The demand for professional coders is skyrocketing. Every day, tech giants like Google, Apple, and Amazon hire talented coders around the world. Also, salaries for skilled coders are reaching record highs, with some earning as much as $108,297 annually in the US at entry level.
Fortunately, learning coding has become much easier nowadays, especially when you learn with coding apps. Coding apps allow for writing, testing, and mobile code execution. If you want to start a career in coding in 2024, this article will explore the best app to learn code that provides good programming fundamentals for beginners.
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Comprehensive Guide to Coding Apps
A coding app is a good starting point for becoming a full-stack developer as it provides fundamental training in different programming languages. However, it may not be sufficient for comprehensive skill development. To truly excel in programming, you should also engage in building projects and contributing to open-source as much as you can.
This will help you gain real-world experience to tackle real business challenges using your “ do my programming assignment “ skills. But if you wish to kickstart your career using a coding app, here are the things to do first:
- Clearly articulate the programming languages and skills you wish to learn.
- Conduct research to identify and select a computer coding app that aligns with your goals.
- Evaluate their features, such as interactive coding exercises, programming challenge, and self-paced coding lessons.
- Assess their subscription plans to ensure they fit your budget.
Top Free and Paid Coding Apps
Learning to code apps doesn’t always have to come with a hefty price tag. Some coding apps offer free access to programming fundamentals. While some paid apps provide more advanced learning. Here are the top free and paid coding apps.
Grasshopper
Grasshopper is a free coding app that makes JavaScript learning easy. You can progress through interactive lessons, quizzes, and visual puzzles.
Khan Academy
The Khan Academy coding app gives you free access to different programming courses. They cover JavaScript, HTML and CSS tutorials, and even advanced JS.
Encode
Encode provides bite-sized coding lessons for Python programming, JavaScript learning, HTML, and CSS — in fact, everything you need to know for the fundamentals of becoming a full-stack developer.
Pricing: Starts at $2.99/month
DataCamp
DataCamp is an app for data science and machine learning programming. It focuses on R, Python programming, and SQL. DataCamp uses flashcards and hands-on coding exercises to streamline learning for their students.
Pricing: Starts at $39/month
Sololearn
Sololearn coding app offers JavaScript, Python, SQL, and C++ programming languages. It has interactive puzzles and quizzes that allow you to share your scores in the app. Sololearn is available for both Android and iOS users.
Pricing: Starts at $6.99/month
Learning Coding on the Go: Best Practices
Coding requires you to follow a structured format to write clean code that will streamline code review, unit testing, and even debugging. Here are the best practices to follow while learning coding to enable you to code better.
- Maintain consistent indentation following the standard style guide for the programming language.
- Use meaningful names for variables and functions to enhance code understanding.
- Include clear and concise comments to improve code maintainability.
- Adhere to the “Don’t Repeat Yourself” (DRY) principle to minimize code duplication.
- Prioritize code readability to enhance collaboration and code modifications.
Coding Apps for Different Learning Styles
Mastering a programming language is an exciting journey, and learning to code apps has made the learning even more effective. With full-fledged IDEs, you can write, test, and run your codes directly on the mobile app. Additionally, the best app to learn code offers various interactive features, such as live coding challenges and collaborative forums that cater to various learning styles. Whether you are a visual, kinesthetic, or read/write learner, there’s always a coding app that aligns with your preferred learning style.
Coding Apps for Beginners
Here are some of the best learn-to-code apps for beginners.
- Codecademy Go: Provides beginner courses in Python programming, JavaScript coding, CSS, and HTML.
- Enki: Focuses on daily coding workouts and personalized learning paths in JavaScript, Python, and even blockchain programming.
- Grasshopper: This app teaches programming through interactive puzzles and games, with a primary focus on JavaScript.
Advanced Features in Coding Apps
Coding apps are regularly updated with advanced features such as:
- AI-Assisted Personal Feedback: You can get instant feedback on your coding efforts. A feature found on DataCamp.
- Knowledge Retention: Allows you to save learning materials in a personal library with flashcards for easy review.
- Custom Goals: Allows you to set and achieve daily learning goals. This feature is available on SoloLearn.
- Offline Learning: Allows you to bookmark and download content for offline viewing. A feature offered by Khan Academy.
Combining Coding Apps with Online Courses
Combining coding apps with online courses creates a comprehensive learning experience. Online courses offer structured theoretical and practical knowledge, while coding apps provide hands-on, interactive learning through real-time exercises and immediate feedback. Balancing the structured nature of online courses with the flexibility of coding apps will accelerate your programming skills. This synergy ensures a well-rounded, engaging, and effective learning pathway to becoming a skillful developer.
Bottomline
Learning coding is an exciting journey, and coding apps offer a great foundation for it. The key is to stay consistent with a coding app that suits your learning styles and needs. You can also combine it with some online courses and open-source contributions. Doing this will help you to become a skillful programmer faster than you imagined and tackle real business challenges effectively.
FAQ
What are the best apps to learn coding in 2024?
The best apps for learning code in 2024 are Grasshopper, Khan Academy, Encode, DataCamp, and Sololearn.
Can I learn to code for free using apps?
Yes, several coding apps like Grasshopper and Khan Academy offer free access to fundamental coding courses.
Which coding app is best for beginners?
The best coding apps for beginners are Grasshopper, Codecademy Go, Programming Hub, Codemurai, Mimo, Enki, and Sololearn.