What Tools Does BigDevSoon Include Besides Projects and Challenges?

BigDevSoon bundles three supporting tools around its project library: an in-browser code editor, Merlin AI, and an ATS-optimized CV Builder. Together they cover the gap between "I built something" and "I can show it and get hired." The platform also layers in 100 daily challenges and 40+ practice problems so you keep training between larger builds. If you only want project files to work through on your own machine, these extras matter less; if you want feedback, AI guidance, and a job-facing output, they're the reason to stay in the app.

Merlin AI: learning to use AI without shipping code you can't read

The founder's own framing on the site is blunt about the problem Merlin is meant to solve: most people now "reach for AI and ship slop they can't read, review, or own." Merlin AI is positioned as the counterweight — it's described as teaching you to use AI properly rather than generating code for you to paste blindly.

That distinction is the whole point. A generic chatbot hands you a block of code; Merlin is built into a platform where the same code runs against a Figma-derived design and a set of pre-split tasks. So the AI's output has something to be checked against.

What this means in practice: expect to use Merlin while working inside a project, not as a standalone assistant. The value is in the loop — generate, run it in the editor, see whether it matches the design, adjust.

Built-in code editor with live preview

The site shows a live editor loading directly on the homepage, with sample starters you can open immediately:

• React Counter
• Vue Todo
• TypeScript Quiz
• CSS Animations
• Vanilla Landing

You can open any of these in the editor or jump into the full editor. The editor is described as "vibing with AI" — meaning AI assistance and the editing surface are in the same place, so you're not copying code between a chat window and your IDE.

Why this matters for learning: the feedback loop is short. You change something, you see the result, you compare it to the target design. That's the mechanism the platform is selling — instant feedback instead of the delayed, ambiguous signal you get from a tutorial video.

ATS-optimized CV Builder

This is the tool most directly aimed at the outcome rather than the practice. The site lists it alongside projects and Merlin as part of a "learning to landing" pipeline, and the founder's pitch is explicitly about hiring being broken — "5–10 rounds for a junior offer."

An ATS-optimized CV builder means the résumé is structured to pass applicant tracking system parsing. That's a formatting and keyword-structure concern, not a guarantee of interviews. Treat it as removing a common mechanical failure mode, not as a substitute for having real projects to list.

The natural pairing: the 21+ projects give you portfolio material, and the CV Builder gives you a place to present it in a format that survives automated screening.

Daily challenges and practice problems

Beyond the 21+ guided projects, the platform includes:

The user testimonial from @AsadullahSamo points at why the task-splitting matters: the projects "are already split into logical tasks," which addresses the specific failure mode of getting overwhelmed and abandoning a build. Another user, @yungProg, describes problem-solving skill improving through repeated challenge practice.

How the pieces fit together

The through-line is a single pipeline rather than a pile of features:

1. Practice — daily challenges and practice problems keep you sharp.
2. Build — 21+ projects with Figma designs, broken into tasks, edited in the browser.
3. Assist — Merlin AI helps you use AI coding tools without losing ownership of the code.
4. Present — the CV Builder turns the work into an ATS-friendly application.

If you're deciding whether the platform is worth it, the question isn't "does it have projects" — plenty of sites do. It's whether you want the AI guidance and the job-facing tooling in the same place as the practice. The site offers a free trial, so the practical move is to test whether Merlin's in-context approach actually changes how you work, rather than judging it from the feature list.