THE BEST free online courses are a convenient and flexible way to learn new skills and subjects remotely. And with top sites like Coursera, EDX and Udemy offering some of the best courses for nothing, online learning doesn’t have to be pricey either.
There are many free courses that offer an array of different subjects, which vary in depth and length. While you may not have a degree at the end of it, it's certainly a step in the right direction if you're considering further study, if you want to expand your knowledge in a certain area or delve deeper into a hobby. You no longer have to sign up for a long-term course which costs money, and you can have some flexibility in studying at a pace which suits you.
The best free online courses are led by authoritative experts in the field and cover a good deal of ground in your chosen subject area. From the outset, a course should outline what level of work is required and how many hours it will take to complete and will be from a reputable educational provider. Many free courses have flexible deadlines to fit around your lifestyle and offer a shareable certificate at the end of the course. But with a huge variety of free courses available, it can be hard to pick which course provider to choose for your online learning. So we’ve studied what each offers in terms of options and areas of expertise to pick the best sites for free online courses around.
Coursera is probably one of the best-known online learning sites.
It is partnered with universities around the world, including Imperial College London and Stanford.
It also partners with companies including Google and IBM to offer expertise in specific areas – for example, machine learning.
The provider made headlines during at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, by making its entire catalogue of 3,800 online courses free to universities. However, Coursera also offers over 1,000 normally free courses across a wide range of subjects.
Whether it’s Social Media Marketing, an Introduction to Psychology or Graphic Design, there’s plenty of choice.
The company’s online courses cover 11 subject areas across beginner, intermediate, mixed and advanced levels.
EdX is another well-known online learning site, and it too partners with universities from around the world – such as Harvard and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
It doesn’t have as many courses available as Coursera, with it stating it has over 2,500 compared to Coursera’s 3,800.
But EdX does have a slightly different focus: natural sciences and the humanities make up the key courses offered. Popular subject areas are languages and computer science.
EdX courses are generally free (to watch videos and take part in topic discussions), but professional courses come with a cost.
Courses often have a fee attached to any certificate achieved when you complete a course.
Future Learn is part-owned by The Open University and offers a clear divide in its courses: there are short courses, ‘microcredentials’, and online degrees.
Its short courses are its free online courses, providing no-cost access with a cost only attached to printable digital certificates.
Costs for the certificates depend on the course but can be quite affordable compared to other online course providers – starting from around £30.
Popular Future Learn courses change frequently, but the 14 subject areas provide a good range of options for quick or longer study.
Subject areas are diverse, including creative arts and media, healthcare and medicine, teaching, science and engineering, and maths.
Udemy is an online learning platform with the feel of a marketplace.
There’s a huge number of free online courses on offer, and 100,000 courses available in total on Udemy’s platform.
Udemy encourages users to search for their course with a prominent search box, and the platform feels less formal than others.
Courses are run by experts rather than through direct association with universities, but the range of courses and clear course reviews from users are both positives for Udemy.
The platform even offers occasional sales, dropping the price of courses with huge discounts – so you might find a course usually over £100 drop to just over £10.
Subscribed users of the "social network for professionals" have access to its own dedicated learning platform.
LinkedIn Learning offers short courses to help professionals develop skills and abilities which support progression in roles and careers.
Trending and popular courses are highlighted, as well as more personalised individual top picks. LinkedIn Learning also provides clear professional goals, so you can follow ‘learning paths’: for example, ones that take you to a role as a manager, small business owner or digital marketer.
Companies can offer access to LinkedIn Learning, but individuals are able to take advantage, too.
You’ll need to have a LinkedIn subscription though, and the cheapest option is Premium Career at £24.98 a month. However, once you’ve subscribed, you can have your fill of online free courses from the service.
The Open University is one of the most well known online course providers. Open Learn is its platform dedicated exclusively to providing free online courses.
Open Learn has almost 1,000 free courses to choose from, and divides them by type, level and resource length. You can choose from ebooks, badged courses and 'lunchtime learning'. There are three levels: introductory, intermediate and advanced. Course lengths range from 1-3 hours to over 24 hours in total, but are limited in topic. Childhood, youth and early years courses are a focus, as are education, learning and working with young people.
If you've ever listened to a podcast or watched a YouTube video that features sponsored content, you're probably familiar with US-based company Skillshare.
It has an array of video courses to choose from and they shine in the creative industries, covering creative writing, animation, illustration, film and photography to name just a few.
Unlike many other providers, Skillshare is focused on learning a specific task, many in under an hour. This makes it the perfect place to sharpen your Photoshop skills, learn some writing tricks of the trade, or generally improve your knowledge in a specific area. There are around 2,000 courses available for free, although many are locked behind a monthly subscription fee. Skillshare often run 14-day free trials to give you a taster of what's on offer, but usually you have to pay for Premium membership for $19 (around £13.40).
World-leader in research and postgraduate education in public and global health, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine offers free online courses in a really broad range of subjects. People are able to tap into their Massive Open Online Courses, Open Study Courses and Open Educational Resources to educate themselves, with the first selection of courses being held by the Futurelearn platform, the second being self-study and the final being a collection of downloadable resources and learning activities. On the Futurelearn platform, you can attend courses for many health-focused issues, from Global Disability and Controlling Vector-Borne Diseases, to Diabetic Eye Disease and A History of Public Health in Post-War Britain. Each of the courses involve discussion forums to debate ideas with fellow learners, learning about their different experiences and perspectives, as well as also including articles, videos, discussion tasks and quizzes.
Boasting positive reviews across the board, the Alison free online courses incorporate myriad topics including mathematics, manufacturing, education and engineering, as well as lots of care-focused courses, such as caring for the elderly. It is apparently one of the world's largest platforms for both education and skills training, built with a goal to improve society with widespread skills training and free online learning. All of Alison' courses are free, but you might have to pay for your MOOC certificate at the end.
Harvard's free online courses cover a variety of subjects and of course, you'll be able to say that you studied a course at one of the most prestigious universities in the world (although you might elicit some groans from friends). Covering humanities, social sciences, health and medicine, data science, computer science, programming, business and more, the courses range in length with some being just one week long and others being 15 weeks long. As an example, the Principles of Biochemistry course requires around four to six hours of your week and to receive a verified certificate, it'll cost you $100 (£72.90). You'll be taught by lecturers at Harvard University, which is a huge benefit too.
Reed claims to be the number one job site in the UK, but that isn't all it offers — through Reed Courses, you can choose from nearly 77,000 courses to make yourself more attractive to prospective employers. Although most of these are paid-for, there are usually a couple of hundred on the site that you can access free of charge. These usually revolve around the idea of finding employment; there are classes on how to jazz up your CV, how to perform better in job interviews, and how to get started in self-employment. Free courses often take the format of webinars, and many give either a certificate of completion or even a regulated qualification.
Learndirect doesn't do free courses, but often runs sales that mean that you don't pay any course fees for your first month. However, you will have to pay a deposit – usually around £9.99. Their current offer ends on August 31, and sees come courses discounted by 50% — meaning savings of hundreds or even thousands of pounds Learndirect claims to have taught more than 4.5 million people new skills, and helped 75,000 businesses by equipping their employees with qualifications. There's a staggering number of accredited courses available at every levels, from GCSEs in English and Maths to qualifications in Dentistry and Foot Health. You can pay upfront, or monthly with 0% interest.
While Masterclass' courses aren't free, they have a very obvious selling point — classes are led by some of the biggest names in their industries. There are more than 100 classes across 11 categories, and some of the names Masterclass have managed to get on board are truly staggering: Natalie Portman and Helen Mirren teach acting, Gordon Ramsey and Yotam Ottlenghi teach cooking, Margaret Atwood and Dan Brown teach writing, Martin Scorcese and Jodie Foster teach filmmaking. And Masterclasses aren't just limited to mental pursuits: you can learn Tennis, Gymnastics and Skateboarding, taught by Serena Williams, Simone Biles and Tony Hawk respectively. If you want to get an insight into a specific skill, taught by a role model, Masterclass just might be worth shelling out on.
A number of the best free online courses offer certificates upon completion, but not all of the certificates are accredited, and not all of the certificates are free — some providers will ask you to pay a fee if you want one.
Enjoyed our edit of the best free online courses? You might enjoy our roundup of the best magazine subscriptions. If you're a student looking for online deals, you should read our guide to Amazon Prime Student. For more product recommendations and round-ups, head over to Sun Selects.
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