If you’re just getting into computer programming, you may be wondering where to start sharpening your coding skills. Thankfully, there are thousands of coding language class options out there where beginners can learn to code for free. While the list does begin to dwindle when you start to look for free online coding classes, there are still several excellent online coding bootcamps and courses to choose from. Even these free sites can sometimes have hidden fees, or only provide free trials. So, instead of wasting time searching, Career Karma has already done the research for you! Here are some of the best “completely free” and “partially free” online coding classes for beginners.
Completely Free Online Coding Classes
The Odin Project
The Odin project is a completely free online coding course and is maintained entirely by volunteers. The site and its curriculum are open source, which means that anyone can contribute to the curriculum. While this could raise concerns about the validity of the content, the site is also widely known and highly rated. The site boasts three different tracks of learning including Full Stack Ruby on Rails, Full Stack JavaScript, and Front End Only. The site’s goal is “to provide a complete path for students to go from zero to employed as web developers while working with other students along the way.”
freeCodeCamp
freeCodeCamp is unique because it’s one of the only totally free online coding classes that offers a certification. The site offers six paths that range from web design to information security and everything in between. These courses are 300 hours each and offer certification at the end. The site also offers thousands of hours of interview prep and coding challenges. As the name would suggest, this entire site’s worth of information is all provided at no cost to you.
Khan Academy
You may already be familiar with this one. Khan Academy is one of the largest educational learning libraries on the web. You can pretty much learn about anything (including coding) on this site. Khan Academy offers a wide array of articles, videos, and tests to help you on your coding journey.
Partially Free Coding Classes
Codecademy
Codecademy is one of the most popular online coding courses. The site offers individual courses in 11 different programming languages or more inclusive courses by subject. Subjects include web development, data science, game development, and more. Here’s the catch. When you sign up for Codecademy, you’re granted a seven-day free trial that unlocks all of the courses on the site. After this trial ends, you are only allowed access to the free courses, as many courses are dedicated for “pro” members only. If you’re looking to upgrade to Pro, memberships are anywhere from $20-$40 per month depending on your payment plan. Even if you don’t buy the Pro option, Codecademy might still be the right fit for you!
Udemy
Udemy is an online educational learning platform that offers classes in several subjects. These classes are outsourced through different universities and companies. While many of these courses cost money, some of them are free and offer great educational value!
edX
edX is similar to Udemy in that it outsources educational content. The site has many subjects with hundreds of different courses to choose from. While you traditionally have to pay for content on edX, some courses offer an option to “audit” their class, which means that while you wouldn’t obtain certification or credit, you would be able to learn the material for free.
App Academy Open
You may have heard of the major coding bootcamp, App Academy. What you might not know is that App Academy Open has an entirely online curriculum and library that you can access even if you aren’t attending their paid bootcamp!
That about wraps up our list. Many of these developer courses start at the beginning and cover coding step by step, perfect for new programmers that have just started learning. Some of these bootcamps are also great resources to use to prepare for a bootcamp that is more detailed or robust. Either way, each free online coding bootcamp will give you the foundational knowledge you need to upskill.
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thank you for this variety of coding classes to choose from. I only know a few, but this gave me a lot of options. Would there be any difference between paid and the free ones with regards to the classes itself?