Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
Codecademy vs The TEFL Institute
What sets them apart
| Compare |  Codecademy |  The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €10.50 | $40 |
| Certificate fee | €0 | $0 |
| Free tier | YesHas it | No |
| Free trial length | 7 daysHigher | 3 days |
| Platform type | Subscription | Curated |
| Price per month | €13.50 | Not confirmed |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 14 days |
| Access period | Not confirmed | 6 months |
| Offline downloads | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Markets | Not confirmed | GB, US, CA, ZA, IN, AU, NZ, CN, RU, DE, FR, ES, NL, VN, AE, IT, PL, TH, TR |
Same on both: Graded assessments (Yes), Team plan (Yes).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- Codecademy scores higher overall: 9.3 vs 9.0.
- Free tier: only Codecademy.
- Free trial length is higher at Codecademy: 7 days vs 3 days.
- Support channels: only The TEFL Institute offers Email, Phone.
- Subjects: only Codecademy offers Coding, Data, It.
- Subjects: only The TEFL Institute offers Languages.
Our verdict on each
Codecademy
Codecademy suits self-taught learners who want steady coding and data practice at a modest subscription price, and the free tier plus a trial of 7 days make it easy to try first. The catalogue covers coding, data and it, and the certificate fee of €0 keeps the cost of credentials low.
The TEFL Institute
The TEFL Institute fits readers who want a single online route to a TEFL certificate: the exam fee is included, tutor support and job support come with it, and 120 hours of study ends in a certificate bundled with the course. The catch is no free tier and no practicum attached.
Score breakdown
| Area | Codecademy | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.6HigherEntry at €10.50 and a monthly rate of €13.50 sit below the site medians of €35.08 and €18.59. | 9.2Entry at $40 with a $0 certificate fee, so the certificate adds no charge of its own. |
| Offer | 9.0HigherA subscription model with team plans and assessments, plus the certificate types listed in completion and professional. | 8.9Assessments, offline download and a team plan, with 6 months of access after enrolment. |
| Trust | Not confirmed | 9.1Accredited by deac with credit recognition for cpd and ofqual, from a provider founded in 2017. |
Licences and countries
| Country | Codecademy | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States | Ireland |
If neither fits
Educative has free trial length at 21 days, against 7 days for Codecademy and 3 days for The TEFL Institute.
Educative reviewWhat we checked
Codecademy
- codecademy.com: 13 facts, checked September 30, 2026
The TEFL Institute
- teflinstitute.com: 18 facts, checked September 30, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | Codecademy | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Online course platforms | 36 of 269 | 1 of 269 |
| Online professional certificates | 15 of 86 | 1 of 86 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Codecademy | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Coding, Data, It, Design | Languages |
| Certificate types | Completion, Professional | Completion, Professional |
| Credit recognition | Not confirmed | Cpd, Ofqual |
| Legal entity | Codecademy LLC | The TEFL Institute Limited |
| Headquarters | United States | Ireland |
| Founded | Not confirmed | 2017 |
| Support channels | Help centre, Community | Email, Phone, Help centre, CommunityCovers more |
Certifications
| Fact | Codecademy | The TEFL Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Certification type | Not confirmed | Tefl |
| Course hours | Not confirmed | 120 hours |
| Teaching practicum | Not confirmed | No |
| Accreditation | Not confirmed | Deac |
| Exam fee included | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Tutor support | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Job support | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Typical completion time (weeks) | Not confirmed | 2 to 4 |
| Delivery | Not confirmed | Online |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Codecademy | The TEFL Institute | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | €13.50lowest quarter | Not confirmed | €29.45 |
| Free trial length | 7 daysbelow the median | 3 dayslowest quarter | 14 days |
| Money-back period | Not confirmed | 14 daysat the median | 14 days |
| Access period | Not confirmed | 6 monthslowest quarter | 12 months |
Median across 169 listed providers.
Pros and cons
Codecademy
Pros
- Credentials cost nothing extra: the certificate fee is €0, ranking 1 of 47 brands compared on that measure.
- A free tier plus a trial of 7 days lets learners open the platform and sample paid access before committing to a subscription.
- Support and governance are concrete: help centre and community carry the help, and the operator is US-based Codecademy LLC, so contracts name a real company.
Cons
- Help runs through help centre and community only, so anyone wanting a live agent or a phone line has fewer routes than a provider with wider support desks.
- The trial of 7 days places Codecademy at 34 of 63 brands compared, below the site median of 10 days, so deliberate testing time is short.
- Certificates stop at what completion and professional covers, so there is no degree route inside the subscription.
The TEFL Institute
Pros
- The exam fee is included in the course price, so there is no separate exam payment to budget for on top of tuition.
- The advanced TEFL course runs 120 hours of study, with a completion pace of 2 to 4 weeks for anyone planning a study schedule.
- Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so a phone line and a help centre sit alongside email during the course.
Cons
- There is no free tier, so the only no-cost option is the test TEFL course that runs 3 days.
- The certification carries no practicum, so supervised classroom practice has to be arranged outside the programme.
- A free trial length of 3 days places The TEFL Institute low on that measure among the brands compared here.
Who each suits
Codecademy
Who it suits
- Learners who want interactive coding and data practice and can study on their own schedule without live classes.
- People who want a certificate without a separate certificate charge added at the end of a course.
- Small teams and companies that want one buying arrangement for several learners, since a team plan is available.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers who only want to browse free material: Hotmart lists entry at $0, so nothing has to be paid to look around there.
- Professional certificate shoppers: DRCertifications lists $19.99 and Academy for Health and Fitness lists £25, both aimed at professional tracks rather than a general coding subscription.
The TEFL Institute
Who it suits
- Learners who want a TEFL certificate with the exam fee already included and no separate certificate charge.
- Anyone who wants tutor support and job support built into the same course rather than sold as an add-on.
- Schools and employers buying training for several teachers, since a team plan is offered and lessons can be downloaded for offline study.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers set on the lowest entry price should start with DRCertifications, listed at $19.99.
- Anyone after a free catalogue to browse rather than a paid certificate should compare Hotmart, listed at $0.
- Shoppers after a fitness qualification rather than a TEFL certificate should compare Academy for Health and Fitness, listed at £25.
Current offers
Questions about each
Codecademy
How much does a Codecademy subscription cost?+
Codecademy bills as a subscription. The introductory price on the Codecademy plan starts at €10.50, and the recurring monthly charge on that same plan is €13.50. Both sit under the site medians of €35.08 for entry prices and €18.59 for monthly plans, so the recurring figure is the number that decides affordability over a year.
Is there a certificate charge on top of the subscription?+
The certificate fee is listed at €0, so a certificate does not add a separate charge on top of the plan. Codecademy offers the certificate kinds covered by completion and professional, which run to completion and professional certificates. The total therefore stays at the subscription price rather than rising at the end of a course.
The TEFL Institute
How much does a TEFL certificate from The TEFL Institute cost?+
The listed entry price is $40 and the certificate fee is $0, so the certificate is not a separate charge added on afterwards. Read those lines together rather than the headline figure alone. A cheaper starting price elsewhere does not always mean a cheaper finished certificate, since certificate charges often sit outside the entry number.
Can I try The TEFL Institute for free before paying?+
There is no free tier, so nothing on the paid catalogue opens at no cost. What is free is a test TEFL course that runs 3 days, long enough to see how the material is organised and how the assessments are framed. It samples the course rather than granting permanent free access, so the paid course still has to be budgeted for.
Other options to compare
Other matchups
- Codecademy vs Future Skills Academy
- The TEFL Institute vs 101 Blockchains
- The TEFL Institute vs Milan Fashion Campus
- Codecademy vs Techurie
- The TEFL Institute vs Academy for Health and Fitness
- The TEFL Institute vs ACLS Now
- The TEFL Institute vs DataCamp
- The TEFL Institute vs TEFL.org
- The TEFL Institute vs Fiszki
- The TEFL Institute vs Legale Lover
- The TEFL Institute vs Code Labs Academy
- Codecademy vs International Open Academy