A free, open-source alternative to Codecademy
Like Codecademy, Libre Academy teaches by having you write real code in a built-in editor with instant feedback. Unlike Codecademy, it's a 100% free and open-source desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with no Pro tier, no paywalled paths, and no sign-up to start.
Download the app → Browse 96 courses
Libre Academy vs Codecademy
| Libre Academy | Codecademy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free tier + paid Pro |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | No |
| Languages | 21 | ~14 |
| Run code instantly in the app | Yes | Yes |
| Hidden tests on every lesson | Yes | Partial (Pro) |
| Turn your own book into a course | Yes | No |
| Sign-up to start | Not required | Required |
| Desktop app (offline) | Yes | No |
Why people switch
- Nothing is paywalled. Every course, project and language is free, forever.
- More languages. 21, including Rust, Go, C, C++, SQL and Solidity, not just web basics.
- Your own material. The desktop app ingests any technical book into an interactive course.
- Open source. MIT-licensed; audit or self-host the whole thing.
Popular free courses
- JavaScript for Beginners · JavaScript · 38 lessons
- Exercism Python Track · Python · 146 lessons
- The Rust Programming Language · Rust · 168 lessons
- Learning Go · Go · 258 lessons
- Select Star SQL · SQL · 29 lessons
- Eloquent JavaScript · JavaScript · 33 lessons
FAQ
- Is Libre Academy free like Codecademy?
- More so. Codecademy has a free tier plus a paid Pro plan that gates many paths and projects. Libre Academy is 100% free with no paid tier, and the whole project is open source under the MIT license.
- Do I need an account?
- No. Download the free desktop app and start any course with no sign-up. Codecademy, by contrast, requires an account.
- How is it different from Codecademy?
- Same write-code-in-a-real-editor style, but free and open source, with 21 languages (including systems languages like Rust, C and C++ and Web3 languages), and a desktop app that can turn your own PDFs and EPUBs into interactive courses.