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Best Free Online Courses With Certificates

Are you seeking out the best free online courses with printable certificates? Well, you’re in the right place!

And when I say free, I really mean it. These online courses won’t cost you a single penny. Nada. Zilch. Zero!

On top of that, I have also included providers that actually include a free printable certificate upon completion. No nasty hidden paywalls the hold the certificate as ransom.

Also in this guide, you will find online courses for almost every industry from IT, management, business, design, HR, programming, fashion design plus 100’s more!

1. Lynda/ LinkedIn Learning (Largest Range Of Courses)

  • Price: 1-month free trial
  • Courses available: 13,000+
  • Certification: Free certificates included for all courses

Coming in at the top of my list is Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning) which is one of the most well established and trusted online course providers.

Lynda made it into the #1 position, because in my opinion, they cover all the bases. Firstly, Lynda has one of the largest catalogs of online video courses, which is well over 13,000 ?.

Secondly, their courses are taught by vetted industry professionals, so students know they are getting relevant and reliable information.

When it comes to consuming course content, it is extremely engaging with videos, quizzes, interactive lessons and more. Lynda also has Android and iOS apps for learning on the go.

As for the price, Lynda/ LinkedIn Learning offers a 1-month free trial with no commitments or upfront cost. Instant win!

During that trial period, users can take any online course and still receive a printable certificate for free. Simply cancel after you’re done! Happy learning!

  • Cloud Computing
  • Data Science
  • DevOps
  • IT
  • Web/ Software Development
  • Business Strategy
  • HR
  • Project Management
  • Marketing
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Animation & Illustration
  • Audio & Music
  • Graphic Design
  • Photography
  • Web Design
  • CAD
  • Video/ Photo Editing
  • Mobile/ App Development
  • HTML/ Java/ SQL
  • WordPress
  • Leadership & Management
  • AEC

2. Udemy (Great For Marketing/ Design)

  • Price: Free
  • Courses available: 823
  • Certification: Free certificates included for 823 courses

Next up on my list is another well-established provider by the name of Udemy. While this provider predominantly provides courses for a fee, Udemy also has a great range of free video courses to choose from. 823 to be exact.

As an added bonus of selecting from one of their free online courses, users can also download and print a certificate of completion once done (it is sent via email).

Much like Lynda, Udemy also vets their tutors to ensure that the best learning material is available for students.

Some of their most beloved course topics that have been taken by millions of students include:

  • Spanish Language
  • Blogging
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365
  • Digital Marketing
  • Linux
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Excel
  • Blockchain
  • PowerPoint
  • Python
  • HTML
  • AWS
  • Salesforce
  • Java
  • Dropshipping
  • Premiere Pro
  • iOS
  • Graphic Design
  • NetDevOps
  • Final Cut Pro
  • Mobile Development
  • Programming

3. Alison (Great For IT, Science, Coding)

  • Price: Free
  • Courses available: 1,000
  • Certification: Free certificates included for some courses

Do you know what free online course provider has over 13 million learners, 2 million graduates, and 1,000 courses? Ding, ding, ding! It’s Alison!

Unlike Lynda/ LinkedIn Learning and Udemy who create their own courses, Alison works more as a platform that organizes hundreds of free courses available all over the internet.

Some of their most popular course categories are IT, business, languages, health, humanities, science, marketing, lifestyle, math, design, web development, and many more!

The major downside to Alison however, is that not all of their courses are in video format. They also don’t have a smartphone app for mobile learning either. So depending on how you absorb learning material, this might be a deal-breaker.

As a silver lining, Alison does provide a digital certification of completion (for some courses only) which you can download and print whenever you please. They also provide a paid service for receiving a hard/ digital copy of the certification as well!

4. Google Digital Garage (Best For Digital Marketing)

  • Price: Free
  • Courses available: 100+
  • Certification: Free certificates included for some courses

While we all use Google on a daily basis, most users don’t realize that Google also has a full-fledged course platform for online learning.

As for the price… There no none! Most of these Google Digital Garage courses are completely free with included modules, no time limits, unlimited access, and videos.

Once users have completed their chosen course, they will also receive an accrediated Google certificate that can be downloaded and put on a CV or resume.

I have personally taken the “fundamentals of digital marketing course” which is 40 hours of value-packed content. Courses are also quite interactive which keeps users engaged and eager to learn more.

Categories and classes include:

  • Digital Marketing
  • Productivity
  • Business Security
  • Business Communication
  • Social psychology
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Big Data
  • Machine Learning
  • AI

5. Oxford Home Study (Great For Management)

  • Price: Free
  • Courses available: 15
  • Certification: Free certificates included in 15 courses

Up next on my list is a relatively unknown course provider by the name of Oxford Home Study. While this provider is better known for their diploma distance education courses, they also offer up a hand full of free online courses.

This small selection of free courses (15 in total) include a free certificate with no hidden fees or nasty surprises. Simply sign up, start learning, then receive a certificate of completion once done.

While the included course lineup is quite limiting, there are hundreds of other courses to choose from. Just note that the courses outside of the below list do come at a price.

Here are the 15 courses that Oxford Home Study provide for free:

  • Business Management
  • Customer Service
  • Construction Management
  • Fashion Design
  • Hotel Management
  • HRM
  • Internet Marketing
  • Management
  • PR
  • Project Management
  • Risk Management
  • Starting a Business
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Tourism and Travel

6. Saylor.org

  • Price: Free
  • Courses available: 323
  • Certification: Free certificates included for all courses

Next up on my list of the best free online courses with certificates is the lesser-known Saylor.org. Founded in 1999, Saylor has helped 100,000’s of students to gain employment, advance their careers, bolster their qualifications and upskill for free.

Being a non-profit organization, Saylor is an incredible platform with over 323 fee courses to choose form. They even supply free printable certificates upon completion of all of their courses.

While almost every other course provider on this list has video class content, Saylor is laid out in a more textbook manner. Students go through each chapter and then answer a quiz to progress in the course.

As for the types of courses that Saylor provides, here is just a small taste:

  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business Administration
  • Chemistry
  • Communication
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Philosophy

7. edX.org (Top University Grade Courses)

  • Price: Free + Paid
  • Courses available: 1,000+
  • Certification: Certificate at a price ($50-$300)

If you are looking to learn from some of the most iconic institutions in the world such as MIT, Harvard University, Berkeley University, University of Texas and Boston University, then edX is your place for you!

You can see the full list of edX partner colleges and universities here.

All up, there are over 1,000+ free courses to choose from which range from computer science, languages, history, data science, business/ management and more.

If you are looking to go a step further, edX also have MicroMasters, Master’s Degree and Diplomas to choose from. Which do come at a price.

For their entry-level courses, they are completely free! The only downside is that students will have to pay for a certificate upon completion, which comes at a hefty price of around $50-$300 depending on the course.

As for the scope of courses that can be enrolled in, there really is no limit. Here are some courses that edX providers for free:

  • Architecture
  • Biology
  • Business Management
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science
  • Design
  • Finance
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Studies
  • Nutrition
  • History
  • Humanities
  • Law
  • Match
  • Music
  • Physics

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