Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now software engineering advisor at Pathrise. I have worked with hundreds of software engineers to help them land their dream job. Check out my article where I compare Coderbyte vs HackerRank.
- Similarities and differences between Coderbyte vs HackerRank
- Topics offered on Coderbyte vs HackerRank
- Prices for Coderbyte vs HackerRank
- Ratings and reviews of Coderbyte vs HackerRank
- Alternatives to Coderbyte vs HackerRank
- How do Coderbyte vs HackerRank compare to Pathrise?
Similarities and differences between Coderbyte and HackerRank
Coderbyte and HackerRank are popular tools that software engineers can use to prepare for their technical interviews.
Similarities
- Users can sort questions by topic and skill level.
- Coderbyte & HackerRank provide in-browser coding windows so that users can solve challenges without leaving the platform.
- Both offer additional guidance through solution guides (Coderbyte) and tutorials (HackerRank) for users looking to advance their knowledge on certain topics.
- In addition, people can use both platforms to practice JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and other programming languages.
Differences
- Many companies use HackerRank as their main assessment tool for technical screenings and remote interviews.
- HackerRank offers contests, a job board, and certification challenges that allow users to demonstrate their expertise in skills such as Python and React.
- Coderbyte has courses in topics that cover data structures & algorithms, Google interview prep, Microsoft interview prep, and other similar topics.
- Users looking to learn JavaScript, Ruby, or Python from scratch can take free 1-week classes through Coderbyte.
- Finally, people who use Coderbyte also receive custom improvement recommendations, predictive interview success scores, and progress reports that show how they rank compared to other users.
Topics offered on Coderbyte and HackerRank
Coderbyte and HackerRank allow software engineers to practice questions across a number of topics, including the following:
- String
- Arrays
- Trees
- Binary search
- Hash tables
- Breadth first search
- Linked lists
- Prime numbers
Their questions also cover topics such as variables, conditionals, loops, closures, and functional programming.
Prices for Coderbyte and HackerRank
While Coderbyte offers some free resources for beginners, most users subscribe so that they can fully benefit from the service. The monthly package costs $35 per month, whereas the annual subscription runs $150 per year. However, Coderbyte also allows people to make 1-time payments for a 14-day plan ($29) or 90-day plan ($79). Paying users receive access to 300+ challenges, official & top-rated user solutions, and interview prep materials with questions from top tech companies like Amazon and Facebook.
Companies pay HackerRank to use the platform so that they can assess candidates’ technical skills, which means that the engineering prep tool is free for users. They simply need to register and create a profile to access the challenges.
Ratings and reviews of Coderbyte and HackerRank
Coderbyte users enjoy viewing both official, as well as user-submitted, solutions. But, some have expressed confusion regarding how long they should spend solving problems, with people noting that they spent anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours writing a solution. Despite benefiting from the platform, some people said that they could find free alternatives that offered similar services.
In general, HackerRank users benefit from using the platform’s technical interview prep exercises, though quite a few people have noted that sometimes the challenges are too much like puzzles and do not reflect the work that software engineers actually do. Similarly, others have complained that HackerRank judges users on criteria that are too specific and narrow, forcing them to focus on finding the correct way to write the solution instead of learning how to solve the problem.
Alternatives to Coderbyte and HackerRank
Besides Coderbyte and HackerRank, there are a good number of alternative services that you can use to practice for your software engineering interviews, including:
- A good alternative to HackerRank and Coderbye, AlgoExpert is a platform where software engineers can practice questions that cover a variety of interview topics.
- Created by a former Google software engineer, Interview Cake is a study tool that teaches people the right way to think about technical questions so they do well in interviews. Read more about Interview Cake in our review.
- One of the most popular options, Leetcode has over 1,050 interview-type questions. Premium subscribers have access to problems based on actual company questions.
- CodinGame, Codewars, and CodeSignal use challenges to gamify interview practice problems.
- Those looking to participate in mock interviews with software engineers at top tech companies should check out Interviewing.io. Learn more about Interviewing.io in our review.
- Similarly, Pramp and Gainlo are also interview prep tools that allow software engineers to conduct mock interviews with their peers.
- You can also check out CodeChef for a free online community and platform to practice software engineering technical questions.
- With exercises in Python and JavaScript for beginners and advanced engineers, CheckiO is a good free resource to check out.
- Similarly, Quastor sends out a daily newsletter with software engineering interview questions. They also have a free online course.
How do Coderbyte and HackerRank compare to Pathrise?
Coderbyte and HackerRank are platforms that offer technical interview preparation services to software engineers. People can practice technical interview questions, learn from other users’ solutions, and deepen their knowledge on important software engineering topics. By practicing technical questions in an environment that mimics the one you are likely to be tested in, you can approach your interview feeling better prepared and confident.
A full service organization, Pathrise works with job-seekers on each step of their search. While we place a great deal of emphasis on technical interview preparation through workshops, pair programming, and 1-on-1 sessions, we also work with fellows on every other component, including resume optimization, cold emailing, behavioral interviewing, and negotiation. Pathrise fellows are strongly encouraged to use a service like Coderbyte or HackerRank, alongside other resources, in order to prepare for upcoming interviews.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. With our tips and guidance, we’ve seen our fellows interview scores double.
If you are interested in working 1-on-1 with any of our mentors to optimize your job search, become a Pathrise fellow.
Apply today.
