What this is
Free Online Courses is a lookout from AltFTool: a curated directory of online courses that are free to enrol in and free to finish. It is not a learning platform. We host no video, sell no subscription, and take no payment from learners at any point.
Every course listing links to the provider's own page. You complete the course there, under their terms, with their account — exactly as if you had found it yourself, only faster.
How courses get listed
A course qualifies on three tests. The complete learning material must be accessible without payment. The provider must be an established university, non-profit or platform rather than a reseller. And the material must be current enough to still be accurate in a field that moves.
- Full material free — not a trial, not a first module
- Established provider — university, non-profit or recognised platform
- Current and maintained — no abandoned courses
- Certificate terms stated plainly, including when there is no certificate
Why we label certificates so carefully
'Free course' is used for at least four different arrangements across the industry, and the difference decides whether you finish with a credential. Some providers issue a free certificate. Some let you audit the material free and charge for the certificate. Some publish materials with no enrolment or certificate at all.
Every card and detail page on this site names which of those applies. We would rather lose a click than imply an audit track ends in a credential it does not.
How this is funded
Free Online Courses is part of AltFTool and carries no learner-facing charges. We do not accept payment from providers for placement, and no provider listed has approved, endorsed or sponsored its entry.
If a listing is ever accompanied by a commercial relationship, it will be labelled on the listing itself.