IN THIS ARTICLE
- Best Coding Bootcamps
- What Makes a Good Coding Bootcamp? Our Criteria Explained
- Making the Most Out of a Coding Bootcamp
- What Kind of Job Can You Get After an Online Coding Course?
- FAQs About Coding Bootcamps
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In 2023, software engineering remains a lucrative and satisfying career choice, leading many to seek the best coding bootcamps as an accelerated and affordable alternative to traditional education. Amidst a rising demand for software engineers and a proliferation of online bootcamps, choosing the right one is crucial to avoid pitfalls like inadequate curriculums and support. This guide simplifies your decision-making process by presenting a carefully vetted list of the best coding bootcamps. These bootcamps are selected based on their curriculum quality, affordability, specialization options, and job placement support, ensuring they align with your personal and professional goals in software engineering.
Best Coding Bootcamps
To help you kickstart your search for the perfect bootcamp, here are our top 15 online coding bootcamps for 2023. This covers all the most notable online coding bootcamp providers and includes courses on web development and engineering with varied schedules to suit every kind of student.
Already know what you’re looking for? Feel free to jump ahead:
- Springboard
- Hack Reactor
- General Assembly
- Bloom Institute of Technology
- Devmountain
- Kenzie Academy
- App Academy
- Actualize
- Codesmith
- Tech Elevator
- Epicodus
- FullStack Academy
- Thinkful
- CareerFoundry
- Flatiron School
Springboard
The Software Engineering Bootcamp from Springboard is a part-time, fully online coding bootcamp course with a project-based curriculum. By putting in 20-25 hours of study per week, you can complete the entire bootcamp in just nine months, allowing you to dive straight into the job search and pull off a career transition in no time.
The curriculum itself was developed in partnership with Colt Steele, one of the world’s most reputable coding instructors, and the coding bootcamp includes over 800 hours of content for you to read, watch, and interact with.
Mini projects are dispersed throughout the course, along with larger projects like creating a Twitter clone. This hands-on approach will help consolidate your new skills and get you ready to use them professionally in less time.
During the coding bootcamp, you’ll have access to a comprehensive support system to help you with assignments, discuss your future plans, and learn about life as a software engineer. Your personal mentor, career coach, and student advisor are the main staff members you’ll talk to on a regular basis. Plus, you’ll also have constant contact with the other students on the course, a feature which very few online coding bootcamps offer.
PRICE
$16,200
RATING
FEATURES
- 1-1 mentorship
- 100% online by design
- Career services
- Project-based curriculum
- Flexible schedules
JOB GUARANTEE?
Yes
Hack Reactor
Hack Reactor offers a 12-week Coding Bootcamp aimed at intermediate students. The application process takes around two to four months to complete and includes a cognitive aptitude test, a self-paced prep course, and a technical admissions assessment. Once you’re accepted, you’ll also complete 90-120 hours of pre-course work to prepare you for the bootcamp.
The course is full-time and intensive, with live classes from 9 am to 8 pm every weekday and 9 am to 5:30 pm on Saturdays.​​ Toward the end of the course, you’ll also benefit from career services with one-to-one coaching, mock coding interviews, and more.
PRICE
$19,480
RATING
FEATURES
- 1-1 career services
- Full-time only
- Live, online classes six days a week
- Intermediate level
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
General Assembly
The General Assembly Software Engineering Immersive program is aimed at beginners, and you can complete it in 12 or 24 weeks. It’s completely online and includes self-paced prework before the course starts.
The course includes live instruction, and you’ll be paired with a personal coach to keep you on track during the course. Career services also include interview preparation and exclusive networking opportunities with General Assembly’s 19,000 hiring partners.
PRICE
$15,950
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- Full-time and part-time options
- Live classes
- Career services
- Hiring partners
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
Bloom Institute of Technology
BloomTech’s Full Stack Web Developer course is designed to be flexible and immersive at the same time. You can choose from live classes held seven days a week to fit your schedule and arrange meetings for group work at times that suit you.
The course has 960 hours of content that is typically completed in around 24 weeks, though you can complete it in more or less time, depending on your schedule. The career services include one-to-one career and technical coaching, with interview prep for every interview you score.
PRICE
$21,950
RATING
FEATURES
- 1-1 career and technical coaching
- Flexible schedule
- Fully online
- Career services
- Live classes available
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
Devmountain
Devmountain offers in-person and online courses in both full-time and part-time formats. The course offers a 13-week full-time module or a 36-week part-time option.
There are also two curriculums to choose from: the foundations bootcamp and the concentrated web development bootcamp. The first is aimed at beginners and starts with the basics of coding, UX, and QA before moving on to a web development specialization. The concentrated bootcamp is aimed at students who can dive straight into the web development specialization, and after completing it, you’ll spend six weeks working on a full-stack project.
PRICE
$9,900
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- Full-time and part-time options
- Online or in-person
- Beginner and intermediate options
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
Kenzie Academy
The Kenzie Academy Software Engineering Certificate is a full-time course that requires 30-40 hours of study per week, and lasts for a full 12 months.
The course originated as an internal training program for non-technical employees at Amazon and has now expanded in partnership with Southern New Hampshire University. The credits you earn throughout the course have the potential to contribute to a full degree program at the university.
The course, due to its length, is designed for flexibility. You can watch lectures live or catch the recorded versions later. You can also adjust your class schedule to fit around other commitments.
PRICE
$20,000
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- 12-month program
- Full-time but flexible
- Career services
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
App Academy
App Academy’s Full-Time Online Coding Bootcamp is 24 weeks long and includes classes every weekday from 8 am to 5 pm. These live classes include lectures, demos, projects, and pair-programming sessions.
Each student will have access to one-to-one mentors, coaches, and career advisors. Recent graduates of the program are also available as on-demand teaching assistants. The program is aimed at beginners, but the application process does include a set of technical challenges.
Actualize
The Actualize Online Live coding bootcamp includes five weeks of at-home exercises and 12 weeks of live classes. The classes take place in the evening from Monday to Thursday, and all day on Sundays. There is also a daytime option that runs on weekdays from 9 am to 2 pm.
The course focuses on teaching beginners the foundations of coding, and the mindset and skills they need to continue picking up new technologies after the course. After all, you’ll need to keep on learning even after you’ve landed your first entry-level programmer role.
After completing the course, you’ll meet with a career advisor twice a week to discuss and strategize for your job search. You can also schedule mock interviews whenever you need them. Additionally, you’ll meet with a coding mentor once a week to support your continued learning and build your professional portfolio.
PRICE
$15,900
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- Online with live classes
- Multiple class schedules available
- Career support
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
Codesmith
The Software Engineering programs at Codesmith come in three formats: Full-Time Remote, Global Part-Time Remote, and New York City Onsite. Full-time programs run Monday to Saturday, and part-time versions take place in the evenings Monday to Thursday and all day Saturday.
You can choose from Eastern Time, Central Time, and Pacific Time cohorts for the remote programs. The application process does include a technical interview, and you won’t be able to enroll in the program unless you pass it.
PRICE
$20,925
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- Online or in-person
- Full-time and part-time options
- Live classes
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
Tech Elevator
Tech Elevator offers coding bootcamps at a range of campuses, as well as in a live, virtual classroom. The full-time version of the course takes 14 weeks to complete, and the part-time version takes 30 weeks.
The course uses live classes to teach its curriculum and focuses on group work. You’ll collaborate with other students through video conferencing and messaging tools to complete coding projects.
Support and career services are also available, and you will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with experts when you need help with assignments or career-related issues.
PRICE
$16,500
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- Online or in-person
- Full-time and part-time options
- Career services
- Live classes
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
Epicodus
The Epicodus curriculum includes just over 1,000 hours of content, split into three sections: an introduction to programming course, a specialization of your choice, and an internship. The course is delivered through live in-person or online classes, with both full-time and part-time formats available. When you’ve completed the curriculum, the school will help you secure a 150-hour internship, which you’ll spend around 80 hours preparing for.
PRICE
$8,700
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- In-person or online
- Live classes
- Internships
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
FullStack Academy
FullStack Academy’s immersive engineering course is full-time and takes 16 weeks to complete. You’ll attend classes every weekday from 10 am to 5 pm and spend a lot of your time programming with a partner.
During the course, you’ll also prepare for the job search by building a professional portfolio using GitHub, strengthening your LinkedIn profile, and crafting an effective programmer resume.
PRICE
$19,910
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- Online
- Live classes
- Career support
- Beginner-friendly
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
Thinkful
Thinkful offers full-time and part-time courses. The full-time course includes live classes every weekday and requires 50 hours of study per week for a total of five months. You’ll complete a four-week prep course before the bootcamp begins, and the tuition is $16,000.
The part-time course, on the other hand, is six months long, requires 20-30 hours of study per week, has no live classes or prep course, and costs $9,975. Both courses include live video sessions with a personal mentor.
PRICE
$16,000 for full-time; $9,975 for part-time
RATING
FEATURES
- 1-1 mentorship
- Full-time and part-time options
- Live classes available
- Career services
JOB GUARANTEE?
Yes
CareerFoundry
The Full-Stack Web Development Program from CareerFoundry has two scheduling options: the five-month full-time course and the 10-month part-time course. The project-based curriculum is designed to help build your professional portfolio, so that you have something to show prospective employers as soon as you graduate.
The online format allows you to set your own schedule, but you’ll be kept accountable by CareerFoundry’s support system, which includes personal mentors, tutors, career specialists, and student advisors.
PRICE
$7,500
RATING
FEATURES
- 1-1 mentorship
- Fully online
- Career support
- Full-time and part-time options
JOB GUARANTEE?
Yes
Flatiron School
Flatiron School offers its Software Engineering Bootcamp in two formats: full-time and part-time. The full-time option takes 15 weeks to complete and is delivered through live classes Monday-Friday.
The part-time alternative, however, is aimed at full-time workers who need a much slower pace and the ability to choose when they study. It typically takes 40 weeks to complete and still has optional live lectures and office hours to break up your independent study time. You’ll also have access to a Slack server of tutors and other students to collaborate with.
PRICE
$17,900
RATING
FEATURES
- No 1-1 mentorship
- Full-time and part-time options
- Career services
- Online or in-person
JOB GUARANTEE?
No
| School | Rating | Mentorship? | Job Guarantee? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springboard | 4.6 | Yes | Yes |
| Hack Reactor | 4.31 | Yes | No |
| General Assembly | 4.24 | No | No |
| Bloom Institute of Technology | 4.24 | Yes | No |
| Devmountain | 4.56 | No | No |
| Kenzie Academy |
4.71 | No | No |
| App Academy | 4.67 | Yes | No |
| Actualize | 4.93 | No | No |
| Codesmith | 4.89 | No | No |
| Tech Elevator | 4.91 | No | No |
| Epicodus | 4.7 | No | No |
| Fullstack Academy | 4.8 | No | No |
| Thinkful | 4.54 | Yes | No |
| CareerFoundry |
4.67 | Yes | Yes |
| Flatiron School | 4.49 | No | No |
Get To Know Other Software Engineering Students
Dave McConeghy
Software Engineering Career Track Student at Springboard
Moshood Adeyemo
Software Engineer at LinkedIn
Geraldo Gomes
Software Engineer at Affirm
What Makes a Good Coding Bootcamp? Our Criteria Explained
Our online coding bootcamp review process is based on a fixed set of criteria developed with help from a panel of subject matter experts. For each online coding bootcamp, we assess the skills covered by curriculum, affordability, specializations, and job placement support.
The online coding bootcamps on this list offer a range of financing options to accommodate a wider range of prospective students. These include installment plans, scholarships, deferred tuition, and loans. Some providers also offer internships or job guarantees.
Some online coding bootcamp curriculums focus on one programming language, such as JavaScript, while others introduce additional languages along the way, such as Python, SQL, and HTML. It’s important for the software engineering curriculum to start with the foundations—using the command line, learning how to use GitHub, running tests, and debugging your code. The best coding bootcamps allow bootcamp students to progress their skills at their own pace.
Any good online coding bootcamp curriculum will have you complete actual projects, and as many as possible. Look for software engineering schools that offer mini-projects that hone your technical skills, cumulative projects, and capstone projects to make sure you’re getting as much hands-on experience as possible.
But at the end of the day, the best coding bootcamps are the ones that fit your budget and your schedule while helping you kickstart your software and web development career.
Coding Bootcamps: Skills
Software engineering covers an extensive range of technologies and skills, so not every bootcamp focuses on the same areas. It’s useful to develop a list of the skills you’ll need to reach your goals, so you can use it to assess each curriculum. You can make your list by thinking about specific job roles and industries you’re interested in and researching the skills most commonly asked for in relevant job posts.
Coding Bootcamps: Affordability
It’s important to look over the prices of multiple bootcamps to develop a sense of the pricing standards in the industry. The most expensive course isn’t always going to be the best one for you, and going too cheap can lead to you losing out on essential support.
Try to assess each course individually and decide if the features offered match the pricing. Payment methods are also important—if you don’t want to pay upfront then you should look into the alternatives offered by each provider.
Coding Bootcamps: Specializations
Because there are so many different areas within software engineering and web development, courses will often have a specific specialization or offer you a few specializations to choose from. This might be a specific programming language for software engineering like Python or JavaScript, or a career path like full stack web development.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know what you want to specialize in before you’ve started studying. If this is the case for you, it can be a good idea to do some research and take some free introductory courses to get inspiration. You can also choose a bootcamp with multiple specialization options and choose which one you want during the program.
Coding Bootcamps: Job placement support
For the majority of people enrolling in coding bootcamps, the goal is to launch a career in software engineering / programming / web development. Because of this, career support has become an essential feature of online coding bootcamps —it isn’t an exaggeration to say that any program without career support is more of an “online resource” than a bootcamp.
As such, every provider on this list of online coding bootcamps offers some kind of career support, though the format it comes in varies. Many online coding bootcamps and schools offer one-to-one career coaching calls, while others work with hiring partners to give graduates exclusive networking opportunities. Career prep modules are also common, and some providers even provide a job guarantee that can grant you a full tuition refund if you don’t land a job within a set period of time.
Making the Most Out of a Coding Bootcamp
While the programming bootcamp you choose is very important, it’s equally important to go in prepared. In the end, you are the one that will make your experience successful, and it’s easier to do that if you know what to expect.
How Do Coding Bootcamps Work?
Unlike a college education, which focuses on giving you a foundational knowledge of a generalized topic, bootcamps are intensive training courses in a specific career, such as software engineering.
Bootcamps dive straight into practical knowledge and hands-on projects to teach students both what they’ll do on the job and how to do it. There are two main ways bootcamp providers approach project-based curriculums: cohort learning and independent learning.
Cohort learning is a common feature for full-time courses, but it can also be found in some part-time courses. This format requires live classes at set times, so even the part-time version has a strict schedule. However, it allows students to work together, ask questions in real time, and achieve an immersive learning experience.
Independent learning is better suited for those with a busy personal schedule that requires flexibility. Most providers try to incorporate some collaborative elements into their self-paced courses by optional live lectures and office hours, assigning students mentors for one-on-one calls, and running Slack or Discord servers where students and tutors can communicate freely.
What Should You Expect To Learn During a Coding Bootcamp?
There’s a whole host of things you can learn at a coding bootcamp, and most coding bootcamps won’t cover everything. Here’s a list of some of the most popular topics:
- HTML
- JavaScript
- CSS
- Python
- SQL
- ReactJS
- Redux
- Git
- GitHub
- Testing
- Debugging
- Array methods
- Object-oriented programming
- AJAX
- Algorithms
- Introduction to web development (front-end, back-end, and full stack web development)
You should look at the contents of each of the coding bootcamps individually to gain more insight.
What Will the Schedule Look Like?
Schedules come in all shapes and sizes, and picking the right one for you is essential to your success. Here are some common schedule types:
- Full-time: live classes every weekday, 40-50 hours of study per week
- Part-time (with live classes): live classes on evenings and/or weekends, 20-30 hours of study per week
- Part-time (self-paced): pre-recorded classes and independent exercises, 5-20 hours of study per week
It’s important to be realistic about the amount of time you can dedicate to your study. While it’s natural to want to go all in and attend live classes, you won’t be able to make the most of it if you can’t attend consistently.
Online vs. In-Person
In recent years, online courses have increased in popularity and now far outnumber in-person bootcamps. However, if you’re close to a campus and you have the time to dedicate to a full-time course, in-person options are still a great opportunity to consider.
Online courses aren’t necessarily better than in-person courses—they’re just more convenient and accessible to more people. They also keep costs lower since you don’t need to pay travel expenses to attend class.
Overall, the best bootcamp for software engineer roles depends on your personal circumstances.
What Kind of Job Can You Get After an Online Coding Course?
The short answer is any entry-level position that involves programming. In terms of job titles, there are lots of different options to consider:
- Junior software engineer
- Junior data analyst
- Junior software developer
- Junior product manager
- Junior UI/UX designer
- Junior DevOps Engineer
- Junior mobile app developer
- Junior security analyst
- Junior QA engineer
- Junior full-stack developer
- Junior front-end developer
- Junior back-end developer
- Junior web developer
- Junior game developer
FAQs About Coding Bootcamps
We’ve got the answers to your most frequently asked questions.
What Is a Coding Bootcamp?
A coding bootcamp is an intensive career training course focused on foundational programming skills. Most programs take beginner-level students and get them ready for an entry-level position.
Are Coding Bootcamps Still Worth It?
Exact numbers depend on the bootcamp, but in general, students earn $20,000-$30,000 more after graduating compared to their previous roles. This makes it well worth it to upskill or kickstart a new career – and means that coding bootcamps are still worth it!
Are There Any Prerequisites for a Coding Bootcamp?
This completely depends on the type of bootcamp you want to attend. If you’ve already dabbled in some self-study and don’t want to start with beginner classes, you can choose an intermediate course with technical prerequisites. Or, if you want to start your education with a bootcamp, you can choose a beginner-level program with no technical experience required.
What Jobs Can You Land After Completing a Coding Bootcamp?
There is a range of positions you can apply for after you’ve graduated from a coding bootcamp. The most common include junior positions with titles such as junior software engineer, junior web developer, junior full-stack developer, junior game developer, and more.
Does Google Hire Bootcamp Graduates?
Yes, Google has been known to hire bootcamp graduates in a variety of roles. Google has also removed college degrees from their job requirements for many roles, meaning bootcamp graduates with no previous college degree are also eligible.
What Are Different Forms of Web Development You Can Study?
Front-end web development is the process of creating the user interface of a website or web application. This includes the layout, design, and functionality of the website’s graphical elements, such as buttons, menus, and text fields. Front-end developers use languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create the user interface.
Back-end web development is the process of creating the server-side logic of a website or web application. This includes the code that interacts with the database, processes user requests, and generates the dynamic content of the website. Back-end developers use languages such as PHP, Python, Ruby, and Java to create the back-end logic.
Full-stack web development is the ability to develop both the front-end and back-end of a website or web application. This means that full-stack web developers have skills in both HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as in PHP, Python, Ruby, or Java. Full-stack developers are in high demand because they can save businesses time and money by being able to handle all aspects of web development.
Since you’re here…
No one wakes up knowing how to code – they learn how to code. Tens of thousands of students have successfully learned with our courses, like our Software Engineering Bootcamp. If you’re a total newbie, our Software Engineering Career Track Prep Course will be a perfect fit. Let’s do this!
