Learning to code has grown over the years from just a hobby to a career. Today, you can learn coding online, entirely for free. Gone are the days where knowing a programming language was reserved for the select few, or cost quite a hefty amount of money.
Even if you have no desire to go into the development field, learning a programming language can be very beneficial:
Whether you want to start your own career as a programmer, learn how to build websites, or create projects for fun, this post is for you. Now, let’s dive into the best places online where you can learn to code for free.
Looking for Affordable Web Hosting to hone your coding skills?
Here are 25 sites to learn to code for free:
BitDegree offers a ton of free courses that range from programming to game development.
They offer standard online courses and gamified courses. Gamified courses help to bring achievements and interaction into the learning process. All you have to do is choose your language and start learning.
There are a variety of programming languages covered, but the most popular ones are highlighted below:
BitDegree also does something unique by incorporating blockchain into the education process. There are transparent rewards and an achievement system that helps businesses recruit tech talent, and measure course success.
Coursera provides coding-based courses, tutorials, and resources taught by professors at leading universities. You’ll find hundreds of different coding-related courses to choose from.
To develop these courses, they partnered with some of the best teachers at top-tier universities. This means you learn how to code from some of the best resources out there. Every course on the site is completely free, but, if you want to receive a certification you’ll have to pay for it.
You’ll find a variety of courses available like:
Code Academy is one of the most popular sites where people learn to code for free. More than 24 million people have learned to code using this platform.
They offer courses ranging from introductory programming to more advanced languages. The interactive learning approach lets you immediately apply what you’ve learned. There are over 300 million hours of free coding content available to take you from complete beginner to working programmer.
Some of the languages you’ll be able to learn at Code Academy include:
There are several other courses available as well, but the languages above are the core focus.
edX is a massive open-source higher education learning platform. It currently has a network of over 5 million students.
The site is broken down into many different categories that extend far beyond programming. Since you’re here to learn to code, you’ll find the most value in the ‘Computer Science’ category.
Here you’ll find tutorials that teach you languages and skills like:
There are also paid courses available, but there are enough free educational materials to teach you the basics of coding.
Khan Academy is a massive online learning platform. It’s a great place to start developing a wealth of coding-related knowledge and skills. You’ll find courses and tutorials that range from computer programming basics, all the way up to advanced applications.
All courses are taught by experts. However, students are encouraged to share what they’ve learned throughout the process. With Khan Academy, you’ll be able to learn and pick up programming languages like:
There are also foundational courses that teach you the philosophy and skills behind computer programming as a whole.
Codewars teaches you your desired programming language via a series of challenges. These code challenges draw from martial arts as each challenge is referred to as a kata.
The goal of each challenge is to help you sharpen your existing skills with a certain programming language or to learn a new one from scratch.
As you progress through each kata, the challenges get tougher and tougher. Once a challenge is complete, you’re able to see how your solution stacks up to others. This will show you different techniques for solving certain development problems.
Some of the languages you can learn with Codewars include:
Code.org is built with the goal of making programming a part of the regular education curriculum. Over a million people have used this site to further their programming knowledge and skills.
The education approach you take is up to you. You can dive into the one-hour tutorials, or take a more structured approach.
There’s also a large catalog of courses that are broken down by ages ranging from K-5, 6-12, and even University level.
Udemy is an online education portal that offers thousands of courses. There are a lot of paid courses on the platform, but you’ll also find plenty of free ones as well. Plus, there are always coupons and specials where you can find discounts and even free versions of paid courses.
You’ll find plenty of development courses, where you can learn things like:
Dash is a free online course that’ll teach you the basics of web development, all within your web browser.
You’ll learn the basics of HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript, and how these languages work together to create beautiful, modern websites. In addition, it asks you to build a series of small projects that integrate together at the end to show you how to create a website of your own.
With Dash, you’ll come away with an understanding of the bigger picture of website development. It’s a great place for beginners with no previous development experience.
Free Code Camp is all about creating real-life relationships and building a community around programming education. It provides the chance to learn coding by participating in various challenges. You’ll get access to programming tutorials and courses to help you complete each challenge.
Once you have some skills you’ll be able to apply this to the real-world by building tradable projects and coding for non-profits. Some of the languages and skills covered include:
Best of all, you won’t be coding alone. There’s a community forum with others who are learning alongside you. And you have the option to meet other coders who live in your city to chat or exchange knowledge.
Are you looking for a robust and powerful hosting environment?
Code Conquest is a great platform that’ll help you learn the basics of coding. Even if you’ve never written a line of code in your life, this platform will help you get started from square one.
It’s designed to walk you through the process of:
On the site, you’ll find a variety of tutorials that’ll help you learn programming languages like:
In addition to everything above, you’ll also receive specific recommendations to extend your education with different tools and platforms.
The OpenCourseWare Initiative brings all of MIT’s undergraduate and graduate courses online. Even without getting into MIT you can get an MIT-level education, provided you have the motivation to complete the work.
Computer science is just one of the many available subjects. You can go through the degree program, or take individual courses.
For example, you’ll find a variety of introductory computer programming courses like Python, C and C++, and Java.
The Odin Project takes all the guesswork out of learning web development. When you’re trying to learn to program on your own it can be difficult to put all the skills you’re learning together.
You know the pieces to the puzzle, but you can’t quite figure out where they go. This platform has created a logical process from the best educational sources available on the web. Furthermore, you will learn to build projects along the way and have an active community to help you through the process.
You’ll learn programming languages and techniques like:
W3Schools come equipped with coding tutorials, resources, examples, and exercises to help you learn to code. Their slogan is ‘The World’s Largest Web Developer Site,’ and it doesn’t disappoint.
Start by choosing the programming language of your choice. Then either jump right into the program or select from different learning options. You can begin with a short quiz to see how much you already know and where a good place to start would be. Or jump right in and test yourself with short examples and reviewing exercises.
W3Schools offers a wide range of languages such as:
Right away you can see that Hackr.io has numerous programming languages you can learn. After selecting the course you want to take, it will first direct you to a list of tutorials where you will be able to filter the course to your liking. You can select free or paid, as well as, beginner or advanced, and in which language you would like to be taught.
Some of their best programming courses and tutorials include:
In addition, Hackr.io has a Blog giving tips on different coding languages as well as answering questions their users ask. Plus, the Roadmaps section takes you on a recommended learning path for you to learn the right skills in a structured manner. Roadmaps helps people who have no idea where to start to achieve their goal.
Bento.io prides itself on helping other developers out. They believe that you shouldn’t have to pay to learn to code and want to provide you with all the coding knowledge that you need to succeed.
Its modern dashboard starts you off with a feed containing all the topics and tasks you are interested in. Making it easy for you to pick up where you left off, or move on to a different topic. It also shows you what your current learning plan is and what you have coming up next.
The tutorials are organized into tracks and allow you to see an overview, how much time it will take, and if you’ve already started or completed it. It even recommends what you should try learning next.
Topics that Bento.io currently offer online are:
Not only does Bento.io provide its own material, but it has a page of links to other sites if you are looking for more information. You can simply search the topic you need and find more websites with a different take on the information.
Code Avengers takes an interactive and fun approach to learn to code and program. There are a variety of courses that’ll teach you how to code websites, apps, and even games.
Each course on the site will take 12 hours to complete and is available in a multitude of different languages. Plus, there’s a community filled with programming experts to support you.
With Code Avengers you’ll learn languages and skills like:
There is a 7-day free trial that’ll help you determine if it’s worth investing in the entire program.
Solo Learn is a free website that offers a handful of different programming languages. One of the best parts is that is mobile-friendly. The app is used just as much as the website.
In the Solo Learn Playground, there is an area to share the code you are working on and have other people collaborate. They can offer suggestions or get inspiration from your code or idea.
Some of the courses Solo Learn offer are:
In addition, you can check out Solo Learn’s blog and read recent news on apps, technology, and tips for learning to code.
Created by the Google Developers Training team, what better way to learn how to code and gain a Google Developers Certification, than from the experts themself.
With web fundamentals, you can check out coding tutorials, guides, and the best practices for building your web knowledge. It also offers tools like Chrome DevTools, Lighthouse, Workbox, and more, to make learning easier.
Since the site is oriented towards intermediate and advanced developers, you’ll want to have a grasp of the basics before you get started.
Programs include:
You can also get involved in other projects and provide feedback to other students. The community approach is all about helping each other succeed.
Upskill is a free online boot camp that’ll take you from beginner to advanced developer. The main focus of the course is teaching you web development, and it’s a great place to start, even if you have no experience.
You’ll learn coding skills such as:
The curriculum is 100% project-based, which means that you’ll be building a real-world portfolio as you progress through the course.
Plural Sight, formally known as Code School, is an online learning platform that offers both free and paid courses. The platform is organized into different learning paths and defined by languages and skills. Their approach to education is laid out as follows:
Some of the learning tracks offered include:
Codeasy.net offers a very unique and fun way to learn how to code. You’ll be immersed in an adventure story that requires real-life programming skills to navigate your way through.
Throughout the story, you’ll be taught the basics of C#, all the way up to more advanced topics and functions. It’s designed with complete beginners in mind, so you don’t need any knowledge of software development to get started.
The best part about this educational experience is that it doesn’t feel like you’re learning. Your goal is to save the world from a machine invasion, and you’ll use your newly acquired coding skills to do it.
Hack.pledge () is a community made up of seasoned developers, who can share their knowledge and mentor the next generation of programmers. Here, you can perfect your development skills by learning from some of the top developers in the field.
To get started you’ll sign the pledge, committing yourself to master craftsmanship in software development. Inside you’ll have access to a wealth of information that’ll help you step up your coding abilities.
Aside from learning, you’ll have the ability to connect with mentors who are currently at the top of their field.
aGupieWare is a free online curriculum based on courses offered by MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, Stanford, and Columbia. In this program, you’ll find 15 different courses which are further broken down into 3 introductory classes, 7 core classes, and 5 electives.
This course is a great place to build a solid programming foundation. You’ll learn skills like:
Edabit takes a slightly different approach to learn to code. Instead of coding tutorials or courses where you watch a video and then try to repeat it yourself, Edabit offers bite-sized challenges so that you can practice your abilities.
With popular programming languages like:
Simply register for the free site and access the online challenges immediately. You can choose your level from very easy to expert. The Shuffle page generates a random unsolved challenge for you, right away. Spending an hour of coding on this website will quickly turn into 5 hours.
Learning to code used to mean hours and hours of expensive education. But, with all of the free coding resources available today you can learn to program in record time, with zero money up-front.
Of course, there is a multitude of paid programs and courses available as well. But the free resources are more than enough to get you started and develop the foundational knowledge to succeed as a programmer.
You don’t have to go through every single course or program on the list above, but instead, pick the ones that seem the most exciting and dive in.
Have any questions, tips, or tricks about code learning? Share them with us in the comments below.
Kevin Wood / @kevinwood
Kevin is a freelance writer who specializes in technology and online content marketing. He loves making complex marketing and technology topics accessible to all readers. When he’s not glued to his screen, you can find him lost in a book, writing poetry, or running through the woods.
June 28 2018
Programmers and software developers are one of the growing workforces in the present market. With the growing popularity of online businesses, programming is surely one of the best career choices to make at the moment.
February 01 2019
Hi Kevin, Thank you for this informative post. I chose General Assembly because I am familiar with their brand and they have a location where I live. Within minutes, I was learning to code with their Dash course. Again, thank you.
February 18 2019
HTML & PHP
February 19 2019
That's a great list, Kevin. However, nearly all above-mentioned course/tutorial providers provide content for nearly all programming languages/frameworks. Hence a newbie learner would be confused which learning platform to choose out of the lot. For ex. if one is interested in learning Python, all the above-mentioned platforms provide Python courses/tutorials. To solve this dilemma, Hackr.io (https://hackr.io) is the programming community where learners can find the best online programming courses and tutorials recommended by the community. PS: Sorry for the self-promotion ( Am Hackr co-founder) but I thought of informing the readers about the possible solution.
February 21 2019
freeCodeCamp has a very supportive community and forum to help when learning to code.
Replied on May 30 2019
i thank you for what you are doing . i have watched your video tutorials on javascript
May 30 2019
you missed w3schools.com
November 20 2019
It's a huge bundle of information, I also looking for some free courses like that. Thanks for this information.
November 20 2019
It's a huge bundle of information, I also looking for some free courses like that. Thanks for this
March 18 2020
Kevin, thanks for sharing comprehensive list of sites. Tried coursera and code academy and they both ain't free!! They both seek you to subscribe to the course content. Do share if you have a link to get free access to their course. Thanks.
Replied on March 19 2020
Hi Nabh, Make sure you aren't signing up for Pro. As it will charge you after the free trial. Although you don't get as many courses as the Pro version they are still free. Code Academy is a great app too if the website is still asking you to pay.
March 22 2020
You forgot to include Zenva Academy!
Replied on March 22 2020
Hi Pablo, Yes, there are many more that we wish we could have included!
March 24 2020
Bro you just made an amazing list.
May 06 2020
Hi Kevin, I saw your coding list which is really impressive. I also visited the website of online courses as your suggested list. I found large number of courses which I can pursue in my free time. Thanks for valuable information. Your article is really eye-catchy.
Replied on May 07 2020
Hey, glad that it helped!
June 04 2020
Please learn me coding
Gediminas B.
Replied on July 15 2018
Great point, I couldn't agree more!