TL;DR: NeetCode's free tier is the best free resource in interview prep, and if video is how you learn, it may be all you need. Grokking the Coding Interview is the stronger choice if you want a written, sequenced curriculum: patterns taught before problems, text you can skim and re-reference at review time, and 300+ problems organized so each section builds on the last. NeetCode Pro (paid) makes sense mainly for its beginner courses and AI mock interviews. Plenty of successful candidates combine the two: Grokking as the curriculum, NeetCode's videos as a second explanation when a problem won't click.
Let's get the obvious thing out of the way first: I created Grokking the Coding Interview. You should apply the same skepticism to this comparison that you'd apply to a NeetCode-vs-everyone post written by NeetCode. What I can offer is this: I'll tell you plainly where NeetCode is better, I'll tell you who shouldn't buy my course, and every factual claim here is checkable. The query that probably brought you here ("grokking the coding interview vs neetcode") deserves a real answer, not a sales page shaped like one.
What each one actually is
They're different species, which is why the comparison confuses people.
NeetCode is a practice platform built around problem lists and video solutions. The famous part is free: the NeetCode 150 (and the newer 250), each problem with a clear video walkthrough by Navdeep Singh, one of the best explainers in this space, plus an in-browser practice environment. NeetCode Pro, the paid tier (roughly $149/year at the time of writing, with a lifetime option), adds structured courses (data structures for beginners, advanced algorithms, system design) and AI-driven mock interviews.
Grokking the Coding Interview is a course, not a problem list. It teaches 42 coding patterns (32 common + 10 advanced) across 50 chapters and 669 lessons: each chapter introduces a pattern (what it is, when to suspect it, its template), then walks through hand-picked problems in increasing difficulty, 300+ problems in total, with solutions in Python, Java, C++, JavaScript, Go, and C#, and 751 in-browser playgrounds to run code as you read. It's a one-time purchase ($79, discounted from $197, for lifetime access, or via the Design Gurus all-courses subscription), rated 4.6/5 by about 63,000 learners.
So the real question isn't "which site is better." It's: do you want a practice list with excellent explanations, or a curriculum that teaches patterns first? We covered why pattern-first matters in Learn the Patterns, Not the Problems; this post assumes you're deciding where to do that learning.
Head-to-head
| NeetCode (free) | NeetCode Pro | Grokking the Coding Interview | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Problem lists + solution videos | Free tier + courses + AI mocks | Written pattern curriculum |
| Core unit | The problem | The problem / course | The pattern |
| Problems | 150-250 | 150-250 + course exercises | 300+, sequenced within 42 patterns |
| Teaching medium | Video | Video | Text + interactive playgrounds |
| Languages | Python, Java, JS (varies by video) | Same | 6 languages, every problem |
| Practice environment | Yes | Yes | Yes (751 playgrounds) |
| Mock interviews | No | AI-driven | No |
| Price | Free | ~$149/yr or lifetime | $79 one-time, lifetime |
| Best for | Video learners, budget = $0 | Beginners wanting structure + mocks | Pattern-first, text-first learners |
Where NeetCode is genuinely better
Price, obviously. The free tier covers the entire NeetCode 150 with videos. If your budget is zero, stop reading and go use it; it's excellent, and a disciplined candidate can absolutely pass FAANG interviews with it.
Video explanation quality. When you're stuck on a specific problem, watching someone draw the solution is often faster than reading it. Navdeep's videos are consistently clear, and this is the single thing NeetCode does better than anyone, including us.
Mock practice. Pro's AI interviews give you reps at talking while coding, which no reading or watching replaces. (A human mock is still better, but AI mocks are cheap reps.)
Where Grokking is genuinely better
Patterns are the curriculum, not the index. NeetCode groups problems by topic; you still learn primarily by solving, then watching. Grokking inverts this: each chapter teaches the pattern first (the tell that identifies it, the template, its boundaries), then hands you problems ordered to stretch the template one variation at a time. If you've read our sliding window deep dive, that structure (tell, template, variations, boundary) is the course's structure, applied 42 times with far more depth.
Text beats video at review time. This is the most underrated difference. Two days before your onsite, you will not re-watch 40 hours of video. You will skim 42 pattern summaries in an afternoon. Written material is searchable, skimmable, and re-readable at your own speed; video is none of those. Video wins on first contact with a hard idea; text wins every time after.
Six languages, every problem. If you interview in Go or C#, NeetCode's coverage thins out fast. Grokking ships full solutions in all six languages for all 300+ problems.
Sequencing. The chapters are ordered so each pattern reuses machinery from the previous one, the same property that separates a curriculum from a checklist, and the reason we built Grokking 75 the same way.
See it for yourself: the free tier of Grokking the Coding Interview includes the introductory lessons of the course, so you can judge the teaching style against NeetCode's videos before spending anything.
The decision, by situation
Budget is $0. NeetCode free. No caveats. Pair it with our free pattern field guide so you're learning tells, not memorizing solutions.
You learn best by watching someone explain. NeetCode, free or Pro. Format fit beats content differences; a course you enjoy finishing outranks a marginally better one you abandon.
You learn best by reading, or you're past the beginner stage and want the pattern taxonomy installed fast. Grokking. This is the course's home turf.
You're a true beginner (arrays and hash maps are still shaky). NeetCode Pro's beginner courses or our Grokking Data Structures first. A patterns course assumes fundamentals; buying it too early wastes it, and I'd rather tell you that than sell it to you twice.
Interview inside 6 weeks. Neither full resource completes in that window. Do a 75-problem list instead; the honest three-way comparison is in Blind 75 vs NeetCode 150 vs Grokking 75.
You interview in Go, C#, or C++. Grokking, for the language coverage alone.
The combination (genuinely common). Grokking as the spine, NeetCode's free videos as the second explanation when a written solution doesn't click. The two overlap heavily in problem space, so a NeetCode video for a Grokking problem usually exists. Nobody's business model loves this advice, but it's what a lot of successful candidates actually do.
The takeaway
NeetCode is the best free resource in this space and the best video teaching in this space, and if that sentence surprises you coming from a competitor, good; the rest of this post earns its "honest." Grokking the Coding Interview is the better curriculum: pattern-first teaching, sequenced problems, six languages, and text you'll actually re-read the week of your interview. Pick by learning style and stage, not by which comment section shouts loudest, and whichever you pick, finish it.
Ready to try the pattern-first approach? Grokking the Coding Interview teaches all 42 patterns (32 common + 10 advanced) across 300+ problems with lifetime access for a one-time $79. Short on time? Grokking 75 distills it to a 6-week plan.
FAQs
Is Grokking the Coding Interview worth it? If you want patterns taught as a written, sequenced curriculum and you'll actually work through it, yes: it's a $79 one-time purchase against interview outcomes measured in tens of thousands of dollars. It is not worth it if you're a video-first learner, a true beginner who needs fundamentals first, or someone with an interview in a month (use a 75-problem list instead). For the full breakdown, including the real criticisms, read our honest review of Grokking the Coding Interview.
Is NeetCode Pro worth it, or is the free tier enough? For most self-sufficient candidates, the free tier is enough: the 150 list plus videos covers the core pattern space. Pro earns its price mainly for beginners who want the structured courses and for candidates who'll actually use the AI mock interviews regularly.
Is this the same Grokking the Coding Interview that was on Educative? Same course lineage, different home. The original authors moved the course to designgurus.io, where it's maintained and expanded (now 42 patterns (32 common + 10 advanced) and 300+ problems). If you're comparing "Educative's Grokking" with ours, designgurus.io is where the original team publishes it.
Which is better for FAANG specifically: NeetCode or Grokking? Both cover the pattern space FAANG draws from, so the differentiator is you: pick the format you'll finish. For Google-style loops that lean on harder variations, Grokking's per-pattern depth (multiple escalating variations per pattern) maps well; for Meta's speed-focused loops, volume reps on NeetCode's list work well. Either way, add mock practice in the final two weeks.
Can I use both without wasting money? Yes, and it costs exactly $79, because NeetCode's half of the combo is free: Grokking as your curriculum, NeetCode videos as backup explanations. The reverse combo (NeetCode Pro plus Grokking) buys real overlap and is worth it only if you specifically want the AI mocks.