Apple vs Wix: Interview Question Comparison

When preparing for technical interviews, understanding the specific focus and expectations of each company is crucial. Apple and Wix, while both prominent tech companies, present distinct interview landscapes in terms of scale, difficulty, and topic emphasis. This comparison breaks down their coding interview patterns to help you strategize your preparation.

Question Volume and Difficulty

The most immediate difference is the sheer volume of documented questions. Apple's list of 356 questions is over six times larger than Wix's 56. This reflects Apple's longer history of technical interviews, a larger pool of candidates, and potentially a broader range of roles.

The difficulty distribution also varies:

• Apple (E100/M206/H50): The majority of questions are Medium difficulty (206), with a significant number of Easy (100) and a smaller, challenging set of Hard (50). This suggests Apple's interviews are designed to have a strong core of moderately complex problems, testing solid fundamentals and problem-solving under pressure.
• Wix (E16/M31/H9): The distribution follows a similar pattern but on a smaller scale, with Medium questions also being the most common. The proportion of Hard questions is slightly higher relative to its total (9/56 ≈ 16%) compared to Apple (50/356 ≈ 14%), but the absolute number is much lower. Wix's interview may feel more focused, but the presence of Hard questions indicates they still assess advanced algorithmic thinking.

Topic Overlap

Both companies heavily test foundational data structures. Array, String, and Hash Table problems are central to both Apple and Wix interviews. Mastering these is non-negotiable for either company.

The key divergence lies in the next layer of topics:

• Apple prominently features Dynamic Programming (DP). This is a classic topic for in-depth algorithmic interviews and requires significant practice to recognize patterns and construct optimal solutions.
• Wix shows a notable focus on Depth-First Search (DFS), a fundamental graph/tree traversal algorithm. This often points to an emphasis on problems involving hierarchical data, paths, or connected components, which are common in web development contexts.

This difference in secondary focus likely mirrors their engineering domains. Apple's system-level and performance-critical software often involves optimization problems where DP is relevant. Wix, as a web development platform, frequently deals with tree structures (like the DOM) and graph-related data, making DFS a highly applicable concept.

Here is a typical problem for each company's distinctive focus:

# Apple-style DP Problem: Climbing Stairs
def climbStairs(n: int) -> int:
    if n <= 2:
        return n
    dp = [0] * (n + 1)
    dp[1], dp[2] = 1, 2
    for i in range(3, n + 1):
        dp[i] = dp[i-1] + dp[i-2]
    return dp[n]

# Wix-style DFS Problem: Number of Islands
def numIslands(grid):
    if not grid:
        return 0
    count = 0
    def dfs(r, c):
        if r < 0 or c < 0 or r >= len(grid) or c >= len(grid[0]) or grid[r][c] != '1':
            return
        grid[r][c] = '#'  # Mark as visited
        dfs(r+1, c)
        dfs(r-1, c)
        dfs(r, c+1)
        dfs(r, c-1)
    for i in range(len(grid)):
        for j in range(len(grid[0])):
            if grid[i][j] == '1':
                dfs(i, j)
                count += 1
    return count

Which to Prepare for First

Start with the shared foundation. Prepare for Wix first if you are earlier in your interview journey. The smaller question bank and strong focus on Arrays, Strings, Hash Tables, and DFS create a well-defined and manageable scope. Achieving proficiency here will build core skills applicable everywhere.

Use Apple as a subsequent, more comprehensive goal. After mastering the common topics and DFS, layer on dedicated practice for Dynamic Programming and a wider variety of Medium and Hard problems. Apple's extensive question list requires more endurance and broader pattern recognition.

Ultimately, your choice should align with your target company and timeline. Solid preparation for either will significantly improve your general algorithmic problem-solving ability.

For more detailed question lists and patterns, visit the Apple and Wix company pages: Apple Interview Questions | Wix Interview Questions