Alps vs Codio
Both help schools teach computer science. Here’s what each one is for, and where they differ.
What each one is for
Alps
Alps helps every CS student reach mastery: practice matched to each student, help when they’re stuck, and a view of who needs help and why. It runs on open textbooks, publisher titles and your own material.
Who it serves: CS classes from block coding through AP and college CS.
Codio
A browser platform for hands-on technical courses that gives each learner a Linux environment, with courseware, auto-graded assessments, a hint coach and code playback.
Who it serves: Universities and workforce training; high schools through partners such as UTeach CS.
How they compare
| Topic | Alps | Codio |
|---|---|---|
| What you teach from | ||
| Course material | ||
| Course material | 40+ open and publisher titles, 10,000+ practice problems, and your own material. | 13 customizable courseware titles, plus courses you build or import. |
| Several sources in one class | ||
| Several sources in one class | Several titles and your own activities in one class; each section sees the units you choose. | Modules and assignments combined from several courses. |
| Languages and tools | ||
| Languages and tools | Python, Java, C/C++, SQL, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, notebooks, block coding and a cyber range, in the browser. | Any language in a Linux container per learner, with VS Code and Jupyter. |
| Practice and help for each student | ||
| Mastery tracking | ||
| Mastery tracking | Estimated skill by skill from every run, hint and test result, and shown by unit in the Gradebook. | Grades and progress per course, module and assignment. |
| Practice at each student’s level | ||
| Practice at each student’s level | Alps matches each student’s practice to their mastery, from 10,000+ leveled problems with verified solutions and tests. | Instructor-set order, randomized questions and prerequisites. |
| Differentiated assignments | ||
| Differentiated assignments | Alps groups the class by mastery and engagement, then builds each group’s work in under a minute; you review first. | The instructor sets per-student deadlines, extra time and pairs; Random Assessments draw each student’s question from a pool. |
| Help when a student is stuck | ||
| Help when a student is stuck | On by default on most coding problems: a hint, an outline, then the step as a puzzle; help, not the answer. | Codio Coach summarizes instructions, explains a pasted error or suggests next steps, where the instructor turns it on. |
| Grading | ||
| Code grading | ||
| Code grading | Unit tests on submit, written for you on your own activities, plus checks on how Python and Java code was written. | Output and unit tests, style checkers or custom scripts in any language, including test suites you already have. |
| Written answers | ||
| Written answers | AI grading against a rubric, criterion by criterion, with feedback; your score stands. | LLM Free Text checks answers against the instructor’s reference answer; by default, feedback waits for instructor approval. |
| Insights for the teacher | ||
| Live view during class | ||
| Live view during class | Who is working, reading or stopped, and on what; students who stall rise to the top. | Cursor Presence shows what a student is editing, in real time, when the instructor opens their project. |
| Why a student is stuck | ||
| Why a student is stuck | Groups students by what stops them (a failing test, a repeated error, lost working code), each with a next step. | Once work is marked complete, Behavior Insights flags possible struggle from time, edit rate or debugging time. |
| Where the class is stuck | ||
| Where the class is stuck | Wrong answers and errors many students share, what to revisit and why, and how other classes did. | Learning Insights compares the class’s time, scores and completion by module and assignment, for U.S. higher education. |
| How the work was done | ||
| How the work was done | A replay that flags the same error run after run, working code that broke, or a large paste. | Keystroke Code Playback across files, pastes marked; the instructor drags the slider to find points of interest. |
| Running it in a school or district | ||
| Sign-in and rosters | ||
| Sign-in and rosters | Google, Microsoft, Clever or ClassLink sign-in; rosters from Google Classroom or your LMS, not Clever or ClassLink. | SAML single sign-on; accounts created on LMS launch. |
| Grades to your LMS | ||
| Grades to your LMS | Google Classroom and any LTI 1.3 LMS; assignments appear there and grades sync back automatically. | LTI 1.1 and 1.3 grade passback to Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace and Moodle. |
| Student data privacy | ||
| Student data privacy | FERPA and COPPA compliant; signs district DPAs and the NDPA. | A signed Data Processing Agreement on request; acts as an institution official under FERPA. |
| Reporting for leaders | ||
| Reporting for leaders | Progress and mastery by school, course and section, with dashboards built to your questions. | Reports per course, and a report of course activity across the organization. |
| Training and support | ||
| Training and support | Office hours and email support; training and PD by quote. | Live chat support and a free first course migration; an onboarding workshop for higher ed. |
| Other differences | ||
| Computing environments | ||
| Computing environments | Runs in the browser; no full Linux machine, VM or GPU per student. | A Linux container per learner, with VMs and GPUs available. |
| Subjects beyond computer science | ||
| Subjects beyond computer science | Computer science, data science and statistics; no business-tool labs. | AI Literacy for any discipline, and business-tool labs. |
| Similarity checks and exam settings | ||
| Similarity checks and exam settings | No cheating verdicts, by design; a replay and paste flags instead. | A plagiarism checker and exam settings; the judgment stays with you. |
| Price | ||
| Price | A free plan runs a whole class with practice, hints and auto-grading; paid plans, at published prices, add licensed titles, rubric grading and LMS sync. | Learners pay $48 a semester or $90 a year in higher ed; instructor accounts are free. |
Where each one is a strong fit
Where Codio is a strong fit
If your courses need full Linux machines, VMs or GPUs, any language, grading that keeps your existing test scripts, or business-tool labs. GitHub lists Codio as a migration partner for GitHub Classroom.
Where Alps is a strong fit
If you want practice matched to each student and a view of who needs help and why, on open, publisher or your own textbooks, from block coding through college, with a free plan.
As of October 2026. Details about Codio come from its own public pages, listed below, and details about Alps from this site. If something here has changed, email support@alps.2sigma.us.