TL;DR
Have 2-4 weeks? Do Grind 75. It has built-in time estimates, difficulty-ordered progression, and covers core patterns in half the time. Have 6+ weeks? Do NeetCode 150. It adds Greedy, Backtracking, advanced Graphs, 2D DP, and deeper Stack/Heap coverage that Grind 75 skips entirely. Already done Grind 75? You only need the extra NeetCode problems to fill the gaps.
Different Origins, Same Goal
Grind 75 was created by Yangshun Tay (ex-Meta) as the official successor to his Blind 75 list. It has the same 75-problem scope but adds per-problem time estimates and reorders problems by difficulty progression. The key innovation: you can customize the schedule by setting your hours per week and number of weeks, and it generates a personalized plan.
NeetCode 150 was created by NeetCode (ex-Google) as an expansion of Blind 75. It takes the original problems, reorganizes them into a structured roadmap with 16 categories, and adds 75 more problems to cover patterns that Blind 75 and Grind 75 leave out. Each problem has a video explanation on NeetCode’s YouTube channel.
Both lists are free. Both target coding interview preparation. The difference is scope and structure.
Side-by-Side Comparison
What Grind 75 Does Better
Time estimates per problem. Every Grind 75 problem has an expected duration (15-45 minutes). This lets you plan study sessions precisely. NeetCode 150 does not include this, so you are guessing how long each problem will take.
Customizable scheduling. On the official Grind 75 site, you set your hours per week and number of weeks, and it generates a personalized plan. This is great for people with tight deadlines who need to know exactly which problems to do each day.
Difficulty progression. Grind 75 orders problems from easiest to hardest across the entire list, not just within categories. This builds confidence progressively. NeetCode 150 orders by category first, which means you might hit Hard graph problems before you have warmed up with Easy ones in other topics.
What NeetCode 150 Adds
The 75 extra problems in NeetCode 150 are not filler. They fill 6 specific gaps that Grind 75 leaves open:
Greedy (8 problems)
Grind 75 has zero. NeetCode adds Jump Game II, Gas Station, Partition Labels, and more. Greedy is one of the most common interview patterns.
Backtracking (9 dedicated problems)
Grind 75 has ~2 backtracking problems but does not categorize them. NeetCode teaches the template: Subsets, Permutations, N-Queens, Palindrome Partitioning.
Advanced Graphs (+12 problems)
Dijkstra, MST (Kruskal/Prim), union-find, Word Ladder. Google and Amazon test these at 7-16x the global average.
2D Dynamic Programming (11 problems)
Longest Common Subsequence, Edit Distance, Burst Balloons. These separate candidates who understand DP from those who memorized it.
Stack patterns (+6 problems)
Monotonic stack (Daily Temperatures, Largest Rectangle in Histogram). One of the highest-frequency Medium patterns in real interviews.
Heap / Priority Queue (+6 problems)
Task Scheduler, Design Twitter, K Closest Points. Tests efficient sorted-access patterns critical for system-design-adjacent rounds.
Video solutions for every problem. NeetCode’s YouTube channel has a video walkthrough for all 150 problems. For visual learners, this is a huge advantage over Grind 75 which has no official video solutions.
How to Choose
Grind 75
Covers core patterns with built-in pacing. You will finish with time for mock interviews.
NeetCode 150
Full coverage of 16 categories. The extra time lets you learn patterns Grind 75 skips.
NeetCode 150 extras
Most Grind 75 problems overlap. Focus on the new categories: Greedy, Backtracking, advanced Graphs, 2D DP.
Grind 75
Difficulty progression and time estimates prevent overwhelm. Expand to NeetCode 150 after.
NeetCode 150
These companies test advanced Graph and DP at higher rates. Grind 75 leaves you short.
For a deeper dive with full problem-overlap data, read our Blind 75 vs NeetCode 150 comparison. To see if NeetCode 150 is enough for your specific company, check our FAANG coverage analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grind 75 the same as Blind 75?expand_more
Grind 75 is the official successor to Blind 75, created by the same author (Yangshun Tay). It has the same 75-problem scope but reorders them by difficulty progression and adds per-problem time estimates. Think of Grind 75 as Blind 75 with better scheduling. For a deeper comparison, see our Blind 75 vs NeetCode 150 breakdown.
Should I do Grind 75 or NeetCode 150?expand_more
If you have less than 4 weeks, do Grind 75. It covers core patterns in 75 time-boxed problems. If you have 6+ weeks, do NeetCode 150. It adds 6 categories Grind 75 skips (Greedy, Backtracking, advanced Graphs, 2D DP, expanded Stack, expanded Heap). If you already completed Grind 75, do the remaining NeetCode 150 problems to fill the gaps.
Can I do Grind 75 first then NeetCode 150?expand_more
Yes, and this is a great strategy. Most Grind 75 problems overlap with NeetCode 150, so you will not be starting over. After Grind 75, focus on the NeetCode 150 problems in categories Grind 75 does not cover: Greedy, Backtracking, advanced Graph algorithms, 2D Dynamic Programming, and expanded Heap problems.