Whether you’re looking to learn a new programming language or improve your skills in an existing one, online coding courses are a great option.
The traditional classroom-style of working has its merits: some people prefer teacher-led lessons where they can ask questions, but you have to attend at the set time and they often cost a lot more money.
By contrast, being able to work at your own pace from the comfort of your own home – or pretty much anywhere for that matter – is one reason to choose an online course as well as the fact that it usually works out lot cheaper. In fact, some of the courses here are completely free.
Plus, online is an especially attractive option right now as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic and in-person lessons are very restricted.
You can choose between full-time and part-time online coding courses. Many give you the flexibility to learn at your own pace, with no set deadlines or a set number of hours you need to spend learning. Of course, full-time courses are more expensive than part-time/open courses, so it will depend upon whether you’re after something casual or need a qualification at the end.
Rather than selecting specific courses, we’ve picked the best online coding course providers which offer a range of languages to learn.
If you do want specific recommendations, then take a look at our roundups of the best online courses for:
You might also like to read about the best coding bootcamps, many of which are free if you fit the criteria.
Udemy
- Price: courses start from £9.99/ $9.99
- Duration: self-paced
Udemy is one of the most cost-effective course platforms on the market. It often has sales meaning its already low rates can be secured at a steal. Courses start at around £10.
Many courses offer certification on completion and host online examinations.
Code Avengers
- Price: $20 (Around £15.20) a month for a 1-year plan, $25 (around £19) for a 6-month plan, $29 (around £22.04) a month for the monthly plan
- Duration: length varies depending on the course
Code Avengers is an online code school that has a number of options for novice coders. There is a dedicated junior section which includes 3-day bootcamps all around the world as well as a ‘pro’ section for those looking to advance their careers as developers.
Code School (Pluralsight)
- Price: $29.99 (around £22.04) a month (10-day free trial)
- Duration: length varies depending on the course
Pluralsight offers a vast array of courses in coding focusing on specific languages like Python, JavaScript, Java and C#, as well as broader courses in web or mobile development. This way you can sign up for a ‘path’ which is a succession of courses or just a single course.
FutureLearn
- Price: Free to join, price depends on the course
- Duration: length varies depending on the course
FutureLearn provides a wide range of free online courses from top universities and large organisations. You’ll be able to get to know programming languages such as Python, R and learn how to code for game development, as well as lots of digital technologies such as blockchain and database management.
Free Code Camp
- Price: Free
- Duration: Self-paced
FreeCodeCamp is a nonprofit which has more than a thousand courses on coding and development. Students need to complete five projects to pass the course and gain certification.
LinkedIn Learning
- Price: $19.99 (around £15.13) a month (free 1-month trial)
- Duration: Self-paced
Previously Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning offers a subscription-based online course service on a whole range of topics, from programming, and development to marketing and business-focused training.
The site offers 229 programming language courses for beginners to intermediate coders.
Coursera
- Price: Free to join
- Duration: length varies depending on the course
Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals is just one of the courses geared towards novice coders at Coursera. It’s designed to equip students with the necessary skills to write programs, solve problems and design algorithms.
Coder’s Guide
- Price: Free
- Duration: Self-paced
With Coder’s Guide you’ll be able to work at your own pace – with new videos being uploaded every week.
Flatiron School
- Price: $9,600 (around £6839.35) for self-paced & $15,000 (around £11398.91) for full-time or part-time
- Duration: 5 to 15 months
Flatiron School provides an online coding Bootcamp, which provides over 75 hours of free coding courses in HTML, CSS, Javascript and Ruby programming languages.
The platform, Learn.co, offers real-time collaboration for interaction in video study groups and with instructors.