CourseVerdict

Learn React vs Complete Intro to Web Development v3

Same Bayesian formula, same rubric — so the difference in scores reflects the difference in the courses, not the difference in how we evaluated them.

Codecademy · Web Development

Learn React

3.9/ 5 · 34 opinions
22 positive8 neutral4 negative/ 34 total

Frontend Masters · Web Development

Complete Intro to Web Development v3

4.0/ 5 · 30 opinions
21 positive6 neutral3 negative/ 30 total

Per-criterion

Content quality4.2 / 5

11 lessons cover JSX, components, props, state, Hooks and React programming patterns. Rebuilt around function components and Hooks in the 2020 refresh. Solid intermediate scope, but stops short of routing, data fetching and state libraries.

Instructor3.9 / 5

No single named instructor — the course is platform-authored with written steps, animations and an AI helper rather than video lectures. Clear and consistent, but lacks the narrative voice some learners prefer for a hard topic like React.

Value for money4.0 / 5

The course sits behind Codecademy Pro (~$30/month) for projects, quizzes and the certificate. Fair for the interactive practice, but free alternatives like Scrimba's and freeCodeCamp's React content cover similar ground.

Projects3.8 / 5

Seven guided projects apply JSX, Hooks and forms inside the browser sandbox. Good for reinforcement, but they hold your hand and run in a simplified environment — you do not configure tooling or deploy anything real.

Real-world use3.7 / 5

Teaches genuinely current React (Hooks, function components) that transfers to real codebases. The gap is the jump from sandbox exercises to a real editor, build tooling and a deployed app — learners must bridge that themselves.

Content quality3.9 / 5

HTML, CSS, JavaScript fundamentals plus a Wordle-clone capstone across roughly 12 hours 25 minutes. Praised as thorough for absolute beginners, but v3 was published in September 2022 and several modules predate modern CSS practices and the current Vite-driven tooling stack.

Instructor4.6 / 5

Brian Holt is the most consistently praised aspect across nearly a decade of Hacker News mentions. Even on the original v2 Show HN thread, commenters described his teaching as 'very good', 'thorough', and 'great' — the same words that recur in his React course discussions.

Value for money3.8 / 5

Requires a Frontend Masters subscription ($39/month) for a beginner curriculum that overlaps heavily with the free freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design path and The Odin Project. The course notes on Holt's GitHub site are free, which partially offsets the paywall.

Projects3.9 / 5

The Wordle-clone capstone is the only build-along project and ties HTML, CSS, JS and the DOM together cleanly. Less portfolio leverage than freeCodeCamp's five required projects, and pushes less on local dev environment than The Odin Project.

Real-world use3.8 / 5

Strong foundation in browser fundamentals and a deliberate 'Git and Bash' module that competitors often skip. Weak on modern tooling depth — bundlers, package managers, deployment — which learners are expected to pick up in Holt's follow-on React course rather than here.

Scoring methodology applies identically to every course on the site — see the formula.