Real Python vs Codecademy: Which Fits Your Python Learning Goals?

Studying Python Decorators With Real Python

At Real Python you can immerse yourself in a topic and explore it deeply with a variety of learning modalities, such as video courses, written tutorials, interactive quizzes, and podcast interviews.

Start by typing decorator into the Real Python search box:

With that search, you’ll find 465 results that cover a variety of different learning types and resources.

A quick reference article gives a high-level overview and helps you revisit and remember important concepts quickly:

A step-by-step video course gets you up to speed quickly with bite-sized lessons that you can complete in just a few minutes at a time:

An in-depth article allows you to explore real world decorator use cases in great detail, with copyable code snippets:

An interactive quiz gives you a chance to test your knowledge of Python decorators:

A Q&A transcript from a Real Python Community Chat event records expert knowledge where our staff of Python experts answered members’ questions about decorators.

You’ll also find more tutorials and courses that leverage decorators in practice for writing clean and Pythonic code.

The Python Tricks book shows you how to use decorators and other Python-specific features for maximum productivity:

Finally, you can listen to multiple podcast interviews that explore the topic further in a conversational style:

This immersive, multi-angle approach helps you truly master Python topics so they stick. You’ll understand not just what to do, but why and when to apply each technique.

Think of Real Python as your training ground for building deep Python expertise that compounds over time. You’ll continuously discover new insights and techniques that make you more effective in your work.

Studying Python Decorators With Codecademy Pro

At Codecademy Pro you can learn about specific Python topics as part of broader course curriculums.

Search for decorator in the Codecademy catalog:

With that search you’ll find 16 results that you can look at more closely next.

Decorators may be covered briefly in the free courses Learn Intermediate Python 3: Object-Oriented Programming or Learn Python Developer Tools with VS Code, although they aren’t properly explained and only appear as side topics among others:

Additionally, you can read community-authored documentation on decorators created by other learners like yourself:

Alternatively, you can use other external resources such as Real Python’s in-depth coverage.

To practice, you can write decorators in your own development environment, or use Codecademy’s browser-based workspaces. You’ll often find practice opportunities for many topics, although there doesn’t seem to be explicit projects or in-browser coding guidance for decorators.

You can also reference cheatsheets that come with many topics for quick lookups, although decorators don’t seem to be covered in the Functions, Namespaces, and Scope or Functional Programming cheatsheets:

For deeper understanding of advanced decorator patterns, use cases, or the underlying mechanics of how decorators work, you’ll likely need to supplement with external resources like Python’s official documentation or tutorials from other platforms.

Learning Python with Codecademy works well if you want to get a general understanding of Python without diving too deeply, and you don’t mind switching to other resources when needed.

Implement asyncio Concurrent Requests With Real Python

When you need to put concepts into practice, Real Python gives you a variety of actionable tools, guides, and expert support to help you implement real-world solutions.

Here’s how you might approach this sample task using the resources and expert support that’s available for you on Real Python:

1. Search for asyncio on Real Python to see a selection of relevant learning resources. You can filter for learning modalities, such as Courses, Articles, Quizzes, and more.

2. Open the in-depth guide Python’s asyncio: A Hands-On Walkthrough and search for relevant sections to your task. Or, read the tutorial to understand the fundamentals of async/await, event loops, and coroutines with detailed explanations and code examples.

3. Watch Hands-On Python 3 Concurrency With the asyncio Module for visual explanations that make abstract concepts like event loops concrete and memorable. You can search the lesson transcripts and jump directly to relevant timestamps.

4. Study Speed Up Your Python Program With Concurrency and the video course Speed Up Python With Concurrency to understand when async is the right choice versus threading or multiprocessing for your specific use case.

5. Review practical API examples in Async IO in Python and follow a step-by-step guide to Build a Site Connectivity Checker in Python to practice real-world patterns with aiohttp and error handling.

6. Test your understanding with quizzes, such as the Python Async Features quiz, to reinforce key concepts.

7. Bring your implementation to Office Hours to get expert feedback on your approach, discuss edge cases like rate limiting and error handling, and validate that your concurrency strategy fits your problem.

With Real Python, you gain access to high-quality explanations, practical code samples, and a supportive community ready to help you tackle real-world coding challenges. No matter your experience level, you’ll find the guidance and resources needed to confidently implement solutions using industry best practices.

Implement asyncio Concurrent Requests With Codecademy Pro

When it comes to applying new skills to real-world tasks, Codecademy Pro provides a guided, hands-on approach rooted in interactive practice. You’ll find a structured curriculum and built-in exercises to help you experiment with code as you learn.

However, specific tasks like the sample task may require seeking outside resources to supplement your learning.

Here’s what solving this example problem on Codecademy Pro might look like:

1. Go through Learn Advanced Python 3: Concurrency to build foundational knowledge of processes and threads in computers.

2. Work through the Concurrent Programming in Python Lesson to understand basic concurrency concepts, though async/await coverage may be limited or not included.

3. Use Codecademy’s browser-based coding environment to experiment with basic concurrent patterns and check your understanding through integrated quizzes.

4. Search external resources like Python’s official asyncio documentation, community-authored tutorials, or Real Python’s in-depth asyncio guide to learn the async/await syntax and event loop concepts not covered deeply on the platform.

5. Create a workspace project to implement your async API calls, bringing in code examples from external tutorials and adapting them to your use case.

6. Post questions in community forums or study groups about which approach to use and how to handle common async pitfalls like blocking calls or proper error handling.

Codecademy Pro’s hands-on platform provides a structured, practical starting point—but for advanced topics or in-depth troubleshooting, you’ll want to supplement with external resources and community discussion to fully solve real-world Python challenges.

Curriculum Depth and Python Coverage

Real Python has a Python‑only focus with 700+ in‑depth tutorials and 4000+ video lessons spanning the core language, tooling, web, data, and modern features, with new content shipping weekly.

Codecademy has a broad, multi‑topic library. The Python catalog includes multiple courses and skill or career paths, but the catalog also spans many non‑Python areas (HTML, CSS JavaScript, and more).

Learning Modalities

Real Python offers multiple learning formats to match different learning styles and situations. You can choose from 700+ written tutorials for deep reading and reference, 4,000+ video lessons organized into courses for visual learning, podcast episodes for conversational exploration, and interactive quizzes for testing your knowledge. Each video includes full transcripts and searchable content, so you can find specific topics and jump to the relevant timestamp.

Codecademy focuses primarily on text-based lessons with integrated browser coding exercises. You read explanations and then practice immediately in the browser without needing to set up a local environment. Some courses include a few recorded live sessions, though the platform’s core learning experience centers on reading and doing rather than watching.

Review Rigor and Technical Accuracy

At Real Python, the content passes through four phases during the editorial process and includes four rounds of reviews by Python subject‑matter experts and editors. Articles often link to PEPs and new‑version changes and include hands‑on code written and tested by staff.

Codecademy: Publishes editorial and pedagogy standards and labels content as expert‑reviewed across platform articles and docs.

Practice and Feedback

Real Python offers integrated quizzes and exercises in tutorials and courses. It also features access to an AI-driven Code Mentor tool, and Office Hours with human experts for real-time feedback on your code and questions.

Codecademy offers browser‑based coding in workspaces, quizzes, projects, and AI learning assistance for some languages. The Pro plan adds interview prep, code challenges, and an AI-assisted job‑readiness checker.

Update Cadence and Python Alignment

Real Python publishes regular Python news updates and features coverage for new and upcoming Python releases (for example, lazy annotations in 3.14 and free‑threaded builds in 3.13), indicating rapid alignment with upstream CPython.

Codecademy provides a Python course fit for Python 3.12. The platform updates courses and publishes change logs, but version alignment cadence varies by track.

Community and Support

Real Python: Membership comes with access to a private Community Chat and weekly live Office Hours sessions for question and answer time directly with Python experts on Real Python’s core team. Real Python has a Support Center where you can get answers to platform and subscription related requests.

Codecademy: Mentions 4 ways to connect to the community, but the links to the Discord server and the Codecademy Forums are currently unreachable. The pricing page mentions < 12 hrs turnaround time for support questions and exclusive study groups available on Pro.

Pricing and Total Value

Real Python: On Real Python’s join page you’ll see current pricing, and you can save with an annual plan.

Codecademy Pro: On Codecademy’s pricing page, you’ll see current pricing, and you can save with an annual plan.

Decision Table

Browse this decision table that maps scenarios of what you may be looking for in a learning platform to suggestions on which to pick, based on the analysis in this article:

Choose Real Python to master Python deeply with expert guidance, or Codecademy Pro to build broad technical skills and take steps towards advancing your career.

Alternatives to Codecademy and Real Python

If none of the scenarios fit your situation and neither Real Python nor Codecademy seem like a good match for your needs, then you can consider the following alternatives:

• DataCamp: A good fit for data science learners who want tightly scoped data science tracks.
• Coursera: University‑backed Python specializations if you need academic branding or credit.
• Python.org Docs: Python’s official documentation for reference‑first learners.

These options can complement or substitute for the platforms above depending on your goals.

Next Steps

Experience each platform firsthand to discover which accelerates your learning most effectively:

• Test Real Python: Start a free trial and tackle a real project to experience the depth of content, then join Office Hours to see how direct access to Python professionals can accelerate your progress. You’ll quickly see if this approach helps you build the expertise you’re looking for.

• Test Codecademy Pro: Start a free trial and work through a concrete task (like the JSON schema exercise) to feel the interactive learning experience and explore how the career features align with your goals. You’ll discover whether the breadth and structure match your needs.

Choose the platform where you make the most progress during your trial, and cancel within the trial period if it doesn’t deliver the results you need.