Compare
cracked.guide vs the NeetCode roadmap
NeetCode is interview preparation: the NeetCode 150 problems grouped by pattern, with video explanations, on a roadmap you work through as fast as you can. cracked.guide uses those same 150 problems as a side dish, two a week for 75 weeks, next to interpreters and Knuth. If you have an interview soon, do NeetCode now. If you want depth, do cracked.guide and keep the interview muscle warm.
At a glance
| Compared | NeetCode roadmap | cracked.guide |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Pass coding interviews | Get deeply good at programming |
| Content | NeetCode 150 (and larger lists) in 18 pattern categories, with videos | A dated 145-week path: Crafting Interpreters, then TAOCP Vols 1 to 4B, with NeetCode 150 and a Play track of programming games |
| Pace | As fast as you like | Two NeetCode problems a week for the first 75 weeks |
| Cost | Free problem list and videos; NeetCode Pro is paid | Free site; books and games extra (Crafting Interpreters is free online) |
| Checks | LeetCode's judge | Your public LeetCode profile, read weekly; Premium-only problems on your word |
How cracked.guide uses NeetCode
Week N of the path asks for NeetCode 150 problems 2N - 1 and 2N, in NeetCode's order, so by week 75 you have done the whole list. Solve them on LeetCode under a public profile and they are read from there; any other NeetCode problem you have not used yet counts too. Seven of the 150 are LeetCode Premium; each is free to try on neetcode.io, and you can mark it solved yourself.
Which to pick
Interview in the next three months: NeetCode, full time, no question. It is the most efficient interview prep there is. Longer horizon, or you want to understand why the patterns work: cracked.guide, where the same problems get two years of algorithms underneath them. Want only the NeetCode part on a schedule? The NeetCode 150 study plan gives you dates.
Questions
How long does NeetCode 150 take?
Full time, a few weeks to a couple of months. At two a week, as on cracked.guide, 75 weeks.
Do I need NeetCode Pro?
Not for the NeetCode 150 list, which is free to work through. Check neetcode.io for what Pro adds and its current price.
Sources
A free, dated 145-week path: two interpreters, then all of Knuth.
Every week has a date and a reading guide, and the work is checked: the book's own tests, your LeetCode profile, MIX programs in the browser.