iD Tech, Create & Learn, Codingal or a 1-on-1 Tutor?

Last updated: November 2026

If your child has already done a coding class or a camp, and you are now comparing iD Tech, Create & Learn, Codingal and The Coder School, the honest answer is that each one is built for a different child. An iD Tech summer camp suits a child who wants a week on a university campus with other kids. iD Tech's private lessons and Codingal both sell live 1-on-1 online lessons, the first booked month by month across many topics, the second as a set course with quizzes and parent meetings built in. Create & Learn suits a sociable child in a live online class of three to five, at under $30 per hour of class time. The Coder School suits a child who works best in a real room, beside one other kid. A private 1-on-1 tutor, which is what I run, suits the child who has had lessons and still cannot build anything alone from a blank editor. If you came here for an iD Tech review, the facts behind that verdict are below, with the same facts for the other three.

Table of Contents

• How I compared these programs
• If your child wants a week of camp with other kids
• If you want 1-on-1 online lessons from a large provider
• If your child is sociable and you want a lower cost per hour
• If your child works best in person beside one other kid
• If your child has done classes but still cannot code alone
• The numbers side by side
• Where kids tend to stall in group formats
• What I tell parents choosing between these
• Frequently Asked Questions

How I compared these programs

In late October 2026 I read each provider's own website: the homepage, pricing or FAQ pages, and at least one course page. Every fact about them below links to the page it came from, and every price is as listed when I checked. Where a provider did not publish a figure on the pages I read, the table says "not listed" rather than a guess.

I did not enrol a child in any of them or sit in their classes, so I make no claims about how good any instructor is. This post is about what each program is built for, which their own pages make clear, and which child that suits.

My bias, stated plainly: I run a 1-on-1 online tutoring service for kids 8 to 16, so one of the five options here is mine, held to the same standard with prices from our pricing page. After 20 years of teaching and more than 200 kids, I also know 1-on-1 is not the right first step for every child, and the sections below say when it is not.

One warning: several of these sites showed a promotional price next to a struck-through one, and prices change through the year. Check the page on the day you book.

If your child wants a week of camp with other kids

This is what iD Tech is best known for. Its homepage says it was founded in 1999, has taught more than 750,000 alumni, and runs camps on more than 75 university campuses. Summer camps are for ages 7 to 17, and "week-long day camps typically range from $979 to $1,499, depending on course, location, and day or overnight options."

To make that concrete, take Python Coding 101. It is listed for ages 10 to 12, small-group and on campus, as a "weeklong program, 8 hours per day," starting at $1,099. Students write text-based programs and build an arcade game, families see the result at a Friday Family Showcase, and each student receives an iD Tech diploma and a course transcript. The page says "our small class size ensures that each student receives individual attention" but gives no number, so my table lists group size as not listed.

If you came here looking for an iD Tech review, this is a review of what iD Tech publishes (format, price, what a child takes home), not of its instructors, because I have not sat in one of its classes.

Who this suits is clear. A child who has done little coding gets a full week to find out whether they like it, without a long commitment. A child who is energised by other kids gets a room full of them, all into the same thing, which motivates in a way a screen at home does not. And a family that needs a structured summer week gets one.

Where any camp stops is the end of the week. Intense learning fades fast if nothing follows it, which is true of every camp, not iD Tech in particular. I covered how to plan around that in how to pick an online summer coding camp worth the money.

Verdict: an iD Tech camp, for a child who wants a week of coding with other kids, as long as you plan what happens in the weeks after it.

If you want 1-on-1 online lessons from a large provider

Two of these providers sell live 1-on-1 online lessons at scale, and they are built differently.

iD Tech private lessons are booked month by month. The private lessons page describes live 1-on-1 online lessons for ages 7 to 19, with coding topics including Python, JavaScript, Scratch, Roblox and Lua, Unity with C#, and Minecraft modding with Java. The lesson sign-up page lists 60-minute lessons on Zoom in packages of 1, 4, 8 or 12 lessons a month, at $75, $71, $68 and $64 a lesson, plus a $49 Discovery Lesson. You choose the instructor, lessons "can be rescheduled up to 24 hours ahead," and "lesson topics can be easily changed any time you wish." After each lesson, "you will receive a post-session progress report via email." That topic flexibility is the distinctive part: Python one month, game design the next, same provider.

Codingal is built around a course path. Its homepage describes "1:1 live AI & coding classes for kids and teens" for ages 6 to 18, scheduled at "any time and any day that works for you." Its Python course is "44 live private 1-on-1 sessions of 45 mins each" over five months, for grades 6 to 12, and lists "Complete projects & Quizzes after every class" and "Receive monthly progress reports & attend PTMs" (parent-teacher meetings). The homepage FAQ says the first meeting comes after the 6th session and then after every 12th, that reports link to the child's projects, and that parents can audit a class or review recorded sessions. Students earn STEM.org-accredited certificates, and the homepage mentions a "100% moneyback guarantee policy."

I could not find Codingal's course prices on the pages I read. Its camps page says "the first class is always free, and full pricing is shared before you enroll."

The choice comes down to how your child learns. A child whose interests wander suits a flexible monthly booking. A child who likes clear milestones, regular quizzes and a certificate at the end suits a set path, and so does a parent who wants scheduled meetings and recordings to review.

Verdict: iD Tech private lessons if you want to book month by month and switch topics freely; Codingal if you want a set 1-on-1 course with quizzes and parent meetings built in.

If your child is sociable and you want a lower cost per hour

Create & Learn runs live online classes in very small groups. Its homepage offers "live small-group coding, AI, robotics, and computer science classes for kids and teens in grades K-12," with "just 3-5 students per class." Languages include Scratch, Python, Java, JavaScript, C++ and Lua for Roblox, and free intro classes let a child try a subject first.

The pricing page lists group classes at $105 for four 55-minute sessions, shown discounted to $94.50, with a five-student maximum, schedules you can "choose anytime from listed schedules or create your own," and "easy, free makeup sessions for missed sessions." The Python course, for grades 5 to 10, is 16 sessions of 70 minutes, listed at $516 and shown at $412.80 with a 20% discount. It says that by the end, students "will design and code their own Python program from scratch," and comes with a downloadable certificate. Create & Learn also sells private 1:1 classes, at $240 for four 55-minute sessions.

On progress, the homepage says teachers "constantly engage with students to gather their thoughts and monitor progress." I did not find a formal assessment or progress report described on the pages I read, so the table says that part is not listed.

Here is the honest case for this format. Four 55-minute sessions at $105 works out to under $30 per hour of class time, against $48 or more an hour for every 1-on-1 option in this post with a published price. Five kids is small enough for an instructor to know each child. And some children simply work harder when other kids can see their project. For a first course, or a child who loves the social side, that is a strong combination.

Verdict: Create & Learn, for a sociable child or a family that wants live teaching at a group price, especially for a first course.

If your child works best in person beside one other kid

The Coder School is the only in-person option here. Its homepage describes "an after-school drop-off (and virtual) program for kids learning to code" at "70+ locations nationwide," and the company sells franchises. Its main program, Code Coaching, is for ages 7 to 18, with what the homepage calls a "super-small student to teacher ratio (typically 2:1)." The Code Coaching page says sessions "run one or two hours a week (your choice), at the same time every week," lists languages including Scratch, Python, Java, JavaScript, HTML and CSS, and Swift, and says coaches "customize their lessons for each child."

It describes progress tracking in more detail than most. Its FAQ says "parents are emailed the notes after each session with a link to our Coder Progress page," and "students also receive App Reviews every 3-5 months," a snapshot of the student's skill at that point. The coaching page adds structured coding quizzes called Rounds of Code. Programs run "on a month to month basis," and with "24 hours notice" a session can be moved or made up.

If you searched for The Coder School cost: there is no single national price, because each location publishes its own. The Berkeley, California page listed 2:1 Code Coaching at $289 a month and 1:1 at $339 a month, each for one hour a week, plus a group Code Class at $169 a month. The Cary, North Carolina page listed 2:1 coaching at $219 a month.

Some kids concentrate better away from home: a different room, a real adult beside them, another kid at the next screen. For them, two students per coach keeps most of the attention of 1-on-1 while adding a peer. If a location is within reach, no online option can match that.

Verdict: The Coder School, for a child who focuses best in person and likes having one other student beside them.

If your child has done classes but still cannot code alone

Parents tell me the same story again and again. Their child has done block coding, some weekly classes, a camp or two, and each new program seems to begin where the last one began. They have built things in lessons. Put them in front of an empty editor, ask for something small, and nothing comes out. I went through the reasons in years of coding classes but can't code alone.

First, an honest point. Three of the four providers above also sell 1-on-1 lessons, so "1-on-1" by itself does not separate us. What separates any two options, group or private, is what happens inside the hour, and whether anyone checks what the child can do with no help at all.

Here is how an hour runs with us. Both screens are shared. The tutor explains one concept, shows an example, and answers questions. Then comes the challenge: before the next concept, the child solves a small problem alone while the tutor watches. Getting it wrong is fine. The point is to see the gaps, because a beginner does not know what they do not know, and "did you understand?" always gets a yes.

What the tutor sees in those minutes drives everything else: a missing colon that keeps coming back, a loop that never gets its stopping condition, a concept that lands in one example and another that needs three. The pace speeds up or slows down from that, for one child, not for the middle of a class. From the functions section of the Python course onward, each challenge becomes a piece of a larger project. At the end of each section, the child does short puzzles alone between sessions, with the tutor reachable for questions. What parents receive afterwards is in what parents get after every coding session.

The facts, from our pricing page: live 1-on-1 online lessons for ages 8 to 16, in Scratch, Python, and building with AI tools once the basics are solid. Ten hours cost $75 an hour, 20 hours $65, 30 hours $55, and 50 hours $50, and the 100-hour Complete Programme, by application, is $4,800 ($48 an hour). Hours never expire, only live session time counts, and you can upgrade by paying the difference. Lessons are with an instructor matched to your child, and I oversee the plan.

The limits are real. At $48 to $75 an hour, we cost about 1.7 to 2.6 times what Create & Learn's group class costs per hour of class time. There are no other kids in the session, and we only teach online. Whether that trade is worth it is the question in is 1-on-1 coding tutoring worth it, and what a private online coding tutor costs puts our numbers next to the wider market.

Verdict: a private 1-on-1 tutor, for the child who has had lessons and still freezes at a blank editor, because that child needs someone watching them work alone, every session.

The numbers side by side

Prices as listed on each provider's own site in late October 2026. "Not listed" means the pages I read did not give the figure, not that it does not exist.

Program	Format	Group size	Ages	Languages (examples)	Price as listed	Scheduling	How progress is checked
iD Tech summer camps	In person on university campuses	Not listed ("small class size")	7 to 17	Python, C# (Unity), Lua (Roblox)	Day camps $979 to $1,499 a week; Python Coding 101 from $1,099	One week; 8 hours a day for Python Coding 101	Friday Family Showcase; diploma and course transcript
iD Tech private lessons	Live 1-on-1 online	1	7 to 19	Python, JavaScript, Scratch, Lua, C#, Java	$75 a lesson (1 a month) to $64 (12 a month); $49 Discovery Lesson	60-minute lessons; pick the instructor; reschedule up to 24 hours ahead	Progress report by email after each lesson
Create & Learn	Live online small group; private 1:1 also sold	3 to 5	Grades K to 12	Scratch, Python, Java, JavaScript, C++, Lua	Group $105 for four 55-min sessions (shown at $94.50); private $240 for four	Listed schedules or request one; free makeups	Formal checks not listed; certificate on the Python course
Codingal	Live 1-on-1 online; camps 1:1 or up to 4	1	6 to 18	Scratch, Python, Java, JavaScript, HTML and CSS	Not listed (shared before you enroll); first class free	Any day and time; Python course is 44 sessions of 45 min	Quizzes after every class; parent-teacher meetings; monthly reports
The Coder School	In person after school, also virtual	Typically 2 per coach	7 to 18	Scratch, Python, Java, JavaScript, Swift	Set per location, e.g. 2:1 at $219 or $289 a month	Same hour every week; month to month	Notes after each session; App Reviews every 3 to 5 months; quizzes
Kids Coding Tutor (us)	Live 1-on-1 online	1	8 to 16	Scratch, Python, then AI tools	$75 an hour (10 hours) to $48 (100 hours); hours never expire	One-hour weekly slot, weekends included	A challenge solved alone while the tutor watches; section puzzles done alone; written reports

Read the last column first. Every one of these programs checks progress somehow, and they check different things: a finished project on show, quizzes, notes, periodic skill reviews, or a problem solved alone in front of the tutor. Which matters most depends on what you are worried about.

Where kids tend to stall in group formats

Groups do things 1-on-1 cannot. A child sees what other kids build, gets a reason to show up that is not a parent, and pays far less per hour. For plenty of children that is the right deal, and a good group class beats nothing.

The places where kids tend to stall are patterns of formats, not findings about any provider in this post. They can happen in any class or camp, and with a 1-on-1 tutor who teaches badly.

A class teaches to the middle. Even with five children, the pace is shared. A fast child waits, and a stuck child gets left behind or quietly copies. Smaller groups shrink this problem a lot. They do not remove it.

A camp is short. A week of daily coding builds real excitement. Without regular practice afterwards, much of the skill fades, and the next camp often starts near the beginning again.

Each new program starts at the beginning. A child who moves between programs is often placed by age, or at the start of a course, rather than by a check of what they can already do. The first weeks repeat old ground, and the parent sees no progression from one program to the next.

Nobody asks the child to start from a blank editor. Typing along with an instructor's project builds familiarity, but it is not the same as writing something alone. I wrote about the moment a child first crosses that line in the first time a student writes code from scratch.

If two or three of these describe your child's history, the next program, whichever you choose, needs to fix them on purpose.

What I tell parents choosing between these

Ask every provider the same five questions, including us:

• Will you check what my child can already do before placing them, or place by age?
• How often does my child solve a problem alone, without the instructor or an AI tool, and who watches?
• Who teaches my child, and is it the same person every week?
• What do I receive after a session, and does it say what my child got wrong?
• What happens to lessons or hours we do not use?

The answers will tell you more than any marketing page, including mine. I go deeper on vetting a tutor in how to choose the right coding tutor for your child.

There are children I would not send to us first. A child who has never coded and is not sure they will like it should start free, and coding apps vs coding classes covers how to judge that trial. A child who lights up around other kids may do better in a small group class. A child who needs a physical room to focus is better served in person.

The child I would send to us is the one from the last section: lessons behind them, no independence yet, and a parent who wants to see exactly what their child can do alone. Emma, a parent whose daughter builds Scratch games with us, described it as "one-on-one instruction that goes at your pace." For that child, pace and a watched challenge are the whole point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is iD Tech worth it? It depends which iD Tech product you mean. A summer camp suits a child who wants a week of coding with other kids on a campus, with day camps listed at $979 to $1,499 a week in October 2026. Private lessons, at $64 to $75 a lesson depending on the monthly package, suit a family that wants flexible 1-on-1 and the freedom to switch topics. Either works best with regular practice in between.

How much does The Coder School cost? Each location sets its own price. In October 2026 the Berkeley, California page listed 2:1 Code Coaching at $289 a month and 1:1 at $339 a month, each for one hour a week, and the Cary, North Carolina page listed 2:1 coaching at $219 a month. Check your nearest location's page.

How many kids are in a Create & Learn class? Three to five. Its homepage says "just 3-5 students per class," and its pricing page caps group classes at five. It also sells private 1:1 classes.

Does Codingal teach 1-on-1 or in groups? Mainly 1-on-1. Its homepage describes "1:1 live AI & coding classes," and its Python course is 44 private sessions of 45 minutes. Its camps run 1:1 or in groups of up to four.

Is a private tutor better than a coding class? Not for every child. A class gives peers, a shared rhythm and a lower cost per hour. A private tutor gives a pace set by one child and someone reading their code as they write it. For a child who has done classes and still cannot code alone, I would choose 1-on-1. For a child trying coding for the first time, a class or a free tool is a sensible start.

Picking between these usually takes one conversation, once I know what your child has already done and what they want to build. If you would like to have it, book a free Discovery Call.