What are the best places to learn to code these days? Learning how to code can not only be personally rewarding, but can also have major impacts on your career – even if you don’t intend to be a programmer. However, how do you learn to code, especially if you’re looking at coding for beginner-level stuff?
With the list below, we’ve compiled some of what we consider to be the best places to learn to code. Whether you want to learn to code games, build websites, or something else, there is definitely a resource for you. Plus, you won’t need to scrounge the internet and find the resources yourself. If you’re ready to master new programming skills, let’s dive in.
Table of contents
Before You Start
Before you jump into everything here and learn to code, it might be helpful to take a step back and evaluate what you know about coding in the first place. I.e., do you know what coding is? As we don’t want to make any assumptions that you’re a computer science whiz, we’ve compiled a quick mini-list below of informational articles you might find helpful before you actually go about learning to code. We’ve also included some info for careers as well, just in case learning how to code is a new career move for you.
- What is Coding and Why Learn to Code?
- What is Programming? Learning Programming for Beginners
- Learning How to Code: Coding vs. Programming
- Best Programming Languages to Learn to Code
- What is a Developer? Getting to Know the Industry
- Developer Job Outlook: In-Demand Industries
- Game Developer: What is it & How to Become One
- Web Developers: Career Outlook
- Software Developer Career Outlook
The above said, among the most valuable resources for learning to code when you’re not sure where to start is the Intro to Programming Bundle at Zenva. This comprehensive bundle covers an impressive range of programming languages and tools, from scratch and web development, to game creation using Unity, and Python for machine learning applications. Designed to cater for beginners, it provides real projects to build and add to your portfolio, making it an unparalleled medium to embark on your coding journey and excel in this high-demand, lucrative field.
Zenva
Zenva is a complete learning platform dedicated to a variety of topics – including web development, game development, AR & VR development, data science, machine learning, and mobile development. With its convenient course structure and curriculums, which were designed by industry experts, you can easily follow a guided path to reach your learning goals. Each curriculum is also geared towards coding for beginners, making it a great resource for those starting out.
With such guidance, it stands firmly as one of the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Front-end Web Frameworks (Bootstrap, Angular, etc.), Back-end Web Frameworks (Express, MongoDB, etc.), Python, Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, Phaser 3, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, C++, Java, Swift, and more
Access: You can access premium paid courses with the Zenva subscription, try out their free 101 courses, or browser Zenva’s YouTube channel.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a non-profit organization focused on providing students and teachers with supplemental learning material for free. It covers a wide variety of topics on any subject you could imagine, including learning how to code. Besides coding itself, Khan Academy also dives into the realms of computer science, which not every platform covers. With video lessons, text lessons, and challenges, you’ll get tons of opportunities to learn in different ways. Plus, Khan Academy supports the Hour of Code movement, so it’s great for kids as well just starting out.
Plus, as a free resource, it makes a great addition to your collection of best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: Computer science, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, digital Information, data science
Access: Head to Khan Academy’s computing section to find the best resources for coding.
Hackr.io
Rather than hosting content themselves, Hackr.io is more of a list-style website. The way the site works is that anyone can submit a tutorial on coding, and then the website evaluates the tutorial. If it matches their criteria, they add it to their listings – where other users can upvote good tutorials. As such, it serves as a convenient way to find a bunch of tutorials in one place. With tons of filters, good categorization, and easy ways to bookmark your favorite content, it is a fantastic source to explore content from many different sources till you find one that clicks with you.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Python, Node.js, Java, C++, C, PHP, SQL, Front-end Web Frameworks (Bootstrap, Angular, React, etc.), Back-end Web Frameworks, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift, Unity, Unreal Engine, deployment technology, data science, machine learning, and much more
Access: Head to Hackr.io’s main site to get started. Note that using the site is free, but tutorials it list contain a mix of paid and free content (which are very clearly labeled).
SoloLearn
SoloLearn is a free, ad-supported platform that offers numerous courses on a variety of popular programming languages. The course content, which they promote as being developed by experts, is broken down into bite-sized modules that let you thoroughly explore the coding principles for each language – as well as challenge and quiz yourself along the way. Besides their website, you can also access the content via their Android and iOS apps, meaning you can learn to code on the go anytime you want!
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, React, Angular, PHP, Python, C, C++, C#, Java, Kotlin, Swift, SQL, data science, machine learning, Go, and Ruby
Access: Head to SoloLearn’s website to get started, or try the Android and iOS apps.
GameDev Academy
You’re already here, but did you know this blog also offers great resources to learn to code? GameDev Academy, as the name applies, is a blog focused on providing tutorials on making games with different engines. The blog covers numerous different topics ranging from the basics of setting up your game, to game design, to handling intermediate elements like procedural generation. Tutorials range from step-by-step written tutorials, video tutorials, and eBooks, so there’s a nice variety as well that will work regardless of your preferred learning style.
With so many tutorials available, we hope you’ll definitely consider it as a recommendation for best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: Unity, Unreal Engine, game design, Phaser, HTML5 frameworks (Babylon.js, LimeJS, etc.), and more
Access: Just head to the blog’s main page to get started!
CS Dojo
CS Dojo is a YouTube channel focused on teaching programming and computer science in one convenient place. The topics covered have a wide range, including lessons on language basics, project-based videos, and even explanations on common algorithms for computer science. As everything is taught by a former Google software developer, you can be sure as well that the content is expertly made by an industry veteran.
While it may not focus on the learn to code aspect as much as others on this list, it goes far more into computer science than the rest, which can be useful no matter which language you choose to learn.
Topics Covered: Python, Django, computer science, data science, developer job advice
Access: Start learning with CS Dojo’s free content here.
MIT OpenCourseWare
College is expensive (especially if you live in a little place called America). To combat the expense of college, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) decided to fix that by just publishing their course materials online for free for anyone to use. As such, with the MIT OpenCourseWare platform, you can get the same learning path recommendations, lectures, quizzes, and so forth that college-level students are getting.
And as said, this includes ALL their materials, so you can find courses on just about everything technology-related – whether that has to do with learning how to code or if you want to learn to build robots that can visit Mars someday. Plus, it also offers material on non-tech-related subjects too, so it’s a great location all around to use for learning. Either way, this is definitely one of the best places to learn to code from industry experts.
Topics Covered: Computer science, data science, Python, C, C++, Java, and more
Access: Just visit the MIT OpenCourseWare site to get started for free.
The Odin Project
The Odin Project is a free, full-stack curriculum developed via an open-source community system. Not only are you able to dive into a ton of different web topics that will help you learn how to code, but also join a community that can help you make important contacts in the industry. Plus, the entire curriculum is designed to get you hired, so you’ll get general career advice and directly work on projects that you can use to build your coding portfolio.
If web dev is your thing, this is definitely one of the best places to learn to code that you should check out.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Git, Ruby, SQL, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and more
Access: Visit The Odin Project’s website to get going with this free learning source.
Code.org
Code.org is a nonprofit focused on providing kids in grades K-12 education in computer science. Their resources are intended to be used by young students, as well as teachers who are trying to instill more STEM into the education they’re providing. The materials don’t just cover how to learn to code, but also focus a lot on the principles behind it. By this, we mean there is a lot of focus on using coding practically to make projects and on skills that can transfer to other parts of children’s lives.
Notable, Code.org is also the founder of the Hour to Code movement, so all available courses are developed by people with a passion for the topic. As such, be assured that as one of the best places to learn to code, it stands strong.
Topics Covered: Computer science, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, visual programming for games, and more
Access: Check out Code.org’s Learn section for available free courses.
Scotch.io
Scotch.io is a course and tutorial site focused purely on the topic of web development. While it strays a bit from complete beginners (i.e. it assumes you at least know HTML), it does go very in-depth into popular, modern web development frameworks like React. In addition, the material is divided into framework basics and practical projects. So you get to go beyond the standard coding basics and see advanced projects that will help you expand your skills even further.
Topics Covered: CSS, JavaScript, Python, Node.js, React, Vue, Angular, and more
Access: Head to the main Scotch.io site and choose a course or tutorial to suit your needs (all available for free).
Dani Krossing
Dani Krossing’s YouTube channel has a variety of content – but also comes with some really useful tutorials on web development for those so inclined. There is an equal focus both on the frontend and backend developer aspects of web development, so you’re sure to get a well-rounded education. The tutorials are also very geared for beginners, so even if you’ve never done something like install PHP, you’ll learn how to do it. Plus, you can also learn some other multimedia skills like Adobe Premiere if that helps with your goals as well!
Overall, this is a fantastic resource for web dev, so be sure to consider it when looking for the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, AJAX, C#
Access: We recommend checking out Dani Krossing’s Multimedia Course Playlist collection to get started with this free content.
Codewars
Codewars is a platform based around challenges they call “kata”. Instead of learning the coding basics, this site assumes you already have that down to a degree. So, the focus here is not tutorials and courses, but to learn how to use the coding knowledge you already know to accomplish tasks. Each “kata” gives you a problem to solve, and then you do just that – solve it with guided training. As these challenges are created by other developers, you’ll find tons of different material that helps you turn abstract coding into something more practical you can actually use in everyday life.
Topics Covered: C, C#, C++, PHP, Java, JavaScript, Python, Swift, Ruby, Rust, Lua, F#, TypeScript, Kotlin, and many, many more
Access: Just head to the Codewars website to join in for free.
Derek Banas
Derek Banas’ YouTube channel is focused on providing quality education in many different topics of programming. The channel offers a variety of different styles of video – from language basics contained in 30 minute plus videos, to small videos you can self-pace and do one at a time. Beyond coding, the channel also offers content on tons of related topics like math as well, so you can learn lots of adjacent skills all in the same place that will boost your learning efforts.
So, if variety is what you need, this channel is surely one of the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: Python, data science, machine learning, Java, C++, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, React, C#, Node.js, MongoDB, Git, Unity, and more
Access: We recommend visiting the playlist section of Derek Banas’ channel to find collections of free courses to learn from.
Edabit
Edabit is a platform that’s described as the Duolingo for coding languages. In this sense, while it definitely teaches some coding basics, its primary focus is to make you actually use your coding skills. With the basics training, you will be bombarded with actual practice problems, and when you’re done learning the basics, guess what? More challenges! This challenge focus, however, does allow you to get in as much practice as you could ever want – so you can come away feeling like you understand how to use coding for your own projects.
Topics Covered: JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Java, Swift, C#, C++
Access: You can sign up for Edabit for free on their main site.
Caleb Curry
Caleb Curry’s YouTube channel, with all content passionately taught by Caleb Curry, focuses on many aspects and languages for programming. Where the channel focuses most of its energy though is with both web development and machine learning. The channel especially takes great pains to break down the complex topics involved with machine learning and more difficult programming languages to an understandable level.
As finding good tutorials on these more complex topics is hard, this is a fantastic resource with well-paced videos you can explore at your leisure – a perfect solution for best places to learn to code if you need a variety of content.
Topics Covered: Machine learning, computer science, Java, Python, Node.js, C++, C#, C, MySQL, and more
Access: We recommend checking Caleb Curry’s free playlists for a concise overview of all the topics available.
The Net Ninja
The Net Ninja is a YouTube channel focused on Full-Stack web development. With a pretty even balance between frontend development topics and backend development topics, it covers just about everything you need if you’re interested in building websites and web apps. Content on this channel is also uploaded very, very frequently, so you’ll get a constant stream of new videos. Additionally, most videos are 15 minutes or less – meaning you’ll get plenty of breaks to absorb the knowledge as well.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, Angular, React, Node.js, MongoDB, Vue.js, Python, Django, GraphQL, Firebase, PHP, Flutter, Laravel, Next.js, and much more.
Access: We recommend checking out The Net Ninja’s collection of playlists to find the series you’re most interested in.
MDN Web Docs
Spearheaded by Mozilla, the creators of Firefox, and a large community of developers, MDN Web Docs is an efficient source to find tons of information about web development. While it doesn’t cover as many topics as others on this list, the ones it does cover it does so very thoroughly and very well.
The site is an interesting blend between tutorials and documentation. There are plenty of guides to follow that help you get your first websites up and running, and examples that let you try out certain principles like HTML tags. At the same time, there’s also tons of technical information about what each tag and keyword does – only explained in fairly non-technical terms. As such, it works great as a learning tool and a reference point.
Regardless, the resource is free, so as one of the best places to learn to code, it has a price that’s hard to beat.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and MathML
Access: Just head on over to the main MDN Web Docs site to read up on everything.
Thenewboston
Thenewboston YouTube channel focuses on a variety of coding topics and tutorials – whether that means learning a new programming language or exploring math and digital currency. The channel specializes particularly in web development technologies, covering popular frameworks like React to even how to work with SEO for your websites. That being said, the channel also offers tutorials on lots of other programming topics that can be used to build games, mobile apps, and generalized software programs.
Though many of their tutorials are a bit on the older end of the spectrum, there is still lots of great information for those in need of solid foundations and is still one of the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: Python, Docker, React, Kotlin, Node.js, JavaScript, Django, Angular, CSS, Bootstrap, and more.
Access: We recommend checking out Thenewboston’s playlists for comprehensive lists of videos to peruse.
LearningLad
LearningLad is a website-YouTube combo of content aimed specifically at software and mobile development. While the creators don’t focus on as many topics as others, this allows them to specialize in some of the more difficult programming languages and concepts of computer programming. Additionally, the combination of materials works out well for everyone.
While their website is simplistic, it allows for easy, no distraction reading and learning. However, if you’re a visual person, the YouTube videos more than makeup for that, so you’re easily going to find a learning method that works for you.
Topics Covered: C, C++, Python, and Java
Access: We recommend either just checking out the website itself or checking the YouTube playlists for comprehensive sets of content.
Brackeys
Despite having retired from YouTube, Brackeys is still a quintessential source for all topics Unity. This channel’s content covers everything from how to program with C#, how to make simple games, how to create UIs, and so forth. The channel also covers a variety of Unity’s features such as Shader Graph, lighting with the Universal Render Pipeline, and more. If it’s part of Unity, you can almost be sure to find a tutorial for it here.
Although Brackeys is now technically retired from YouTube, it is still one of the best places to learn to code if you want to make games with Unity.
Topics Covered: Unity and C#
Access: We recommend just visiting the main YouTube page for Brackeys and browsing their content from newest to older.
Jason Weimann
Jason Weimann’s YouTube channel is another one on this list that focuses specifically on Unity. Not only can you find tutorials on how to use Unity, but also tons of different information on the best tools to use, the state of the industry, new Unity features, and so forth. It is both a great source for learning Unity, and a great source for getting news about the game industry in general.
In terms of the tutorials, though, they are made to be quite long, so you can expect very expansive explorations without having to worry about finding multiple different parts – everything you need to learn is in one convenient place.
As a well-known creator, as well, you can rest assured that this is a channel that stands above many others as one of the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: Unity and C#
Access: We highly recommend starting with Jason Weimann’s playlists so you can find the topics you’re looking to explore – whether tutorials or news.
Socratica
Socratica is a YouTube channel with a generalized focus on STEM (with some art and humanities thrown in for good measure). The “learn to code” content is fairly slim in terms of topic variety, but the topics that are covered are fairly in-depth. That being said, the remaining material on topics, like math, are a boon when it comes to learning to code. Math is just one of the need-to-know topics for more advanced programming, so the more opportunities you have to learn it the better. As such, this channel has a very good complement of materials as you expand your skills.
Topics Covered: Math, Python, and SQL
Access: We recommend checking out Socratica’s playlists for easy topic searching.
Codeconquest
Codeconquest is a simple blog-style site with no-fuss resources to learn to code. It focuses primarily on web development, but some aspects of software development and Python can be found here as well.
The free tutorials available, as mentioned, have little to distract you away from reading through the content. The tutorials range from providing you fundamental coding examples, to just giving information about important technical aspects of the coding languages covered. It also provides some recommendations for you to learn further, so if you want a starting resource that guides you into new resources, this is a great choice.
Topics Covered: Binary, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, MySQL, Ruby, Swift, and Python
Access: We recommend going directly to Codeconquest’s tutorial page for learning to code resources.
Trevor Payne
Trevor Payne’s YouTube channel is another one that focuses very deeply on a few topics – this time C++ and Python. Many of the video tutorials offered cover beginner to intermediate level foundations that are sure to help you even as programming grows and changes. Additionally, most of the tutorials present are under 10 minutes, making them great to fit into any schedule while still covering lots of great topics that can help you build software or games.
While niche, it is still one of the best places to learn to code for those specific topics!
Topics Covered: C++ and Python
Access: We recommend reviewing Trevor Payne’s playlists for easy-to-find collections.
CodeWithChris
CodeWithChris describes itself as the largest iOS dedicated YouTube channel, and it definitely lives up to its name. Despite solely being about iOS, the amount of content and variety offered is amazing. You can learn everything from how to program with Swift, how to use popular frameworks like Firebase, or even follow step-by-step tutorials on building an app. There is also a good mix between regular sorts of apps and games, meaning it’s a great source catering to both types of app development.
Regardless of what you want to learn to do with iOS, you’re almost sure to find the topic covered on this channel – so be sure to include this on your learning list of best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: iOS app development, Swift, and Firebase
Access: We recommend reviewing the playlists for CodeWithChris to follow the guides on each separate topic.
Alison
Alison is a monumentally large website with a variety of courses available on just about everything. While other similar sites mostly focus on premium content, Alison offers a slew of free training courses to dive into – including those in the IT sector. As these are intended for audiences looking for professional careers, topics go beyond just coding and focus a ton on general computer science. So, if you’re looking for a whole computer science package deal, Alison is fantastic. Plus, if you’re willing to pay premium, you can get certificates and diplomas from the site as well!
Topics Covered: Computer science, Java, Swift, JavaScript, R, MySQL, data science, machine learning, Python, HTML, CSS, Angular, C++, C#, and much more
Access: You can head straight to Alison’s IT section for relevant learn-to-code courses.
Reuben Ward
Reuben Ward’s YouTube channel is dedicated to two things: Unreal Engine and C++. While the tutorials aren’t frequent, they do cover a good mix of just using the Unreal Engine to make games in general, and the various aspects involved with using C++. Plus, you’ll also get to learn some pretty nifty mechanics such as making vehicles or recording gameplay – all of which can be useful to your own game projects!
If Unreal Engine is your passion, we highly recommend this as one of the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: Unreal Engine and C++
Access: Viewing Reuben Ward’s video list is the best way to get started.
Dash
Created by professional skill training company General Assembly, Dash is a free program that lets you learn how to build websites. It accomplishes this by utilizing interactive lessons that allow you to explore coding right from the comfort of your browser. In so doing, you don’t just get to read how an HTML tag might work or a CSS fundamental applies, but actually get to apply the techniques right then and there. For visual learners, it’s absolutely a fantastic resource.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Access: Head over to the Dash homepage to learn more and sign-up for the lessons.
Codeasy.net
Codeasy is a simple site with one goal: to teach you C#. The site aims to do this with the backdrop of a story. Instead of just learning the plain old language principles as most sites do with technical jargon being every other word, you’ll go through an exciting story that helps to contextualize all the principles you’re learning. As such, the site can be much more beginner-friendly for those who aren’t quite ready to read about computer science and just want to learn to code in an easy-to-understand way with practical applications.
Topics Covered: C#
Access: Just head to the Codeasy website to start learning C#.
W3Schools
For those who’ve ever looked at web development at all, you’ve probably heard of W3Schools as one of the best places to learn to code.
While the site has been around for a long time, it still stands as one of the most definitive sources when learning web development. The content has a consistent, easy-to-follow format that includes concise explanations, examples, exercises, and quizzes. This makes it great not just for learning, but also for referencing later as you reach the practical application portion of your learn-to-code journey. Each element also gets focus, from HTML tags to classes, so you can be confident you’ll get an in-depth overview of everything.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript, jQuery, React, Angular, SQL, MySQL, PHP, ASP, Node.js, Git, Python, Java, C++, C#, R, XML, and more
Access: Just head over to the main website to get started.
Swift Playgrounds
Developed by Apple themselves, Swift Playgrounds is an app that lets you learn to code Swift with a fun game aspect. Through using the app, you’ll be tasked with guiding the player to complete a variety of tasks in order to move to the next level. In order to accomplish these tasks, you’ll need to use the correct Swift code. As such, it embodies the idea of learning by doing, and you’ll cover a large variety of Swift basics so you can start developing your own iOS apps.
Topics Covered: Swift
Access: We recommend going to the Swift Playgrounds homepage to discover the best download option for you.
DevAddict
DevAddict is a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching game development for the Unreal Engine. The content is split in two different ways. Some tutorials cover very specific mechanics, such as doors opening via switches or specific ways in which other professional games have implemented their combat. Others cover making an entire game from the ground up in longer series – letting you complete a whole project while you learn.
As such, if Unreal Engine is your thing, this channel offers a good variety in terms of how you go about your learning and is one of the best places to learn to code for that!
Topics Covered: Unreal Engine
Access: We recommend heading to DevAddict’s playlists to find the best lists of Unreal Engine content to suit your needs.
Tech With Tim
Tech With Tim is a generalized YouTube focused on just about everything programming. However, the channel particularly specializes in Python. This includes using Python to make games, utilizing Python and related frameworks for websites, and even just learning generalized matters related to data science and machine learning.
Regardless of which industry of development you’re interested in, this channel offers a great start in some of the most popular languages for developers to know and building some projects for your portfolio. But, especially if you’re into Python, it’s definite a go-to as one of the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: Python, data science, machine learning, Django, Kivy, Pygame, Flask, Flutter, Golang, JavaScript, React, C++
Access: We recommend checking out Tech With Tim’s various playlists to find a topic of interest.
Traversy Media
Traversy Media is another YouTube channel with an extreme focus on web development – though with a much bigger collection on various libraries and frameworks than the usual channel. Not only does this channel give you some great basics, including a series on just building websites for your portfolio, but also lets you explore the various technologies available. Most of the tutorials range from 14 minutes to an hour plus, so you’ll also find it hard to run out of content to watch!
Overall, it’s worth a look if you’re truly interested in the best places to learn to code.
Topics Covered: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, Vue.js, GraphQL, PHP, MySQL, Angular, Python, and more.
Access: We recommend jumping straight to Traversy Media’s extensive playlists list for topic overviews.
Ending Words on Best Places to Learn to Code
While this list by no means includes every resource, we believe we’ve compiled a good collection of paid and free resources that will help you find the best places to learn to code. There are tons more out there, including many more platforms with online coding classes/online courses. We also kept our scope pretty limited to popular programming languages, so if you’re looking for related in-depth topics such as data structures or similar, there are plenty of resources for that as well.
Whether you want to learn computer programming for your own projects or want to enhance your career, we’re sure you won’t be disappointed with the skill set. Learning to code opens whole new doors of opportunities to you, and allows you to keep up with today’s fast-changing world.
Anyone can learn programming, whether you want to learn HTML for the web or learn Python for developing app, automations, and more. Though learning to code isn’t easy, it can be done with the sheer amount of resources available.
As you delve into what you want to learn and the best places to learn to code, Zenva’s Intro to Programming Bundle certainly stands out as an invaluable resource. This comprehensive bundle guides beginners through the basics of vital languages and tools such as Scratch, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and Unity. It’s designed to get beginners coding real projects in just 30 minutes, making it an excellent starting point for those aiming to master game, application, and web development.
Keep trying, and you’ll find the best places to learn to code that suit you!
Did you come across any errors in this tutorial? Please let us know by completing this form and we’ll look into it!
FINAL DAYS: Unlock coding courses in Unity, Godot, Unreal, Python and more.
