scored on 6 criteria, no pay-to-rank ↓
↑ actually free. We flag every paywall.
No pay-to-rank, no filler. Every course on this site was read, checked and marked up by an editor before it got a spot. 117 made the cut.
the editors
Full Stack Open · Rating 4.9
Full Stack Open
Coursera · Rating 4.8
Python for Everybody Specialization
freeCodeCamp · Rating 4.7
Data Analysis with Python
Our pick for Python
Coursera · Rating 4.8 · 342k reviews
Dr. Chuck teaches Python from zero, no computer-science background needed. It is one of the most-taken free programming courses on the internet for a reason.
See the full Python ranking →Best for web development
Full Stack Open · Rating 4.9
The modern React and Node stack, taught by the University of Helsinki.
Best free JavaScript course →Best for the fundamentals
Harvard CS50 · Rating 4.9
Harvard's CS50 is the best first course if you have never coded before.
How to start from zero →Know exactly what you want? Browse all 117 free courses →
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Editor's picks
Free courses we would recommend to a friend, each one checked by an editor.
PythonBeginner
Harvard's introduction to programming using Python. Covers functions, variables, conditionals, loops, exceptions, libraries, unit tests, file I/O, and regular expressions.
PythonBeginner
Codecademy's interactive Python course teaches you the basics from scratch. Write and run code in your browser, learn syntax, functions, control flow, lists, loops, and more.
PythonBeginner
Khan Academy's friendly introduction to programming with Python. Learn variables, data types, functions, conditionals, and loops through short lessons with immediate feedback.
PythonBeginner
Harvard's legendary CS50 introduction to computer science. Covers C, Python, SQL, JavaScript, and web programming. The most-enrolled university course in the world.
PythonBeginner
Dr. Chuck's Python for Everybody course from University of Michigan. Covers Python basics, data structures, web data access, databases, and capstone. Free to audit; certificate for purchase.
PythonIntermediate
Learn data analysis using NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Seaborn. Build real data analysis projects using real-world datasets. Earn a free verified certificate after completing 5 projects.
freeCodeCamp gives the course and the cert away; Coursera lets you audit free and charges for the cert. We flag which is which.
Browse courses with certificates →Platform vs platform, side by side, ending in a recommendation.
freeCodeCampvsThe Odin ProjectBeginner friendlinessReal-world projectsAnswer a few questions, get a straight answer.
How we rate
not just a buzzword, here's the proof →
“Curated” gets thrown around a lot, so here is what it means on this site. We do not reprint course catalogs. Every course on the list is read, checked against the criteria here, and given a spot only if it holds up. The same yardstick runs through our language hubs, learning paths, and the deeper ranking guides, so a pick here means the same thing as a pick there.
We separate courses that are free all the way through from ones that only let you audit the lessons and then charge for the graded work or the certificate. A free label never hides a paywall halfway in; each course page says which model it uses.
A course earns a spot when it takes you from the first line of code to something you can build on your own, not when it stops at a short sample. We check whether it covers the whole topic or just the intro.
We weigh who made the course and whether the platform keeps its material accurate and current. Content that has gone stale gets marked down against courses that stay up to date.
How much setup friction is there before you write your first line of code, and does the early ramp assume knowledge a beginner does not have yet. Gentle on-ramps score higher.
Whether a free completion certificate exists, and whether it is one employers actually recognize, versus a paid-only add-on tacked onto otherwise free lessons.
Where we have rating and review data, we factor it in, along with whether there is an active forum or Discord to get unstuck when you are learning on your own.
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