Coding bootcamps are the new face of education. They stand to revolutionize career training schools for decades to come. Coding bootcamps, unlike college, train students for a career in the tech industry. This direct-training approach is unique to coding bootcamps.
These short-term programs usually last between 6 weeks and 6 months. Bootcamps are a proven way to increase your salary and improve your career prospects. With programs like income share agreements and living stipends, they’re more affordable than ever.
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Unfortunately, many coding bootcamps carry a hefty price tag. This means it’s sometimes difficult to commit because of cost. Thankfully, there’s another option.
Free coding bootcamps are a no-cost alternative. They provide many of the same benefits as a paid program. Plus, they’re a great introduction to programming.
So, what are the best free coding bootcamps, and what courses do they offer? In this article, we’ll go over the best no-cost bootcamps so you can decide what class is best for you.
What Are the Best Free Coding Bootcamps, Courses, and Programs?
42
42 School originated in France, and is one of the largest in-person free coding bootcamps around. Recently, the program moved to a new location in Silicon Valley. To enter the program, students begin by completing an around-the-clock coding challenge called a ‘Piscene.’ Students who pass the test are admitted into the program, which is self-paced. The location features dormitories and a cafeteria, where meals are sold at cost of production.
Ada Developers Academy
This Seattle-based bootcamp offers immersive programming courses to local students. Ada Developers Academy offers a full stack web development course. The course runs 27 weeks. Furthermore, the program is free to women and non-binary students.
App Academy Open
App Academy offers a free coding bootcamp called App Academy Open. This online program gives students access to the complete App Academy full stack web development curriculum. It includes over 1,500 hours of course materials and resources. App Academy is a well-known bootcamp, and the free program contains the same coursework that made it famous.
Bento.io
Bento.io takes an interesting approach to free courses in coding and web development. Each “track” is a mini-course compiled from learning resources from around the web. It’s a great approach that allows you to learn in different ways and from many different sources. Bento offers tracks in CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Git, Python, jQuery, and more. It also has more comprehensive tracks like those for front end development, backend development, and web fundamentals.
Bridge
Bridge is a women’s coding bootcamp that offers an 11-week software development course. Students work on a wide range of portfolio projects. These projects are designed to impart real-world experience. This women’s bootcamp helps build technical skills. It offers a supportive and high-tech environment. Bridge is an in-person bootcamp, offering classes 2 times per week. The instructors are industry experts.
Codecademy
CodeCademy is a well-known free bootcamp. This online program is popular with beginners and intermediate coders. Students learn coding languages like HTML and JavaScript. Students work on projects to improve their skills and build a portfolio. CodeCademy’s free courses offer a chance to learn programming at no cost.
Codewars
Codewars is an outstanding and innovative way to learn how to code. The program involves challenges, which they call “kata”, in which you code with other users to learn programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and many others.
Coursera
Coursera is a unique free coding bootcamp. Classes at this bootcamp are taught by university professors. And while the courses are free, there are some small charges involved. This popular bootcamp offers certificates, which cost between around $30 and $50. The certificates verify course completion and make a welcome addition to a portfolio.
The Data Incubator
The Data Incubator offers a free coding bootcamp for experienced programmers. The curriculum is designed to equip these individuals with the final important skills to become true seasoned professionals. The program is a fellowship, free for students. Employers pay a fee if they hire a fellow.
edX
edX, like Coursera, offers hundreds of massive open online courses (MOOCs) on every subject under the sun. But their tech courses are especially great. On edX, you can take free courses in HTML5, CSS, mobile application development, Java Programming, and much more–all from top university instructors.
Flatiron School Introductory Courses
Flatiron School is a big-name coding bootcamp. With locations in London, New York City, and Washington D.C., students can attend programming courses in-person or online. And their introductory courses are completely free.
Founders & Coders
Founders and Coders holds the title of being the first free coding bootcamp in the United Kingdom. It offers beginner-friendly courses in full stack web development and covers a range of common coding languages.
FreeCodeCamp
FreeCodeCamp offers coding certificates in front end and full stack development. This online program is self-paced and offers a 1,600-hour JavaScript curriculum. Demographically, FreeCodeCamp stands out. Roughly 80% of its coding community is over 25 years old, and 20% of its students are women.
Fullstack Academy Prep Program
Fullstack Academy offers a free introductory preparation coding bootcamp. The program covers full stack JavaScript over a period of 13 weeks, and helps students gain the foundation they need to be successful in coding. Courses are available in New York City and Chicago.
GA Dash
General Assembly offers a free coding bootcamp called GA Dash. This program is project-based. For example, students build an entire Tumblr theme from the ground-up. This unique program is popular, and comes from a top paid coding bootcamp.
Hack Reactor Basic Prep
Hack Reactor, a well-known coding bootcamp, offers a free program called Hack Reactor Basic Prep. The course is as it sounds—an introductory course designed for beginners. The program runs for 12 weeks and covers all the basics of coding.
Hackr.io
While Hackr.io isn’t itself a free coding bootcamp, it is still a fantastic free resource for anyone wanting to teach themselves to code. The site offers fairly comprehensive listings of online courses and tutorials, broken down by coding languages and topics. Definitely one to bookmark!
Insight Data Science
Insight Data Science offers a free post-doctoral coding bootcamp, which helps high-level graduates learn valuable data science skills. The program runs for seven weeks in Boston, New York City, Seattle, and Silicon Valley. There’s also a remote program available for students outside of those specific locations.
Kenzie Free
Kenzie Free is a no-cost introductory coding bootcamp for beginners. Kenzie Academy’s new free and self-paced program is available online. Kenzie Free allows potential programmers to learn from a top tier bootcamp without any financial commitments. Kenzie Free covers the basics of HTML, CSS, and later offers an introduction to JavaScript. Kenzie Academy’s mini-courses allow anyone interested in coding to get a feel for the subject, learn practical skills, and decide if they want to pursue a career in tech—all for free.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy courses are very popular. They’re not a coding bootcamp, but this free education source offers a long list of free coding courses. Students can sharpen their computer skills with Khan Academy, and learn a lot on the way.
Makers Academy
Makers Academy is a UK-based coding bootcamp offering software development training. Makers Academy has a junior development job offer guarantee, which students receive at the end of the 12-week program.
MIT OpenCourseware
One of the most prestigious technical universities in the world, MIT has decided to offer many of its renowned computer science programs to the public completely free. Among their many complete courses are Introduction to Computer Science and Programming, Introduction to Programming in Python, Artificial Intelligence, Programming for the Puzzled, and Advanced Data Structures.
NodeSchool
NodeSchool is a free coding bootcamp offering a range of useful tutorials and courses. The program is open-source and run by volunteers, and aims to provide the best way to learn coding. The program is entirely tuition-free to anyone who enrolls.
The Odin Project
The Odin Project was designed to train new coders from the ground-up. The program offers free tech career training courses in web development. Students start with an introductory course, then move on to web development 101. The course curriculum includes HTML, CSS, Ruby, Rails, Git, and more. The Odin Project offers flexible tutorials and lessons. This coding bootcamp is a great place for beginners to start, and offers excellent resources across the board.
Recurse Center
Recurse Center is a New York-based free coding bootcamp that offers an immersive in-person program. The bootcamp runs for 3 months, and offers a chance for individuals to sharpen their coding skills. Admissions information and course dates are available online.
Resilient Coders
Resilient Coders offers a full-time JavaScript bootcamp in Boston, Massachusetts. This program is for people of color trying to enter the tech industry. The 14-week course covers a range of coding languages including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. After graduation, students will be proficient coders, and ready to launch a career.
Revature
Revature works by partnering with universities to offer free coding classes to students. Some courses are in-person, and some are online. Immersive courses cover programming and software development. The program can help students bolster their university education with real, practical development and coding skills.
Revolent
While Revolent isn’t technically a coding bootcamp, it does offer short-term tech education programs. Revolent provides free, quality courses that prepare students to become certified Salesforce developers, administrators, and consultants. There is also a course that trains candidates to become certified ServiceNow consultants. Revolent courses last 10-12 weeks in New York, London, Melbourn, and Amsterdam. During the program, students are assigned a mentor to support them throughout the course, and, upon completion of the certificate, students begin working with one of Revolent’s tech company partners for two years.
Rithm School
Rithm School offers a fast-paced 4-month full stack development program. During the program, students focus on JavaScript and Python. Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of open-source projects and portfolio-building activities.
RMOTR
RMOTR offers an online coding bootcamp with interactive lessons and projects. During the 4-month program, students will learn a variety of coding languages and participate in portfolio-building projects. Live support is part of the program, and RMOTR emphasizes student projects and participation.
Sabio
Sabio currently offers a free PreWork course in Front End Web Development. The course includes videos, tests, access to a Slack Team, and even live office hours with your instructors. Sabio’s free course covers topics like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and much more–all for free!
Scotch.io
Scotch.io is a large compendium of free, text-based programming courses. It’s a fantastic resource for those who prefer to learn by reading, rather than by watching videos. Among the courses offered by Scotch are React, JavaScript, jQuery, and Vue.
Skillcrush’s Free Coding Bootcamp
SkillCrush offers free technology and coding courses to anyone interested in tech. From aspiring software engineers to complete beginners, SkillCrush offers something useful to learn. Students can learn coding languages like Java, Python, HTML, and JavaScript using Skillcrush lessons.
SoloLearn
SoloLearn offers a series of interactive coding courses through their online platform. It offers short and clever tutorials on just about every programming language you could ask for, including, Python, Java, C++, JavaScript, C#, PHP, Ruby, Swift, jQuery, C, HTML, CSS, and SQL.
Udacity
Udacity offers coding courses for beginners and intermediate programmers. Udacity offers special ‘nano degrees’ in specific topics like web development and data analytics. And while the courses are free, the nano degrees do come with a small price. Udacity students can use their skills to get a job in tech, or pursue further education.
Udemy
Udemy offers paid and free online coding courses. Students can learn a specific programming language or take another program like web development or data science. Udemy offers an open-platform for anyone to create technology courses, so use discretion when selecting a class.
w3schools
w3schools is another fantastic site that offers comprehensive text-based tutorials and courses on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XML, SQL, PHP, React, jQuery, and much more. Another great benefit of w3schools is the quizzes integrated in the courses to check your learning progress. While w3schools courses are completely free, you also have the option of paying for a certification, even after you’ve completed a free course.
Finding the Right Coding Bootcamp for You with Career Karma
So with all the amazing options, how do you choose the right free coding bootcamp? Well, they’re not a one-size-fits-all type thing. You have to ask yourself a few questions.
What are you looking for in a bootcamp? Do you have a specific vision or goal in mind, or are you looking for a primer? Do you want to work as a developer full-time or do you want it to be a skill to complement other skills you already have? Front end or back end? What programming languages do you want to learn? How much time do you have? How much are you able to learn on your own? Do you want to learn in-person, or do you like online courses?
These questions will help you get a clearer sense of which bootcamps to look towards. Download the free Career Karma app and get help answering these questions.
Free Coding Bootcamp FAQ
Maybe, but it depends on the program. Most free bootcamps offer introductory classes or language-specific tutorials. If you’re ready for job training, consider a paid bootcamp.
Free coding bootcamps are great for learning coding languages and getting a sense of what it’s like to be a programmer. Many free bootcamps serve as excellent coding bootcamp prep programs.
Yes, programs like 42 offer courses on-location, but most free bootcamps are online.
