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CodePen VS HackerRank

Compare CodePen VS HackerRank and see what are their differences

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CodePen logo CodePen

A front end web development playground.

HackerRank logo HackerRank

HackerRank is a platform that allows companies to conduct interviews remotely to hire developers and for technical assessment purposes.
  • CodePen Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • HackerRank Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23

CodePen features and specs

  • Real-time Collaboration
    Developers can collaborate with others in real-time, making it easy to work on projects with teammates or seek help from the community.
  • Immediate Visual Feedback
    CodePen allows you to see the results of your code as you write it, which is highly beneficial for learning and debugging.
  • Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
    CodePen provides a comfortable and feature-rich online IDE environment with syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and more.
  • Community-Driven
    Users can share their work with the CodePen community, receive feedback, and explore a wide range of projects created by others.
  • Extensive Resources
    CodePen offers a wealth of examples and templates for various web development tasks, making it a useful resource for learning and inspiration.
  • Cross-Device Accessibility
    Being an online platform, CodePen can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, making it convenient for developers on the move.

Possible disadvantages of CodePen

  • Limited Offline Functionality
    Since CodePen is primarily an online tool, it requires an internet connection for most of its features to work, limiting its usefulness in offline environments.
  • Performance Constraints
    Complex or resource-intensive projects may not perform as well on CodePen as they would in a full-fledged local development environment.
  • Subscription Costs
    While many features are free, advanced functionalities and additional storage options require a paid subscription, which may not be ideal for all users.
  • Limited Backend Capabilities
    CodePen is primarily designed for front-end development, so it offers limited support for backend technologies, making it less suitable for full-stack or server-side development.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies and libraries can be cumbersome compared to local development environments which have better tools for this purpose, like npm.
  • Security Concerns
    Sharing projects with the public can expose your code and assets to unauthorized use, posing potential intellectual property and security risks.

HackerRank features and specs

  • Skill Assessment
    HackerRank provides a structured way to assess coding skills through a wide range of programming challenges and problems.
  • Wide Range of Languages
    Supports numerous programming languages, making it versatile for users with different preferences and expertise.
  • Interview Preparation
    Offers various interview preparation kits and company-specific challenges to help candidates prepare for job interviews.
  • Community and Collaboration
    A community of coders where users can discuss problems, share solutions, and collaborate on coding projects.
  • Company Recruitments
    Many companies use HackerRank for recruitment, and performing well on the platform can lead to job opportunities.
  • Leaderboard and Gamification
    Features like leaderboards and gamification elements motivate users to improve their rankings and skills continuously.
  • Educational Resources
    Provides tutorials and explanations that help users understand algorithms and data structures better.

Possible disadvantages of HackerRank

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Beginners may find some problems too challenging, which can be discouraging if they lack foundational knowledge.
  • Potential Focus on Competitive Programming
    The platform may emphasize competitive programming skills, which are not always directly applicable to all real-world software development scenarios.
  • Quality Variance in Problems
    The quality and difficulty of problems can vary, which may affect the consistency of the learning experience.
  • Limited Real-World Project Experience
    The focus on algorithms and coding challenges means there's less emphasis on full-scale project development experience.
  • Limited Feedback
    Automated grading provides limited feedback, which may not be enough for users to understand their mistakes fully.
  • Subscription Costs
    Access to some premium content and features requires a subscription, which may not be affordable for all users.
  • Network Dependency
    Requires a good internet connection to participate in coding challenges and access resources, which may be a limitation for some users.

Analysis of CodePen

Overall verdict

  • Yes, CodePen is considered a good platform for web developers, both beginners and experienced. It offers a wide array of features that facilitate creative development and community engagement.

Why this product is good

  • CodePen is a popular online code editor and community platform for front-end developers to experiment with creating and sharing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript snippets. It provides an easy-to-use interface and real-time previews, making it a valuable tool for learning, prototyping, and sharing web development work. It also fosters a community where developers can showcase their projects, receive feedback, and learn from each other.

Recommended for

  • Front-end developers who want to quickly prototype and test web designs.
  • Beginners in web development looking to learn and receive feedback from the community.
  • Educators and students interested in a platform to showcase projects and collaborate.
  • Developers who want to explore creative coding and share their work with a community.

Analysis of HackerRank

Overall verdict

  • Yes, HackerRank is generally considered a good platform for improving coding skills and preparing for technical interviews. It is widely used by developers to hone their coding abilities and by companies to assess candidates' coding proficiency.

Why this product is good

  • HackerRank is a popular platform for coding enthusiasts, offering a wide range of programming challenges and competitions. It stands out for its extensive problem library, which is beneficial for practice and learning. The platform supports multiple programming languages and provides detailed feedback on submissions, making it a valuable tool for both beginners and experienced programmers.

Recommended for

    HackerRank is recommended for students, individual learners, and job seekers looking to improve their coding skills, as well as for companies seeking an efficient way to evaluate candidates' technical abilities during the hiring process.

CodePen videos

+ Add

What Is Codepen?

More videos:

  • Review - Learn to use CodePen from a co-founder of CodePen
  • Review - Using CodePen For Inspiration & Learning

HackerRank videos

+ Add

Is HackerRank A Good Idea?

More videos:

  • Review - LeetCode vs HackerRank
  • Review - Difference between HackerRank, LeetCode, topcoder and Codeforces

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CodePen and HackerRank)

CodePen

HackerRank

Text Editors
100 100%
Text Editors
0% 0
Hiring And Recruitment
0 0%
Hiring And Recruitment
100% 100
Programming
100 100%
Programming
0% 0
Online Learning
0 0%
Online Learning
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using CodePen and HackerRank. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare CodePen and HackerRank

CodePen Reviews

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
Codepen is a social network for developers to show off their work, ask and answer questions, and exchange ideas. It's like a Reddit for coding and design, with a large community of talented web developers.
Source: www.notchup.com
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
Codepen is a social development environment that allows developers to showcase their work and experiment with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in a collaborative space. Codepen’s focus on visual and interactive development makes it an excellent community for front-end developers and designers.
Source: www.qodo.ai
8 Best Replit Alternatives & Competitors in 2022 (Free & Paid) - Software Discover
Codepen is a social development environment for front-end designers and developers. Build and deploy a website, show off your work, build test cases to learn.
Source: www.softwarediscover.com
Best Online Code Editors For Web Developers
Probably the most popular online code editor. CodePen is fast, easy to use, and allows a web developer to write and share HTML/CSS/JS code online.
Source: techarge.in
Top 25 websites for coding challenge and competition [Updated for 2021]
CodePen is a cool online IDE that allows you to write code in your browser and see the result just as you build it. CodePen challenges is a place for leveling up your skills by building things. Each week, new challenges appear for you to tackle, and the best “Pens” get picked.
Source: towardsdatascience.com

HackerRank Reviews

LeetCode Alternatives: Top platforms for coding practice
What are LeetCode and LeetCode alternatives good for?LeetCode💡Interested in leveling up your career? Apply to the Formation Fellowship today!ApplyHackerRankCodeSignalAlgoExpertCodewarsGeeksforGeeksEdabitExercismTopCoderShould you use LeetCode for advanced interview prep?Get holistic interview prep with Formation
Source: formation.dev
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
HackerRank’s challenges cover a wide range of topics and difficulty levels, allowing developers to enhance their problem-solving skills and learn new algorithms and data structures. The competitive nature of HackerRank challenges adds a fun element to the learning process. Developers can track their progress, compete with others, and participate in company-sponsored coding...
Source: www.qodo.ai
Discover the Top Leetcode Alternatives
HackerRank offers a wide array of challenges across various domains such as algorithms, mathematics, SQL, and functional programming. Its interface is user-friendly, and the platform provides detailed feedback on submissions, which is ideal for beginners and experienced coders alike.
Source: codenquest.com
Best Alternatives to LeetCode For Data Science
HackerRank is another valuable alternative to LeetCode. They're not very "niche" but I had to include them on this list because they're a great resource for data science practice. On HackerRank, you can learn and test your competitive programming skills. If you have basic knowledge of Python and SQL and you're looking to sharpen your skills for an interview, then this...
Source: www.stratascratch.com
15 Best LeetCode Alternatives 2023
HackerRank is a platform that matches developers with companies. The platform has two options. The first one is for companies looking to hire developers. The second option is for job seekers looking to improve their coding skills, prepare for interviews, and get hired.
Source: rigorousthemes.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CodePen should be more popular than HackerRank. It has been mentiond 510 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CodePen mentions (510)

View more

HackerRank mentions (67)

  • How to Stop Getting Lost in Endless Resources and Stay Focused as a Developer
    This way, you transfer what you already know (problem-solving) but only change the syntax. Platforms like Hackerrank are also great to solve the same problem in different languages and learn from other people’s solutions. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Pick up new languages faster this way!
    Firstly, solve some common data structure problems with it. Implement some data structures like arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, etc. You can check common problems on LeetCode, Hackerank or some other resources. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Offline alternative of hackerrank.com to practice coding offline
    I don't have a consecutive internet connection and I can't keep up learning process so I started practicing in hackerrank.com I have started some challenges in python and c++ there. Thus I have no internet connection so I cannot practice if anyone know any alternative that works like Working: Gives a challange User sumbits code and it test into testcases. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • 6 Key Tips for Beginners Learning JavaScript
    An effective way to improve your JavaScript skills is working through coding challenges and exercises. Sites like ReviewNPrep, FreeCodeCamp, and HackerRank have tons of challenges that allow you to practice JavaScript concepts by building mini-projects and solving problems. These hands-on challenges force you to apply what you learn. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Help needed for selecting Colleges.
    I'm 18M Indian. Growing up I've always been a daydreamer, if you may. Since 8th grade - I'm fascinated by programming. And I'm good at it too. But I'm not cocky too. I wouldn't say I'm at an advanced level, but I can most probably solve any problem - in time - with my skills. I also keep my skills brushed by solving problems on Hacker Rank (every day or alternate days) and try my best to contribute on... Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing CodePen and HackerRank, you can also consider the following products

JSFiddle - Test your JavaScript, CSS, HTML or CoffeeScript online with JSFiddle code editor.

LeetCode - Practice and level up your development skills and prepare for technical interviews.

CodeSandbox - Online playground for React

Codility - Codility provides a SaaS platform with advanced validation, security and protection features to evaluate the skills of software engineers.

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

iMocha - Make intelligent talent decisions.

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