Cracking FAANG-level interviews is a dream for many students and software engineers. While platforms like LeetCode are widely used for preparation, one question often arises: Is the free version of LeetCode enough, or do you need Premium to succeed?
In this article, we analyze whether LeetCode free features alone can get you ready for high-level technical interviews and offer strategies to make the most of what’s available for free.
1. What LeetCode Free Offers
LeetCode free features provide a strong foundation for most coding interview preparation:
- Access to 1,600+ problems, including Easy and Medium-level questions.
- Browser-based coding environment supporting multiple languages like Python, Java, and C++.
- Weekly and biweekly contests to improve problem-solving speed.
- Community solutions and discussions to learn alternative approaches.
These tools are excellent for mastering data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving basics, which form the core of FAANG coding rounds.
For more details on the available problems, visit the LeetCode Problem List.
2. Limitations of the Free Version
While the free plan is robust, it has some limitations that may affect FAANG preparation:
- Limited Hard problems – Most FAANG interviews include a mix of Medium and Hard-level questions.
- No company-specific question sets – Free users cannot access curated lists for Google, Amazon, or Facebook.
- Editorial solutions are limited – Free users rely heavily on community solutions, which may vary in quality.
- Mock interview simulations are restricted – Full mock interview practice requires Premium.
3. Success Stories Using Only Free Features
It’s important to note that many students have cracked FAANG interviews using only LeetCode Free. The key factors include:
- Consistent daily practice on Easy and Medium problems.
- Participation in weekly contests to develop speed and accuracy.
- Active engagement in LeetCode Discuss to learn multiple problem-solving approaches.
- Complementing free LeetCode problems with other free platforms like HackerRank or GeeksforGeeks.
Consistency and strategy can often outweigh the need for premium features.
4. When Premium Makes a Difference
LeetCode Premium becomes useful when you are targeting specific FAANG companies and need:
- Company-specific problem sets for Google, Amazon, or Microsoft.
- Extra Hard-level problems that are frequently asked in final interview rounds.
- Official editorial solutions and video explanations to save time.
- Mock interviews simulating company rounds for advanced preparation.
If your goal is to maximize efficiency and focus only on questions most likely to appear in FAANG interviews, Premium can provide an edge—but it is not strictly mandatory.
5. Tips to Maximize Free Features for FAANG Prep
Even without Premium, you can still optimize your preparation:
- Solve all Easy and Medium problems in your weak topics.
- Participate in contests weekly to improve speed.
- Analyze community solutions to learn multiple approaches.
- Time yourself on problems to simulate interview conditions.
- Use additional free resources like Codeforces contests or GeeksforGeeks topic-wise questions.
Can you crack FAANG interviews using only LeetCode free features? The answer is yes, but with a caveat: you need consistent practice, strategic problem selection, and supplementary resources. Premium features can save time and provide company-specific guidance, but the foundation can be built entirely with free content.
Start with what’s available for free, master core concepts, and upgrade to Premium only if needed to target specific companies or to access harder problem sets.