This is one of the most searched questions among candidates preparing for FAANG and product company interviews, and the reason it stays unresolved is that most comparisons are vague.
This guide gives you a direct answer: what each resource actually is, what it does well, what it doesn't, and which one you should use based on where you are in your preparation.
What Is LeetCode?
LeetCode is the largest online coding practice platform, with over 3,800 problems across easy, medium, and hard difficulty. It's the source, almost every problem on Blind 75, NeetCode 150, and Grind 75 is a LeetCode problem.
What LeetCode gives you:
- The broadest problem bank available
- Company-tagged problem sets (Premium)
- Timed mock interview mode
- Weekly contests for speed training
- Discussion forums with multiple solution approaches
What LeetCode doesn't give you: Structure. Opening LeetCode and solving random problems is one of the least effective ways to prepare for FAANG interviews. Volume without pattern recognition doesn't build transferable skill.
LeetCode is the platform. The question sets below are the preparation structure you layer on top of it.
What Is Blind 75?
Blind 75 is a curated list of 75 LeetCode problems that covers the most commonly tested patterns in FAANG coding interviews. It was originally shared on the Blind forum (a professional tech community) by a Facebook engineer and has since become the most referenced starting problem set in FAANG prep.
Why it exists: Instead of solving hundreds of problems hoping to encounter the right topics, Blind 75 gives you a minimum viable problem set that covers the essential patterns, arrays, strings, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, and more, in 75 carefully selected problems.
Who it's for: Candidates who are time-constrained and need a focused, vetted list. If you only have 4-6 weeks, Blind 75 ensures you've covered the baseline.
Honest limitation: The list is not organized by pattern. Problems are grouped by topic, but there's no clear pedagogical sequence. A beginner working through it in order may find the difficulty jumps jarring.
What Is NeetCode 150?
NeetCode 150 is a curated list of 150 LeetCode problems created by the NeetCode YouTube channel. It's an expansion of Blind 75, with the key difference being that it's organized by pattern, not just topic, and paired with high-quality video explanations for each problem.
Why it's better for most candidates: NeetCode 150 teaches you the pattern behind each problem, not just the solution. When you finish a pattern group, you understand the shape of problems that pattern solves, which means you can tackle new problems you've never seen before.
What's included:
- All 75 problems from Blind 75
- 75 additional problems that fill pattern gaps
- Video walkthroughs for every problem
- Clear pattern organization (arrays, two pointers, sliding window, trees, graphs, DP, etc.)
Who it's for: Candidates with 8–12 weeks who want a thorough, pattern-first preparation. The most recommended starting point for systematic FAANG prep in 2026.
What Is Grind 75?
Grind 75 is a tool created by a former Meta engineer that generates a personalized weekly practice schedule based on your available hours per day and total weeks of prep time. It draws from a curated problem set (a superset of Blind 75) and organizes problems by week with a built-in time budget.
Why it's useful: If you find it hard to stay consistent or don't know how to pace yourself, Grind 75 solves the scheduling problem. You input your constraints and it outputs a concrete week-by-week plan.
Who it's for: Candidates who know they have self-discipline challenges around structuring their prep. Also good for candidates who've done Blind 75 and want a guided path to more problems.
Limitation: Like Blind 75, the underlying problem set isn't as pattern-organized as NeetCode 150. You get structure around time, but less structure around learning sequence.
Head-to-Head Comparison
The Most Important Thing None of These Tell You
All four resources prepare you for what to know. None of them prepare you for how to perform it.
FAANG interviews don't test whether you can solve a problem. They test whether you can solve a problem while explaining your thinking out loud to another person, in real time, under a timer.
That specific skill, communicating while coding, handling follow-up questions, defending your approach when challenged, is not built by solving LeetCode problems in silence. It's built by practicing in conditions that mirror the actual interview.
This is why mock interviews are not optional. They close the gap between "I can solve this" and "I can demonstrate I can solve this in front of an interviewer."
At Intervue.io, mock coding sessions are conducted by engineers who've been in real FAANG hiring loops. You solve problems under real time pressure, explain your reasoning out loud, and receive structured feedback on both correctness and communication, the two things that together decide whether you pass.
👉 Practice coding interviews on Intervue.io
How to Combine These Resources Into One Prep Plan
The strongest approach is not to choose one. It's to layer them:
Weeks 1–8: Work through NeetCode 150 in pattern order. Watch the video explanations. For each problem, solve it yourself first, then check the explanation.
Weeks 6–8: Audit your Blind 75 coverage. Every problem on Blind 75 should already be covered, but verify you understand each one.
Weeks 7–11: Use LeetCode's timed mock interview mode 2–3 times per week. Practice under the clock.
Weeks 9–11: Use Grind 75 if you want structured additional practice beyond NeetCode 150.
Weeks 10–12: Mock interviews on Intervue.io, at least 3 sessions with expert feedback before your actual loop.
FAQs
Is Blind 75 enough to crack FAANG? Blind 75 covers the essential floor. Candidates with strong fundamentals and good communication have passed FAANG coding rounds on Blind 75 alone. But NeetCode 150 fills pattern gaps that Blind 75 leaves, making it a more complete preparation for the full range of problems you might encounter.
Should I do NeetCode 150 or Blind 75 first? If you have 8+ weeks, start with NeetCode 150, it's better structured and includes Blind 75 problems. If you have less than 6 weeks, do Blind 75 first as a focused baseline, then supplement with NeetCode 150 if time allows.
How long does it take to finish NeetCode 150? Most candidates take 8–10 weeks working 1–2 hours per day. The goal is not speed, it's genuine pattern understanding. Rushing through problems without internalising the pattern defeats the purpose.
Does NeetCode 150 cover dynamic programming? Yes, NeetCode 150 includes a full DP section organized into 1D, 2D, and advanced DP patterns. It's one of the strongest parts of the list and the reason many candidates prefer it over Blind 75 for DP preparation.
Is LeetCode Premium worth it for FAANG prep? LeetCode Premium is worth it if you want company-tagged problem sets (useful for company-specific prep in weeks 11–12) or the timed mock interview feature. For general pattern preparation, the free NeetCode 150 and Blind 75 resources are more than sufficient.
