15 websites where you can learn IT for free and earn certificates

Cisco Networking Academy

Cisco — one of the leading players in the world of networking technologies — has long launched its own educational platform, Networking Academy. Here you can take self-paced courses and earn free badges for mastered skills. The most popular tracks are Introduction to Cybersecurity, Networking Essentials, and Cybersecurity Essentials.

The courses are suitable for beginners: no prior experience is needed to get started. If you want to enter network administration or cybersecurity, this is one of the most logical first steps — learn from a company whose equipment is installed in server rooms around the world.

CodeSignal Learn

CodeSignal is a growing platform with over 2,000 courses and learning paths, where you can earn free certificates in programming, AI and machine learning, data science, and interview preparation. The platform is constantly updated and adds new tracks.

A separate plus of CodeSignal is its soft skills courses, which are rare among technical platforms. Here you can improve both your coding skills and your ability to communicate with a team, which employers value just as much as technical knowledge.

freeCodeCamp

The platform offers thousands of hours of educational content, broken down into certifications in web development, JavaScript, APIs, Python, and machine learning. All of this is completely free — no trial periods, no hidden fees, and no time limits.

Certificates here are issued not after a test, but upon completion of real projects. For beginners, this is one of the best starting points in web development.

Google

Google offers free courses on two platforms — through Coursera and its own Google Career Certificates platform. Among the most in-demand tracks in 2026 are IT Support, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, and Python Automation. The certificates are recognized by employers worldwide.

The courses are designed with a focus on practice: many real-world case studies, lab exercises, and simulations of work situations. Google specifically developed them as an alternative to traditional education.

HackerRank

HackerRank works differently from most platforms on this list. Here, free certificates are issued not for completing a course, but for a real skills assessment — you need to solve problems and pass a test. Tracks include Python, SQL, JavaScript, REST API, and other technologies.

This is an excellent option for those who already know how to program but want to officially validate their level. Many IT recruiters know HackerRank and view its certificates as a sign that a person can truly solve problems, not just watch videos.

Harvard CS50

Harvard CS50 is a legendary introductory computer science course that has long gone beyond university lecture halls. In 2026, CS50 offers 11 free certification courses on topics such as computer science, cybersecurity, Python, and AI. These are genuine university programs with rigorous assignments and assessments.

Professor David Malan’s lectures are watched by millions of people around the world — and not by chance. The course explains how computers work at the most fundamental level and provides a foundation that will be useful in any IT field. A CS50 certificate on a resume signals to employers that the person is not afraid of difficult tasks.

Hasso Plattner Institute

The Hasso Plattner Institute is a German technological university affiliated with SAP. It offers a series of self-paced courses with free certificates of participation and achievement, most in German, but some available in English. Topics cover cloud technologies, software development, and design thinking.

The platform is suitable for those who want to obtain a European academic certificate or study topics related to corporate IT systems. The quality of the materials is university-level — with lectures, tests, and project assignments.

Hugging Face

Hugging Face today is one of the most prominent names in the world of AI. The company develops tools for working with language models and open-source code, and simultaneously educates anyone who wants to learn. The platform offers several courses, some of which conclude with free certificates.

If you want to understand how modern AI models work from the inside — transformers, diffusion models, fine-tuning — this is the best free option. The courses are written by the developers of the tools used throughout the industry.

IBM CognitiveClass.ai

IBM opened a separate educational platform specifically for technical specialties. CognitiveClass.ai offers over 100 courses and 10 learning paths in data science, AI, big data, cloud computing, and blockchain — some courses conclude with a badge or certificate.

The main feature of the platform is the virtual lab, where you can immediately apply your knowledge in practice right in the browser. There is no need to install or configure anything: log in, write code, and see the result.

IBM Training

Aside from CognitiveClass, IBM has a separate platform, IBM Training, with an even wider catalog. Of the 582 available courses and 24 learning paths, some include free certificates and badges issued directly by IBM or through the Credly platform. The courses cover AI, automation, infrastructure, cloud, and security.

IBM badges via Credly are digital certificates that can be attached to your LinkedIn profile with one click. For the corporate market, especially in large companies, the IBM name on a certificate still carries weight.

Kaggle

Kaggle is best known as a platform for machine learning competitions, where specialists from around the world participate. But the platform also has an educational section. Kaggle offers courses on the fundamentals of data science, each of which concludes with a certificate of completion.

The course topics include Python, SQL, machine learning, data visualization, and working with neural networks. After training, you can immediately apply your knowledge to real datasets within the same platform — a rare combination of theory and practice in one place.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is built directly into the world’s largest professional network, and this is its main advantage. The platform offers over a hundred courses and learning paths that conclude with a free certificate. Topics cover programming, cybersecurity, project management, and working with AI tools.

The certificate automatically appears in your LinkedIn profile immediately after completing the course — recruiters see it without any extra effort on your part. For those actively looking for IT jobs, this is one of the most practical tools on the list.

MATLAB Academy

MATLAB is a programming language actively used in engineering, science, and finance. The company that develops it, MathWorks, has opened its own educational platform. MATLAB Academy offers 23 free online courses with certificates, focused on machine learning and specialized software.

This is a niche but valuable resource for those who work or want to work in technical fields — robotics, signal processing, modeling of physical systems. MATLAB certificates are rare in the market, which makes them stand out.

Semrush Academy

Semrush Academy is more often associated with SEO and marketing, but the platform has courses that are also useful for IT specialists. Some of Semrush’s free certification courses are directly relevant for developers and IT professionals. This is especially true for those working on web products and wanting to understand analytics and promotion.

For developers who want to grow into product or technical managers, understanding SEO and web analytics is a real competitive advantage. The courses are short, and certificates are issued quickly.

University of Helsinki

The University of Helsinki in Finland has unexpectedly become one of the most well-known sources of free IT education in the world. The university offers academic online courses through the MOOC.fi platform, including courses with free completion certificates. The most famous of these is Elements of AI, which has been taken by millions of people from different countries.

The courses are written clearly, without excessive academic jargon, and are designed for a wide audience — from school students to company executives. A certificate from a European university is taken seriously and looks good on a resume alongside courses from technology companies.