Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now industry mentor at Pathrise. I have worked with hundreds of software engineers to help them land their dream jobs in tech. Check out my article where I compare Interview Cake vs AlgoExpert.
- Similarities and differences between Interview Cake vs AlgoExpert
- Topics offered on Interview Cake vs AlgoExpert
- Prices for Interview Cake vs AlgoExpert
- Ratings and reviews of Interview Cake vs AlgoExpert
- Alternatives to Interview Cake vs AlgoExpert
- How do Interview Cake vs AlgoExpert compare to Pathrise?
Similarities and differences between Interview Cake and AlgoExpert
Interview Cake and AlgoExpert are popular software engineering prep tools that people can use to practice for technical interviews.
Similarities
- Users can filter questions by topic on both platforms.
- Interview Cake & AlgoExpert provide interview tips for phone screens and behavioral interviews.
- Both allow users to solve problems using a built-in code editor.
- In terms of additional support, users can receive guidance through the glossary (Interview Cake) and short video lessons (AlgoExpert).
- People are able to use both Interview Cake & AlgoExpert to practice coding in a number of programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, and C++.
Differences
- AlgoExpert questions include video explanations that explain how to best approach, implement, and analyze the problem.
- Users on AlgoExpert are able to filter questions by difficulty level as well.
- Interview Cake allows users to sort questions by company. They have actual programming interview challenges from top tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, and others.
- With Interview Cake, users have access to a full breakdown of each solution, a gotcha list that highlights common mistakes, a “what we learned” section, and those who enroll in the coaching plan receive four 1-on-1 sessions.
- People who successfully complete all of the questions on AlgoExpert receive a certificate of completion.
Topics offered on Interview Cake and AlgoExpert
Interview Cake and AlgoExpert offer practice questions for software engineers on a variety of topics, including the following:
- String
- Arrays
- Trees and graphs
- Binary search
- Hash tables
- Sorting
- Linked lists
- Algorithms
- Data structures
Both programs are well known for their algorithm and data structure questions, so people should carefully study those topics before using either program.
Prices for Interview Cake and AlgoExpert
While Interview Cake offers some free resources, people must upgrade to access most solutions and problems. People can pay $19 for 3 weeks of access, or $29 for 3 months. Normally the 3-week and 3-month plans cost $149 and $249 respectively, but Interview Cake is offering heavy discounts to accommodate for any financial difficulties caused by COVID-19. People who are looking for 1-on-1 coaching, along with the online course, can pay $4,900 and receive 4 one-hour sessions, as well as access to the online course for 12 months.
AlgoExpert offers 3 plans: Systems Expert, AlgoExpert, and AlgoExpert + SystemsExpert. The SystemsExpert plan costs $60 for one year and includes a course on systems design, top design interview questions, video explanations, and a glossary of important design terms. Those who select AlgoExpert pay $99 for 1 year and receive 100 coding interview questions, video explanations, code solutions in 7 languages, a crash course on data structures, and a certificate. The AlgoExpert + SystemsExpert plan costs $129 for one year (down from $159) and comes with benefits of both the Systems Expert and AlgoExpert plans.
Ratings and reviews of Interview Cake and AlgoExpert
Interview Cake users praised the variety, style, and depth of the practice questions. They also enjoyed the tips and tricks that accompanied each question type. While many benefited from using Interview Cake, others recommend having a background in data structures and algorithms before paying for the program.
In general, people who used AlgoExpert felt that the videos were well-produced and useful for learning the necessary steps to approach each particular question. But, other users wished that AlgoExpert had more than 100 coding interview questions. Some recommended using AlgoExpert, alongside Leetcode or another software engineering interview prep platform, to more fully prepare for interviews.
Alternatives to Interview Cake and AlgoExpert
Besides Interview Cake and AlgoExpert, there are quite a few alternative services that you can use to practice for your software engineering interviews, including:
- 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.
- Offering tens of thousands of user solutions each, Coderbyte hosts an online editor for users to solve questions directly on the platform. Read more about Coderbyte in our review.
- You can also check out CodeChef and Edabit for free online communities and platforms to practice software engineering technical questions.
- HackerRank is a common tool used by companies to evaluate software engineers. They offer practice questions on their platform, which mimics the environment that people will likely be tested in.
- CodinGame, Codewars, and CodeSignal turn interview practice problems into challenges in order to gamify the interview prep experience.
- Software engineers can use the tracks offered by Educative to brush up on skills or practice for specific-language interviews.
- If you are interested in participating in mock interviews with software engineers at top tech companies, check out Interviewing.io. Learn more about Interviewing.io in our review.
- Those who are looking to conduct mock interviews with their peers can consider Pramp and Gainlo.
- For people looking to prep with real world problems, CodeKata provides challenges that mimic requests from real tech companies.
How do Interview Cake and AlgoExpert compare to Pathrise?
Interview Cake and AlgoExpert are platforms that offer technical interview preparation services to software engineers. People can practice topics like data structures and algorithms, advance their skills in multiple languages, and receive additional tips for acing their interview. Both platforms mimic the environment that software engineers will be tested in so that they can practice technical questions in a way that prepares them for what they will likely encounter on interview day.
A full service organization, Pathrise helps people land the best job possible. We place a great deal of emphasis on technical interview preparation through workshops, pair programming, and 1-on-1 sessions, but we also work with fellows on every other component of the job search, including resume & LinkedIn optimization, cold emailing, behavioral interviewing, and salary negotiation.
Fellows in the Pathrise program are strongly encouraged to use services like Interview Cake and AlgoExpert, alongside our technical workshops, to prepare for their 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.
