Codecademy

What Codecademy is

Codecademy is an online platform where beginners learn to program by typing code into interactive lessons in the browser. Wikipedia describes it as "an American online interactive platform that offers free coding classes in 13 different programming languages including Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, C#, Lua, and Swift, as well as markup languages HTML and CSS", with a paid Pro option that adds personalized learning plans, quizzes and realistic projects. A Boot.dev blog post calls it "the default 'learn to code in your browser' site since 2011" and says that if you want to find out whether programming is for you, "it's still a good place to poke around." The company was headquartered in New York City, according to Wikipedia, and has belonged to Skillsoft since 2022.

How the learning works

The lesson format is the product's signature. A Dataquest guide sums up why it is "one of the most popular starting points": "Short lessons, instant feedback, in-browser coding, and a free tier that lets you try before committing." The same guide puts typical lessons at 10 to 20 minutes and lists Codecademy as the better fit for learners who want instant right or wrong feedback and "a guided path that keeps you coding every day". It describes the catalog as very wide, including "extras like computer science basics, interview prep, and lots of language options", and its topic table marks Codecademy as covering programming fundamentals, web and front-end development, back end and APIs, and data and SQL.

Wikipedia lists the catalog as it stood in January 2020: C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, Python, R, Swift and SQL, along with libraries, frameworks and related subjects, plus courses on the command line and Git. Over the years the company added SQL courses with Periscope in 2015, a Java course the same year, an electronics and hardware programming course with Adafruit in 2019, and a Swift course in December 2019. Its first iOS app, "Hour of Code", launched in December 2013 for Computer Science Education Week.

The free and paid split matters. Boot.dev's post notes that the company's own help docs say the legacy Learn Python 2 course is free while Learn Python 3 requires a subscription, and that the Pro tier is "the tier you need for the career paths and 'professional certifications'". It adds that these certifications are Codecademy's own platform-issued credentials. Zero to Mastery's guide credits Codecademy with "solid content with some of it being completely for free."

Plans and prices

Two third-party sources give current prices, with slightly different figures. Boot.dev's post, which says its prices were verified on each platform's pricing page in August 2026, lists Plus at $14.99 a month billed annually or $29.99 billed monthly, and Pro at $19.99 a month billed annually or $39.99 billed monthly. Dataquest's comparison tables list Plus at $14.99 and Pro at $19.99 a month, with annual totals of $143.88 for Plus ($11.99 a month) and $191.88 for Pro ($15.99 a month). Both agree there is free access alongside the two paid tiers, and Dataquest marks that free access as limited.

On terms, Boot.dev quotes Codecademy's refund policy: "We do not grant refunds, prorated or full, for subscriptions." It also says the free trial requires a card and charges automatically after day 7, while pointing out that plenty of free content is available without a trial or a card. A learner who only wants to test the waters can therefore start with the free courses and decide later.

For history: Wikipedia records that the paid Pro product launched on August 3, 2017, initially in three levels called Pro, Pro Intensive and Pro Mentors, at $39.99 a month or $239.88 a year. Pro Intensive appeared to be discontinued by 2020.

Company history and scale

Wikipedia gives the background. Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski founded Codecademy in August 2011. It raised $2.5 million in Series A funding in October 2011 and $10 million in Series B funding in June 2012, and by October 2018 had raised $42.5 million from groups including Union Square Ventures and Naspers, with 85 employees, up from 45 in 2016. Its Code Year campaign in 2012 offered a new course every week for people with a New Year's resolution to learn programming, and over 450,000 people took courses that year. In 2015 it worked with the White House to host in-person meetups for 600 students from disadvantaged women and minority groups, and in August 2017 it partnered with Amazon on free Alexa skills training. The article records 24 million users as of January 2014, who had completed over 100 million exercises, and puts the user count at 45 million as of April 2020. It also notes a Best Education Startup award at the 2012 Crunchies.

Skillsoft announced in December 2021 that it would acquire Codecademy for approximately $525 million in cash and stock, and the sale closed on April 5, 2022.

What learners say

Boot.dev's post gives a balanced read of reviews. It reports that 62% of Codecademy's 1,470 Trustpilot reviews are five stars, quoting one reviewer: "Codecademy has given me a really good base for coding." It also notes an overall TrustScore of 2.6 out of 5, driven mostly by recent billing complaints about subscriptions, refunds and cancellation. On depth, it quotes a four-star reviewer who found the format great in the beginner classes but less suited to more advanced concepts. Zero to Mastery's guide says Codecademy "has been around for over a decade and has helped literally millions of people get their start in tech", while listing complaints about slow feedback and lessons that can feel too basic as topics grow more complex.

Who it suits

Codecademy suits complete beginners who want to write their first lines of code without installing anything, and who like short lessons with instant feedback. Its breadth makes it a good place to sample several languages, from Python and JavaScript to SQL, Go and Swift, before settling on one. Learners who want the structured career paths and Codecademy's own certificates will need a Pro subscription, so it pays to read the billing and refund terms before starting a trial. More advanced learners may find the guided format most useful for the early stages of a new language.