30 Best Free Online Courses with Printable Certificates

By
Emmanuel Nwosu
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30 best free online courses with printable certificates
30 best free online courses with printable certificates

In today’s world, there is information and knowledge virtually everywhere on the internet. As a matter of fact, you can now access some of the best free online courses with printable certificates by simply using your phone and the internet.

It’s crazy when you realize the number of opportunities we have in our hands and how much knowledge you can acquire from a simple google search.

Data has it that 87% of American adults said that the internet has helped them learn new things. One out of every five Americans said that they learned a new top skill from an online course.

Interestingly, some of these skills can be acquired for free online, and from highly reputable organizations around the world.

To help you in your search for the best free online courses with printable certificates that you can leverage to learn that new skill, we have put together this article.

In this article, you will find some online courses that may interest you and may just be what you’ve been looking for.

Let’s take you by the hand, as we point out these best free online courses with printable certificates one by one.

Let’s go.

Table of Contents

Reasons To Take Free Online Courses With Certificates

Education is going online, and it is becoming more popular today than it was in the past. The challenge becomes, why should you choose free online courses with printable certificates? Here’s your answer.

1. Free Access

These free online courses allow you to learn anything without restrictions at all. 

No matter what your age or educational background may be, you can take on these free online courses and learn a new skill from them.

With this open access, you’re not restricted from learning because of your qualifications or financial ability.

2. Flexible Schedule

Most online courses are self-paced and offer learners the ability to learn at their own schedule. 

This is a massive opportunity, especially if you’re a busy individual who is hoping to acquire a new skill or learn something new. 

These free online courses allow you to learn at the schedule that’s best for you no matter what you do.

3. Stress-Free Self Development 

In the past, if people wanted to acquire some information or skills, they had to travel long distances every day to their campus or school. 

However, with free online courses, the situation is absolutely different and the possibilities are endless.

Right now, you can acquire a skill that can earn you millions of dollars in your nightwear and from the comfort of your bedroom with just your smartphone. 

4. Improve your CV

Free online courses with printable certificates can improve your CV because they help to show employers that you are curious about knowledge. 

Employers find individuals who are always looking for ways to improve themselves attractive.

With the right free online course in your CV, you could attract the kinds of jobs you’ve been hoping for. 

That’s why we’ve made these tips below to help you choose the right free online course for your needs. Check them out.

Tips For Choosing Free Online Courses With Certificates 

Taking a free online course is one thing, choosing the RIGHT online course for you is another thing. That’s why we’ve brought you some tips to guide you.

1. Determine What you want to Achieve: 

Before taking any online course (paid or free) it is wise to sit down, and properly figure out what you want to gain from the course. 

You should ask yourself some important questions that will help you to know if the free online course is right for you at that moment. 

There are so many free courses on the internet today, and if you don’t know what you want, you’ll end up spending time on the wrong things.

2. Research Course Quality

This will help you make the right decision if you have a couple of options to choose from. 

To do this properly, we suggest that you do it after you have determined why you want to take a free online certificate course. 

Researching course quality will help you to explore a range of courses and determine which one can help you achieve your goals.

3. Check the Course Content

Some courses may be great, but they may not be for your level or experience or they may not have the content that can help you with your goals.

That’s why, it’s important to check the content of any course before you enrol into it

If the course contains what you’d like to learn about, then you can go ahead and invest in it.

4. Delivery of Courses

Some courses are free, but their delivery can not be carried out totally online because of the demands of the program. 

If you’re far away from the physical location, it may affect your overall learning. Therefore, you should ensure that the course creators have the capacity to deliver all the course content online. 

While checking for course delivery also ensure that you check the quality of course delivery to ensure that you don’t waste your time.

Now that you know why and how to choose the right free online courses, let’s help you find some of these courses with the list below.

List of 30 Best Free Online Courses with Printable Certificates

Below you can find a list containing 30 of the best free online courses with printable certificates:

30 Best Free Online Courses with Printable Certificates

This is for you if you’re seeking to find out what the courses we’ve listed above entail. Check them below.

1. Content Marketing Certification:

Platform: HubSpot Academy

If you have an interest in content marketing, or you’re looking to switch careers and specialize in Content marketing, then you may find this course really valuable.

On successful completion of this free content marketing course, learners will receive a printable certificate of completion alongside access to the learning community.

This course is designed to be beginner friendly and covers a couple of important topics like:

  • Content marketing
  • Storytelling
  • Content Repurposing 

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2. Google Analytics for Beginners

Platform: Google Analytics Academy

This is a fundamental course for anyone seeking to understand the basics of Google Analytics including how to set up an account, implement a tracking code, etc.

The course went as far as showing learners how to use the Google analytics platform and the function of different parts of the interface.

Although this course was built to be beginner friendly, it still contains the fundamentals that even advanced marketers can benefit from.

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3. Introduction to Social Media Strategy

Platform: Buffer through Skillshare

This 9-module Skillshare program offered by buffer has over 40,000 enrolled students and 34 projects. 

From this course, you’ll learn about building a social media strategy and how you can effectively create and curate content on different social media platforms. 

In addition to that, you’ll learn how to decide which platform is right for your business, and how you can effectively use those platforms to drive your business and achieve your goals.

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4. The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process Specialization

Platform: Northwestern University on Coursera

Northwestern University has a certificate course that teaches learners about sales.

The course promises to teach learners how they can close more sales and improve the performance level of their sales team.  

On average, the course is estimated to take just 4 months to complete if you dedicate 3 hours of your time weekly to the program. 

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5. How to Start a Dropshipping Business

Platform: Shopify Academy

Shopify offers a dropshipping course with 17 modules that will teach you how to be successful in the industry.

You’ll learn how to validate a product idea and business idea and find products to sell without having to bother about inventory or shipping. 

Learners will also see how to find a supplier and how to set up your store properly to make sales.

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6. Learn Java

Platform: Codecademy

Codecademy has a repository of great programming courses for different levels of expertise. 

This Java course by Codecademy is an introductory Java script course that covers the basics of this programming language.

You’ll learn about variables, object-oriented java, loops, Debugging, conditional and control flow and so much more.

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7. Good with Words: Writing and Editing Specialisation

Platform: The University of Michigan on Coursera.

Communication is a great skill that is applicable in almost every endeavor of life. 

Very few people know how to really communicate through words on paper and it might be a plus for you if you can.

Nevertheless, you can acquire the skill of effective writing and editing by taking free online courses like this one offered by the University of Michigan.

From this course, you’ll learn how to properly punctuate, use syntax, and much more.

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8. Communication Skills – Persuasion and Motivation

Platform: NPTEL on Alison 

Have you ever wondered how the world’s greatest communicators are so effective at getting people to pay attention to them? 

If yes, you may find the answers when you learn the skill of persuasion and motivation. 

On Alison, NPTEL has hosted its free online course that introduces you to persuasion and motivation that will help improve your verbal and written communication skills.

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9. Marketing Fundamentals: Who Is Your Customer?

Platform: Babson College on edX

In four weeks, you can easily finish up this marketing fundamental course if you dedicate at least 4 to 6 hours of your time per week.

You’ll learn how to segment, target, and position your marketing activities to acquire customers.

Additionally, you’ll also see how to create a marketing strategy that positions your business to create maximum value.

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10. Mandarin Chinese Level 1

Platform: Mandarin x via edX

Chinese is one of the most popular languages spoken in Asia and across the world. 

Knowledge of Mandarin is no doubt one of the greatest skill sets a person can acquire, especially if you want to start up a business in China or any Mandarin-speaking country. 

This course developed by Mandarin x is a free online certificate course that will help you achieve your desire to learn a new language or improve upon it.

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11. Information Security

Platform: Freecode Camp

Every day, we exchange vital information with the internet during our interaction with apps, websites, and software. 

As a result of this data exchange, we are at the risk of losing this information to dangerous individuals or sites on the internet. 

For this reason, individuals with information security skills are needed in organizations and companies all across the world to safeguard the information of customers and users.

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12. Global History Lab

Platform: Princeton University on edX

This course is a complete history course where learners do not just read or watch lectures, but also analyze documents from historical records. 

Students undergo a series of weekly labs in the form of assignments that students perform in teams. 

Although this course is totally online and takes an estimated 12 weeks to complete, it is not a self-paced course as instructors are responsible for the pace of the course.

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13. The Manager’s Toolkit: A Practical Guide to Managing People at Work

Platform: The University of London through Coursera.

Having a hard time managing people at work? This course will help you out.

The course was developed to help you become a better manager no matter who you manage or what your job setting may be.

This course is totally online and it is designed to have flexible deadlines to fit your schedule.

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14. Introduction to Digital Humanities

Platform: Harvard University through edX.

If you’ve always wanted to learn digital research and visualization techniques and fully employ this knowledge in fields of humanities, this certificate course may just be for you.

This is a 7 weeks self-paced course that introduces you to the concept of digital humanities and shows you how you can harness the different aspects of digital humanities research and study.

Introduction to digital humanities is for anyone who wants a better understanding of the field of digital humanities and the corresponding tools within the field.

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15. The Cold Email Masterclass

Platform: Mailshake.

For you looking to get better results from your email marketing or you’re just about to get started on the path, you may want to take a look at this course right here.

What’s interesting about this course is that it is delivered by experts in the field of email marketing and it covers important aspects of the course.

In 8 lessons, these email experts broke down the important concepts of email marketing and made it accessible to everyone for free.

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16. SEO Certification Course

Platform: HubSpot Academy 

SEO is a digital marketing skill that involves improving your website’s visibility on search engine results pages for certain keywords. 

This course by HubSpot will show you the best practices involved in SEO and how you can apply them to your website.

The course trains learners about SEO in a very easy-to-understand way. Some topics covered include:

  • Keyword research
  • Link building 
  • Website optimization etc.

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17. Introduction to iOS app development, Xcode and Interface Builder

Platform:  Devslopes on Alison

This free online certificate course is designed for absolute beginners who would love to learn how to create iOS apps. 

The course starts by showing learners how they can install Xcode and then introduces learners to interface builders.

From this course, you will also learn about auto layouts for different iOS devices.

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18. Digital Investigation Techniques

Platform: AFP

This course is a multilingual course designed for journalists all over the world.

This course contains quizzes and tips from AFP investigation teams globally and fact-checking teams. 

The program is divided into 3 categories which include:

  • Basic
  • Intermediate
  • Taking it further

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19. Google Ads

Platform: Skillshop

Google Ads is one popular way businesses and marketers acquire traffic and new customers for their business. 

This course helps you to grow your skills in Google ads and also build up your expertise.

You’ll learn about the different types of Google ads including:

  • Google ads search
  • Google ads discovery
  • Google ads display etc.

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20. Email Marketing For E-commerce

Platform: MailChimp on Skillshare

MailChimp is known for its email marketing software that allows businesses and individuals to run email marketing campaigns and newsletters to subscribers.

Through this course, MailChimp has released some tips and tool sets that will empower individuals and businesses to increase sales through email.

The course is beginner friendly and already has over 9,000 enrolled students with 5 projects for them to work on.

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21. Learning How to Learn

Platform: Deep Teaching Solutions on Coursera.

If you’re intrigued by how learning takes place, this certificate course may be perfect for you. 

This course exposes to learners techniques that have been employed by experts in different fields to access and absorb information and knowledge.

From this course you’ll also learn memory techniques, learning illusions, and deal with procrastination. 

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22. Career Success Specialization

Platform: UCI on Coursera 

This course is designed to equip you with the knowledge and essential skills needed for the workplace. 

You’ll learn how to apply these core principles and problem-solving skills to communicate at your place of work and achieve success.

Additionally, you’ll learn about time management and the effective delivery of projects.

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23. The Science of Happiness

Platform: Berkeley University of Psychology on edX

Happiness is a very important topic that is not so popular when it comes to its study and teaching. 

The Science of Happiness treats the concept of happiness from a scientific point of view to explore what it really means to live a happy life. 

Students will be taught about the practical techniques and strategies they can apply to tap into their happiness and nurture it to the fullest.

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24. Google IT professional 

Platform: Google Career Certificate on Coursera

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate is a Google Initiative that is meant to teach willing individuals in-demand tech skills like IT Automation, Python, etc.

These skills you’ll acquire from this course can help you advance your career and become a professional in your field.

You’ll learn how to automate tasks using python scripts and how to analyze real-world IT problems and implement strategies to solve them.

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25. IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

Platform: IBM on Coursera 

With this course, you can start your data science career and machine learning by acquiring the relevant skills you need to excel.

This course may take you up to 11 months to complete, but it’s worth every single time you spend on it.

You don’t require any prior experience to actually take this course as it is built to be beginner friendly. 

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26. Digital Marketing Specialization

Platform: Illinois on Coursera

With the massive influx of people on social media platforms and online services, it is such a beautiful time to grow a career in digital marketing.

This course on Coursera was developed to teach you how to drive people to take action online.

You’ll learn some of the newest digital marketing skills that will be exposed to you with the different course modules in this specialization course.

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27. The Complete Swift iOS Developer – Create Real Apps in Swift

Platform: Grant Klimaytys on Udemy

From this course, you’ll learn how to develop professional-looking iOS apps that will enable you to publish a few apps on the app store. 

The knowledge you’ll acquire from this course will be valuable to you in developing a career in app development and you’ll learn everything in a beginner-friendly way.

With these skills, you could become a developer, a freelancer and even an entrepreneur.

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28. Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills

Platform: The University of Michigan on Coursera

As humans, we negotiate at different moments in our lives even when we aren’t aware that we are. 

Negotiation is a very valuable skill that can be leveraged in different situations and fields of life. 

This course from the University of Michigan was created to teach interested learners about successful negotiations and how to apply them to their business and daily lives.

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29. Free Social Media Analytics Course

Platform: Quintly

Quintly treats a rarely discussed topic in this free online certificate course. 

In the course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of Social media analytics and how to create reports out of them. 

One of the topics covered in the social media analytics cycle which talks extensively about situation analysis amongst other things.

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30. Supervised Machine Learning: Regression and Classification

Platform: Deep learning Ai on Coursera

Machine learning is an in-demand profession at the moment. 

If you have the necessary skills needed for the profession, then you’ll be needed for work in different fields and professional pursuits.

This course by Deep learning hosted on Coursera might just be the stuff you need to start or further your career as a machine learning professional.

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Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Where can I get free online courses with a free certificate?

You can find some online courses with a free certificate on online Learning platforms like ✓Cousera ✓Alison ✓Udemy ✓edX ✓LinkedIn Learn ✓Hubspot Academy etc.

2. Can you put free online courses on your CV?

Yes. You can put any certification that relates to the job you're applying for on your CV. This shows your employer that you have a zeal for knowledge and that you have acquired the necessary skills needed to do the job.

3. How do I know if an online certificate is worth it?

To Find an online certificate that is worth it, you'll have to look out for the following; ✓The organization offering the certificate course. ✓The type of accreditation (if it is offered by a University) ✓Course content. ✓Reviews from past learners. ✓Course Rating ✓Course Tutor.

4. Can I be restricted from enrolling in these free certificate courses because of my geographic location?

No. These Free courses listed above are taken totally online and anyone is free to access them at no cost. The only restrictions you may face are the ones imposed on either the course creators or organization because of certain reasons.

5. Do I get a printable certificate of completion?

Yes. When you've successfully completed any of these programs, you'll be given a printable certificate in the form of a downloadable PDF document. However, some of these courses may allow you to take the course content for free, but you'll be required to pay for the certificate which may be shipped directly to you.

Important Recommendations

Conclusion

Learning is a priceless investment that pays the best dividend. 

This article was written to help you find the best free courses on the internet with printable certificates so that you can learn and become a better version of yourself. 

We hope you found exactly what you were looking for among these best free online courses with printable certificates that we’ve outlined above.

Thank you for reading.