The prices that set the budget
Most interview-prep spending goes on three things: a structured course or pattern library, a large bank of practice problems, and mock interviews where someone else asks the questions. Each one has a free version and a paid version, and the gap between them is smaller than marketing pages suggest.
The table records the US prices shown on each official page on October 30, 2026. Educative was running a sale with the banner "Lock in 50% off by Halloween", so its annual and two-year prices were shown next to a crossed-out price twice as high. LeetCode also showed crossed-out prices. Treat the lower figures as offers that may end, and check the checkout total and the renewal price before you pay.
| Product | Price shown on October 30, 2026 | What the page says you get |
|---|---|---|
| Educative Standard | $59 a month; $149 a year (crossed-out $298); $249 for two years (crossed-out $498) | 2400+ courses, personalized tutorials, code feedback |
| Educative Premium | $99 a month; $199 a year (crossed-out $398); $349 for two years (crossed-out $698) | Everything in Standard plus 330+ projects, code debugger, breakout sessions, 3 AI mock interviews a month |
| Educative Premium Plus | $129 a month; $249 a year (crossed-out $498) | Everything in Premium plus 330+ Cloud Labs, Expert Interview Coach, 7 AI mock interviews a month |
| LeetCode Premium | $35 a month (crossed-out $39); $159 a year (crossed-out $299) | Company-specific questions, premium questions and solutions, timed interview simulations, debugger |
| interviewing.io AI Interviewer | Free for over 200 problems from Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview | Coding and system design interviews in the style of a FAANG mock interview, with feedback at the end |
| interviewing.io human mock interview | Starts at $179 per interview | Price varies by subject and whether you want an interviewer from a specific company |
Four 3-month scenarios with a cost per study hour
To compare options fairly, the table assumes 13 weeks at 8 hours a week, or 104 study hours. That is our planning assumption, not a recommendation from any vendor. Divide by your own hours if you will study more or less.
Mock interview counts matter as much as subscription prices. Educative Premium includes 3 AI mock interviews a month, so three monthly payments give 9 AI mocks. interviewing.io says you can work over 200 problems from Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview with its AI Interviewer for free. A human mock is the one item with a high unit price, so it is the one to ration.
| Scenario | What you pay for | 3-month total | Per hour at 104 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Free only | Free problems, free AI Interviewer practice, free written guides | $0 | $0 |
| B1. One problem-bank subscription | LeetCode Premium monthly, 3 x $35 | $105 | $1.01 |
| B2. One course subscription, monthly | Educative Standard, 3 x $59 | $177 | $1.70 |
| B3. One course subscription, annual offer | Educative Standard annual at the $149 sale price | $149 | $1.43 |
| C. Course plus AI mocks | Educative Premium monthly, 3 x $99, includes 9 AI mocks | $297 | $2.86 |
| D. Course, AI mocks and two human mocks | Scenario C plus 2 interviewing.io mocks from $179 each | from $655 | from $6.30 |
Monthly or annual for a 3-month push
At the sale price, Educative Standard annual ($149) costs less than three monthly payments ($177), and Premium annual ($199) costs less than three Premium months ($297). At the crossed-out list prices the answer flips: Standard annual at $298 only beats monthly billing if you would pay for six or more months (5 x $59 = $295; 6 x $59 = $354), and Premium annual at $398 only wins at five or more months (4 x $99 = $396).
Refund terms push the same way. Educative's pricing page says cancelling stops auto-renewal, you keep access until the end of the paid period, and it will not issue a refund. Its own example is an annual plan bought on January 1 and cancelled on March 1 that stays active to December 31 with no money back. If you might stop after one interview cycle, monthly billing caps the loss at one month.
LeetCode's yearly price ($159) passes its monthly price ($35) after the fifth month (5 x $35 = $175). For a single three-month push, monthly is cheaper at the prices shown.
- Buy annual only if you expect to keep studying after this job search, or the sale price is lower than three monthly payments.
- Put the renewal date in your calendar the day you subscribe.
- Do not stack two course subscriptions at once; finish the patterns in one before paying for another.
Who should spend at each level
Free-only (scenario A) fits candidates who already know one language well and mainly need repetition. The free AI interviewer from interviewing.io covers the "talk while you code" skill that solo practice misses.
One subscription (B) fits people who need a sequence: a course that groups problems by pattern, or a problem bank filtered by company. Pick the one that matches your gap, not both. If you cannot explain why a solution works, a course helps more; if you can solve problems but need volume under time pressure, a problem bank helps more.
Paid human mocks (D) fit candidates close to onsite interviews who have already done several free mocks. interviewing.io says it will issue a full refund if you are unhappy with an interview, which lowers the risk of a single bad session, but at $179 or more each they are the most expensive hour in the plan.
Skip paid prep entirely if you have no interviews scheduled within three months. A subscription bought for "someday" usually runs while you are busy with other things.
When to stop paying
Set the exit rule before you pay. These are practical checkpoints, not vendor guidance.
- You have solved problems from each major pattern on your plan without looking at hints, twice, on different days.
- Your last three timed practice sessions finished within the time you set, with working code.
- You have done at least two free AI mock interviews and the feedback no longer names the same weakness.
- Your interview loop is booked or finished; cancel before the next renewal date, since Educative does not refund unused time.
- If two paid human mocks in a row produce the same feedback, stop buying more mocks and go back to free practice on that weakness.
A worked example: 13 weeks for about $476
Weeks 1 to 4: free problems and free written explanations, $0. Use them to find out which patterns you cannot do yet.
Weeks 5 to 13, about nine weeks: three monthly payments for Educative Premium at $99 for structured pattern practice and its 3 AI mock interviews a month. Total: $297. Cancel before the fourth renewal.
Week 12: if an onsite interview is booked, add one interviewing.io human mock from $179 rather than two. Total for the plan: about $476, against $655 for scenario D. The saving comes from buying the expensive item once, at the moment it is most useful.
Questions before you decide
How much does coding interview prep cost for three months?
It ranges from $0 with free problems and free AI mock interviews to about $105 to $297 for one subscription at the prices listed on October 30, 2026, and $655 or more if you add two human mock interviews at interviewing.io's starting price of $179 each.
Is Educative annual cheaper than monthly for three months of prep?
At the sale price shown on October 30, 2026, yes: Standard annual was $149 against $177 for three monthly payments. At the crossed-out list price of $298, monthly is cheaper unless you study six months or longer, and Educative says it does not issue refunds.
Are mock interviews worth paying for?
Start free. interviewing.io says its AI Interviewer covers over 200 problems from Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview for free, and Educative Premium includes 3 AI mock interviews a month. Human mocks start at $179 each on interviewing.io, so buy one or two only when your interviews are close and free practice no longer shows new weaknesses.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Educative: Unlimited plans and prices, refund FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- LeetCode: Premium subscription prices and features Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- interviewing.io: FAQ on premium interview prices and refunds Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- interviewing.io: free AI Interviewer and mock interview types Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.