19 Best Free Udacity Courses You Should Know

Manno

Published: October 19, 2023

Are you looking for an e-learning platform that offers free courses? Do you want certifications without having to pay huge sums? 

Look no further because I have found the most perfect best free udacity courses for you!

Udacity offers a variety of free courses that can help you improve your skills and advance your career. Whether you’re looking to learn new programming languages or brush up on your existing skills, Udacity has a course for you. 

Check out our selection of free udacity courses below.

List of the 19 Best Udacity Free Courses for 2023

1. Free Google Cloud Digital Leader Training – Intermediate Level 
2. Free Cloud Native Fundamentals Course – Intermediate Level 
3. Online Free Web Tooling & Automation – Intermediate Level 
4. Responsive Web Design Fundamentals – Intermediate Level 
5. Website Performance Optimization – Intermediate Level 
6. Learn JavaScript Design Patterns for Free – Advanced Level 
7. JavaScript Promises – Advanced Level 
8. Client – Server Communication – Advanced Level 
9. Building High-Conversion Web Forms – Intermediate Level
10. Software Architecture & Design – Intermediate Level
11. UX Design for Mobile Developers – Beginner Level 
12. Software Development Process – Intermediate Level
13. 2D Game Development with libGDX –  Intermediate Level
14. HTML5 Canvas – Beginner-Level 
15. Intro to HTML and CSS – Beginner-Level 
16. Introduction to Python Programming – Beginner-Level 
17. Introduction to Virtual Reality – Beginner-Level 
18. Interactive 3D Graphics – Intermediate Level
19. Kotlin Bootcamp for Programmers – Intermediate Level

1. Free Google Cloud Digital Leader Training

This course is ideal for intermediate-level students so you will need some basic knowledge of Google Cloud in order to fully make sense of the course.

You will learn the basics of cloud technology and data as well as explore the basics of the Google Cloud products and services that support organizational digital transformation. Overall, the course will take 2 weeks to complete. 

The course includes interactive quizzes as well as self-paced learning. The best part about the course is that it is taught by industry professionals from Google Cloud itself so learning is quite extensive. This free course prepares you for Google’s Cloud Digital Leader certification.

Here is what one student had to say:

“I got a promotion! I needed to upskill myself, and Udacity truly helped me with that.”

My rating for the course is 8.5/ 10.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• No prior experience is required
• Basic knowledge of Google Cloud

Why should you take this course?

By taking this course, you will gain foundational knowledge about cloud technology and data. These concepts have become increasingly important for companies around the world.

These new skills will empower you and your team with agility, scalability, and flexibility, enabling optimized operations for your organization.

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Cloud Digital Maker 
• Cloud Network Engineer

2. Free Cloud Native Fundamentals Course

This 1- month long course is great for intermediate-level learners, especially an individual who wants to enhance their skills. Throughout this course, you will learn how to use an automated CI/CD pipeline to structure, package, and release an application to a Kubernetes cluster. 

Katie Gamanji, a Technical Ecosystem Advocate for the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, teaches free Udacity certification. Her knowledge of Cloud Native is extensive, which trickles down into her teaching. 

The website does not mention any of the certifications you will receive upon completion of the course, but we still believe it is worth a shot.

Here is what students had to say about this amazing course:

“I got a new job as a Data Science Engineer after graduating”

My rating for the course is 8.0/10.0.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Understand the basics of HTTP (like the client, server, and internet request)
• Basic Python (data types, functions, REST requests, web development)
• Ability to use Git, Linux machines, and Linux Command Line
• Familiar with Web application development in any language
• Familiarity with Docker and exposure to a CI/CD pipeline are not required for success in this program but are helpful skills to have

Why should you take this course?

The increased fluidity, resilience, and scalability that cloud-native design offers appeals to businesses worldwide. But there are more people looking for cloud-native architects than there are available. Learning these core abilities can therefore be the first step toward a high-paying position in a reputable organization.

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Cloud Native Developer
• Cloud Native Software Engineer 

3. Online Free Web Tooling & Automation

This Udacity free online certificate is great for intermediate-level learners, so you will need some basic programming knowledge to excel at this course. We looked for certifications, but the website did not mention any specific ones. 

In this course, you’ll learn how to set up your development environment, get super productive during daily work and iteration, prevent yourself and your site from disasters, and save time and effort with automatic optimization and automation. You can easily cover the course in 3 weeks. 

The course is taught by Paul Bakaus, a senior product and outreach lead and former entrepreneur. He is a true hybrid executive with 15+ years of leading engineering and product teams and bringing creator and developer products to market. 

Here is one success story to give you inspiration:

“I went from doing basic web development to building Android apps for clients as a director at my company!”

I would give this comprehensive course a rating of 9.0/10.0.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Basic experience with JavaScript and a text editor, like Sublime Text or Atom.

Why should you take this course?

To be effective, front-end developers must work swiftly and effectively. It is essential to have a good selection of tools and libraries. In this course, you will learn about an opinionated set of tools and libraries that will help you with your workflow.

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Automation Developer 
• Web Designer 

4. Responsive Web Design Fundamentals

This 2-week course is perfect for the intermediate level and anyone who wants to improve their web design skills. By the end of the course, you will be equipped to create your own responsive web page that works well on any device.

You can even get a nano degree certificate with this course to accelerate your career!

Learn from software engineer Cameron Pittman who has expertise in extracurricular activity operations and autonomy research. He has over 600,000 students to his name. 

Here is what students had to say about the course:

“This Udacity course helped me transition from web development to my first iOS job!”

My rating for this stellar course would be 8.0/10.0.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Knowledge of reading and writing HTML and CSS
• Ability to inspect and modify websites using browser developer tools 

Why should you take this course?

More people are using their phones, tablets, wearables, TVs, and other devices to access the internet. When a website is responsively designed, it will look excellent and function properly on whatever device your users may be using.

You’ll complete a project in this course that involves building a hometown website that functions effectively on mobile devices, tablets, and desktop monitors.

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Applications developer
• Game developer
• Multimedia programmer

5. Website Performance Optimization

This course is for any and all web developers, whether you started learning about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript recently or have been building websites since the nineties. This intermediate-level course is free and will take a week to complete. With rich learning content, the course will teach you how to optimize any website for speed by diving into the details of how mobile and desktop browsers render pages.

This course is a part of Udacity’s nanodegree program, so you will be one step closer to getting a nanodegree certification. 

Learn from Cameron Pittman and Ilya Grigorik, a Principal Engineer and Technical Advisor to the CEO at Shopify. He is well-versed in website performance optimization, making the course very insightful. 

Students benefitted a lot from the course. Here is how:

“Taking a course with Udacity was the best decision of my life, it’s helped me develop new technical expertise and now I’m a mentor at Udacity.”

I will surely give the course a rating of 10.0/10. Don’t miss out on this free Udacity course!

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Ability to explain the overall purpose of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in website structuring
• Ability to read and write HTML documents

Why should you take this course?

Optimizing websites has become increasingly important in this day and age and thus, skills related to it are highly valued. Moreover, through the project, you can optimize an online portfolio for speed and showcase your skills. 

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Web Optimization Manager
• Optimization Specialist 

6. Learn JavaScript Design Patterns for Free

This is an advanced-level course, so if you want to dive deep into JavaScript design patterns, this course will prove amazing for you. 

In this 6-week long free course, you will be able to understand the importance of code organization and how to implement it with either vanilla JavaScript or an organizational library or framework. The best part is that your applications will begin to look professional. 

Learn from the stellar Ben Jaffe, a Senior front-end developer with superior command over Javascript. Don’t miss out on a chance to learn from him!

The course added value for several individuals. Here is a review by one student:

“I gained practical skills, technical knowledge, and a new job.”

Considering how amazing the instructor is and how important learning JavaScript design patterns is, I would give the course a 9.0/10.0.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Prior experience with a JavaScript library, such as jQuery
• Proficiency in HTML and CSS
• Experience creating static pages

Why should you take this course?

It’s very difficult to find software developers who create clear, organized code, so if you can master it, you’ll have an advantage over the competition. This course will teach you exactly that. 

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Front-end web development 
• Web Application Development

7. JavaScript Promises

This advanced-level javascript course is great for anyone who wants to take their JavaScript knowledge to a new level. By the end of this course, you will be able to handle asynchronous work easily. 

This free course is amazing for the advanced level, so if you want to take your JavaScript expertise to the next level, this is the course for you. Sadly, the website did not mention the certifications, but the course is part of their nano degree certification program.

The course has interactive quizzes to ensure that your learning is maximum. You get to learn from Cameron Pittman, a popular programming instructor at Udacity, with several known courses to his name. 

Student feedback is positive, including:

“I now have the motivation, confidence, and knowledge to do more with my career.”

Considering the course’s depth, I would rate the course 9.0/10.0.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Learn how to build web apps 
• Familiar with the pitfalls of callback-heavy code
• Intermediate-level understanding of javascript

Why should you take this course?

Promises help simplify error handling and make it feasible to chain many asynchronous tasks together flexibly without resorting to a confusing web of callbacks. Through this course, you’ll be able to use Promises to make a web app come to life. 

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Front-end web development 
• Web Application Development

8. Client-Server Communication

This advanced-level course will help you learn about how client and server communication occurs. You will gain knowledge of the request and response cycle of HTTP, explore HTTP headers and verbs, differentiate between HTTP/1 and HTTP/2 capabilities, and discover the significance of security by exploring HTTPS’s specifics.

You can gain all this knowledge in just 5 weeks from industry pros. You get a chance to learn from Richard Kalehoff, a software engineer with over 10 years of experience in creating web applications using popular JavaScript libraries and server-side frameworks such as CakePHP. 

This course will bring you one step closer to achieving a nanodegree certification.

What better way to see the credibility of a course than through student reviews:

“The course I took helped me unleash different passions that I never even knew existed.”

I would rate this free course 8.5/10.0. I learned several insights from the course, so I’m sure you will too!

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Comfortable reading and writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Knowledge of JavaScript’s Fetch API is not required but will be beneficial

Why should you take this course?

This course explores the ins and outs of application performance as well as covers common security pitfalls and how to prevent them.

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Technical Analyst
• Front End Developer
• Software Engineer

9. Building High-Conversion Web Forms

This intermediate-level course is the perfect way to learn how to build high-conversion web forms. In just 2 weeks, you will be well-versed in efficient inputs, fast forms, and touch support to develop web forms that lead to conversions and make your customers happy. 

Learn from Cameron Pittman and Ido Green, senior technology leaders with over 20 years of experience. Learning from them will surely add to your knowledge as it did to mine!

Enrolling in this course would bring you closer to getting a front-end web developer nanogree certification. 

If you still aren’t convinced, try this course out. Have a look at what this student has to say:

“I got my start in front-end development thanks to Udacity, and this was a gateway to a new career”

I rate the course an 8.5/10.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Experience building websites front-end from scratch
• Comfortable reading and writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

Why should you take this course?

Construction of High Conversion Web Forms was created to make it easier for web developers to consider forms and user interactions for all of your users, regardless of the form or device. To create forms that rock, you’ll practice processing user input.

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Technical Analyst
• Front End Developer
• Software Engineer

10. Software Architecture & Design

This intermediate-level course is great for anyone who wants to polish their software design skills. The course is quite in-depth and will take you 2 months to complete. This course is split into four sections: 

• Introduction
• UML and Analysis
• Software Architecture
• Software Design 

The course is designed this way so that you become proficient in the principles and concepts involved in the analysis and design of large software systems.

Learn from the amazing Spencer Rugaber, who is an expert in software design. The second instructor is Eric Feron, an experienced innovator with a strong taste for great ROIs. He is an accomplished leader with excellent interpersonal skills and great adaptability. 

Jarrod Parkes is a senior software professional with a focus on mobile development. He has extensive experience in software development. 

Here is what students have to say about the course:

“I was a commerce student and wanted to change my career to developing for Android. This helped me learn everything I needed to become an Android developer starting from basics to expert level.”

Considering the amazing instructors, I like to give this course 9.0/10.

Prerequisites of the Course 

Must have completed an undergraduate software engineering course or have industry experience in software development.

Why should you take this course?

Students will leave this course with the abilities and information required to use UML to communicate the study and design of an application, use OCL to provide the functional semantics of an application and be able to describe and assess software architectures. 

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Software Developer
• Software Designer
• Software Engineer 

11. UX Design for Mobile Developers

This beginner-level course is ideal for anyone who wants to learn about UX design from scratch. In this quick course, you’ll take a step back from your IDE and explore the methods great designers employ to conceptualize and test-drive fantastic apps before writing any code. By the end of the course, you will have the skills needed to create a 5-Star Android App. 

This is one of the best Udacity free online courses for beginners, in my opinion. You even get a chance to learn from an ex-Google software engineer and entrepreneur, Nazmul Idris. You can even learn practical insights from Lead Conversation & UX Designer, Izabel Grey. The third instructor is Andy Brown whose practical knowledge from working as a software engineer gives him an edge. 

We were unable to find student reviews or certification details on the website. 

 Considering the stellar learning I would give this course 9.5/10.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Programming experience is not required as it is a beginner-level course. 

Why should you take this course?

The course will help you comprehend outstanding mobile UX designers’ key principles and practical methods. Although this course won’t make you a designer, it will assist you in incorporating design components into the things you create.

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• UX designer. 

12. Software Development Process

This course is great for the intermediate level, so if you want to take your software development skills up a notch, you should not look further; the concept of software engineering as an iterative, systematic process is introduced in this course. 

As you become familiar with the development life cycle, design methods, and software testing, you will learn how to use GitHub and Eclipse. This free of cost will take you 3 months to complete so learning is surely in-depth. 

Learn from the amazing Alex Orso, who has great expertise in software development. Joining Alexis Sarah Spikes, a Developer Programs Engineer at Google. She has over 6 years of experience in software engineering. 

There were no certifications mentioned on the website but we did find student reviews. Let’s have a look:

“This helped me learn the fundamentals of software development so I could change careers from tutoring to working as a Front-End Developer!”

I absolutely love this course and would rate it at 9.0/10.0. 

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Strong familiarity with Android development.

Why should you take this course?

Learning the Software Development Processes will show you the skills and processes needed to complement your technical understanding of software products in order to make you a more effective developer in an engineering team.

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Software Developer
• Software Engineer 

13. 2D Game Development with libGDX

This 8-week long course is absolutely free so you can avail of it without being heavy on your pocket. It is an intermediate-level course so you can significantly build up on your already established skills. You will learn how to use LibGDX to create 2D games that work on all platforms, including mobile devices and web browsers.

Learn from Peter Heinrich, a game developer and software architect with broad experience shipping entertainment, web, and mobile applications. The other instructor is Jeremy Silver, who has experience as a Senior Software Engineer at Google and several years of teaching experience. 

I gave this insightful course a rating of 8.5/10.0.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Basic proficiency with Java, including working with collections, implementing interfaces, and extending abstract classes
• Ability to read and understand documentation and source code

Why should you take this course?

This course is for you if you want to learn the skills necessary to bring your game ideas to life or if you want to get ready to enter the field of professional game development.

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Game Developer.

14. HTML5 Canvas

This course is great for beginners who want to learn about HTML5 Canvas. In this course, you will learn how to use the canvas, create compositions using shapes, photos, and text, apply effects and filters to images, and create animations through the course’s several sample projects. 

The course is almost 2 weeks long and absolutely free. Learn from the popular Udacity instructor Cameron Pittman, and  James Williams who is a Developer Relations Engineer at Google with over 750,000 students to his name during his career as a Udacity instructor. 

I would give the course a rating of 9.5/10.0 for anyone who wants to dive into HTML 5 Canvas.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Have some HTML and JavaScript experience
• You should understand loops, functions, and conditional statements

Why should you take this course?

You should take this course if you want to move beyond static HTML tag content and build on your JavaScript skills to make interactive and engaging experiences. 

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Front End Developer
• HTML5 Developer

15. Intro to HTML and CSS

Throughout this course, you will discover more about HTML, the fundamental building block of the web. You’ll discover how to build websites with this resemblance to a tree. Additionally, CSS will teach you how to style a website. It is a 3-week long course that is amazing for beginners. 

This free beginner-level course is great for anyone who is new to HTML and CSS. However, the website did not mention course certifications. 

Learn from experts Cameron Pittman and James Parker with over 18 years of experience in software engineering. He is currently a CTO at CPFD Software and excels at his work.

Students love it, so I’m sure you will too:

“The course not only taught me front-end development concepts but also helped me build my confidence that the knowledge I have is really what the industry wants.”

Based on student reviews and the course content itself, I rate the course 9.0/9.0.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• None. The course is designed for beginners. 

Why should you take this course?

You can learn how to build a website, excel at HTML, and change the looks and style of websites. You’ll also learn about CSS syntax, selectors, and units.

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Web developer
• Graphic designers
• Computer programmer
• Web designer

16. Introduction to Python Programming

This course is ideal for beginners who want to learn about programming through Python. In this course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of the Python programming language, along with programming best practices. You’ll learn to represent and store data using Python data types and variables and use conditionals and loops to control the flow of your programs. 

You can easily complete the course in 5 weeks. You even get an opportunity to learn from Juno Lee, a Technical Curriculum Developer with experience leading projects at tech startups and content development teams. 

The free course did not include details on the certifications, but we found some stellar student reviews:

 “This helped me to understand Python more easily and efficiently. I believe I received my recent promotion because I am the only person in my company with Python knowledge.”

I love this course and like to give it a 9.5/10.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Have some experience programming in another language. 

Why should you take this course?

Python is a potent programming language used in a range of industries, from web development to data science. In terms of “Most Popular” and “Most Loved” technologies, it is among the top 10. And in this program, you’ll learn just that. 

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Software engineer
• Data Scientist
• Data analyst
• Machine Learning Engineer

17. Introduction to Virtual Reality

This beginner-level course is perfect for students who do not have prior experience in programming and want to learn about the principles of VR technology including optics, displays, stereopsis, tracking, and major hardware platforms. 

Matt Sonic will teach this 2-week long free course, a Staff Software Engineer 3D at HOVER along with 6 years of experience as an instructor for Udacity. The second instructor is Vasanth Mohan, a Developer Community Senior Manager at Uniphore. He has considerable domain experience and great knowledge to pass on. 

We were unable to find certifications, but student reviews were pretty great:

“Udacity introduced me to virtual reality. I gained confidence in my own skills, and started my own company!”

I feel like this course deserves a 9.0/10.

Prerequisites of the Course

• No programming experience is required. 

Why should you take this course?

VR development is an amazing career, with both demand and salaries rising. Every innovative VR professional relies on a core set of tools and principles. If you’re going to succeed, then you need to master them, too. In this course, you’ll learn about the principles of VR technology from the ground up. 

What career can you choose after completing this course?

• Software Developer 
• AR/VR Maintenance and Support 
• Design/Graphics Engineer 

18. Interactive 3D Graphics

By the end of this class, you will know enough to make an animated 3D demo program that runs in a web browser while also understanding the basic principles of how realistic computer images are generated. This free Udacity certification will take you 2 months to complete, which means that it is quite in-depth. 

This course is perfect for the intermediate level so if you are someone who has basic knowledge of 3d graphics and wants to enhance their skills, I would urge you to try this course out. 

The best part is that you will learn from industry experts. The course is led by Eric Haines, a 3D graphics programmer with over 11 years of association with Udacity. The second instructor is the stellar Gundega Dekena who has experience teaching with Udacity for over 5 years. Moreover, she has a strong hold on graphics and proved to be a great instructor for the course. 

Overall, students love the course. Here is proof:

“I gained confidence in my own abilities and knowledge.”

Having benefitted considerably from the course, I would rate it 9.5/10.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Some knowledge of JavaScript
• A browser that supports WebGL technology

Why should you take this course?

By the end of the course, you will have a portfolio of small interactive programs that run in any web browser that supports WebGL. If you want to learn about the basic principles of 3D computer graphics: meshes, transforms, cameras, materials, lighting, and animation, then this course is your way to go. 

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Video game designer 
• 3D Printing Technician
• Graphic designer
• 3D animator

19. Kotlin Bootcamp for Programmers

This intermediate-level course will up your Kotlin skills. You will learn the essentials of the Kotlin programming language from Kotlin experts at Google. By the end of this course, you’ll gain the skills you need to build your next project in Kotlin. This training is absolutely free and will take you 2 weeks to complete. 

The course instructors are amazing. You get to learn from Aleks Haecky, a multi-talented individual with experience in technical writing, instructional design, editing, and even game design. The second instructor is Sean McQuillan, an Android Developer at Google who is amazing at what he does. The third instructor is Engineering Manager, Asser Samak who has over 8 years of experience in the field of software engineering. 

For this free course, I was unable to find details about certifications. 

Moreover, I went over student reviews and found this:

“I was able to create an awesome portfolio which impressed interviewers and led to job offers!”

If you are looking for a Kotlin programming course, this is as good as it gets. I rate it a 10/10.

Prerequisites of the Course 

• Know programming languages like Java, C++, or Python
• Have experience with programming for at least 1 year
• Comfortable with an IDE, such as IntelliJ or Android Studio

Why should you take this course?

This free course was developed by Kotlin experts at Google and will teach you the language fundamentals needed to start developing your projects in Kotlin. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to build basic programs in Kotlin using key language features, including classes, collections, lambdas, higher-order functions, and extensions.

What career you can choose after completing this course?

• Software Developer
• Software Engineer 

Conclusion

Udacity offers a vast array of free courses to choose from, and we’ve compiled the best free udacity courses for you. Whether you want to learn about programming or marketing, there’s something here for everyone. 

I always struggled with finding the perfect platform and the most suitable courses to learn about programming. But my problem was solved once I came across Udacity courses. 

These courses are taught by industry experts and are extremely well-structured. You can gain considerable knowledge without having to pay huge sums of money. With Udacity’s easy-to-follow courses, you can be on your way to mastering new skills in no time!

Which one will you start with?