Article
Codecademy vs Treehouse: The Complete Guide
Written By Liz Eggleston
Last updated on January 29, 2020
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Written By Liz Eggleston
Course Report strives to create the most trust-worthy content about coding bootcamps. Read more about Course Report’s Editorial Policy and How We Make Money.
Course Report strives to create the most trust-worthy content about coding bootcamps. Read more about Course Report’s Editorial Policy and How We Make Money.
Codecademy and Treehouse are both on-demand coding classes that run on monthly subscriptions and are delivered entirely on an online platform. Both schools offer multiple career tracks which include portfolio projects. If you complete them in full, these tracks can take students from complete beginners to entry-level, job-ready developers. So, which should you choose – Codecademy or Treehouse? Let’s break down how Codecademy and Treehouse compare to each other in terms of curriculum, cost, focus, and learning style.
Codecademy vs Treehouse: What You Need to Know
Codecademy and Treehouse have different price points but are both delivered entirely online and self-paced.
Both teach Web Development. Treehouse offers a User Experience Design career Techdegree while Codecademy offers a Data Science career path.
Both Codecademy and Treehouse use interactive coding challenges and tutorials along with projects to deliver their curriculum through different online platforms. While Codecademy has automated code evaluation in every lesson, Treehouse offers code analysis from a real person for each project.
Treehouse offers access to its active Slack Community and weekly office hours with its paid subscription. Codecademy offers a private Facebook group, forums on their site, and 30-minute sessions Code Coaches for an additional cost that students may book on their own.
Codecademy Pro and Treehouse Techdegrees are both paid, career-focused paths, which are designed to prepare students for entry-level positions with no prior experience required. Codecademy offers 3 career paths (Web Development, Computer Science, and Data Science) and Treehouse runs 4 Techdegree programs (Web Development, PHP, and User Experience Design). Let’s explore what they teach:
Codecademy
Web Development: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Programming & Computer Science: Python
Data Science: Python & SQL
Treehouse
Front End Web Development: HTML, CSS, and some JavaScript
PHP Programming
User Experience Design
Full Stack JavaScript
Treehouse offers certificates upon completion of its Techdegree program while Codecademy shows badges for completed courses. Codecademy also offers skill paths including which range from specialized data analysis, video games, front end and back end apps, machine learning, websites, and more.
Our Takeaway: Both schools offer similar Web Development and Computer Science programs but if you’re interested in UX Design, go to Treehouse. And if you’re interested in Data Science, go to Codecademy. If you’re interested in upskilling with shorter courses, try Codecademy.
Codecademy and Treehouse operate on monthly subscriptions and both offer free trials. A free 7-day trial is available from both schools. You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time with both of these subscriptions.
Codecademy Pro: $39.99/mo
Interactive lessons and daily practice
Unlimited mobile practice on Codecademy Go
Real-world Codecademy projects
Step-by-step guidance
Peer support via private Facebook group and Codecademy forums
Members-only content
Codecademy discount for longer commitments: $19.99/month for a 12-month commitment
Codecademy Free vs Pro
Codecademy also offers free basic courses and limited practice exercises on their mobile app.
Treehouse Techdegree: $199/mo
Access to all guided learning paths
Treehouse Projects
In-depth code reviews from peers
Slack community and weekly office hours for live support
Treehouse Basic costs $25/month and Treehouse Pro costs $39/month
Codecademy projects are not graded unless you pay for a session with a Code Coach. Treehouse projects are uploaded to GitHub by the student and are graded by a real person, included in the monthly subscription cost.
Our Takeaway: Codecademy offers a great value if you’re on a budget, just trying to upskill, or don’t have a specific timeline set for your career change. Treehouse, while more expensive, offers more focused courses with built-in weekly support and is great for someone on a deadline trying to make a career change.
Both Codecademy and Treehouse are self-paced. You can take the courses anytime, anywhere, and on-demand.
Codecademy offers hourly estimates for all of their career tracks.
Web Development: ~300 hours
Programming and Computer Science: ~350 hours
Data Science: ~350 hours
Treehouse offers estimates of their Techdegress in months. Their Techdegrees are designed to be worked on for ~3 hours per day for the duration of their recommended time for completion. We’ve also translated that into hours for you here for you to compare.
Web Development: 4 months or ~360 hours
PHP: 4 months or ~270 hours
Full Stack JavaScript 5 months or ~450 hours
Our Takeaway: Treehouse and Codecademy estimate similar completion times for their career paths.
One major difference between Codecademy and Treehouse is the way the curriculum is delivered.
Codecademy’s curriculum is delivered via an online platform. The platform splits the browser into three columns: documentation, a code editor, and a virtual browser. Most lessons are text-based. You’ll read through the documentation and do an exercise with each lesson, filling in the blanks in the code editor. The platform will automatically check your code. When you get it right you move on to the next lesson. There are occasional video lessons as well. Codecademy also offers Codecademy Go, their mobile app, to help students practice on the go.
Treehouse delivers its curriculum through video tutorials. After each video, you’ll take a quiz, coding challenge, or assessment.
Both Codecademy and Treehouse include practice projects in their curricula. There are some differences in the practice projects that these schools offer. Codecademy’s projects are downloaded to your terminal and allow you to practice the language your learning in a basic way with some code and a mockup provided. Treehouse’s projects do not offer any code but do offer a detailed mockup. They’re designed to build the student’s portfolio, starting with building a portfolio site.
Our Takeaway: Codecademy is great for verbal learners while Treehouse is better for audio and visual learners. Try the 7 day trial at each school to understand which is better for your learning style!
Community and support are a point of difference between Codecademy and Treehouse. In this category, you get what you pay for.
Codecademy recommends you meet with a Code Coach once per week for code analysis, answers to questions, and general support. Students can book an appointment with a code coach through Codecademy’s website. Code Coaches cost $29.99 per 30-minute session. These sessions can be text only, video call, or voice only. Codecademy Pro also gives students access to private Facebook groups with other Codecademy students and staff.
Treehouse provides students with weekly office hours for live support and a dedicated team of Techdegree specialists. Treehouse students also gain access to their active Slack community with over 50 thousand current students and Treehouse staff to answer questions and give advice 24/7. These community perks are included with the cost of a Treehouse Techdegree.
Our Takeaway: If you schedule an appointment with a Code Coach weekly and add that to the monthly subscription cost, the complete cost of Codecademy rings in at $139.59.
You can read more Codecademy and Treehouse reviews on Course Report. After scouring reviews, we’ve found the most helpful reviews from students!
Treehouse student Christopher says, “This is great for anyone on a tight budget or who just wants to get their feet wet. The videos are superb quality and the teachers are very encouraging.”
Bootcampers who used Codecademy
Bootcampers who used Treehouse
Liz Eggleston is co-founder of Course Report, the most complete resource for students choosing a coding bootcamp. Liz has dedicated her career to empowering passionate career changers to break into tech, providing valuable insights and guidance in the rapidly evolving field of tech education. At Course Report, Liz has built a trusted platform that helps thousands of students navigate the complex landscape of coding bootcamps.
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