CERTIFICATIONS

Best Free Online Courses & Certifications for Freshers 2026

December 20, 2025 12 min read

Certifications from Google, Microsoft, IBM, and other top companies can significantly boost your resume. The best part? Many of these courses are completely free. Here's our curated list of the best free courses for 2026.

Google Certifications

Google Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate

Learn data analytics skills including SQL, R programming, Tableau, and data visualization. This certificate prepares you for entry-level data analyst roles.

⏱️ 6 months 📚 8 courses 💰 Free audit (paid for certificate) 🎯 Beginner-friendly

Google Google IT Support Professional Certificate

Entry-level IT support skills including troubleshooting, networking, operating systems, and security. No prior experience required.

⏱️ 6 months 📚 5 courses 💰 Free audit 🎯 Best for IT support roles

Google Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Complete UX design training including user research, wireframing, prototyping with Figma, and portfolio building.

⏱️ 6 months 📚 7 courses 💰 Free audit 🎯 High demand field

💡 How to Get Coursera Courses Free

  • Audit option: Click "Enroll for Free" then "Audit the course"
  • Financial Aid: Apply for aid to get certificate free
  • Free trials: 7-day free trial of Coursera Plus

Microsoft Certifications

Microsoft FREE Microsoft Learn - Azure Fundamentals

Learn cloud computing concepts and Azure services. Prepares you for AZ-900 certification exam.

⏱️ 10-12 hours 📚 Self-paced 💰 Completely free 🎯 Cloud careers

Microsoft FREE Microsoft Learn - Power Platform Fundamentals

Learn Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate. Great for business analyst and citizen developer roles.

⏱️ 8-10 hours 📚 Self-paced 💰 Completely free 🎯 Business analytics

IBM Certifications

IBM IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

Comprehensive data science program covering Python, SQL, machine learning, and data visualization.

⏱️ 5 months 📚 10 courses 💰 Free audit 🎯 Data Science careers

IBM IBM Full Stack Software Developer Certificate

Learn full-stack development with React, Node.js, Python, Django, and cloud deployment.

⏱️ 4 months 📚 12 courses 💰 Free audit 🎯 Web development

Meta (Facebook) Certifications

Meta Meta Front-End Developer Professional Certificate

Learn React, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and front-end development best practices from Meta engineers.

⏱️ 7 months 📚 9 courses 💰 Free audit 🎯 Frontend roles

Meta Meta Back-End Developer Professional Certificate

Python, Django, REST APIs, databases, and back-end development fundamentals.

⏱️ 8 months 📚 10 courses 💰 Free audit 🎯 Backend roles

Free Courses from Indian Platforms

NPTEL FREE Data Structures & Algorithms

IIT professors teaching DSA with certificate. Recognized by many Indian companies.

⏱️ 8-12 weeks 📚 Self-paced + exam 💰 Free (exam fee for cert) 🎯 Coding interviews

TCS iON FREE Career Edge - Young Professional

Soft skills, workplace skills, and professional development. Recognized by TCS.

⏱️ 15 hours 📚 Self-paced 💰 Completely free 🎯 TCS hiring

AWS Free Courses

AWS FREE AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials

Official AWS course covering cloud concepts, services, security, and pricing. Prepares for CLF-C02 exam.

⏱️ 6 hours 📚 Digital course 💰 Completely free 🎯 Cloud careers

Programming & Development

freeCodeCamp FREE Responsive Web Design Certification

HTML, CSS, Flexbox, Grid, and responsive design. Build 5 projects to earn certificate.

⏱️ 300 hours 📚 Project-based 💰 Completely free 🎯 Web development

HackerRank FREE Skill Certifications

Get certified in Python, Java, SQL, React, and more through coding tests. Recognized by employers.

⏱️ 1-2 hours per test 📚 Test-based 💰 Completely free 🎯 Resume boost

Top Picks by Career Path

For Software Development

  1. Meta Front-End/Back-End Developer Certificate
  2. freeCodeCamp Web Development
  3. HackerRank Language Certifications

For Data Science

  1. Google Data Analytics Certificate
  2. IBM Data Science Certificate
  3. Microsoft Power BI Fundamentals

For Cloud/DevOps

  1. AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials
  2. Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
  3. Google Cloud Fundamentals

For IT Support

  1. Google IT Support Certificate
  2. TCS iON Career Edge
  3. Microsoft 365 Fundamentals

Tips for Making the Most of Free Courses

  • Complete projects: Don't just watch videos - build things
  • Add to LinkedIn: Showcase certifications on your profile
  • Apply knowledge: Build personal projects using what you learn
  • Get actual certificates: Use financial aid on Coursera if needed
  • Choose strategically: Pick courses aligned with your career goals

Free courses have democratized education. Whether you want to be a developer, data scientist, cloud engineer, or UX designer, there's a free path to get there. Start learning today! 📚