You don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to get an accredited certification. Actually now is the perfect time to enroll in an online course and get certified, for free.
Reputable academies, institutions, and universities all over the world are offering great online courses with certificates to help people build employable skills. It’s a trend that started a couple of years ago and has shaken the online education industry.
Online courses listed below are free to enroll and they offer a certification without any additional charges.
Top Free Certification Courses
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
- Computer Programming for Everyone
- IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate
- Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional
- Facebook Certified Marketing Science Professional
- Inbound Sales Certification
- Introduction to Cloud Computing
- IT Support Professional Certificate
- Responsive Web Design Certification
- Principles of Marketing
1. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
The first online course with a certificate worth considering is the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing offered by Google. It’s the official Google Digital Marketing Certification and is accredited by Open University and IAB Europe.
What you’ll learn
By enrolling in this digital marketing course you can build or improve your digital marketing skills and start a career in digital marketing.
In particular, this certificate course will teach you:
- How to start an online business
- How to increase the visibility of your business on the Web
- How to get customers to your door (for local businesses)
- How to get more customers through paid advertising methods
- How to track and analyze your traffic
- How to expand your business globally
Career Opportunities
This course is suitable for anyone wishing to break into digital marketing without a degree or prior working experience.
Once you get certified, you can work as a digital marketing specialist and earn an average salary of $50K per year.
How to get certified?
You have to complete all 26 modules (duration is approx 40 hours) and pass a final exam. The exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions.
When you successfully pass the exam you can get a printable certificate (pdf) and a link to share/add the certificate to your social media profiles.
In general, this is one of the best google certifications to pursue because it is globally recognized by employers and companies.
Despite the advantages offered by this course, it won’t make you an expert. This is a great course for beginners but to become a digital marketing expert and aim for a higher salary, you need to continue your learning journey with a more advanced digital marketing certificate.
2. Computer Programming for Everyone
Having computer programming skills can almost guarantee a job in the IT industry. Good and experienced programmers earn more than $100K per year and are high in demand.
The Computer Programming free certification course by Future Learn is a great starting point if you want to become a professional coder.
It’s an online course offered by the University of Leads and the Institute of Coding. It’s also one of the courses recommended by the UK government for improving your digital skills.
What you’ll learn
By enrolling in this course, you’ll learn:
- How computers and computer languages work
- How programing languages can help you solve common problems
- What kind of coding languages are available
- How to write your first computer program
Career Opportunities
This is an introductory course to computer programming and alone cannot help you get a job as a computer programmer. This is suitable for those that know nothing about computers and programming languages and want a course to teach them the basics.
How to get certified?
To get your certification, you need to complete all lessons (approx 4 hours) and achieve an overall score of at least 70% on the final exam.
The issued certificate, among other information, will include the logos of the Universities offering this program. There is also the option to get a printable certificate.
3. IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate
If you want to build job-ready skills, this free online course and certificate offered by IBM is a great choice.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for Data Analysts will grow by 20% in the next few years. This means that if you start a career now as a junior data analyst, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to grow and advance your career.
What you’ll learn
This professional certificate includes 9 courses that will help you build the necessary skills to work as a Data Analyst. In particular, you’ll learn:
- How to use spreadsheets in Excel for data analysis and data mining tasks
- How to create data analysis dashboards in Excel and Cognos
- How to use Python to query SQL databases
- How to combine data from different sources into reports
Career Opportunities
According to Coursera, 25% of learners started a new career after completing this course.
Jobs you can apply for include:
- Junior Data Analyst
- Data Analyst
- Data Science
- Data Engineering
The salary for junior Data Analysts is between $40K – $50K per year and for experience Data Analysts between $70K – $80K per year.
How to get certified?
To get this professional certificate, you need to complete all 9 courses. The total duration is 3 months (3 hours per week).
4. Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional
Another online certification worth considering is the Microsoft Advertising certified professional. The course is delivered by Microsoft Advertising Learning Lab and it’s free.
What you’ll learn
By taking this course you can build the skills needed to become a Microsoft Ads Specialist and run paid campaigns on the Microsoft network.
You’ll learn how to design, set up, and optimize Microsoft Ad campaigns.
The material covered in this course is similar to the Google Ads exams offered by Google Skillshop but adjusted to the Bing Ads platform.
Career Opportunities
This is a great certification if you want to make a career as a PPC expert. Bing Ads is not so popular as Google Ads but having a Bing Ads certification can be used as an additional qualification when applying for PPC-related jobs.
To increase your chances of getting hired, it is highly recommended to also pursue a Google Ads certification and pass the exams to become a certified Google Ads specialist.
How to get certified?
To get certified, you need to pass the final exam with a score of 80% or higher. To prepare for the exam, Microsoft offers a free study guide (230 pages PDF) that you can use to learn everything you need to know for the exam.
There is no time limit when taking the exam and Microsoft recommends using the study guide as a reference during the exam.
Upon completion of the exam, you can get a printable certificate (PDF) to add to your CV and share on your social media profiles.
5. Facebook Certified Marketing Science Professional
Many people are not aware of it but Facebook besides being the king of social networks it also has a learning academy, Facebook Blueprint, offering a range of accredited online certifications.
One of the most popular Facebook blueprint certifications is the Facebook Certified Marketing Science Professional.
What you’ll learn
Despite being a Facebook certification, the learning objectives of this course are not limited to Facebook. By enrolling in this certification course, you’ll learn how to use data, insights, and measurements to make informed marketing decisions.
The preparation guide includes 6 free courses covering topics related to data analysis, conversion rate marketing, and marketing strategy.
The most important learning outcomes are:
- Define a Measurable Business Goal
- Conduct Experiments to Measure Ad Effectiveness
- Evaluate Advertising Effectiveness with Observational Methods
- Develop a Hypothesis to Test
- Optimize Campaigns with A/B Testing
- Evaluate Your Marketing Strategy with Marketing Mix Models
Career Opportunities
There are several marketing jobs to apply for after completing this course. The most important are:
- Media analyst
- Data scientist
- Data analyst
- Quantitative researcher
- Measurement FMP analyst
This certification is a great addition to your CV as Data Analytics jobs are very popular these days and are high in demand.
How to get certified?
To get certified, you need to pass the final exam with a score of 700/1000 or higher. The exam duration is 105 minutes and it’s multiple-choice.
All Facebook exams can be taken online or at a Pearson Vue testing center and must be scheduled in advance. Exam results are made available via CertMetrics 24 hours after the exam.
6. Inbound Sales Certification
One of the best free online courses to follow and start a career in sales is the Inbound Sales Certification offered by Hubspot Academy.
Hubspot is considered a leader for inbound marketing and this adds credibility to Hubspot Academy certifications.
What you’ll learn
Through this course, you can build new skills related to customer prospecting and inbound sales. It includes 5 lessons covering the following topics:
- Inbound Sales Fundamentals
- Prioritizing Active Buyers Over Passive Buyers
- Earning the Attention of Today’s Empowered Buyer
- Understanding the Buyer’s Context
- Delivering Personalized Sales Presentations
Career Opportunities
This certification will help you get a job as a Sales Manager or Sales representative. If you’re good at sales or interpersonal communications, this course will help you close the gap between offline and online sales.
How to get certified?
To get this certification, you need to complete the course (total duration is 2.12 hours) and pass the final assessment.
Hubspot certifications are globally recognized and can be added to your LinkedIn profile or printed.
7. Introduction to Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is reshaping the IT industry both in terms of infrastructure but also for career opportunities. All major computer companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and IBM are moving their systems to the cloud and this creates an increased demand for cloud administrators and professionals.
One of the free certifications worth considering if you want to pursue a career in cloud technologies is the Introduction to Cloud Computing offered by IBM and delivered by edx, a popular online learning platform.
What you’ll learn
This is a course for beginners that will teach you the basics of cloud computing including:
- Service and deployment models
- Cloud architecture
- Cloud security
- Cloud technologies
Career Opportunities
This certification alone cannot guarantee a job position but it’s the first step you can take if you want to start a career in cloud computing as an administrator, developer, analyst, or architect.
Edx offers a number of programs (including a bachelor’s degree and professional certificates) to continue your learning journey and become a cloud computing professional.
How to get certified?
To be awarded this digital certification, you need to complete the course. The total course duration is 3 weeks.
8. IT Support Professional Certificate
One of the online certifications that can guarantee a job is the Google IT Support Professional Certificate.
According to Google, there are more than 300K jobs listed in the US looking for IT support professionals, and finding a job would not be difficult.
The course is designed and delivered by Google employees and offered through Coursera.
What you’ll learn
By completing this Google career training program, you’ll build the skills needed to
- Succeed as an entry-level support specialist
- Perform basic IT support tasks (including software installations, wireless network setup, etc)
- Perform debugging and problem-solving for common IT support problems
Career Opportunities
There are many entry-level and intermediate jobs you can apply to including:
- Help-desk specialist
- System analyst
- IT support technician
- Junior DBA
- IT user support specialist
This certification also prepares you for the CompTIA A+ certification, which is an industry-wide certification for IT professionals.
How to get certified?
To become an IT-certified support professional, you need to complete the 5 courses that are part of this professional certificate. The total duration is about 6 months (allocating 10 hours per week).
All courses are 100% online so there is no need to attend a physical classroom or show up for training at a specific time.
9. Responsive Web Design Certification
If you want to get a job as a web designer or web developer, you’ll find a lot of value in the Responsive Web Design certification offered by Freecodecamp.
What you’ll learn
This certification includes 8 courses that will teach you:
- How to use HTML and CSS to build sites
- How to create usable and accessible web forms for data input
- How to create mobile-friendly websites
- How to make web pages responsive
Career Opportunities
Web development and design are some of the most popular work-from-home jobs. Web developers earn a good salary and they can work remotely without having to attend a regular 9-5 job.
Even if you’re not thinking of starting a career as a web developer, you can still take this course and build your web development skills. Having such skills is an additional advantage for many jobs including SEO managers, social media professionals, digital marketing freelancers, and many others.
How to get certified?
To get the certification, you need to finish all courses (about 300 hours) and complete 5 required projects.
Unlike other certifications, this is a highly practical and hands-on program. It takes a lot of effort to complete all lessons and projects but it will really help you build job-ready skills.
Freecodecamp certifications are worth it because, during the process, you’ll gain valuable hands-on experience and build projects you can use to showcase your skills.
10. Principles of Marketing
A free certification you can take online if you want to start a career in Marketing is the Principles of Marketing offered by Saylor Academy.
Saylor Academy is a nonprofit institution offering free and open online courses since 2008.
What you’ll learn
Upon completion of this course, you’ll gain a good understanding of how marketing works. You’ll learn about:
- The marketing process
- How marketing works within an organization
- How to use marketing to sell products or services
- How to identify what consumers need
- How to communicate with consumers
- How to create products that solve consumer needs and wants
Career Opportunities
Despite the fact that online marketing is trending, having traditional marketing skills is still a requirement for many job positions.
Digital marketers can take this course to enrich their skills and complete beginners can take this course and start a career in marketing or sales.
This free course gives you college credits for continuing your studies in one of the participating universities and colleges.
How to get certified?
The total time to complete this course is 82 hours. To get certified, you need to pass a two-hour exam with a score of 70% or above. The exam consists of a series of multiple-choice questions.
Conclusion
Despite what many people think, it is possible to get an accredited certification for free. Globally recognized companies such as Google, Microsoft, and IBM are offering online certification programs to help people build job-ready skills to meet the increased demand for certified and skilled IT professionals.
As you can see in the table below, there are free certifications covering different areas of IT like marketing, digital marketing, sales, cloud computing, software development, and IT support.
| Certificate | Vendor | Cost | Industry |
| Fundamentals of Digital Marketing | Free | Digital Marketing | |
| Computer Programming for Everyone | Future Learn | Free | Computing |
| IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate | Coursera | Free | Computing |
| Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional | Microsoft | Free | Digital Marketing |
| Facebook Certified Marketing Science Professional | Free | Digital Marketing | |
| Inbound Sales Certification | Hubspot | Free | Marketing |
| Introduction to Cloud Computing | edx | Free | Cloud Computing |
| IT Support Professional Certificate | Coursera | Free | Computing |
| Responsive Web Design Certification | Free Code Camp | Free | Web Design |
| Principles of Marketing | Saylor Academy | Free | Marketing |
Before enrolling in a course, make sure that you check the certification requirements and that you create a realistic learning plan to complete the course and get certified. Some courses may take a few hours to complete while others may need a time investment of up to 300 hours.
If you know of a free online course that is a good candidate for including in our best free online certificates programs list, let me know in the comments below!
