Finding the Right Free Coding Bootcamp for You with Career Karma
The demand for tech career professionals is increasing. In order to meet that demand, several coding bootcamps, coding training programs, classes, and courses have become available to those interested in becoming a part of the tech industry. These classes allow you to receive professional-level training for various careers, such as software engineering, data science, data analytics, and web design.
So, what are the best free coding bootcamps and coding courses offered today? In this article, we’ll provide overviews of these so you can jumpstart your tech career in no time.
Bootcamps vs Coding Classes vs Training Programs
Bootcamps are rigorous training grounds for learners who wish to pursue a certain career or specialization. Students take a hands-on approach to learning by completing real-world projects. They even gain access to networking opportunities courtesy of their bootcamp’s employer partners. Most coding bootcamps take anywhere from six weeks to six months to complete.
In comparison, coding courses are individual, specialized programs designed to improve a particular skill. Sometimes, coding courses are offered by universities and are available for any of their students to take part in.
These courses can take someone from a beginner to intermediate or even advanced skill level. The majority of these programs are held via an online learning platform, so they’re accessible from everywhere.
Coding classes, similar to courses, are programs that serve as a great introduction to programming. Classes are typically for those that want to build on their programming foundations or learn the basics. An online class is a great starting off point for students interested in coding but don’t know where to begin.
Finally, coding training programs are similar to bootcamps in that they are short-term education programs that prepare students for a chosen career. Some coding training programs provide students with certifications to help boost their resumes.
These programs can take a few weeks to complete and are often taught by experienced instructors. No matter where you’re starting in your tech career, any of these programs are a great way for you to learn to code for free.
Best Free Coding Bootcamps
Coding bootcamps offer weeks- to months-long programs that teach you the core programming knowledge and skills needed to work in tech. These coding programs cover an extensive amount of information and involve a great deal of work through real-world projects, hands-on learning, and working with multiple programming languages.
Free coding bootcamps can help you start your career in tech without having to pay out of pocket. Many large bootcamps offer free introductory courses that can help you gauge your interest and fit in the coding world. Some of these may be delivered synchronously, although most free courses typically advance self-paced learning.
Ada Developers Academy
This Seattle-based bootcamp offers an immersive programming course in full stack web development to local students. The course runs for 27 weeks and is free to women and non-binary students.
App Academy Open
App Academy offers a free online coding bootcamp called App Academy Open. This online program gives students access to the complete App Academy full stack web development curriculum, although without the structured and instructor-led learning that comes with the paid option. 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.
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 designed to impart real-world experience. This women’s bootcamp helps build technical skills, a goal made possible with the help of a supportive and high-tech environment. Bridge is an in-person bootcamp, offering classes twice a week that are taught by industry experts.
The Data Incubator
The Data Incubator offers a free coding bootcamp for experienced programmers. The curriculum is designed to equip these professionals with highly specialized skills to become a true seasoned professional. The program is called a fellowship and is free for students. Employers pay a fee if they hire a fellow.
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. The bootcamp has several programs dedicated to web development, cyber security, data science, UI/UX design, and more. Their introductory courses are completely free and designed to help you secure a seat in some of the best coding bootcamps today.
- Career Karma matches you with top tech bootcamps
- Get exclusive scholarships and prep courses
Founders & Coders
Founders and Coders hold 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.
Fullstack Academy Prep Program
Fullstack Academy offers a free introductory preparation coding bootcamp. The program covers full stack JavaScript over 13 weeks and helps students gain the foundation they need to be successful coders. 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.
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 those specific locations.
Kenzie Free
Kenzie Free is a no-cost introductory coding bootcamp for beginners. Kenzie Academy’s free and self-paced program is available online. Kenzie Free allows potential programmers to learn from a top tier bootcamp without any financial commitments.
The program 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. Students learn practical skills and decide if they want to pursue a career in tech—all for free.
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.
NodeSchool
NodeSchool is a free coding bootcamp offering a range of useful tutorials and courses. The program is open-source and run by volunteers. 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 and offers excellent resources across the board.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
Recurse Center
Recurse Center is a New York-based free coding bootcamp that offers an immersive in-person program. The bootcamp runs for three months and offers a chance for individuals to sharpen their coding skills. Admissions information and course dates are available online.
RMOTR
RMOTR offers an online coding bootcamp with interactive lessons and projects. During the four-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.
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.
Best Free Coding Courses
Coding courses are short-term programs that cover the core concepts of coding. These programs typically take a few weeks or months to complete. Some of these courses involve multiple online classes and even give you a learning path to prepare you for a career in your chosen industry.
If you prefer a more self-paced environment or simply want an introduction to coding, these free online coding courses for beginners may be right for you.
Bento.io
Bento.io takes an interesting approach to coding and web development. Each learning is a mini-coding course compiled from learning resources from around the web. It’s a great resource for those that are just starting out on their coding learning journey. Bento.io 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.
Codecademy
Codecademy is a well-known online coding platform. This platform is popular with beginners and intermediate coders. Students learn coding languages like HTML and JavaScript. They also work on projects to improve their skills and build a portfolio. Codecademy’s free courses offer a chance to learn programming at no cost.
Coursera
Coursera is unique in that it offers coding courses designed by prestigious universities and companies. Students take courses offered by colleges like the University of Michigan and Duke University at little to no cost. The online learning platform also covers a long list of topics, such as computer science, data science, and various coding languages.
While Coursera is free, there are some paid options involved. If you want to earn a certificate for completing a course and take your education beyond basic coding, you can do so at around $30 to $50 per certificate. Coursera even offers degree programs students can complete online.
edX
EdX, like Coursera, offers hundreds of massive open online courses (MOOCs) on a wide range of subjects. Students can learn from over 100 member universities, such as Berkeley, Harvard University, and MIT. 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. Learn and take part in high-level lectures delivered by top university instructors.
Hackr.io
While Hackr.io isn’t itself a coding course, it is still a fantastic free resource for anyone wanting to learn how to code. If you have no experience with programming and want to get your feet wet, this site is a fantastic tool. Hackr.io offers fairly comprehensive listings of online courses and tutorials, broken down by coding languages and topics. It serves as an excellent supplemental resource for any of the other coding courses and training programs listed.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy courses are very popular. This free education resource offers a long list of free coding courses. Students can sharpen their computer skills with Khan Academy, and learn basic and advanced concepts.
Practicum by Yandex
This intro course is completely free and is designed for those who haven’t yet decided on a career path and want to try their hand at web development. It provides 20 hours of free practice packed with the kinds of tasks you might expect to encounter at a real job. The course focuses on the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You get 24/7 support and can join their Slack community.
Revature
Revature works by partnering with universities to offer free coding courses to students. Some courses are delivered in person, and some are accessible online. Immersive courses cover programming and software development. Revature seeks to help students bolster their university education with real, practical development and coding skills.
Sabio
Sabio currently offers a free prework course in front end web development. The course includes videos, tests, access to a Slack channel, and even live office hours with your instructors. Sabio’s free course covers topics like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, and much more!
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.
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 free coding courses for beginners and intermediate programmers. It also offers special ‘nanodegrees’ in specific topics like web development and data analytics. And while the courses are free, the nanodegrees 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 classes. 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 into the courses to check your learning progress. While w3schools courses are completely free, you also have the option of paying for certification, even after you’ve completed a free course.
Best Free Coding Classes
Coding classes are great resources for those that are completely new to programming. While the above learning platforms offer any number of courses for you to choose from, it sometimes helps to find a good starting off point.
Below is a list of the best free coding classes for beginners. Many of these coding classes are tied to platforms mentioned above so you can continue your education through related courses.
HTML5 and CSS3 Fundamentals for Web Design: Udemy
Web design is a growing tech field and learning the fundamentals of it is a great way to get started in the industry. This free Udemy course covers the fundamentals of design through HTML5 and CSS. If you already know you want a career in web design or want to see if it is a good fit for you, then give this free course a try.
Introduction to User Experience Design: Coursera
Similar to web design, this introductory course teaches you the fundamentals of UX/UI design. The Coursera course is offered by Georgia Tech and designed to teach students how to help users meet their needs in an efficient and satisfying manner.
Programming 101: Udemy
Programming is vital to many tech careers, and knowledge of at least one language is necessary for many occupations. This introductory course to programming is a great first step for complete beginners. You’ll learn how programming works and how it is utilized in a professional capacity.
Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python): Coursera
Among the most popular programming languages used today is Python. Not only is it increasing in popularity, but it is also one of the easiest programming languages to learn thanks to its readability. Many professional programmers consider it a great first language for those that want a career in the industry. This getting-started course offered by the University of Michigan teaches the fundamentals of Python and programming in general.
Learn Python 3: Codecademy
If you want to continue your coding journey into Python, Codecademy has a great list of resources and tools. Many of the lessons you can complete at your own time. They also have a structured Python course that takes you through all of their Python 3 content. It’ll transform you from a novice to an advanced level programmer.
Learn JavaScript: Codecademy
Another popular programming language among professional coders is JavaScript. This language is often used with web development, both front end and backend. If you want to learn how to code web pages, impact their design, and how they function, then this series of online coding classes from Codecademy may be a great starting point for you.
Best Free Coding Training Programs
Coding training programs are designed for career development. These tech programs train people for a specific career or skill. In fact, most coding training programs specialize in a particular coding language or occupation. These programs are designed for people at various experience levels and are particularly great for those that want to make a career change.
Below is a list of free online programming courses for beginners designed to improve your technical skills and jumpstart your career in tech.
Codewars
Codewars is an outstanding and innovative way to learn how to code. The coding training 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.
Upon completing each of the lessons for beginners, you’ll increase in rank. This allows you to see how proficient you’re growing in programming. It’s a valuable tool for those that prefer a remote coding training platform.
CodeGym
CodeGym is a free app for beginners that want to learn Java programming. It is also an online resource with several courses that allows you to do your coding training at home. The platform is 80 percent based on practical coding. You’ll start programming immediately, and there are well over 1,000 programming tasks and puzzles for you to complete.
DevOps School
If you have an interest in DevOps, then this online program gives you everything you need. It covers a wide array of certifications, courses, and online training programs for you to complete. You can get started with its free video course, blog articles, and more.
Free Code Camp
Free Code Camp offers coding certificates in front end and full stack development. This online training program is self-paced and offers a 1,600-hour JavaScript curriculum. Demographically, Free Code Camp stands out. Roughly 80 percent of its coding community is over 25 years old, and 20 percent of its students are women.
Google AI
Google AI is a great introduction to machine learning. The program is taught by experienced experts. This machine learning crash course comes with tutorials, coding videos, exercises, and full courses for you to complete. It’s designed for beginners and seasoned engineers.
Google Developers Training
For those interested in mobile and app development, Google has a free training program that takes you from absolute beginner to experienced developer. This program was created by Google and Udacity to provide a free, self-paced online training program for those new to Android development.
MIT OpenCourseware
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the most prestigious technical universities in the world. The research institute has decided to offer many of its renowned computer science programs to the public for free.
Among their many complete course offerings are Introduction to Computer Science and Programming, Introduction to Programming in Python, Artificial Intelligence, Programming for the Puzzled, and Advanced Data Structures.
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.
Revolent
Revolent offers 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 to12 weeks in New York, London, Melbourn, and Amsterdam. During the program, students are assigned a mentor to support them throughout the course. 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 four-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.
Unity Learn
Unity is one of the largest game development engines in the industry. The Unity Learn platform provides several tutorials, courses, and guided programs to help you build projects in real-time. The self-paced program teaches students how to make 3D video games, augmented reality games, and even games in VR.
Upskill
Upskill is a free web development training program specializing in web development. Participants learn to code by building a fictional startup. Throughout the program, students learn HTML, CSS, Ruby on Rails, Git, and more as they develop features found on popular sites like Salesforce and Dropbox.
Finding the Right Free Coding Bootcamp and Course for You
This list covers some of the best free programs available. Whether you want to learn under a six-month coding bootcamp or just take part in a few beginner coding classes, there is something for you. So how do you choose the right coding program for yourself?
You have to ask yourself the following questions to find the best coding classes for you.
- What are you looking for in coding? 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 to compliment or improve 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?
Free Coding Bootcamp FAQ
Maybe, but it depends on the program. Most free coding bootcamps offer introductory classes or language-specific tutorials. If you’re ready for job training, consider a paid bootcamp. Paid bootcamps often provide career services, job guarantees, and financing options to help you with your job search.
Free coding bootcamps, courses, and classes are all 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. If you aren’t sure what programming language or tech career you’d like to have, a free coding course can help you get started.
Currently, most coding classes and training programs are available online. However, there may be some local coding bootcamps in your area. Consider looking into a coding bootcamp you’re interested in and seeing if it has any local campuses.
Coding bootcamps take a few weeks to six months to complete entirely. Coding courses may take several weeks to complete or at least five or so hours. Coding classes are a bit shorter. Many of them can be completed in an hour or several days. Training programs vary based on the topic they’re covering. Most coding courses are self-paced, which means how long it takes to complete depends entirely on the individual.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
Nice. I’ve been trying to learn coding specifically JavaScript from a few boot camps that I know. This gives me more options on bootcamps. I did not know there are A lot of highly reviewed boot camps to choose from that offers free coding programs. I would like to know more about the camps specifically those who offer online classes. Any suggestions?