on a problem that uses it. You get to see somebody else reason through it.
Order matters. Watch first and you remember a solution. Build first and you keep the algorithm.
Verdict
- New to all of this and want a guided path: NeetCode.
- Know the theory, need reps and company tags: LeetCode Premium.
- Can follow any solution but cannot produce one: AlgoPath.
- You learn best from animations and want a community: Structy.
Frequently asked questions
Is NeetCode free?
Mostly. The video solutions, the NeetCode 150 and 250 lists and the topic roadmap are free. Only Pro costs money.
How much is NeetCode Pro?
$119 for a year or $297 as a one-time payment, as listed on neetcode.io/pro in October 2026. Sales come and go, so check the page before you buy.
Is the NeetCode 150 enough for interviews?
For coverage, yes: 150 problems in 18 topics, from arrays and hashing to dynamic programming. It is enough once you can write each solution again in an empty file a week later. If you only recognise the answer after the video, keep going.
Should I start with NeetCode or LeetCode?
NeetCode, if you need an order. Its lists are LeetCode problems put in a sequence, with a video each. Move to LeetCode itself later for volume and company tags.
Try it
The placement test is 15 questions, no account needed. The first 33 steps are free, two pointers and a sliding window with a counter among them. Full access is one payment.
Weighing more than these two? Here are the alternatives compared.