Every day, the world becomes more digital and more automated. As a result, computer programming is now a fundamental part of different industries.
Learning how to program can be difficult, considering all you have to cover. Some people even find it boring. But it doesn’t have to be.
A platform like Codewars helps you learn programming in a more fun and lively way. It lets you practice over 55 programming languages via engaging challenges known as kata.
Codewars, however, is not ideal for beginners as it doesn’t offer a comprehensive explanation of programming concepts. Some users in the past have also complained about its programming environment.
Aside from Codewars, there are several other platforms that you can try. Listed below are some of the best Codewars alternatives.
Check them out.
Best Codewars Alternatives
1. Exercism
First on this list of the best Codewars alternatives is Exercism, a free coding practice platform. With Exercism, you can learn and practice more than 60 different programming languages.
The platform’s learning platform is fun and engaging, and like Codewars, it’s free. However, while Codewars features some premium plans, Exercism does not. You can only donate to support the developers voluntarily.
The top programming languages you can practice on Exercism include Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, Go, and Ruby. For each programming language, the platform has thousands of users. For emphasis, more than 215,000 students practice Python on Exercism.
You can practice by completing simple and complex exercises. The exercises are of different types, but the popular ones are Allergies, Queen Attack, and Zebra Puzzle.
If you don’t try the exercises, you can also write regular codes on your own. Exercism has a built-in browser editor that supports all its programming languages, allowing you to code on the go.
After coding, you can submit your script for a free automated analysis. Notably, the analysis will identify areas where you should improve. You can also submit your script to others and get feedback from real people.
2. Edabit
Dubbed “a better way to learn programming,” Edabit boasts a large collection of programming challenges. In total, there are more than 10,000 challenges to undertake. But they are bite-sized and won’t take much of your time.
Learning with Edabit is fast and easy. You’ll always want to take on the next challenge after completing the previous one.
You can sort the challenges according to their difficulty level. The options include very easy, easy, medium, hard, very hard, and expert.
Conversely, Edabit supports popular programming languages, including Python, C#, C++, Ruby, Swift, JavaScript, and Java.
You can’t use Edabit for free like Codewars. The platform is 100 percent premium. As a new user, you have access to 15 free challenges. After completing them, you must switch to a paid plan to continue using the platform.
The monthly plan costs $39, while the yearly plan costs $120. You can save money when you opt for the lifetime plan, which costs $299.
3. HackerRank
From its name, you would think this platform is illegal to use, but it’s not.
If you’re a programmer and looking for a Codewars alternative to find jobs, you can consider HackerRank. Conversely, you can use it as a company that wants to hire a programmer.
Due to how it works, HackerRank has far more users than Codewars. Over 18 million programmers from all over the world use the platform.
As a developer, you don’t have to pay to use HackerRank. You can sign up easily using your Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, or GitHub account. Using your GitHub account is ideal if you have already written code on the platform.
After you log in, you can choose to either prepare for job interviews or learn and compete with others. The latter is recommended if you want to use HackerRank like Codewars.
Before you begin, you must specify how many years of programming experience you have. It’s important so you get the right materials and so you can compete with programmers at your level.
As you learn and compete, you acquire skills. In the long run, you can display these skills on your profile and leverage them when applying for jobs.
4. LeetCode
LeetCode provides a friendly learning environment for any programmer, irrespective of their experience level.
As a LeetCode user, you get access to a programming center with more than 2,450 practice questions. It may not be as much as you get on Codewars, but it’s worthwhile.
Furthermore, LeetCode focuses only on popular programming languages. In total, the platform supports 14 programming languages, with Python, Java, and C++ at the forefront.
Similar to Codewars, LeetCode offers a solution for businesses. If you’re a business, you can use the platform to identify top programming talents for hire.
With this, programmers can complete interviews on LeetCode. Note that the platform conducts weekly contests to select the top programmers.
As an individual programmer, you can use LeetCode for free, but you only get the full package when you pay. Like Codewars, the platform features an optional premium plan. The premium plan costs $35 per month or $159 per year.
You can go for any that suits your budget, but note that these prices change from time to time.
5. Project Euler
Undoubtedly, Codewars features some difficult challenges. Suppose you want something even more difficult. In that case, you should count Project Euler among your options. It’s a renowned programming learning platform, which has been online since 2001.
With Project Euler, you don’t just get programming challenges to complete. Rather, you get mathematical and programming problems. Hence, completing these problems would require more than just programming skills.
Project Euler was launched to introduce programmers to new mathematical concepts. Despite how difficult the platform appears, it boasts more than 103,000 users. It records users in more than 220 locations from different parts of the world.
With Project Euler, you can practice and solve problems in more programming languages than Codewars.
In fact, Codewars supports over 55 programming languages; however, Project Euler supports over 100 programming languages.
From the archives, you can access every problem that has been published on the platform since its launch. As a result, you’re not limited to solving only the newly published programming challenges.
Furthermore, you don’t pay to use Project Euler. You can use the platform even without creating an account. However, it’s ideal to create an account so you can track your performance.
6. CodinGame
CodinGame was launched in 2012, and the platform has since grown in popularity. As its name implies, it’s all about learning to program and having fun – gaming. It lets you practice with pure code in more than 25 programming languages.
The platform is regularly updated by top developers to include the latest improvements in the supported programming languages. Therefore, you can always rest assured that you’re practicing with the latest codes.
On CodinGame, you can get community feedback on your code from other users. You can also do the same in Codewars.
When you partake in community challenges, you can compare your coding solutions with those of other users. All of these will make you a better programmer in the long run.
To make things more fun, CodinGame supports multiplayer programming games. You can remotely challenge your friends and family while you improve your programming skills.
Similarly, you can partake in international contests where you can win exciting prizes. The more contests you win, the higher you go on the leaderboard. At the top, you can get recognized by top recruiters and land a programming job.
Interestingly, you can access all these for free. CodinGame doesn’t feature a premium option, unlike Codewars.
7. CheckiO
If you find Codewars too complex, you’ll appreciate a more friendly alternative like CheckiO. CheckiO is popular among school students due to its simplicity. Nevertheless, you can also use it if you’re an expert programmer.
Notably, CheckiO supports two programming languages i.e. JavaScript and Python.
However, support for only two programming languages is a major reason why the platform is simple. You can focus on improving a specific programming skill.
When you visit the CheckiO website, you don’t have to register an account. Simply click on Python or TypeScript (for JavaScript), depending on the programming language you want to practice.
On the next page, you need to click on “Start New Game” and select the difficulty level – easy, normal, or hard. Afterward, click on “Start Without Registration,” and you can begin practicing.
However, if you’d prefer to track your game, save it, and continue it later, you must create an account. You can sign up easily with your Facebook, Google, or GitHub account.
8. Coderbyte
Coderbyte is another notable entry on this list, with over one million users. The platform has two main objectives. The first is to help programmers improve their skills, while the second is to help them ace interviews.
With Coderbyte, you get up to 300 different challenges to partake in. The challenges range from algorithmic, front-end, back-end, and database tasks.
Notably, Coderbyte comes with a built-in automated grading system. Their grading system employs Big-O analysis, which makes it super efficient. From the analysis, you can easily find out where you have errors.
Furthermore, Coderbyte features solutions for challenges on the platform. You can also learn from solutions submitted by others.
However, Coderbyte’s main strength lies in its interview kits. The platform features three interview kits, including the Google Interview Kit, React Interview Kit, and Algorithms Interview Kit.
If you’re a programmer looking to land a job, these kits will prepare you for any employer. Aside from challenges and interview kits, Coderbyte also features programming courses.
Note that Coderbyte is a premium platform. It costs $35 per month or $150 per year.
9. CodeSignal
Here is another platform that focuses on helping developers get jobs. It’s more popular as an assessment platform than as a challenge platform.
Hence, when you sign up for CodeSignal, you get access to programming interview questions and answers. The platform supports over 70 programming languages, which is more than what you get with Codewars.
However, CodeSignal is more suitable for companies than for individual programmers. CodeSignal is renowned as some top companies use it to hire tech talents. Some of these companies include Meta, Gusto, Zoom, Uber, Reddit, and Quora.
The platform makes it easy to hire programmers thanks to its comprehensive features. As a business, you can easily explore a programmer’s experience via the Pre Screen and Tech Screen.
Furthermore, CodeSignal has an interview tool that allows you to conduct live interviews with minimal effort. You can conduct video, audio, or text interviews, and you can grade the interviewee’s performance on the go.
An interesting feature you get with CodeSignal is the plagiarism checker. You can easily check to confirm that each programmer’s submission is original.
10. SPOJ
Sphere Online Judge (SPOJ) is a public website where you’ll find thousands of programming problems. The platform has close to a million users with over 30 million code submissions. As a result, it’s more popular than Codewars.
To use SPOJ, you must create an account. But you don’t have to pay any amount as the platform is 100 percent free. You only need an email address to create an account. Afterward, you can begin solving programming problems right away.
SPOJ maintains a real-time ranking of users. The more challenges you complete, the higher you rank. With this, SPOJ is relatively more competitive than Codewars.
As a new user, you get to meet both expert and beginner programmers from all over the world. Aside from the user rank, SPOJ also has a rank system for judges.
The judges are regular users, but those that rank higher in specific programming languages. In addition, the judges change from time to time as new users go up the ranks.
Furthermore, SPOJ has a community forum for discussion. You can post topics on the forum to get responses from other users, and vice versa.
11. Topcoder
Irrespective of your programming field, you’ll find a platform like Topcoder useful. Launched by Wipro, Topcoder grooms programmers for companies to hire. Hence, it’s not much different from Codewars.
Topcoder welcomes data science, UI/UX design, web development, and QA & testing programmers. You can join the platform if you’re a beginner or expert programmer in these fields and get jobs from top companies.
Hence, Topcoder is an ideal Codewars alternative if you don’t just want to learn coding but also make money. Most of these jobs are available as challenges.
You’ll find challenges for as little as $5 and those worth as much as $2,000. So long as you’re a registered member of the platform, you can partake in the paid challenge.
If you just want to learn with Topcoder, you can take the practice lessons. Topcoder’s practice lessons are more or less a breakdown of previous challenges, but they’re helpful.
You can get practice lessons in each of the four programming fields that the platform supports. If you have any issues with using the platform, you can count on the community of global programmers for help.
12. binarysearch
At number 12, we have another completely free alternative to Codewars. The platform was launched by two Canadian engineers to help make algorithms easier to learn. It’s ideal if you want to learn programming with others.
binarysearch lets you create a programming room that you can share with others to join. You can also practice alone by creating a private room. Nevertheless, it’s more fun to program in a public group.
Notably, binarysearch works like a social platform as you can chat with others in the room in real time. You can chat about whatever you want, although there are some rules.
As mentioned earlier, the platform focuses on coding and algorithm problems. Hence, you should expect relatively complex data structure questions that’ll sharpen your programming skills.
These questions come in the form of linked lists, graphs, trees, and hash tables. In total, there are around 1,000 programming problems to solve.
Unlike Codewars, binarysearch supports six programming languages, including Python, Java, C++, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Ruby.
13. Codier
Most programmers focus on back-end development, but a well-designed front-end is also important. Codier is your go-to platform if you want front-end programming challenges.
This specific attribute makes it relatively different from Codewars. It’s a platform that you can use for free.
Just as Codewars lets you add your own katas, Codier lets you create your own challenges. However, you need an account to do anything on the platform. You can create one easily if you have a GitHub account.
After you sign up, you’ll find hundreds of challenges on the homepage to begin solving. You can sort the challenges by the most popular, latest, or number of solutions.
Suppose you don’t want to submit solutions. In that case, you can simply learn from the hundreds of solutions submitted by other users.
Aside from challenges, you can also upload your creations to Codier. It can be random front-end designs you make, which you can upload for other viewers to rate.
Users rate creations with upvotes and downvotes. Typically, the more upvotes you get, the more popular your creation becomes.
14. BigSib
BigSib is a platform where you can learn how to code. Rather than take on challenges, you can simply sign up for courses.
The courses are available for free and accessible to everyone. In addition, you get to learn from other students like yourself, so there’s no pressure.
Notably, BigSib is recommended as a Codewars replacement for beginners. In particular, the platform was developed for high school students in New York City. Hence, you’ll find BigSib uneventful if you’re an expert programmer.
If you don’t opt for the courses, you can complete the simple coding practice. The practice is also exclusive to beginners.
The practice is free, and unlike Codewars, there’s no premium plan. You only need an email address to sign up, and you can start practicing immediately after you confirm your account.
When you log in, you’ll find simple programming questions to answer. At the end of the practice, you get a grade and the answers to all the questions. You can retake the practice over and over, as many times as you need to.
15. Codeforces
Launched in 2009, Codeforces is a platform for programming contests and competitions. It’s a more active and engaging platform than Codewars.
How Codeforces works is simple. From time to time, you get a series of programming problems to solve. These problems range in difficulty and anyone can participate.
Codeforces competitions come with time limits, which makes them more fun. Interestingly, if you make a wrong submission, your time decreases. However, each competition and contest has its own rules, so it may be different for some.
Only registered users can join contests on Codeforces. You can register with your email or simply log in with your Gmail account. Whichever you opt for, you’ll need a unique handle.
With Codeforces, you should expect a new programming contest every week. The higher you score in the contests, the more ratings you receive. Having high ratings will make you eligible for some exclusive competitions.
Codeforces features a real-time calendar where you can find all upcoming programming contests. It helps you prepare ahead of time.
Bottom Line
You can visit the above platforms to improve your coding skills in different programming languages.
The platforms go beyond just teaching you how to program. Also, they prepare you for interviews and connect you to employers.
If you’re an employer though, you can also use these platforms to locate quality programmers.
