LeetCode alternatives: ten sites compared
Short answer. Stay on LeetCode if you want volume and company-tagged questions. Use NeetCode if you want a curated list with videos. Want contests under a clock? Codeforces or AtCoder. Solved a hundred problems and still cannot write binary search from memory? Look at AlgoPath.
Updated 15 October 2026.
Sites like LeetCode, side by side
| Platform | What you actually do | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| LeetCode | Solve problems from a bank of thousands | Volume, contests, company tags | Free tier, Premium $35 a month or $159 a year |
| NeetCode | Work a curated list with a video per problem | Being shown how a solution is found | Free videos and lists, Pro $119 a year or $297 once |
| AlgoPath | Implement each algorithm yourself, then wire it into a working system | Writing the code from memory | First 33 steps free, then one payment |
| AlgoExpert | Curated problems with video walkthroughs | A guided list | $119 for a year |
| Codewars | Community kata, ranked by difficulty | Daily reps in your own language | Free |
| HackerRank | Practice tracks plus the test many firms screen with | Getting used to the screening format | Free tier |
| Exercism | Exercises reviewed by a human mentor | Learning a language, not interview prep | Free |
Which of these are free
Two of the seven in the table let you practise everything for free: Codewars and Exercism. Their paid extras (Codewars Red at $5 a month, Exercism Insiders through a donation) add stats and remove ads. No exercise sits behind them.
LeetCode and HackerRank both have a free tier. On LeetCode the payment adds company-tagged questions and the problems marked Premium. On HackerRank it buys extra AI mock interviews.
AlgoPath gives the first 33 steps free, with the runner and the tests. Full access is one payment rather than a subscription.
Contest and puzzle sites
Three more sites come up in every list of LeetCode alternatives. They are problem archives and contests, with no course on patterns.
| Platform | What you actually do | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codeforces | Rated contests plus a large problem archive | Speed under a clock, competitive programming | Free |
| AtCoder | Weekly contests, the beginner rounds start easy | A first taste of contests | Free |
| Project Euler | Maths-heavy problems where you submit the number, not the code | Number theory and clever counting | Free |
These build volume and speed. AlgoPath steps train you to spot the pattern in a problem and write the algorithm from memory, so the two go well together.
Where LeetCode is still the better choice
It has more problems than anything else. Each one has a discussion tab.
Premium adds the company tags. Know which firm you are sitting with? That list is hard to replace.
Contests run weekly. That is real practice under a clock.
Interview in two weeks and patterns already solid? Then you need volume. Go there.
What AlgoPath does differently
- One step is one algorithm, and you implement it. 150 steps, in a fixed order.
- Six languages run in the browser. JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, PHP, Java and C#. Nothing to install.
- Every step ends in a system that really uses the algorithm. A rate limiter. An LRU cache. A git bisect.
- A trainer for what interviews test first. Read a problem, name the pattern.
- Everything is written in English and Russian.
Which one you need depends on what breaks
Run one mock interview and watch where it goes wrong.
- You read the problem and freeze. That is recognition. Drill the patterns.
- You name the right approach and the code comes out broken. That is recall. Build the algorithms by hand.
- Both fine, just slow. That is volume. Grind problems.
Head-to-head comparisons
Each one says where the other product wins. Prices are read off the vendor's own page.
- AlgoPath vs NeetCode
- Is AlgoExpert worth it
- Is Structy worth it
- Is AlgoMonster worth it
- Is LeetCode Premium worth it
Frequently asked questions
Is LeetCode free?
Mostly. Most of the problem bank and the weekly contests are open without paying. Premium, at $35 a month or $159 a year, adds company-tagged questions and the problems marked Premium.
What is the best free alternative to LeetCode?
It depends on what you practise. Codeforces has a large free archive and rated contests. Codewars suits short daily problems in your own language. Exercism suits learning a new language with a human reviewer. The first 33 AlgoPath steps are free too, runner and tests included.
Is there a site like LeetCode but easier?
Codewars starts at 8 kyu, its easiest rank, and the AtCoder Beginner Contests open with problems a newcomer can solve. AlgoPath starts one step earlier, at what an algorithm is, and adds one idea per step.
Is LeetCode or HackerRank better?
For practice, LeetCode: more problems, weekly contests and company tags. Many companies send their screening test through HackerRank, so a few of its practice tracks are worth doing before a real test, to learn its editor.
Is LeetCode or Codeforces better for interviews?
LeetCode. Codeforces problems are written for contests, with more maths and tighter time limits than most interviews ask for. Use Codeforces for speed and LeetCode for the interview format.
Try it before you decide
The placement test is 15 questions and needs no account. It says which topic to start on.
The first 33 steps are free, runner and tests included. They go as far as 2D prefix sums and binary search on the answer. Full access is one payment, with no subscription.
Not sure yet? Read how to practice before you pick anything.