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The Best Free Coding
Bootcamps in 2021

Online coding bootcamps have become increasingly popular in recent years for their intensive courses that offer pathways into the tech industry. These bootcamps teach programming skills to help you get into tech. The programs can last for weeks and are often intensive. They use hands-on learning, real-world projects, and pair programming.

Free coding bootcamps can be a low-risk way to try out programming and determine if it is a good fit for you. If you’re unsure about computer programming, paid bootcamps can cost you your time and money.

Free bootcamp courses eliminate any financial risks that you would take with a paid bootcamp. This guide will highlight some of the best free coding bootcamps online and where to find them.

10 Best Free Coding Bootcamps in 2021

You can start your career in tech without making a financial commitment. Your best bet would be to try out the introductory programs that most bootcamps offer. These online coding courses are excellent because they help you to gauge your interest in programming.

Most courses are delivered through an online learning platform and allow you to learn at your own pace. Some of the courses listed below are individual courses and free online resources. Take a look at the best free coding bootcamps in 2021.

Coding Bootcamp Course Duration Location
Ada Developers Academy Full Stack Web Development Six months Seattle
App Academy App Academy Open Curriculum Self-paced Online
Eleven Fifty Academy Intro to Coding, Intro to Cyber Security, Intro to UX/UI Design Self-paced Online
Flatiron School Try Coding for Free, Try Data Science for Free, Try Cyber Security for Free Self-paced Online
Fullstack Academy Intro to Coding 15 hours, self-paced Online
General Assembly Coding, Data, Design, Product Management free resources Self-paced Online
Hackbright Academy Explore Python Free Self-paced Online
Hack Reactor Hack Reactor Prep 60-90 hours, self-paced Online
Kenzie Academy Kenzie Free Self-paced Online
Springboard Data Science, Cyber Security, Design, Coding Self-paced Online
Ada Developers Academy logo

Ada Developers Academy

Courses: Full Stack Web Development

Duration: Six months

Location: Seattle, Washington

This is one of the only full in-person bootcamps on this list. Ada Developers Academy is a non-profit, and students are not required to pay tuition for learning. Students will learn HTML, Ruby, CSS, and JavaScript. Students also learn inclusion and leadership through pair programming.

This coding camp focuses on full stack web development. Students learn technical skills to help them land a job as a developer. It also comes with a paid internship that lasts for five months. Students complete the theoretical aspect before moving on to their work experience.

Ada Developers Academy pairs students with partner companies. When they complete the program, the bootcamp assists them with career services. They get mock interviews and company introductions to increase their chances of getting hired. Students do not only learn to code on this online platform, they develop career skills that employers are looking for.

Ada Developers Academy’s goal is to build a community of students that strive in the tech industry. They prioritize making tech knowledge accessible to women, non-binary people, students of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

App Academy logo

App Academy

Courses: App Academy Open Curriculum

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

App Academy is a coding bootcamp that prepares students for a career in software engineering. This bootcamp offers online access to its entire full stack software engineering curriculum for free. However, the free plan does not give you access to some benefits like instructor support, job placement services, code challenges, and an alumni network.

App Academy Open allows learners access to over 1,500 hours of online courses to study at their own pace. The curriculum is a complete resource for full stack coding skills including Ruby on Rails and JavaScript. Students also learn computer science fundamentals.

This free training program offers an interactive coding environment built into the platform. It has community chat access to help you connect with other people who want a career in full stack development. Online support is available for students within this coding community.

Eleven Fifty Academy logo

Eleven Fifty Academy

Courses: Intro to Coding, Intro to Cyber Security, Intro to UX/UI Design

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

Eleven Fifty Academy is a coding bootcamp in Indianapolis that teaches coding, cyber security, and UX/UI design topics. It is a nonprofit organization and has both free and premium bootcamps. You can enroll locally or simply join the online program.

The coding bootcamp livestreams the programs in the evenings and weekends. This makes it possible for working professionals to attend. The curriculum offers an introductory approach to computer programming and other topics.

Attending this program requires a laptop with WiFi capabilities. The bootcamp also makes laptops available to students who do not have their own computers and cannot afford to get one. This makes a career in programming more accessible.

Flatiron School logo

Flatiron School

Courses: Try Coding for Free, Try Data Science for Free, Try Cyber Security for Free

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

Flatiron School is a coding bootcamp with campuses in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC. It also has free courses available online in data science, software engineering, and cyber security. These prep courses are designed as an introduction to programming before entering the immersive program.

The free courses for beginners teach students the fundamentals of most coding languages. It gives you a chance to see if coding is the best option for you. The curriculum covers 75 hours of material, and students learn HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and Ruby. They also learn an introduction to API integration to cover how databases communicate.

The curriculum includes hands-on tutorials and labs to ensure that students can replicate what they have learned. This program covers a fraction of the material on the immersive bootcamp, but it is enough to get you started as an absolute beginner. The courses for beginners are mainly self-paced but include technical support from coaches.

Fullstack Academy logo

Fullstack Academy

Courses: Intro to Coding

Duration: 15 hours

Location: Online

Fullstack Academy is a coding school that trains students to take up roles in cyber security, software engineering, and data analytics. It has immersive programs that last for weeks. You can enroll in this free preparatory course if you don’t want to splurge on an immersive program.

The bootcamp has a free online prep course. It includes 15 hours of lectures, individualized learning, and code challenges. It has many of the same elements as the immersive program. However, you may need some experience with coding before enrolling, because the prep courses are intense.

The Fullstack Academy Prep program curriculum covers CSS, HTML, and JavaScript fundamentals. Students also learn to define and invoke functions, data types, recursion, and multi-dimensional arrays. The training you get on this prep program can help you decide if you’re interested in an immersive, paid bootcamp.

General Assembly logo

General Assembly

Courses: Data Science, Digital Marketing, Software Engineering, User Experience Design

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

General Assembly has a large library of free content on topics like software engineering, data science, digital marketing, and user experience design. Students can access free courses online before choosing to enroll in a paid immersive bootcamp.

The bootcamp offers free workshops that last for 24 hours aside from free educational resources. Some of the courses covered in this resource include introductory courses to CSS and HTML. Students also learn about machine learning, SQL, and Python. The free online course covers web development basics as well.

The workshop teaches you to write your first code and create simple websites. Students can interact with their peers and ask questions in real-time during the workshop. It also offers hands-on coursework that takes place in an online classroom.

Hackbright Academy logo

Hackbright Academy

Courses: Explore Python Free

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

Hackbright Academy is a popular coding program for women in San Francisco that focuses on bringing more women into tech. Students learn computer science fundamentals and attend lectures and labs. If you do not want to commit to the immersive classes, you can use the free online learning module.

The program’s curriculum covers the basics of Python. It lasts for six weeks, and each lesson takes one to two hours. Even though it is online, this free prep course still offers a strong curriculum. It was created by the same instructors as the main bootcamp.

Hack Reactor logo

Hack Reactor

Courses: Hack Reactor Prep

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

Hack Reactor is a software engineering bootcamp with online and in-person training. This online bootcamp also has two prep courses in addition to its immersive program. One is free, while the other is premium. The course material mostly covers JavaScript skills that students learn through hands-on exercises.

It has a self-study format that allows the students to change their direction at any point in the curriculum. This ensures that they can complete the learning process effectively. This training is excellent for people who can study independently.

The free version offers the same content as the paid one. The only difference is that it doesn’t have the live support option. If you require support from the instructors for your career path, then the premium prep is ideal.

Kenzie Academy logo

Kenzie Academy

Courses: Kenzie Free: Learn to Code

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

Kenzie Academy is an Indiana-based software engineering programming bootcamp. It has a free online coding bootcamp called Kenzie Free to help beginners learn to code. Kenzie Academy’s program consists of mini-courses with a self-paced curriculum. It covers the basics of coding.

Students also learn to use CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. It simplifies the subjects as much as possible to help you decide if you want to pursue a tech career. Since it is for beginners, you need no coding experience to enroll in the program.

If you are experienced in coding, the remote program could act as a refresher. It also allows you to learn in your own time so you can test things out without feeling the same pressure as a paid program.

Springboard logo

Springboard

Courses: Data Science, Cyber Security, Design, Coding

Duration: Self-paced

Location: Online

Springboard is an in-person and online coding bootcamp. It offers a wide range of immersive programs and free resources to help you get a taste of programming before committing. It is a great option if you want to enter a coding, data, design, or network security career.

This bootcamp offers free online Python courses for data science. It also uses real-world datasets to help students solve problems as they complete the modules. It also includes courses on data science tools and how to transform data for analysis. The coding courses cover how to explore data using statistics and plots.

Since these are self-paced courses, you can enroll at any time. However, it does not come with an instructor like the immersive program. The program requires students to have some knowledge of Python and is not for complete beginners. Some foundational knowledge is helpful.

Choosing the Right Free Coding Bootcamp for You

Choosing the Right Free Coding Bootcamp for You

With a free coding bootcamp, there are not a lot of options to consider. These free programs are mostly self-paced and most don’t feature live, instructor-led classes. Some offer support using coding communities. This could come in handy as you learn.

While free bootcamps may not teach you what you need to prepare for a job, they could help you to decide if coding is what you want to do. Find a free coding bootcamp that offers introductory classes to bring you up to speed with the basics.

Also, do not forget to check the terms of the bootcamp. If it is completely free, then you will not be required to make any financial commitments. Check for the upfront costs or any hidden charges to be sure that you aren’t required to pay.

Free Coding Bootcamp FAQ

Are there any free coding bootcamps?

Yes, there are a few free coding bootcamps, like Ada Developers Academy. Popular online resources like Khan Academy offer free tutorials and learning resources. Most free coding bootcamps are preparatory courses. Paid bootcamps may offer more in-depth knowledge.

What is the best free coding bootcamp?

There are many excellent free coding bootcamps. Some include Ada Developers Academy, Kenzie Free, and App Academy Open. These online coding classes offer hours of content to help introduce learners to coding. You can learn CSS, HTML, Python, and more.

Are free coding bootcamps worth it?

Yes, free coding bootcamps are worth it because they give you an idea of what to expect in immersive paid bootcamps. You can decide if you want to continue or pursue something else. You may also get to learn some amazing new skills that you can apply to your current profession.

Will free coding bootcamps help me get a job?

It is possible to get a job after completing a free coding bootcamp. However, it may take a lot of effort, hard work, and self-discipline. The programs rarely have instructors, so you will need to master everything on your own. It will require a lot of self-motivation to enter a career in tech.




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