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CodeFast
Review

Learn to code in weeks, not months

Total score: 8,2/10
Medium
  • Last updated 22/07/2025
Marc Lou
by Marc Lou
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What you'll learn ? Overview

We came across CodeFast while looking for a coding course that skips the fluff and gets you shipping. What stood out wasn’t just the promise of building a SaaS in two weeks, it was Marc Lou himself. As a solo founder who’s earned over $1.5M in annual revenue and pulled in $528K from ShipFast in just a few months, he brings real indie hacker credibility. With 100K+ followers across platforms, we were curious to see if he could teach as well as he builds.

CodeFast isn’t a traditional programming course. It’s a hands-on, 12-hour video program designed to help you launch a real product, not just understand the tools. It covers the full modern stack: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Next.js, Tailwind, MongoDB, and ties it all together with real-world components like Stripe, Supabase, and Lemon Squeezy. This isn’t “learn to code for fun”: it’s “learn to build something that makes money.”

The course flows in a way that feels natural: start with the right mindset, get the lay of the land, then build piece by piece. You’re guided through everything from user auth to database setup, payments, email flows, and even AI-powered features. The Discord community and pre-written code snippets add a layer of support that’s often missing from solo learning journeys.

At $169 for lifetime access (or $299 with the ShipFast boilerplate), it’s priced for serious indie makers who want to move fast. If you’ve got some JavaScript under your belt and want to turn that into a working product, CodeFast might be exactly the push you need.

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Is this course for you?

👉

Prior experience needed

Intermediate (Some Foundational Knowledge Recommended)

👉

Time commitment

moderate Moderate (5–10 Hours/Week)

👉

Learning style

Self-Paced (Work On Your Own Schedule)

👉

Goal

Learn A New Skill

Best suited for:

CodeFast isn’t for total beginners, but you don’t have to be a JS pro either. If you’ve tinkered with a website or launched a landing page, you’ll feel right at home. The key is being resourceful and ready to learn by doing :)

Instructor

Marc Lou

Marc Lou

Solopreneur and SaaS Founder Legitimacy Score: 9/10
Marc Lou is a highly successful solopreneur and startup founder, renowned for his expertise in building and scaling SaaS businesses. Based in France, Marc has launched over 20 ventures, with seven achieving profitability. His standout platform, ShipFast, generates $54,000 monthly. Marc's journey from multiple failed startups to creating a million-dollar business has made him an influential figure in the tech and marketing space, inspiring both seasoned entrepreneurs and newcomers.
Marc's entrepreneurial journey spans several years, marked by the launch of over 20 startups. His breakthrough came with ShipFast, a boilerplate for entrepreneurs to launch startups quickly. In just four months, ShipFast generated $528,000 in revenue. Marc's experience includes developing AI tools, SaaS products, and various other tech solutions. His approach of 'failing fast and pivoting faster' has been crucial to his success, allowing him to refine his business strategies and product development processes.
• Product Hunt 2023 Maker of the Year
• Generated $1.5 million in annual revenue as a solopreneur
• Launched ShipFast, earning $528,000 in just 4 months
• Successfully bootstrapped and scaled multiple SaaS businesses
• Built a loyal audience of over 100,000 followers across social media platforms
• Recognized as a top 1% Marketing & Sales influencer in France
• Guest on 'The Morning Maker Show' podcast, discussing app development strategies
• Featured speaker at various startup and tech conferences (specific events N/A)
• Regular contributor to entrepreneurship and tech forums online
• Hosted live coding sessions on YouTube, demonstrating rapid app development
Marc Lou maintains an active online presence across multiple platforms. On YouTube, he posts an average of 3.2 videos per month, focusing on SaaS development, startup strategies, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of his projects. His content consistently garners high engagement, with an average of 1.7K engagements per video. On Twitter (now X), Marc shares daily insights, engaging actively with his audience. His newsletter, 'Just Ship It,' reaches over 32,000 entrepreneurs, providing valuable content on startup ideation, fast launches, and profitability strategies.

Course Details

  • ⏱ Duration14
  • 📶 DifficultyMedium
  • ⌛ Access Lifetime
  • ⏰ Time investmentModerate (5–10 Hours/Week)

🧠 Prerequisites

You just need some basic web experience, like building a simple site or landing page, and a willingness to learn by doing.

💻 Requirements

Computer with Node.js capabilities, stable internet connection, code editor (VS Code recommended)

💸 Hidden Costs

Third-party services (Supabase, Stripe, Mailgun) have free tiers but may require paid plans as you scale

🙋‍♂️ Support Options

Private Discord community, direct access to Marc Lou, peer support network

Course content

  • Mindset & motivation: Why learn to code, how to ship fast, find your drive, and get started for real.
  • Web fundamentals: Solid basics in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to understand how the web works and write clean code.
  • Developer environment: Terminal, Node.js, npm, Git, GitHub… everything you need to work like a pro.
  • Frontend with Next.js & React: Next.js app structure, React components, props, state, hooks, layouts, routing… the core of modern frontend.
  • Styling with Tailwind CSS: Quick, responsive, clean design using Tailwind and daisyUI.
  • Build a real SaaS: Authentication (Supabase, Auth.js), database (MongoDB), product logic, dashboards, user-generated content.
  • Backend logic & APIs: Mongoose schemas, API endpoints, Axios calls, form handling, conditional logic.
  • Pricing & payments: Setting up Stripe (or Lemon Squeezy), subscription plans, webhooks, customer portal, testing, and going live.
  • AI tools: GitHub Copilot integration and practical tips to code faster and smarter with AI.
  • Design, UX & security: Advanced CSS, route security, client-side validation, smooth UX.
  • SEO & launch: SEO best practices (crawling, indexing), deployment with Vercel, domain setup, DNS.
  • Outro & next steps: A ready-to-use app. Goal: first user, first dollar.

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Feedbacks

Overall sentiment

Based on our research, CodeFast generates mostly positive reactions from students who appreciate Marc Lou's practical, no-nonsense approach to teaching SaaS development. The course benefits from Marc's established reputation in the indie hacker community, though as a newer offering, long-term reviews are still emerging.

Praised points

  • Practical implementation focus that gets students building real applications quickly
  • Comprehensive tech stack coverage including modern tools like Next.js, Supabase, and Stripe
  • Active instructor support with Marc Lou regularly engaging in the Discord community

Criticisms

  • Requires existing JavaScript knowledge, making it less suitable for complete beginners
  • Limited independent reviews due to the course being relatively new to market
  • Some debate about instructor expertise with critics questioning depth of technical knowledge

Testimonials

"I was able to launch my SaaS in 2 weeks thanks to CodeFast!" - Damon Chen (damonchen.org)

"Most valuable course I've taken in 2024" - Twitter user

"Basic and straight to the point. Its interesting and engaging content so you aren't bored skipping through the course!" - Product Hunt reviewer

"He explains exactly how much you need to implement" - Twitter user

"I started with zero experience and now I have started building my own websites" - CodeFast student

Social insights

Twitter discussions show enthusiasm from Marc Lou's followers, with users like @NoCodeAdvocate praising the launch. However, we found some criticism on Indie Hackers regarding marketing claims and technical expertise. Reddit conversations about Marc's other products (particularly ShipFast) trend positive, though specific CodeFast discussions remain limited.

Video review

Marketing Analysis

Claim Verification

The "ship your SaaS in days" promise appears realistic for developers with prerequisite skills building MVPs. We found multiple testimonials of students launching within 2 weeks, though this refers to functional MVPs rather than fully-scaled businesses.

Price History

Currently $169 for the course alone, $299 bundled with ShipFast. As a newer course, significant price history isn't available yet.

Upsell Practices

Main upsell is the ShipFast boilerplate bundle ($299 vs $169 standalone), which provides genuine additional value. No high-pressure tactics observed.

Student Success

Verifiable success stories include Damon Chen launching his SaaS in 2 weeks, and students creating projects like "allinclip.io" with improved conversion rates. Sarah Dayan (known developer) also endorses the course.

Platform & Delivery

Learning Platform

Hosted on Podia, a reliable platform known for smooth video streaming and user-friendly interface

Content Accessibility

Lifetime access to all videos and updates, downloadable code snippets included, streaming-based video content

Mobile Compatibility

Full mobile responsiveness through Podia's platform, accessible on smartphones and tablets

Technical Requirements

Modern web browser, 5+ Mbps internet for video streaming, Node.js environment for implementation

Red flags check

😬

Complaints

We found minimal significant complaints about CodeFast itself. Some criticism exists on Indie Hackers regarding Marc Lou's technical expertise and marketing approach, but no widespread issues with course delivery or content quality have emerged.

😬

Refund policy issues

The course offers a clear refund policy: 100% money back if less than 10% is watched within 7 days of purchase. This is more restrictive than some competitors but still provides buyer protection.

😬

Marketing practices

The "ship your SaaS in days, not months" claim is bold but appears achievable for developers with existing JavaScript knowledge building MVPs. Marketing focuses on speed and practical results without making unrealistic income promises.

😬

Community feedback

The private Discord community receives positive mentions, with Marc Lou reportedly being responsive to questions. No major community-related concerns surfaced in our research.

Is this course legit?

Value For Money

For $169, CodeFast is a strong deal if you’re ready to build. The content is sharp, the format is efficient, and the support community is super cool and active. If you follow through and ship something, even small, the investment pays for itself.

Conclusion

CodeFast delivers what it promises, but only if you’re the right kind of learner. It’s not some beginner crash course or a path to becoming a software engineer overnight. Marc Lou offers something way more practical: a clear, fast way to build and launch your first real SaaS using the tools solo founders actually use every day.

What works here is the combo of a modern stack (Next.js, Supabase, Stripe…), hands-on learning, and a genuine builder’s mindset. You’re not just coding, you’re learning how to organize your project, ship it, and start making money. The Discord is really helpful, and the code snippets save tons of time, especially if you learn by doing and tweaking.

It’s definitely not for total beginners. You should have played around with the web a bit, maybe made some landing pages or small projects, and be curious. If that’s you, this course will give you a solid push, where most tutorials leave you hanging.

At $169, it’s a fair deal. If you actually commit, it’ll probably save you weeks of hunting through scattered docs or outdated videos.

FAQs about this course

CodeFast is a 12-hour video course by Marc Lou that teaches developers how to build and launch SaaS applications in 14 days using modern technologies like Next.js, Supabase, and Stripe

It's designed for developers with JavaScript knowledge who want to quickly build SaaS MVPs. Complete beginners should learn JavaScript basics first before attempting this course

The course costs $169 for lifetime access, or $299 when bundled with the ShipFast Next.js boilerplate template

Yes, CodeFast offers a refund within 7 days if you've watched less than 10% of the course content

You'll master HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, MongoDB, plus integrations with Supabase for auth, Stripe/Lemon Squeezy for payments, and email services

The course contains 12 hours of video content designed to be completed over 14 days with moderate time investment of 5-10 hours per week

Yes, for a functional MVP. Students report launching basic SaaS applications within 2 weeks, though building a fully-scaled business naturally takes longer

You get access to a private Discord community where Marc Lou actively participates, plus downloadable code snippets and lifetime course updates

Review statistics

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User reviews

Anthony

June 24, 2025 at 6:36 am

What I Learned with Marc

I’m naturally curious, and Marc gave me the big picture I was missing, how everything fits together when building a SaaS. I loved Marc’s bonhomie, it honestly felt like working alongside a friend for hours haha! It made me want to go deeper into JS btw: just wish he had more advanced courses on some of the topics we skimmed! Also, the addition of the AI section mid-course was super cool!! (I joined at the perfect time I guess).

floriandarroman

May 12, 2025 at 2:47 am

The best way to start coding (fast)

I didn’t know anything about coding. Never wrote a single line. I needed a course that could take me from 0 to 1 as fast as possible. Thanks to CodeFast, I built my first web app in just 2 weeks. Now I actually enjoy vibe coding. Because I finally know what I’m doing.

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CodeFast screenshot
CodeFast Review
$ 169
Total score: 8,2/10 ⭐
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  • Duration14
  • DifficultyMedium
  • Release Date01/2024
  • Format Self-Paced
  • AccessLifetime
  • Time InvestmentModerate (5–10 Hours/Week)
  • Payment Options One-Time
  • LanguageEnglish
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