Free alternative to LinkedIn Learning: the top free coding & data courses
LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda) sells broad, bite-size professional courses, and for the coding and data side of its catalogue there is a strong free version of nearly everything. freeCodeCamp covers web development end to end. Google's free courses cover data analytics and machine learning. Codecademy's free tier and Khan Academy handle the absolute-beginner ramp. The one thing LinkedIn Learning adds is the badge on your LinkedIn profile, and the free options below get you the skill that badge is supposed to represent.
LinkedIn Learning costs $39.99/month or ~$239/year. Here is what to use instead.
The free courses that replace LinkedIn Learning
Every course below is free to access or free to audit. Start with one, finish it, then move on.
Responsive Web Design
freeCodeCamp's foundational web design curriculum. Learn HTML, CSS, flexbox, grid, and responsive design by building 20 projects. Free certificate included.
Google's data analytics certificate. Covers data cleaning, analysis, visualisation with Tableau, SQL queries, and R programming. Free to audit; certificate costs money.
Google's fast-paced introduction to machine learning. Covers ML concepts, TensorFlow APIs, and real-world case studies. Written and maintained by Google engineers. Completely free.
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.
freeCodeCamp's comprehensive Git and GitHub tutorial covering commands, branching strategies, collaboration workflows, and real-world usage. Free on YouTube.
Khan Academy's introduction to web development. Learn HTML tags, CSS styling, web page structure, and how browsers render content. Ideal for absolute beginners.
Matching the LinkedIn Learning catalogue for free
LinkedIn Learning's strength is breadth at a shallow depth: short courses that introduce a topic. Free resources match that and go deeper. For web basics, freeCodeCamp's Responsive Web Design and Khan Academy's HTML/CSS course cover the same ground. For data, Google's Data Analytics Professional Certificate (free to audit) and Google's Machine Learning Crash Course are more thorough than most LinkedIn Learning equivalents. For everyday Git, freeCodeCamp's Git and GitHub crash course is free and practical. You lose nothing on teaching quality.
Who each free option suits
If you are brand new and want the gentlest start, Khan Academy and Codecademy's free Python track hold your hand more than LinkedIn Learning does. If you want job-relevant data skills, the Google courses are the clear pick and carry more weight with employers than a LinkedIn Learning badge. If your goal is to actually build and ship websites, freeCodeCamp's project-based path beats watching short videos. Choose by what you are trying to do, not by which platform has the slickest interface.
The honest catch
LinkedIn Learning's real product is the profile integration: finish a course and a certificate appears on your LinkedIn, visible to recruiters. Free alternatives cannot post to your LinkedIn certifications section automatically, and a freeCodeCamp certificate does not carry the LinkedIn brand. If you specifically want that recruiter-facing badge, that is the one thing you are paying for.
Our verdict
For the coding and data skills, drop LinkedIn Learning and use freeCodeCamp plus Google's free courses. They teach more and cost nothing. Keep LinkedIn Learning only if the profile badge itself matters for your job search.
Where these courses come from
Keep going
When you are ready to invest
Free will take you a long way. If you later decide paid structure or career support is worth it, we keep an honest shortlist of the ones worth the money.
See the paid options we recommend →LinkedIn Learning: your questions, answered
Is there a free version of LinkedIn Learning?
Many public libraries offer free LinkedIn Learning access with a library card, and LinkedIn runs a one-month free trial. For a permanent free option, freeCodeCamp and Google's free courses cover the coding and data topics without any trial clock.
What is the best free alternative to LinkedIn Learning for data skills?
Google's Data Analytics Professional Certificate (free to audit) and Google's Machine Learning Crash Course. Both are free, thorough, and recognized by employers.
Can I get a certificate from a free LinkedIn Learning alternative?
Yes. freeCodeCamp issues free certifications and Google's certificates can be earned or audited. They will not appear automatically on your LinkedIn profile the way a LinkedIn Learning badge does, but you can add them manually.
More free alternatives