Short answer
- Sololearn is a coding app and website with a free plan. PRO costs $69.99 a year (or $12.99 a month), MAX $119.88 a year. “Certificates are free on every plan, including the free plan” (Sololearn).
- Codecademy is a browser-based coding school. Free Basic covers free courses only; certificates require Plus or Pro, and Pro adds exam-based Professional Certification on six career paths (Codecademy).
- Neither certificate is accredited. Sololearn says so directly: “They are not accredited credentials.”
- Choose Sololearn for low-cost daily practice, including on your phone. Choose Codecademy for longer career paths, projects and exams.
Sololearn and Codecademy both teach coding with interactive lessons. They differ in price, depth and what you get at the end. One change since we first compared them in 2022: Sololearn now gives certificates on its free plan, while Codecademy keeps them for paying members. We checked both on September 22, 2026.
Sololearn vs Codecademy at a glance
| Sololearn | Codecademy | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | yes, “Free Forever, not a trial” | Basic: free courses only |
| Paid plans (US) | PRO $69.99/year or $12.99/month; MAX $119.88/year | Plus, Pro, All Access; price shown in local currency |
| Trial | 14 days on PRO annual; none on MAX | 7 days on Plus or Pro, card required |
| Certificate | free on every plan | Plus or Pro only; Professional Certification with Pro |
| Accreditation | “not accredited credentials” | none |
| Catalog | more than 20 courses | career paths, skill paths, courses and certification prep |
| Refunds | unused time not refunded except where the law requires it | “We do not grant refunds, prorated or full, for subscriptions” |
Sources: Sololearn plans, Sololearn, Codecademy plans, Codecademy free trial, Codecademy refunds, Skillsoft.
What kind of certificate you get
Sololearn: a certificate for every completed course, on every plan. Sololearn’s plans page: “Certificates are free on every plan, including the free plan.” It also states what they are: “They are not accredited credentials” (Sololearn). That makes Sololearn the only platform in this comparison where a free account gets a certificate.
Codecademy: three levels, all behind a paywall.
- Certificate of completion for a finished course or path, “while being a Pro or Plus member.” “Free accounts (completing lessons only) will not be granted certificates” (Codecademy).
- Professional Certification (Pro): “certificates provided after you pass all of the exams within certain Career Paths.” Six career paths qualify, from Full-Stack Engineer to Data Scientist (Codecademy).
- Vendor certification prep: prep paths for exams from AWS, Microsoft, CompTIA and others; the exam “will be an additional fee” (Codecademy).
What that means for you: a Sololearn certificate costs nothing and shows you finished a course. Codecademy’s Professional Certification is the only credential here that requires passing exams. None of them is an industry certification from an independent body. For those exams and their fees, see our Certification Cost Index.
Prices
Sololearn publishes US prices on its plans page:
| Sololearn plan | Price | Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | “Free Forever, not a trial” |
| PRO annual | $69.99/year ($5.83 a month) | 14 days, once per user or payment method |
| PRO monthly | $12.99/month | none stated |
| MAX | $119.88/year ($9.99 a month), annual only | none |
Source: Sololearn plans. “Local currency and tax may apply at checkout.” App store purchases are handled through Apple or Google.
Codecademy shows prices in your local currency and doesn’t list them in its help center. From Germany on September 22, 2026, Plus cost €14.99 a month billed annually (€29.99 monthly), Pro €17.99 a month billed annually (€35.99 monthly), and All Access €45.99 a month billed annually (Codecademy pricing, including VAT). Check the page from your location.
Sololearn PRO is the lower-cost paid option in the prices we could check: $5.83 a month billed annually in the US, against €14.99 a month billed annually for Codecademy Plus in Europe. Compare both in your own currency before you buy.
Learning style and depth
Sololearn offers more than 20 courses, a free plan and “a community of 36M+ learners” (Sololearn), on the web and in its apps.
Codecademy lets you “write and run code right in your browser,” with “guided paths and interactive lessons” and projects (Codecademy). Its career paths bundle many courses into a longer program, and Pro adds exams.
Which one to choose
| You want… | Better fit |
|---|---|
| To learn for free and still get a certificate | Sololearn |
| Daily practice in an app | Sololearn |
| A long career path with projects | Codecademy (Pro) |
| An exam-based certificate | Codecademy Pro (Professional Certification) |
| Prep for AWS, CompTIA or Microsoft exams | Codecademy Pro |
| The lowest price with a verified US figure | Sololearn PRO ($69.99/year) |
Related: Codecademy vs Treehouse.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sololearn free?
Yes. Sololearn has a free plan that it calls “Free Forever, not a trial,” and certificates are free on it too. PRO and MAX add features for a fee.
Is Sololearn or Codecademy better?
Sololearn costs less and gives free certificates; it suits daily practice. Codecademy offers more structure: career paths, projects and exam-based Professional Certification on its Pro plan.
Are Sololearn certificates worth anything?
They show you finished a course. Sololearn says they “are not accredited credentials,” so they don’t replace a degree or an industry certification.
Does Codecademy give free certificates?
No. Free accounts don’t get certificates; you need Plus or Pro.
Can I get a refund?
Sololearn doesn’t refund unused time except where the law requires it; Codecademy doesn’t grant prorated or full refunds for subscriptions.
How we checked these facts. Sololearn prices and certificate rules come from sololearn.com; Codecademy rules from its help center, homepage and pricing page; Skillsoft’s acquisition from Skillsoft’s investor relations site. All checked on September 22, 2026. Certificate Quest is not affiliated with Sololearn, Codecademy or Skillsoft and earns nothing from links on this page.