We've all been there. You get a killer idea for a SaaS product. You can see it clear as day: the sleek interface, the happy customers, the sweet, sweet sound of Stripe notifications hitting your inbox. Then reality crashes the party. To build it, you need to... well, code. And that means diving into an endless sea of tutorials, documentation, and courses that feel like they were designed to train you for a job at Google, not to get your brilliant idea off the ground.
I've been in the online business world for years, and I've seen countless entrepreneurs hit this exact wall. They spend months, sometimes years, learning the “right way” to code, memorizing algorithms they’ll never use, and getting lost in theoretical fluff. By the time they feel “ready,” their motivation is gone and the market has moved on. It's a tale as old as the internet itself.
But what if there was a different way? What if a course was built not for future software engineers, but for scrappy, impatient entrepreneurs? That's the promise of a course I've been seeing pop up everywhere lately: CodeFast by Marc Lou. And I've gotta say, it's a refreshing take.
What's the Big Deal with CodeFast Anyway?
The core idea behind CodeFast is simple but powerful: there’s a massive difference between coding as an employee and coding as an entrepreneur. Most courses teach you the former. They're preparing you for a corporate job where you need to write hyper-optimized, perfectly documented code that can be maintained by a team of 50. It’s like learning to be a Michelin-starred chef—every tiny detail matters.
But an entrepreneur? You're not running a three-star restaurant. You're running a food truck. You need to create something delicious, get it to hungry customers fast, and start making money. You don't need to know the entire culinary history of the tomato; you just need to make a killer sauce.
CodeFast is the food truck cooking school of coding. It cuts out the academic nonsense and focuses on one thing: shipping a product. It teaches you the fundamentals you actually need, and then—and this is the game-changer—it teaches you how to leverage AI to do a massive chunk of the heavy lifting for you.

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A Look Inside the CodeFast Curriculum
So, what do you actually learn in just 12 hours of video? I was skeptical too. The curriculum is broken down into three main parts, and the structure itself tells a story about its philosophy.
- The Mindset: This isn't about `for` loops and variables. It's about how to think like a builder. How to ship fast, how to find the motivation to push through the tough spots, and, most importantly, how to actually make money with the code you write. This is the stuff most courses completely ignore, but for an entrepreneur, it’s everything.
- The Fundamentals: Okay, here's the code. But it's the greatest hits album, not the obscure B-sides. You get the essentials of how the web works—HTML, CSS, JavaScript, domains, and DNS. Crucially, it also covers how to talk to AI so it can write code for you. This is a 2025 skill, not a 2015 one.
- Your First SaaS: This is the main event. You're not building a to-do list app. You're building a real, money-making SaaS. It covers the full stack that modern, fast-moving startups use: Next.js and React for the frontend, Tailwind CSS for styling, MongoDB for the database, and LemonSqueezy or Stripe for payments. It’s a practical, up-to-date tech stack that's built for speed.
The Secret Sauce Is More Than Just Code
Where CodeFast really shines, in my experience, is in its focus on the 'learning flywheel'. Get an idea, learn just enough to build a feature, launch it, get feedback, and repeat. It’s an active, not passive, way to learn. You’re not just watching videos; you're building a business from day one.
Another piece of the puzzle is the community. Building something alone is tough. It can be a lonely road. CodeFast includes access to a private Discord server, which is huge. Having a place to ask “stupid” questions, get unstuck, and share your wins with people on the exact same path is invaluable. It turns a solo mission into a team sport.
I built my app in almost a week. I shared on all social, and I guess people liked it. I got 140 new users and 5 paying users ($162.5)- Andrei Bogdan, CodeFast Student
Okay, Let's Talk Money. How Much Does CodeFast Cost?
Alright, down to brass tacks. The pricing is refreshingly straightforward. No weird subscriptions or hidden fees. You pay once and get lifetime access, including all future updates. That's a model I can get behind.
Plan | Price | What You Get |
---|---|---|
CodeFast Course | $169 USD | The complete 12-hour course, 215 short lessons, instructor support, private Discord access, and lifetime updates. |
CodeFast + ShipFast Bundle | $299 USD | Everything in the standard course PLUS ShipFast, a popular Next.js boilerplate used by thousands of developers to launch even faster. |
So, which one to choose? If you're on a tight budget, the standard course is an incredible value. But honestly, if you're serious about this, the CodeFast + ShipFast bundle is a no-brainer. ShipFast is a well-respected tool in the indie hacker community that gives you a pre-built foundation with authentication, payments, email integration, and more already set up. It literally saves you days, if not weeks, of work. Combining the knowledge from CodeFast with the toolkit from ShipFast is like getting both the driving lessons and a brand new car.
My Honest Take: The Good and The Not-So-Good
No review is complete without a balanced look. While I'm pretty stoked about CodeFast's approach, it's not a magic pill.
What I Really Like About CodeFast
The biggest pro is its unapologetic focus on speed and practicality. It respects your time as an entrepreneur. The integration of AI as a core part of the workflow is not just a gimmick; it’s genuinely how modern, efficient developers are building things now. The lifetime access model and the supportive community are also massive wins. It feels less like a one-off transaction and more like joining a founder's club.
Where It Might Not Be a Perfect Fit
On the flip side, this is not the course for you if your goal is to become a senior software architect at a FAANG company. It intentionally skips the deep, complex computer science topics. Also, its heavy reliance on AI might not jive with every learning style. Some people prefer to understand every single line of code from first principles. And finally, the course is very much geared towards building SaaS businesses. If you want to build a mobile game or a complex enterprise system, this might not be the direct path you need.
So, Is CodeFast Right for You?
It all comes down to your goal.
- If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a non-technical founder, a designer, or a marketer with a great idea and a burning desire to build and launch it quickly, then yes. I think CodeFast could be one of the best investments you make.
- If you're a student looking to build a deep, theoretical foundation in computer science to get a job as a software engineer... this probably ain't it. And that's okay! It was never designed for you.
This course is about empowerment. It’s about giving you just enough of the right knowledge to be dangerous—in a good way. It's about giving you the ability to turn your ideas into reality without asking for permission or waiting for a technical co-founder who may never show up.
Conclusion: Stop Learning, Start Building
In a world saturated with coding courses that promise the world but deliver a textbook, CodeFast is a breath of fresh air. It understands its audience perfectly: entrepreneurs who value time and results above all else. By blending essential coding skills with a modern, AI-powered workflow, it offers a realistic path from idea to first paying customer.
If you've been stuck in 'tutorial hell' or intimidated by the thought of learning to code, this might just be the push you need. It's not about becoming a master coder. It's about becoming a master builder. And at the end of the day, that’s what gets a business off the ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need any prior coding experience for CodeFast?
- Nope! The course is designed for complete beginners. It starts from the absolute basics, assuming you have zero experience.
- What specific technologies will I learn?
- You'll learn a modern, practical tech stack including Next.js (a React framework), Tailwind CSS, MongoDB (database), and how to integrate services like Google OAuth for authentication and Stripe/LemonSqueezy for payments.
- Is there a refund policy?
- The CodeFast website mentions a refund policy, so it's best to check the latest terms on their official site. Most reputable courses offer some kind of satisfaction guarantee.
- Will I really learn how to use AI to build my app?
- Yes, this is a core component. The course doesn't just mention AI; it teaches you how to write effective prompts and integrate AI tools directly into your development process to write, debug, and explain code for you.
- Do I need to buy the ShipFast bundle to succeed?
- You don't need it, as the main course teaches you how to build from scratch. However, the ShipFast bundle is a massive accelerator that provides a pre-built codebase, saving you significant time on setting up foundational features.
- What if I get stuck during the course?
- You'll have access to the private Discord community where you can ask questions to the instructor, Marc Lou, and other students who are going through the same process.