HTML & CSSBeginner
Intro to HTML/CSS: Making Webpages
Khan Academy's introduction to web development. Learn HTML tags, CSS styling, web page structure, and how browsers render content. Ideal for absolute beginners.
Free alternative to Skillshare
Free alternative
Free alternative to Skillshare: the top free beginner web & coding courses
Skillshare is a creative-skills subscription, and its coding classes are the weakest part of its catalogue: short, uneven, and taught by whoever uploaded them. For learning to code, the free beginner platforms below are made for exactly this and do it better. Khan Academy and Codecademy walk absolute beginners through the basics. freeCodeCamp and Scrimba turn that into real projects. You keep the friendly, low-pressure feel that draws people to Skillshare, without the monthly fee or the hit-or-miss instructor quality.
Skillshare costs $14-$32/month (billed annually or monthly). Here is what to use instead.
The free courses that replace Skillshare
Every course below is free to access or free to audit. Start with one, finish it, then move on.
JavaScriptBeginner
Learn JavaScript for Free
Scrimba's interactive JavaScript course lets you edit code right inside the video player. Covers syntax, functions, arrays, objects, DOM manipulation, and building real mini-projects.
PythonBeginner
Learn Python 3
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.
JavaScriptBeginner
Intro to JavaScript: Drawing & Animation
Khan Academy's visual introduction to JavaScript. Learn by creating drawings and animations in the browser. Great for beginners who want immediate visual feedback as they learn programming fundamentals.
HTML & CSSBeginner
Foundations: HTML and CSS
The Odin Project's HTML & CSS foundation covers everything from basic tags to flexbox layouts. Includes real projects, a curated reading list, and community support.
freeCodeCampCertificate
HTML & CSSBeginner
Responsive Web Design
freeCodeCamp's foundational web design curriculum. Learn HTML, CSS, flexbox, grid, and responsive design by building 20 projects. Free certificate included.
Better beginner coding than Skillshare, for free
Skillshare's model works for design and hobbies, where a short inspirational class is enough. Coding needs a real sequence, and free platforms provide it. Khan Academy's Intro to HTML/CSS and Intro to JavaScript are gentle and interactive. Codecademy's free Learn Python 3 track teaches by typing code, not watching. Scrimba's Learn JavaScript is the closest to the Skillshare video feel but you code inside the video itself. Each of these is more structured than a typical Skillshare coding class, and none costs anything.
A gentle first month
If you are testing whether coding is for you, start with Khan Academy's HTML/CSS to make something visible on a page fast, then Scrimba's JavaScript course to add interactivity. If you prefer Python, Codecademy's free track is the friendliest entry. Once you have a few weeks in and know you like it, freeCodeCamp's Responsive Web Design certification gives you a longer, project-based path to keep the momentum. No subscription clock, so you can move at whatever pace fits your week.
The honest catch
Skillshare's real appeal is its non-coding catalogue: illustration, photography, video editing, and business classes all under one subscription. If you want to dabble across creative fields and treat coding as one hobby among several, a single Skillshare fee covers all of it, which the free coding platforms below cannot.
Verdict
Our verdict
If your goal is to learn to code, skip Skillshare and start free with Khan Academy or Scrimba, then freeCodeCamp. Keep Skillshare only if you mainly want its creative and business classes and coding is a side interest.
Where these courses come from
Keep going
Follow the free learning path
A step-by-step order to work through these courses, not just a list.
See the full roadmap
Every skill to pick up, in order, with a free course for each phase.
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 →Skillshare: your questions, answered
Is Skillshare good for learning to code?
It is average at best. Coding is not Skillshare's strength, and its classes are short and inconsistent. Dedicated free platforms like freeCodeCamp and Scrimba teach coding more thoroughly.
What is the best free alternative to Skillshare for beginners?
Khan Academy and Codecademy's free tier for the gentlest start, then Scrimba and freeCodeCamp for hands-on, project-based learning. All free, all beginner-friendly.
Does Skillshare have a free plan?
Skillshare offers a free trial but no permanent free tier. The platforms listed here are free indefinitely, which makes them the better long-term choice for coding.
More free alternatives