AlgoExpert In Depth Review - Better than LeetCode?
AlgoExpert.io is a technical interview prep service like LeetCode. It is relatively new, but has gained a lot of traction in recent months, and lot of my subscribers have been asking me to review it to see how it compares with LeetCode. So, here it is. As always, if you prefer the video format, a more detailed version, watch the video below.
Data Structures and Algorithms Crash Course
This is sort of like Leetcode’s “Explore” feature, where it gives you a refresher on the core data structures. It’s a nice feature, and the explanations are pretty nice, but I am not sure how much value it provides. If you are learning about Arrays via a 40 minute video, are you really going to be successful at cracking a top tech technical interview any time soon? I think I prefer Leetcode’s explore feature since it teaches you from an interview-question-first approach. It gives you a quick refresher and then immediately goes into some interview questions on that topic.
So yeah, I think it’s good to have, but I wouldn’t complain if this feature wasn’t available either.
Coding Interview Questions
I love the quality over quantity approach. And 100 seems like just the right amount. I like that you can also categorize them by difficulty or by data structure. That being said, there is no indication to why this specific set of 100 questions were picked. We don’t know if it was because they were frequently asked by some company or because they test certain algorithmic concepts like sliding window. One would assume that they were picked because they represent a set that covers “all areas.” But aside from trusting the AlgoExpert team, there isn’t much indication on how that is the case. Would have loved to see that. But other than that, this section is very good.
Practice Assessments
The next section they have is practice assessments. I think this is similar to Leetcode’s Mock section where they simulate either an online assessment, or a full onsite loop. I say “I think” because this section assumes that you aren’t strong enough to solve this section unless you complete 10 or more normal questions, which I did not have time for. My suggestion here is to at least let users try one assessment, and then if they do poorly, have them do the normal questions before attempting others. Since I couldn’t even try one, I have no opinion on this section other than the suggestion to let people try at least one.
Coding Interface
The UI is quite cluttered at a first glance. However, as you familiarize yourself with it, it is quite useful and feature-rich. I also love that they have the full screen option to declutter the space and also have a timer! Everything works as expected, so great job here. Whether you prefer this or Leetcode may just be a matter of personal preference.
Solutions
The explanations on AlgoExpert is hands down it’s best part. Clem, the CEO and Founder of AlgoExpert is an incredibly eloquent speaker and a great “explainer of things.” The solution videos are very easy to understand and follow. And because they are so well made and in video format, I think this is a big upper hand for AlgoExpert over LeetCode, where the solutions tend to be crowdsourced, and hence, the quality varies a lot. That being said, because AlgoExpert has curated solutions, you also get only one solution. In LeetCode, you get multiple approaches, and also a discussion section, where I’ve found better solutions. But with more options, also comes the responsibility for you to weed through the bad ones. I think this one is a toss up. If you prefer choice and are willing to go through the bad ones, I’d say LeetCode wins, but if you like one, very high quality solution, I’d say AlgoExpert wins.
System Design Fundamentals & Quiz
Just like the Data Structures crash course, this is a nice to have, but will not teach you systems design. It can act as an intro to the topics you’d need to study in depth, so I suppose that is a positive point. As far as the quiz goes, I don’t really see much value in it. Real interviews don’t have quizzes and you need much more in-depth knowledge for the real interviews.
System Design Interview Questions and Solutions
The list is decent, and covers a nice surface area - from storage systems to API design to social media fanouts. Video solutions, like with everything else AlgoExpert is very nicely done. However, I do think the interviewer is too agreeable and does not grill more. I think they are good enough for entry-level or 1-3 years of experience, but anything more than that and you will find that the Systems Design section is not detailed enough. That being said, LeetCode does not even have a Systems Design section, so this is a great start!
Pricing and Value
Here is where things get a bit tricky. AlgoExpert is 99 bucks a year. LeetCode has most of it’s questions for free. LeetCode premium is 160 bucks a month, which is more expensive than AlgoExpert’s 99 bucks. And then if you add the System Design part, AlgoExpert is 139 bucks, which is still cheaper than LeetCode at 160. So, where am I going with this? Personally, I still lean towards LeetCode for it’s wide variety of questions, frequency counters and company tags. While the System Design is nice to have, it isn’t useful for anyone more than a few years of experience.
Final Verdict
So here is what I think. If you are a student, or a junior engineer, and you prefer someone to tell you a specific plan to follow, and you also want one place that has everything, I think AlgoExpert is the right choice for you. If you are a senior engineer, or prefer to make your own plans that fit your level of knowledge, then Leetcode is the better choice for you.
Side Node: AlgoExpert recently also added the Mock interview feature, which is a great addition. I have not been able to try it out, but I will add a word of caution. Peer interviews are great for practice and interview nerves, but if your intention with mocks is to get real world practice, I advise you to schedule mocks with someone who is an experienced interviewer. Peers are usually in the same boat as you, and do not have interviewing experience. They may be too harsh, or too easy on you, neither of which, simulates real world interviews. Trained interviewers are looking for very different signals.
