Top Free Online Course Providers
Check out our list of free Online Course Providers . Products featured on this list are the ones that offer a free trial version. As with most free versions, there are limitations, typically time or features.
If you'd like to see more products and to evaluate additional feature options, compare all Online Course Providers to ensure you get the right product.
LinkedIn Learning, the leading online learning platform, helps organizations increase learner engagement and develop the skills they need today and tomorrow. With over 16,000 courses taught by real-world experts from Lynda.com—and more than 50 new courses added every week—the library is always up-to-date with the most in-demand business, technical, and creative content. Drawing on insights from 600+ million LinkedIn members, LinkedIn Learning also delivers personalized recommendations that co
Infosec Skills is the only cybersecurity training platform that moves as fast as you do. Train on your schedule with unlimited access to 100s of hands-on cybersecurity courses and hands-on virtual labs — or upgrade to an Infosec Skills boot camp for live, instructor-led training guaranteed to get you certified on your first attempt. Whether you're seeking training for yourself or your team, Infosec’s deep bench of cyber expertise and award-winning training platform provide the resources and guid
Ditch the boring slide shows and start really learning IT with ITProTV. With training that’s more like a talk show, you’ll watch your ‘edutainer’ engage with a host and an online audience to create a better-than-classroom experience that you and your team will look forward to watching. New content is added every day and the course library has more than 5,800 hours covering all of the major certification courses (e.g. CompTIA, Microsoft, Amazon, ITIL, Apple, Cisco, GIAC, EC-Council) and non-certi
Learning IT doesn’t have to mean boring lectures, the frantic pace of bootcamps, or lots of time away from your job or family. With CBT Nuggets, you can train 24/7 anywhere on a variety of devices, from the comfort of your office chair or living room couch. Our world-class team of trainers are industry experts who enjoy teaching people IT. Their training is informative, relevant, and engaging — and because most videos are 10 minutes or less, it’s easier to retain information. Choose from a trai
A Cloud Guru (ACG) is the leader in cloud learning and has helped 2,000,000+ people and more than 4,000 organizations level up their cloud skills. Founded in 2015 by brothers Sam and Ryan Kroonenburg, ACG began as one cloud certification course and has grown into the world’s most effective, hands-on, and comprehensive skills development platform for cloud learning! ACG helps novices, gurus and everyone in between advance their career in the cloud, prep for certification exams, and progress thr
Cloud Academy is the leading enterprise digital skills development platform accelerating innovation through guided Learning Paths, Hands-on Labs, and Skill Assessment. Companies trust Cloud Academy to deliver role-specific training on leading clouds (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform), essential methodologies needed to operate on and between clouds (DevOps, security), and capabilities that are unlocked by the cloud (big data, machine learning, IoT).
GoSkills helps you learn essential business skills to achieve your full potential. GoSkills.com is an online learning company that helps anyone learn business skills to reach their personal and professional goals. With a GoSkills.com subscription, members receive personalized courses consisting of bite-sized and interactive content. For businesses, GoSkills provides a flexible learning platform for training teams of any size. Business can seamlessly manage, track, and assign in-house and third
Founded in 1998, Skillsoft has grown rapidly to become the global leader in corporate learning. With 2,300 employees across multiple locations in North America, EMEA and APAC, Skillsoft trains more professionals than any other company in the world. We are trusted by the world’s leading organizations, including 65% of the Fortune 500. Today we train over 45 million users and our content is accessed more than 130 million times every month. Over the last 20 years, we have trained more than 400 mi
ServiceSkills.com is a curated collection of online learning courses which empower your staff to improve customer satisfaction, enhance teamwork, boost workplace respect and manage more effectively. This proven soft-skills training is delivered via our award-winning online portal or as LMS courses, for installation on your organization’s Learning Management System. Whether your goals include new employee orientation training, customer service skills development or strategies to help staff coope
Learn Data Science in your browser using Python, R and more! Signup for free and start learning today at https://www.dataquest.io Our practical approach teaches you Data Science using interactive coding challenges. Unlike other courses, we don't use videos of lectures. Watching videos doesn't help you learn. Instead, you'll be writing code and working with real-life data sets from your browser. We'll check your code, give you hints along the way, and give you help and support as you learn. W
CXL teaches you advanced level skills in customer acquisition, analytics, and conversion optimization. Get the world's top practitioners as your instructors. Study on-demand or engage in live trainings to become great at marketing.
101 Blockchains is a professional and trusted provider of enterprise blockchain research and training. Our core mission is to train leading enterprise professionals to become global blockchain experts by providing them practical up to date knowledge and up-skilling.
We help develop the world's most productive and admired workforces. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, we are here to help you every step of the way, from finding courses, mapping them to your core competencies, syncing them with your LMS to increasing utilization and improving your L&D programs. Not only will you have the flexibility of multiple purchasing options from OpenSesame, you’ll find it simple to use and administer your ele
Making Training Easy for employers all over the world As the world’s largest aggregator of online training; GO1 brings all of the world’s top training providers under the same roof, providing you with a one-stop shop for all things training. GO1 Premium is like Spotify for workplace learning. You will have unlimited access to a growing library of content, from the top providers around the world, allowing you to find the right courses across different topics and content. All courses can be used
At Intuto, we believe sharing knowledge effectively can help build better businesses. However not all businesses have the resources and expertise to implement and manage an effective online training program. That's why we created Intuto, to provide a full software and service training solution for small and medium businesses. Our software let's you create, share and report on training all from one platform while our service combines content loading, design and administration support. Intuto h
We provide the best machine learning exam preparation for technical certifications. Looking to practice with CCNA exam questions? Perhaps you are more interested in a CompTIA video course? Regardless of your needs, we have you covered when it comes to technical exam preparation. Experience what it's like to work with thousands of test questions that fit your study style. Receive help from live instructors and more. Start a free trial today and get one step closer to passing your test. Let’s get
CyberVista is a cybersecurity workforce development company. Our mission is to build and strengthen organizations by providing cybersecurity professionals with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to drive growth and defense. CyberVista offers a diverse portfolio of workforce development solutions designed and built to upskill a global workforce including: • Role-Based Training: Upskill, cross-skill, and retain cybersecurity and cyber-enabled team members across your organization. •
The RedSeed LMS is the worlds best blended eLearning solution. The entire RedSeed LMS has been built to drive behaviour change with what we call our 'coaching-feedback-loop' which facilitates quality coaching interactions that you can report on. Coupled with a growing library of courses covering; sales, service, soft-skills, wellbeing, leadership and compliance, upskilling your entire business is easy! Take advantage of our ready-to-go training suites, or craft your own learning pathways wit
Big Interview is the world's leading job interview training system. Used by over 500 universities, workforce agencies and libraries. Big Interview's proprietary system trains job candidates to perform better on job interviews. We use a unique system of training material and practice tools. Think of it like DuoLingo for job interviews.
Kannu and kadenze.com are the current products from Kadenze, Inc. Kannu - Offers institutions the interactive learning platform designed for creating engaging, media-rich experiences that learners desire. Built on Kannu, kadenze.com is a robust distance learning solution targeted at the STEAM market (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) - like coding, music, machine learning, augmented/virtual reality, and design. Courses are taught by industry experts and professors from leading uni
OpenLearning is a cloud-based lifelong learning platform platform that enables education providers, companies and governments to prepare learners for the future of work. With a consumer-oriented operating model (B2B2C and B2C), strong network effects, novel implementation of social constructivist educational theory and an integrated data-driven AI-powered education to employability pathway, OpenLearning is at the forefront of a new wave of education delivery. OpenLearning’s success is a result
Cudoo offers self-paced online courses covering languages and professional development skills for both individuals and businesses.
Ubits is the biggest corporate micro-learning platform that trains employees in Latin America by enabling them to solve their daily professional problems.
Top 10 Free Online Course Providers in 2021
- LinkedIn Learning
- Infosec Skills
- ITProTV
- CBT Nuggets
- A Cloud Guru
- Cloud Academy
- GoSkills
- Skillsoft
- ServiceSkills
- Dataquest
Learn More About Online Course Providers
What are Online Course Providers?
Online course providers deliver educational course content to students across a wide range of subjects, from academic subjects like physics to technical areas like web development. With thousands of different courses available online, users in many different stages in life — from K-12 school students to seasoned professionals — can find an online course to help advance their education or career. Businesses turn to online course providers as an efficient way to ensure employees have the skills they need to pursue their personal career goal as well as key business objectives.
The content offered by online course providers can vary depending on the provider. Some online course providers specialize in content geared toward technical fields such as web development, artificial intelligence, or data science. Others partner with well-known universities to offer courses in biology, statistics, finance, digital marketing, or project management. Some courses focus less on education in a specific field and more on professional competencies or “soft" skills, such as improving communication skills, learning how to effectively lead a team, or strategies for being productive at work.
Online courses frequently include interactive content like videos and practice projects. At the end of the course, users typically take an assessment that measures whether the user mastered the material. Once a user has completed a course or a series of courses, they may earn a badge or certificate that can be posted on social media or added to their resume.
Key Benefits of Online Course Providers:
- Expand employee skill sets
- Boost worker productivity and performance
- Increase employee engagement and reduce turnover
- Create new career pathways for workers
Why Use Online Course Providers?
The biggest reason for a company to use online course providers is to help the company’s employees improve their skills in areas that will benefit the individual worker as well as the business as a whole. Technical fields like coding and artificial intelligence are rapidly evolving, so having employees take online courses to learn the latest developments is a cost-effective way to ensure the company is able to implement the latest technologies in their industry. Other less technical subjects can also be important if a company’s leaders notice their workers have a knowledge gap. For example, if a manager is struggling with giving their direct reports effective feedback, they might want to take a course on managing teams that could help address that need.
More generally, access to online courses can lead to increased employee engagement and retention. Professionals who feel like the company cares about their personal development will be more effective at work and more likely to stay if they feel they have a path to advance their career. Earning credentials through online courses also gives employees a chance to share what they have accomplished, ideally creating a culture of learning throughout the company.
Who Uses Online Course Providers?
Just about any individual can sign up for an online course, from high school and college students to mid-career professionals. Universities make online courses available to their students, faculty, and alumni. Companies use online course providers as one piece of their employee training program. For businesses, the main users of the software will usually be company leaders, team leaders, and employees.
Company leaders — How executives use online course providers vary depending on their goals. They may be users themselves and could complete courses on relevant topics, like communication or management. Leaders who manage the company’s online learning subscription may take a hands-off approach that allows employees to decide which courses interest them and would be most useful. Other leaders may want a more structured approach, where they determine which specific competencies they would like to build across the company and create a company-wide learning plan with required courses for different groups of employees. Tracking features in online learning platforms allow leaders to analyze how employees use the software, including how employees perform on assessments, allowing the company to adjust its plans as necessary.
Managers and team leaders — Managers use online course providers’ tracking features to monitor the progress their direct reports make on their learning paths. If a manager discovers a specific learning need that an employee has, they can recommend or assign a course to that employee that helps address that knowledge gap. These learning experiences can serve as a starting point for discussions about employees’ career aspirations and the goals they have for themselves.
Students — Individual employees across a company are usually the main consumers of online courses within an organization, though individual students can also sign up to take courses outside of work. Their needs and interests vary widely across a business, depending on the employee’s role and which skills they need. For example, a digital marketing specialist is probably going to need different courses than an IT administrator. Regardless of the field the employees study, many course providers offer badges or certifications that individual employees can display on social media profiles, potentially leading them to new career opportunities within their existing company or elsewhere.
Kinds of Online Course Providers
The main distinction between online course providers is in the types of courses they offer. Some online course providers will focus on one area of online courses while others offer all of these paths. Examples of course offerings might include some of the following.
Technical fields — IT management, coding, artificial intelligence, web development, data science, and cybersecurity.
Digital marketing — Social media strategy, content marketing, traffic optimization, email marketing, and inbound marketing.
Academic subjects — Math, literature, design, architecture, robotics, engineering, chemistry, history, music, and economics.
Business management — Leadership, finance, entrepreneurship, negotiation, emotional intelligence, and project management.
Career skills and personal well-being — Public speaking, writing, productivity, exercise, nutrition, and time management.
Online Course Provider Features
Besides the course content, online course providers typically offer some of the following features.
Course library and learning paths — Most tools have a library function that allows users to browse different courses. Courses are often grouped into paths, with several courses about the same topic bundled together. Users also have the ability to create a customized learning path, based on their interests and desired skills.
Mobile apps — For learning on the go, online course providers often present content on a mobile application, which might also allow the user to download the course so it can be accessed even when not connected to the internet. This flexibility means users can view course content and complete assessments at times that they might otherwise not be able to.
Skill assessments — Quizzes to test a user’s mastery of the material may come at different points in an online course. A pre-assessment shows what the user knows at the beginning, which may change the content of the course to skip over topics that the user already mastered. A short quiz after a lesson can serve as a check for understanding and indicate whether a user should redo a section if they didn’t show a grasp of key skills. An assessment at the end of the course reflects overall mastery of the topic. If the user receives a passing score, many course providers offer badges or certifications they can display.
Analytics — Most online course providers for businesses have a way of tracking how employees use the software. Managers can see which staffers are enrolled in courses, completion rates, and scores on assessments. Company leaders can use this data to gain insight into how employees spend time on the courses and which skills they master, opening up opportunities for coaching, or making adjustments to the company’s training strategy.
Video — A growing number of online courses offer videos as a key element of the course content in an effort to make the courses more engaging. Sometimes, a host guides the user through lessons, showing examples and visuals on the video. For courses on computer-based skills, a video might show a screencast of someone performing the task on the computer, like how to use an email marketing tool.
Projects — Real-world projects help users apply abstract course concepts to an applicable task they might do in the real world. Online courses offer these exercises as assessments or optional chances to get more practice with a skill. For example, a course in business administration might describe a business problem and encourage the user to come up with a solution.
Certifications — As proof of their learning, users who pass a course’s assessment can earn badges or certifications that indicate which skills they’ve acquired. Those badges can then be added to a user’s LinkedIn profile or promoted on their resume. Some course providers even partner with schools and universities to offer online coursework that can be counted towards a master’s degree at that institution.
APIs — Application programming interface integrations enable online courses to connect to other software that a company uses, such as a learning management system or a reporting tool. Data integrations make courses more accessible and allow managers to effectively track and analyze data generated by employees completing learning activities.
Potential Issues with Online Course Providers
Missing real-world application — Learning abstract concepts about programming or business is different than actually putting those into practice. While some course providers have informative content about a topic, some fall short in terms of giving users a chance to put that knowledge into practice through real-world simulations or exercises. If online courses don’t integrate meaningful opportunities to apply the skills they teach, users may find themselves unprepared to actually use those skills at work once they finish the course.
Lack of standardization for certifications — While students can earn certifications, badges, and certificates for completing online courses, the value of those credentials is less certain. There are few universal standards for online learning credentials, so it can be hard to determine exactly what someone has learned by the badge on their social media profile. How much stock people put in a credential from an online course provider will likely come down to that platform’s history and reputation for quality content. Having the backing of well-known institutions can add credibility. Course providers with solid track records are more likely to have their credentials recognized by top employers.
