Our 5 Favorite Free Python Online Courses for Beginners

There are so many ways to learn Python online that it can be difficult to choose your best learning path. In this article, we will lead you through some of the best examples of free online Python courses.

Learning Python has many advantages. It’s more than just another skill on your resume; it can change your career path.

Programmers all over the world choose Python because it is a great language to write scripts, build websites, create machine learning and AI projects, and work with data science. So it’s not surprising that companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, NASA are all looking for Python specialists.

Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Let’s have a look at how to learn Python for free and which are the perfect Python courses for beginners.

Our 5 Favorite Free Online Python Courses

1.   Python Basics: Part 1

Starting to learn Python was never so easy. To get access to our Python Basics: Part 1 course, you just need to create a free account on the LearnSQL.com platform. After logging in, you step into the Python world.

This Python Basics course is the first of three parts that make up an entire beginner-level Python training. It is built with real-life examples, very similar to what you’d use in a real job. The difference is that here you can make mistakes without consequences. This course contains:

• 95 interactive exercises – Type in your code and get immediate feedback.
• A certificate of completion – After finishing this course, you can download it or add it to LinkedIn.
• Hints – Whenever you are stuck on a coding challenge, you can use a hint to move on.

This learning path covers Python’s entry-level concepts, such as variables, lists, conditional statements, loops, and functions. After finishing it, you will be able to write interactive console applications and useful Python scripts to automate common tasks.

To start the course, you don’t need any IT background or any previous programming experience. You just need a browser and a willingness to learn. It will take around 10 hours to complete.

Not only is this a great Python course, it's also the perfect way to find out if programming is for you. You’ll see what it means to write code, how to think like a programmer, etc.

2.   Python for Everybody

This online course is available on the popular learning platform Coursera. It’s offered by the University of Michigan; to enroll for free, you need to create an account on the platform and log in.

In Python for Everybody, you’ll learn the skills to start creating your own simple applications. The course covers fundamental programming concepts including data structures, networked application program interfaces, and databases.

In this specialization, you focus on one project. If you successfully finish it, you will gain a certification. This specialization consists of 5 courses, but it is possible to complete only one. You can choose your learning path and easily track your progress.

The course focuses on hands-on experience, but there are also videos, readings, and practice quizzes. Although the course is available online, it doesn’t mean that you will learn completely alone. Each course has graded quizzes with feedback from fellow learners. There are also graded programming assignments.

This specialization does not require previous IT experience. If you learn 3 hours per week, you should complete the entire track in about 8 months.

3.   Learn Python - Full Course for Beginners

This is a free Python course on YouTube. The channel (freeCodeCamp.org) has many different courses on various programming languages, one of which is Python.

This course gives you a complete introduction to all the basic Python concepts. As Mike (the course instructor) says in the introduction, Python is a very friendly language to learn, especially for complete beginners. You just type in what you want from Python and it does that. Mike assures you that you can start writing your first program in seconds. He gives examples at each stage, so every concept is well described.

The first lesson starts with installing Python and a text editor where you will type in your code. In the following steps, Mike guides you through the key elements of Python. The whole video is almost 4.5 hours  long; in the description, there’s a table of contents with links to each part.

With this video lecture, you can easily design your own learning path. You can spend as much time as you want on a section. You can go back whenever you feel like it. You can always pause, rewind, fast-forward – whatever you happen to need at the moment. This kind of method is also very good for visual learners. You just follow the steps shown on the screen.

4.   Google's Python Class

This is a great free place with many different materials for those who want to learn Python. However, a bit of previous experience is required. If you would like to try this Google Class, I recommend starting with some basic courses like our Learn Programming with Python complete track. After you gain basic knowledge, you can enhance it here.

Google’s Python Class includes written materials, video lectures, and lots of exercises so you can practice Python coding. Everything is shown on one website, and it’s all easy to follow. On the left side of the screen, you’ll find tabs with links to individual lessons, video lectures, and exercises on various topics.

The course starts with a set up section (to get Python installed on your device). Then you get an introduction to the language, followed by Python Strings (where you start on the coding material). Every written section includes a link to the code exercise for that section's material. All videos parallel a written lesson.

The entire training is thoughtfully designed for an intensive 2 days of learning. However, as with every online learning path, it is up to you how fast you complete this course.

5.   LearnPython.org

This is another free interactive Python course: a set of tutorials with interactive fields where you will type in your code. You don’t need to download any software or even create an account. After going on the website, you just go step by step according to the directions. You can also get certification at the end.

Everything starts with the well-known “Hello, World!”. This is the first lesson, with just a bit of  theory and a simple exercise. There is a command, an active field for you to enter your code, and a button to submit your answer. Then you’ll see feedback if the answer was correct or  incorrect. You can also get the solution straight away. After completing one tutorial, you can go to the next.

This kind of course is very flexible. You can always get back to lessons you want to repeat. What is missing in comparison with other learning platforms is that you can’t save your progress.

If you feel that you know the content well, you can always go straight away to the final test. If you pass, you get the Python certification.

Learning Python Is Worth It!

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to learn Python online. You can choose the course which suits you best, or you can try every platform we’ve described. Everything that will bring you closer to becoming a Python specialist is worth the effort.

If you have any doubts that you can code, just go and try the first lessons of Python. You will see for yourself that this is a very friendly language for everyone – not only for experienced programmers. Jakub's story is a great example of someone who was not sure if Python was for him. If you’re still unsure, read about whether you should learn Python.

Money doesn’t guarantee happiness, but wouldn’t it be great to have a fascinating, well-paid job? Python opens up some possibilities. For more motivation, check out how much you can earn and what career paths you can take if you learn Python. So learn Python and reach for your best job!