The Best Free (or Cheap) Online Courses

When I was a teenager, I taught myself how to code HTML and build a website. Back then, there were no courses on web design, so I had to learn by trial and error. Now that I’m older, I definitely don’t want to stop learning. Learning new things is the key to keeping our brains healthy as we age. Not only does learning keep us feeling young and intelligent, but it helps makes us well-rounded individuals.

 “It’s a shame that for so many people, learning stops when we finish high school or when we finish college. By having this amazing content be available, we would be able to learn something new every time we wanted, whether it’s just to expand our minds or it’s to change our lives.” –  Daphne Koller, co-founder of Coursera

But even with all this, perhaps the most obvious benefit is that learning a new skill can expand your career opportunities. In a job market that keeps shifting — and with college costs climbing every year — building in-demand skills is one of the most reliable ways to grow your income. The catch is usually time. But that’s exactly where online learning helps: the same knowledge you’d get in a classroom is available on your schedule, so you can learn at your own pace.

Technology and computers are the key industries for making big money right now, and neither of them requires a college education. You can learn the tools and skills online, and companies base hiring decisions on skill tests, samples and how much practice you’ve had. All it takes is an open mind and the drive to learn.

Here are some websites that can teach you a new skill — starting today (click on the site’s name to go to that site):

Khan Academy

Completely free, forever. Khan Academy started with math and has grown into a huge library covering science, economics, computing, grammar, art history, and test prep. Lessons are short videos paired with practice exercises that adapt to your level, so it’s ideal for brushing up on fundamentals or filling gaps at your own pace.

MIT OpenCourseWare

Actual MIT course materials — lecture notes, problem sets, exams, and often full video lectures — published free online. There’s no certificate or instructor, but if you’re self-motivated, it’s an extraordinary way to work through real university-level material in engineering, computer science, math, and more.

Google Career Certificates

Job-focused certificate programs in fields like data analytics, IT support, UX design, project management, and cybersecurity — designed with no degree or experience required. They’re low-cost (and financial aid/scholarships are often available), and they’re built specifically to help you land an entry-level role.

Duolingo

The most fun way to pick up a language. Duolingo turns learning into bite-sized, game-like lessons you can do in a few minutes a day, across dozens of languages. The core app is free, and it’s genuinely effective if you stick with the daily streak.

Skillshare

A subscription platform packed with project-based classes, especially strong for creative skills — illustration, design, photography, video, writing, and freelancing. Classes are taught by working pros and center on making something real. There’s usually a free trial so you can test it before paying.

Udemy

An enormous marketplace of on-demand courses on just about everything, from coding and design to business, marketing, and personal development. Individual courses are frequently on deep discount, so you rarely pay full price — and once you buy one, you keep lifetime access.

edX

Take free online courses from the best universities and institutions in the world — Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley, Microsoft, Tsinghua University, The Smithsonian and more, for professional development and to kick-start your higher education. Showcase your skills and knowledge to employers and prove you’ve mastered a class by earning a Verified Certificate, or receive credit to put toward a college or university application.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning has thousands of expert-led video courses in photography, software development, music, business, 3D animation, and general computer skills. You can start at any level and watch on your laptop, tablet, or phone. It runs on a monthly subscription (with a free trial), and if you have a LinkedIn Premium plan, access is included. Completed courses can be added straight to your LinkedIn profile.

Alison

Alison offers a huge catalog of free online courses from reputable publishers and institutions, with certificates and diplomas available across a wide range of topics — anything from photography to grammar and languages to coding and practical workplace skills. Courses range from an hour or two up to much longer, and there’s no time limit, so you can study entirely at your own pace. The courses themselves are free (Alison earns from ads and optional paid certificates).

Tuts+

Now known as Envato Tuts+, this is a hugely popular site best known for its tutorials on software like Adobe Creative Suite. Alongside a large library of free written and video tutorials, they offer courses spanning design, code, photography, illustration, and craft skills like crochet, jewelry-making, and knitting (perfect if you want to start an Etsy store!). Some content is free; a paid membership unlocks the full course library and downloadable e-books.

CreativeLive

CreativeLive takes a different approach: alongside on-demand classes, it runs live broadcast sessions where you learn from a working pro in real time and can ask questions. Live broadcasts are often free to watch when they air, and there’s a large library of paid classes to purchase afterward. It’s especially strong for creative skills — photography, design, video, audio, music, and crafts — though it covers business and personal-development topics too.

Coursera

Coursera partners with top universities and companies — Penn, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Stanford, Google, and many more — to offer real college-style courses. You can audit most courses for free; you only pay if you want a verified certificate or enroll in a paid specialization or degree program. Expect the familiar rhythm of video lectures, readings, quizzes, and discussion forums, with subjects spanning math, engineering, humanities, data science, and business. Financial aid is available on many courses.

Academic Earth

This site gives access to college courses for free. Some categories are psychology, sociology, accounting, business, and many other majors. These courses are taught by top colleges like Carnegie Mellon, Yale and NYU. So, if you like the college course learning style, this site is for you!

WP101

WordPress powers a huge share of the web, so knowing it well can pay off — whether you’re building your own site or making themes and sites for others. WP101 walks you through WordPress step by step with clear video tutorials, from the basics up to more advanced site-building. It’s a low-cost subscription; check the site for current pricing.

WPBeginner

WPBeginner says they’re sick of people charging for lessons in WordPress, so they started their own online video-based classes for free. They’re definitely geared at beginners, and they’ll teach you stuff like how to make posts, categories, etc. A good place to start if you’ve never used WordPress before.

E-How or Wiki-How

Everyone has seen these sites before. These sites are the first thing that pops up in Google when you search for something. These sites will teach you how to do almost anything. You can learn by reading or via videos. All you have to do is Google what you want to learn and wiki-how or e-how will show up on your feed. These sites are also great if you want to write your own tutorials and get some extra money. Every time some clicks on your tutorial, you get paid a certain amount. So, after your finished learning a new skill create your own tutorial to bring in some extra money.

Expert Village

This is a popular YouTube channel that will teach you literally anything you want to learn. They are popular for food DIY’s like cake decorating. They also teach exercises like Yoga or Belly dancing or even sports like golf. They also have videos on massage therapy.

All Recipies

If you love to cook or want to learn how to cook this is a great site. It has thousands of recipes and more are posted each day. They have videos that teach you basic cooking skills or others skills if you’re an intermediate or expert. There are recipes from different countries, and you can also post your own recipes for people to comment on.

YouTube

Everyone has heard of YouTube. YouTube is one of the best sites to learn a new skill or knowledge. The site has everything you can think of from beauty and makeup to home improvement. Ron Hazelton is a popular YouTuber who has a YouTube channel dedicated to nothing but DIY home improvement from painting to wallpaper. Just go to the YouTube search bar and type in anything you want to learn and there will be a video there t will teach you. You can learn how to salsa dance or improve your photography and HTML skills. YouTube has endless possibilities.

Pinterest

Pinterest has a whole category dedicated to DIY. This site relies heavily on crafts, home improvement and beauty, but it also has links to other sites that involve creative skills, business and technical skills. A great board to follow is Buzzfeed DIY board because they have tutorials for almost anything.

Want to Learn to Code?

You might be wondering whether it’s even worth learning to code now that AI can write so much of it for you. It is — the reason has just shifted. AI is great at producing snippets of code, but someone still has to decide what to build, judge whether the output is actually correct, catch the bug that only shows up in the real world, and fit the pieces into something that works. That judgment comes from understanding how code works, and if anything it makes people who can read and direct code more valuable in the AI era, not less. Even if you never become a professional developer, a little coding literacy pays off everywhere — automating tedious tasks, analyzing data, understanding the tools you use, and thinking through problems step by step. If that sounds appealing, here are the best places to start:

Harvard CS50

Harvard’s legendary intro to computer science, free online. CS50 is famous for making beginners genuinely understand how code works, covering C, Python, SQL, and web development. You can audit the whole thing for nothing, or pay only if you want the verified certificate.

Treehouse

Treehouse leans heavily into technical skills — it’s great for learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and building apps — but it also covers business and creative topics. You learn through videos and hands-on projects, with member-only forums, workshops, and quizzes to keep you on track. It runs on a monthly subscription with a free trial, so you can try it before committing.

Udacity

Udacity focuses on career-oriented tech training, best known for its “Nanodegree” programs built with industry partners in fields like web development, software engineering, data science, AI, and digital marketing. There’s some free introductory material (its “Intro to Computer Science” is a classic), while the in-depth Nanodegrees are a paid, bootcamp-style investment — check the site for current program pricing and any active discounts.

Codecademy

This site is only good if you want to learn technical skills like coding, web developing, Java script, HTML and CSS. They also teach you how to create your own apps, and you can learn different tech languages like Python and Ruby. They also have get testimonials. One student created one of the top 50 best websites on the web after learning to code through Code Academy. The website is also very simple and easy to use.

Code

Code is a non-profit organization that teaches computer science classes to people of all ages. It’s very fun and easy to use. The starting age for the courses is six years of age so anyone can use it. They also have a free introduction to computer science course. It takes about 15-25 hours to complete, but the time will be well spent.

free Code Camp

Free Code Camp is a nonprofit organization that consists of an interactive learning web platform, an online community forum, chat rooms, Medium publications, and local organizations that intend to make learning web development accessible to anyone. Beginning with tutorials that introduce students to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, students progress to project assignments that they must complete either alone or in pairs. Upon completion of all project tasks, students are partnered with other nonprofits to build web applications, giving the students practical development experience.

“All those things that made learning to code a nightmare to me are things that we are trying to fix with Free Code Camp.”

Black Girls Code

Women of color remain underrepresented in tech, science, engineering, and math. Black Girls Code was launched to change that, giving girls of color hands-on opportunities to learn technology and programming through workshops and programs across the US. Pricing is kept low and financial assistance is typically available — see the site for current programs near you.

Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is aimed at girls and young women who want to learn coding, web programming, and other tech skills. It runs free clubs and programs where participants meet up and learn together, plus a well-known free summer immersion program (participants historically covered only their own travel/board). Check the site for current programs and eligibility.

Girl Develop It

Girl Develop It is a nonprofit that offers judgment-free, affordable programs and mentorship to help women of all ages build web and software development skills. It’s a welcoming on-ramp if you’re new to coding — check the site for current classes and online resources, as its in-person chapter network has changed over the years.

Coder Dojo

Coder Dojo is a global non-profit organization that specializes in teaching coding, web designing, software engineering, programming and other technology skills to children and teens from ages 7 to 17. All classes are free and led by volunteers. The organization also provides mentorship and peer learning. Coder Dojo has many chapters around the world, including one in New York City.

Code Avengers

Code Avengers is built around learning to create technology — websites, apps, and games — using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The first course is free to try, and paid plans unlock the full set of courses; it has increasingly focused on interactive, beginner- and school-friendly lessons. Check the site for current plans and pricing.

General Assembly

General Assembly is a global network with campuses worldwide, specializing in programming, data, business, and design. It offers both in-person and online courses taught by working professionals, ranging from short workshops to intensive career bootcamps. Prices vary widely by format, and scholarships are available for those with financial need — check the site for current offerings.

Dash

Dash is a free online teaching platform that is run by General Assembly, which teaches HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Its goal is to make learning fun.

One Month

One Month sits at the pricier end, offering focused programming courses plus a few marketing-oriented ones, each built around a few hours of video lessons and resources designed to get you productive fast. Some shorter courses are free, while the full courses are a paid investment — I’ve had my eye on their growth-hacking course. Check the site for current course prices.

It doesn’t matter what website you choose from the list, each one can benefit your life in a different way. If you want to bring some extra money into your life, try the technology-focused sites like Code Academy or Code Avengers. If you’re creative and like to work with your hands, pick up a crafting skill and try Pinterest. Want to take up a free college class? Then, try Academic Earth or CourseEra.

What sites have you tried? What other sites should we include in this list? Have you taken a course? What did you think and what are your tips?