Unlocking Your Coding Potential: Top Exercism Alternatives

Are you a code newbie? Learning to program is exhilarating and challenging... and also frustrating, exhausting, and overwhelming. Exercism provides countless small wins with its well-defined, achievable mini-quests that help uncover bite-sized knowledge gaps. The feedback received dramatically increases the ease with which you write code. While Exercism is an excellent platform for honing your coding skills, many developers seek alternatives that offer different learning styles, communities, or specialized content. If you're looking for an exercism alternative to diversify your learning journey, you've come to the right place.

Top Exercism Alternatives

Whether you're seeking a more gamified experience, project-based learning, or a focus on specific programming languages, there's a perfect platform out there to complement or replace your Exercism experience. Explore these top contenders:

freeCodeCamp

freeCodeCamp

Free Code Camp's open-source community helps you build a job-worthy portfolio of real apps used by real people, while assisting nonprofits. This free and open-source web platform offers a comprehensive 1600-hour full curriculum, featuring certification, a community-based approach, DRM-free content, a live sandbox, and a strong focus on web development. It's an excellent exercism alternative for those seeking project-based learning and community support.

Codecademy

Codecademy

Codecademy is widely recognized as an easy way to learn how to code, offering interactive and fun lessons. This freemium web platform includes features like coding exercises, a built-in terminal, support for C++, Python, and Ruby, and an iTunes-like user interface. It serves as a strong exercism alternative for interactive, guided learning paths.

W3Schools

W3Schools

W3Schools is a comprehensive web developers' information website, providing tutorials and references on web development languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, and JQuery. As a free web platform focused on coding and web development, it's a great exercism alternative for those looking for extensive reference material and practical examples.

HackerRank

HackerRank

HackerRank is an engaging social network that tasks developers with real-world coding challenges and connects them with great companies. This free personal web platform is ideal as an exercism alternative for those who thrive on competitive programming and interview preparation.

Codewars

Codewars

Codewars helps you achieve code mastery through challenge. Improve your skills by training with others on real code challenges, known as 'Kata'. This freemium web platform emphasizes coding and crowdsourced challenges, making it an excellent exercism alternative for iterative skill improvement.

Project Euler

Project Euler

Project Euler offers a series of challenging mathematical/computer programming problems that require more than just mathematical insights to solve. As a free web platform, it's a unique exercism alternative for those who enjoy tackling complex algorithmic problems and mathematical puzzles.

CodinGame

CodinGame

CodinGame is a challenge-based training platform for programmers where you can play with the hottest programming topics. This free web platform features an integrated chat, making it a fun and interactive exercism alternative for learning through game-like challenges.

CheckIO

CheckIO

CheckiO expands the world’s code literacy through gameplay, creating an entertaining game where gaming and coding experiences merge. This free, open-source web platform, also available on PyCharm and WebStorm, focuses on coding, offering a unique gamified exercism alternative.

Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Grasshopper, developed by Google, is a coding app for beginners. With fun, quick lessons on your phone, the app teaches adult learners to write real JavaScript. This free web, Android, and iOS app is an excellent mobile-first exercism alternative for foundational coding skills.

Coderbyte

Coderbyte

Coderbyte is a platform built for anyone to practice and perfect their programming skills, with new challenges added almost every day. This freemium web platform is a strong exercism alternative for those looking to apply their knowledge through a continuous stream of coding challenges.

LeetCode

LeetCode

LeetCode helps you practice and level up your development skills and prepare for technical interviews. This freemium web platform focuses heavily on coding challenges, making it a prime exercism alternative for interview preparation and algorithmic practice.

Edabit

Edabit

Edabit helps learners bridge the gap between memorizing syntax and understanding the logic of code. This free web platform offers equation solving, achievements, coding exercises, educational content, gamification, and syntax highlighting, making it a highly interactive exercism alternative.

Enlight - Learn to Code

Enlight - Learn to Code

Enlight is an open-source resource aimed at teaching anyone to code through building projects. This free, open-source web platform focuses on web development, serving as a practical, project-oriented exercism alternative.

Codeasy

Codeasy

Codeasy is an interactive platform for learning C# where you learn coding by reading an adventure story about fighting machines in the future. Available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, Chrome OS, and iPad, this free platform offers an ad-free, free-to-play, story-driven approach, providing a unique and engaging exercism alternative for C# learners.

Screeps

Screeps

Screeps teaches you to code JavaScript by playing a game, claiming to be the world’s first MMO strategy sandbox game for programmers. This commercial platform, available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, and SteamOS, is an incredibly innovative and interactive exercism alternative for JavaScript enthusiasts.

Progate

Progate

Progate is an online platform to learn programming. Learn HTML, CSS, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Javascript, Java, Swift, and Git interactively on the browser. This freemium web, Android, and iPhone platform focuses on interactive coding education, making it a visually engaging exercism alternative.

DevTube

DevTube

DevTube allows you to enjoy the best tech conference videos, webinars, and tutorials. This free, open-source web platform is an excellent exercism alternative for those who prefer learning through video content from industry experts.

Swift Playgrounds

Swift Playgrounds

Swift Playgrounds is a beautiful and engaging way to learn to program with Apple Swift on iPad. This free iPad-specific educational platform is a perfect exercism alternative for aspiring iOS developers or anyone interested in learning Swift in an interactive environment.

Codemy.net

Codemy.net

Codemy.net teaches you to code by watching their 'Code Along' video series that show you how to build projects side-by-side with someone with real-world experience. This commercial, open-source platform available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web, focuses on coding, Docker support, and web development, making it a practical, hands-on exercism alternative.

Duomly

Duomly

Duomly believes everyone can learn how to code, making learning fun and easy! This freemium SaaS platform offers interactive content, a night mode/dark theme, coding exercises, education, interactive lessons, and even machine learning, positioning it as a modern and engaging exercism alternative.

Finding the right coding platform is a personal journey. While Exercism offers invaluable structured practice and feedback, exploring these diverse alternatives can open up new learning methodologies, expose you to different communities, and help you discover the best fit for your unique coding goals. Don't hesitate to try a few to see which resonates most with your learning style!

John Clark

John Clark

A software reviewer and technology blogger with a deep interest in developer tools.