• Codecademy

Codecademy

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Overview

Codecademy has a rating of 2.71 stars from 38 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Codecademy ranks 1641st among Education Other sites.

  • Service
    9
  • Value
    10
  • Returns
    5
  • Quality
    9
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
1
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How would you rate Codecademy?
Top Positive Review

“New and improved”

Daniel S.
10/15/21

I've been using Codecademy daily for three months now and it is miles apart from the comments I read of years ago. None of those complaints are relevant as of October 2021 and I've had no issues with customer service, servers being down, etc. I would say try it and enjoy the improvements. There are courses for all levels! This site deserves at least 5 stars. I've completed multiple courses and I'm fully satisfied. Thanks Codecademy for such a great site; I plan to keep my annual subscription for years to come.

Top Critical Review

“Charge you without notification”

Екатерина П.
5/19/23

Just got charged $240 for annual subscription. There were no notifications, and it's impossible to refund if you forgot to cancel the subscription. Absolutely terrible customer service, don't even try it.

Reviews (38)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Thumbnail of user katya.pochukalina
1 review
4 helpful votes
May 19th, 2023
Verified purchase

Just got charged $240 for annual subscription. There were no notifications, and it's impossible to refund if you forgot to cancel the subscription. Absolutely terrible customer service, don't even try it.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user annied91
3 reviews
3 helpful votes
November 9th, 2020

I signed up for the pro version of Codeacademy, and after starting the Javascript section I noticed that my code was not running anymore for their exercises. When trying out courses on their website, I noticed that my screen would start freezing up. It may seem good at first, but after a while their website starts moving slow and sticking. You can try other free resources to learn instead. Do your research because others have said the same thing.

Thumbnail of user cristinam176
1 review
4 helpful votes
July 29th, 2021

The 7 day trial without notifications, with no email reminders and no refund policy feel very much like a scam. I cancelled my subscription the day it was set to expire and they have already charged me that same day. I will dispute the charge but BOY are they expensive when there are clearly websites like freecodecamp that offer the same thing for free. WHAT a scam.

Tip for consumers:
Do not expect any refunds, they are expensive for the value you're getting and will not refund you even if you cancel the day 7day trial is set to expire.

Products used:
Pro version

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user karusunek
Samuel P.
96 reviews
307 helpful votes
August 20th, 2018

Codecademy is not a replacement for formal education, but it can be a great start for hobbyists or those looking to dip their toes in. I was surprised with how well their courses work. Had a few issues and know a few people that did not like how it worked, but it worked for me and I found the direction to be helpful and engaging. Certainly a great start for a beginner.

Thumbnail of user pranavm7
1 review
0 helpful votes
January 20th, 2022

I buy Pro Annual Subscription in 4999/- annual pack in Christmas offer on 20 December 2021 and they scammed me after one month on 20 January 2022. Now they Wipe out billing details and I'm not able to refund my money and it's says to buy pro pack. In one month I use pro subscription but now they don't show me. Fully Scammer don't trust Codecademy.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user bornas1
1 review
1 helpful vote
October 12th, 2022

Yes you get to learn programming languages, but There is 0% of freedom, You have to wright the exact line of code, literally, if you added a space to anything where you can, it gets mad at you. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET RID OF THAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Come on codecademy, don't control us for money :( :<

Thumbnail of user grizzg
2 reviews
8 helpful votes
June 8th, 2018

First off, let me say that I am relatively new to coding. Been working on it for about two months, off and on, all I have done is basics to HTML and Python (and about 15-16 pages of notes)... that being said, my review is just from a new user/Python perspective.

So Code Academy was initially very appealing. I was getting badges, it saves your progress, offers hints and solutions, it seemed very inviting/easy to get started learning about things, it essentially has training wheels (and I needed those a bit) and most importantly in was free.

But imagine a free sample in a grocery store. You plop it in your mouth and are initially satisfied, but then it tastes awful. You start gagging, you double over and everyone around you stops their carts to look at you. After crumpling to the floor, blue faced, you contemplate "should I buy this product?" That is exactly how my experience went. I was thinking about paying for Code Academy over the summer when I would have more time to work at the lessons, but the more I did them in my down time, the more it became like I was a debugger getting paid $0 an hour. I started encountering lesson ruining elements every single step of the way. Needless to say, I am not considering that option anymore.

Essentially the free sample sucks and you have to make it good for people to want to buy your product. Now let me say why I came to this conclusion in my experience.

1 - Lack of Community
I understand that there are some elements I probably would not get till I pay but at the same time the community seemed bleak and disconnected. I made a number of posts on the forums, staying highly positive, and I never got a helpful reply. I had staff hide my posts a couple of times though... oh, I did get one response, but it was essentially trying to crush my enthusiasm, and well yeah, the community was a real let down.

2 - Poorly Designed Lessons
I have a Master's in Education and I have taught for seven years. Lesson planning is kind of a big thing for me. That being said I cannot tell you how many times the instructions said something along the lines of "Why don't you try using (thing you have never learned or been taught before)." Literally, a number of lessons ask new coders, such as myself, to use things in lessons that they never introduced in the first place. This really really a simple lesson planning 101 flaw that could easily be corrected, but alas it has not.

3 - Lackluster Hints and Support
Again, being new to coding, when I have somebody saying syntax error to my face, I do not know what I need to fix. Now Code Academy has one great feature (until it is not)... the "Solution" button. After enough banging your head into a wall, you can click to see the solution, an exemplar, which is great for learning purposes... but even this is broken in the later lessons. All of a sudden perfect answers have errors and there is absolutely no explanation for that. Also you can click on hints for the problem you are on and in a number of hints I have gotten "have you tried adding numbers?" or a comment of the sort (no, I am not kidding, most of the hints are nigh insulting). I have found a couple of solutions through the forums, but remember my first point...

4 - Bugs
Just a ton of them. I have had lessons where I type "f*** this buggy a** lesson" and I get a check mark and moved onto the next page. Now their staff seems to be fixing things, but I have also heard that there are probably more fixes beyond the "pay wall." Again, from above, the free sample has to be good otherwise you will get users like me fleeing Code Academy.

So do not get me wrong, I think it is great to have a free resource out there and I got a basic knowledge of some coding principles from this, I am thankful to Code Academy for this. I also hope that they use my review and others to improve their service, but when it comes to the quality of the service, I am seriously doubtful that the things I am learning are actually correct because the service is so flawed, so so flawed, that I have a hard time figuring out if it is me or Code Academy.

All in all, this means Code Academy is a great place to get your feet wet, but not a great place to stay. I am looking into Khan Academy, Udemy, Coursera, EdX and others to see what else I can do to further my learning.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user goosek1
0 reviews
0 helpful votes
June 27th, 2022

Codecademy is a great resource if you want to learn programming as a complete beginner. I used it years ago to learn HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It helped me a lot.

Now that I'm getting back into programming, I've been reading up some books on C# and have had a good time learning it. Decided to try CodeCademy again as an added resource to learn.

The explanations on everything are fairly simple, and the path of topics to learn is very digestible. The problem is every time you try to submit your code, CodeCademy is looking for very specific things.

On one of the earlier lessons, it wanted me to use\n to write a new line.

I used\n in the same line, in only one Console. WriteLine(); method.

It printed out exactly what the lesson wanted in the console. But still gave me a big red X. I struggled to find what the problem was for a few minutes until finally checking for the solution.

Turns out, it wanted me to write three different Console. WriteLine(); statements. How frustrating. Not nearly as efficient.

And honestly that is just one example. Every other lesson this would happen, I would understand the material, write my code, it would say it didn't work even when it did, and then I would have to guess what the computer wanted. It really messed with the pacing of my learning.

CodeCademy is like having an incredibly nitpicky teacher. It will slow down your progress. Even if the material is good stuff, but it feels like pulling teeth trying to figure out what exactly the computer who's grading you wants.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user adaezee
1 review
2 helpful votes
February 22nd, 2022

I recently subscribed for the $19 monthly to see how codecademy works and cancel later on. They charged me for the annual plan of $239 which i did not subscribe for. They have no number for customer service. They are scam and thieves. I don't know how to get my money back

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user samd893
1 review
1 helpful vote
January 18th, 2023

Other than grabbing your money, Codeacademy is worth peanuts! Such a money laundering platform. Grow up guys

Tip for consumers:
Just ain't worth the money

Products used:
Python, Django

Service
Value
Returns
Thumbnail of user daniels2626
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 15th, 2021

I've been using Codecademy daily for three months now and it is miles apart from the comments I read of years ago. None of those complaints are relevant as of October 2021 and I've had no issues with customer service, servers being down, etc. I would say try it and enjoy the improvements. There are courses for all levels! This site deserves at least 5 stars. I've completed multiple courses and I'm fully satisfied. Thanks Codecademy for such a great site; I plan to keep my annual subscription for years to come.

Thumbnail of user samk754
1 review
1 helpful vote
August 30th, 2022

They charged me straight away even though I cancelled the subscription before getting charged and took 340$ from rather than the 40$ a month I signed up for and don't help customers back or remind me of my trial canceling

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user christiana80
1 review
1 helpful vote
August 6th, 2018

This site it way to buggy to be a 4 or higher. I would finish code and hit save to later go back and see it did not save. This site would always ask if i was 'still learning' when i was in the middle of typing. The learning exercises are ok, but not the best.

Thumbnail of user ps453
1 review
4 helpful votes
June 21st, 2020

This company will not reply for refund requests. A coding academy should be able to communicate, should be able to advertise what they are really selling and if honest they should give you a refund if you request it.

Thumbnail of user noahb75
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
February 9th, 2020

What I like the most is their career paths. It's hard to figure out what exactly to study if you're looking to start a new job. And the course bundles that make up career paths at codecademy give you all the knowledge and skills needed to get e new position. It's essentially like going through a very intensive and quickuniversity program.

Thumbnail of user annj436
1 review
1 helpful vote
July 25th, 2022

I have a $254 charge for something I did not purchase. And they are impossible to reach. Helpless to do anything about it.

Thumbnail of user davidk725
1 review
1 helpful vote
September 28th, 2018

I should say the design of the site is pretty user-friendly. However, the contend is poorly written -- full of typos and repeating sentences, etc. -- to the point that it confuses the reader. That is pretty bad for beginners who wish to learn coding. And even for paying customers, who theoretically can ask personalized questions, never get respond to any questions asked. So maybe you can try the free version, but it's not worth paying for it. It's not like there are no high quality (even free) alternatives available.

Thumbnail of user gregk13
1 review
6 helpful votes
October 24th, 2014

The site's content and ability to learn is great; however, it's difficult to learn when you can't advance due to server overload issues. For a site that lists many investors, this seems like a fundamental SaaS company priority. I would like to continue using it in the future but this needs to be fixed. I understand this is a free product to use but there are still operational benchmarks to be met. If it helps, I was using the Python tutorial and saw the note on that tutorial and a few others that have this issue.

Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user jamesp199
27 reviews
32 helpful votes
January 12th, 2016

A great online resource, Check it out if you want to learn programming. Free information, cant beat it

Thumbnail of user annetteh178
1 review
5 helpful votes
October 12th, 2020

I cancelled my subscription in Jan... they fraudulently charged my card for 6 months, they are thieves. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM... they dont answer emails, TOTAL SCAM ARTISTS

Thumbnail of user azizh1
1 review
2 helpful votes
February 11th, 2015
Thumbnail of user annyk2
1 review
9 helpful votes
November 15th, 2019

Do not give these folks your credit card info, the fact that the website homepage provides absolutely NO WAY to contact them should tip folks off that they are not legitimate

Thumbnail of user michaelk1162
1 review
11 helpful votes
September 18th, 2019

Business model of codecademy is based on a simple scam tactic. You sign up for a free trial, they "guarantee" that you can cancel before the free trial runs out, but they absolutely need your credit card. You cancel, then a few months later (4 months in my case) you suddenly get a charge. No refunds :) When you cancel your account, they call it "pause":)
Hillarious reply from their "support", this is a copy-paste quote:

"Codecademy subscriptions resume automatically once your pause period elapses using the payment details on file for your account. Upon your Pro subscription purchase, you acknowledge and agree that we are authorized to use the payment information on file for the renewal fee."

Tip for consumers:
Use another site.

Products used:
None. I was scammed.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user ginar114
1 review
9 helpful votes
October 15th, 2019

Cancelled subscription in March, billed again in October, unable to actually talk to a person about it. They said is was cancelled and then put the cancelled date for the next year.

Thumbnail of user kevinc498
1 review
4 helpful votes
October 17th, 2018

I would stay away. I just completed their Java Course. It is no where
Near a complete course. There are far superior courses online. And you
Don't have to pay for them. I'm so disappointed. Im not sure if the Prop gives you any other lessons. But why pay when there are far more superior courses such as Edx, Stanfords CS106a. If you do CS106a, Make sure you use Professor Mehran Sahami's lectures. The other Professors are not as good. Kevin Crawford

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2.7
38 reviews
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