Top Free Udemy Courses: Learn New Skills, Pay $0

My Honest Experience With Udemy

Featured Platforms for Free Courses

Udemy has reduced the number of free courses it offers; meanwhile, sites like Coursera and edX have a broader selection.

Editor's Choice

Coursera

Vast Free Class Library

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4.8

Pros & Cons

• Partners
• Affordable
• Full Degree Programs
• Free Courses
• Learning Options
• Quality Of Courses
• Job-Relevant Skills
• App & Offline Access

• Confusing Pricing
• Prior Knowledge
• Limited Feedback
• Certificates Aren't Always Free
• Course Completion Pressure

edX

Courses from Top Unis

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4.2

Pros & Cons

• Free Courses
• Verified Certificates
• Partnerships
• Learning Programs
• Refund Policy
• Variety of Learning

• Limited Interaction
• Limited Topics
• Inconsistency

How To Register With Udemy?

Before accessing its courses, you will need too register with Udemy (it’s completely free). The interface of the platform is really easy-to-use and navigate around. I have put together a step by step guide on the registration process:

1. Open a browser and visit www.udemy.com
2. Click Sign Up in the top right corner
3. Add your Full Name, Email and Create a Password
4. You’ll be sent a confirmation email

Once you are signed up, you can begin by clicking on Categories and then start to browse the courses on offer. You are then able to use the Filter selector to be more specific in your search.

Udemy’s Free Courses

Udemy made quite a significant change to its free courses as of April 2020. The platform used to offer thousands of free courses. Currently, you can find just under 500 courses for free on its platform. You may be thinking darn, I missed out on a bunch of free courses. Well, that is true, but have you considered that quantity doesn’t always mean quality. This is just one of the reasons that Udemy made the change to its free courses, so that learners really distinguish the value between free and paid courses.

Udemy’s new free courses are more limited than its paid courses, which makes sense, especially when you are trying to differentiate between free and paid courses. Many of its free courses are no more than 2 hours of video content, and the option to direct message the teacher or communicate with other learners and other students isn’t available. The majority of its free courses are to give you a taster of the topic, which can be helpful before you commit to a paid course or not.

In short, the main advantages of studying on a free Udemy course are the following;

Most Popular Free Udemy Courses

I have listed below the most popular Udemy free courses, based on learner feedback.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Zero to Hero

This beginners zero to hero course on AWS will teach you how to launch an AWS EC2 WordPress web server and everything you need to know about how to use it. It has a 4.5 rating and the course has been taken by more than 350,000 students.

Code Your First Game: Arcade Classic in Javascript on Canvas

You will learn how to program a complete game and all you need is a text editor and a web browser. Learning how to display, position, and move filled shapes and much more. It has a 4.6 rating and the course has been taken by over 300,000 students.

7 Scientifically Proven Steps to Increase Your Influence

You will learn the science of charisma through 7 science-based steps which will increase your impact, influence and income. It has a 4.5 rating and the course has been taken by close to 300,000 students.

A Mini Course on Time Management

You will learn 7 steps that you can use immediately to become more productive and master time management. It has a 4.4 rating and the course has been taken by just over 200,000 students.

Introductory Photography Course

In this 2 hour 37 minutes of on-demand video, you will learn the fastest way to get off ‘Auto’ mode and unlock the creative potential of your camera. It has a 4.7 rating and the course has been taken by just over 250,000 students.

Microsoft Excel Pivot Tables – The Beginner Course

You will learn how to start analyzing data with Excel’s most powerful data analysis tool, Pivot Tables, in this 50-minute on-demand video. It has a 4.6 rating and the course has been taken by close to 150,000 students.

What About Udemy Paid Courses?

After trying out one of Udemy’s free courses, you may decide that you want to see how a paid course compares. Udemy’s individual courses range from $10.99 to $199.99. Much of the time, its paid courses are heavily discounted, sometimes costing only 10% of what the original cost would have been. Some argue that this is a marketing strategy, but all the same you will be getting a bargain. Plus if a course is costing you under $20 it isn’t a huge financial commitment.

The main advantages of learning with a paid Udemy course are the following;

• Certificate of completion
• Courses are affordable making it accessible for most
• 30 day money-back guarantee
• Access to course via the Udemy app
• Udemy is a legit and recognized elearning platform

Once completing a paid Udemy course you will receive a completion certificate. Do keep in mind this isn’t an official accredited certificate and may not be recognised by potential employers.

Alternative Platforms for Free Courses

Udemy is not the only elearning platform that offers free courses. If you can’t find exactly what you are looking for on this platform, then I have put together some alternatives for you to consider.

Coursera

Coursera works with top universities and businesses to create its courses. It will allow you to learn for free on the majority of its courses when you choose the audit the course option. The only difference is you won’t receive an accredited certificate on course completion.

After you have chosen the free audit course, you will have the option to upgrade to a paid certificate at any time during the audit period. Beware, there are some degrees and specializations that don’t offer the free audit option.

edX

Like Coursera, edX offers a free course Audit option. Its courses are partnered with prestigious universities and companies like Harvard and Berkeley. With the free audit option, you will be granted access to all course materials except graded assignments, and like Coursera you won’t be awarded a certificate.

Once you have completed the edX free course material, you will no longer have access to the course. If you do decide to upgrade to a verified certificate, you will have the option to upgrade.

Final Thoughts: Free Udemy Courses

If your goal is to learn something new or discover a new hobby, then Udemy is definitely the right platform for you. It has a decent amount of free courses for you to try to get a taste of the instructor and platform, that its worth your time.

And let’s face it, if learning on a free Udemy course isn’t right, then you can simply try out one of the alternative platforms. Or if you decide to splash some cash and opt for a paid Udemy course, this won’t leave you out of budget as its paid courses are reasonably priced and self-paced, so you can fit it into your schedule.

Please, leave a comment below if you have any questions, and I’ll do my best to try helping you out.