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Education · head to head

Codecademy vs Elevate

Codecademy logo

Codecademy

Education

Learn to code interactively for free

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Elevate logo

Elevate

Education

Cognitive skills training app from Elevate Labs covering reading, writing, maths and speaking games

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Codecademy free plan has limited access to quizzes and projects; Elevate the free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.
  • They diverge on capability: Codecademy covers Interactive coding, Elevate covers Daily game sets.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Codecademy and Elevate actually diverge.

Attributes where Codecademy and Elevate differ
AttributeCodecademyElevate
Pricing modelfreemiumFree with a Pro subscription
PlatformsWebiOS, Android
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Codecademy

  • Interactive coding
  • Instant feedback
  • Projects
  • Quizzes
  • Career paths
  • Mobile app
  • Offline practice
  • Community forums

Only in Elevate

  • Daily game sets
  • Personalised training plan
  • Progress tracking
  • Reading and comprehension drills
  • Maths and estimation games
  • Writing and proofreading games

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Codecademy

  • Learn to codenot Elevate
  • Career transitionnot Elevate
  • Skill buildingnot Elevate
  • Portfolio projectsnot Elevate

Elevate

  • An adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skillsnot Codecademy
  • Someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drillsnot Codecademy
  • A user comparing Elevate against Lumosity on whether they want practical skills or abstract cognitive gamesnot Codecademy
  • A buyer wanting to sample the format on the limited free tier before committing to a subscriptionnot Codecademy

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Codecademy

  • Free plan has limited access to quizzes and projects
  • Pro pricing at $15.99/month is among the higher options for coding education platforms

Elevate

  • The free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.
  • As with the brain training category generally, evidence that improved performance on Elevate specific games transfers to broader real-world cognitive or task performance is weaker than marketing framing implies.
  • The annual subscription auto-renews and, as with most mobile subscriptions, must be cancelled through app store settings rather than inside the app itself.
  • Game variety within each skill category is finite, and long-term daily users report the exercises becoming repetitive after extended use.
  • It does not replace structured instruction for skills like reading comprehension or maths where a genuine foundational gap exists; it is practice and drilling rather than teaching from first principles.

Pricing, plan by plan

Codecademy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic courses
    • Interactive lessons
    • Community
  • Plus$17.49/month
    • All courses
    • Projects
    • Quizzes
  • Pro$29.99/month
    • Everything in Plus
    • Interview prep
    • Real-world projects

Elevate

Free
  • Elevate Pro$9.99/month
    • Free tier gives a limited number of games per day
    • Pro unlocks the full game library and personalised training plan
    • Annual Pro plans typically run $44.99 to $59.99, cheaper per month than monthly billing

Which should you pick?

Choose Codecademy if

  • You need interactive coding.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want instant feedback.
Codecademy review

Choose Elevate if

  • You need daily game sets.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want personalised training plan.
Elevate review

Questions people ask

Is Codecademy or Elevate better?
Neither clearly leads. Codecademy starts at Free and Elevate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Codecademy or Elevate?
Codecademy starts at Free and Elevate at Free.
Does Codecademy or Elevate run on more platforms?
Codecademy runs on Web. Elevate runs on iOS, Android.
Can I use Codecademy for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Codecademy best used for?
Codecademy is most often used for learn to code, career transition, skill building, portfolio projects. Of those, learn to code and career transition are not what Elevate is typically brought in for.
What can Codecademy do that Elevate cannot?
Codecademy covers Interactive coding, Instant feedback, Projects, Quizzes. Elevate covers Daily game sets, Personalised training plan, Progress tracking, Reading and comprehension drills.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Codecademy: Does Codecademy have a free plan?

Yes. Codecademy offers a permanent free plan with access to basic courses and introductory content. Advanced features like quizzes, projects, and career paths require Pro with a 7-day free trial.

Source
Elevate: Is Elevate free?

A limited number of games per day are free. The full library, personalised training plan and progress tracking require Elevate Pro.

Codecademy: What is Codecademy Pro pricing?

Codecademy Pro costs $15.99/month when billed annually. Student pricing is available at a discount.

Source
Elevate: Does Elevate improve real-world cognitive ability?

It reliably improves performance on the specific games practised. Evidence that this transfers broadly to real-world cognitive or task performance is limited, consistent with the brain training category generally.

Elevate: How is Elevate different from Lumosity?

Elevate focuses on practical skills such as reading, writing and workplace maths, while Lumosity is built around broader abstract memory, attention and reasoning games.

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