15 Best Programming Basics Courses for Beginners
We compared 15 Programming Basics courses currently listed on Coursera, edX and Udemy, priced from $19.99 to $680.40. 3 come from a named university or institution, including Goldsmiths, University of London & University of London, Stanford University and The Georgia Institute of Technology. They are ordered by our CourseAsk score, which is built from how thoroughly each course describes what it teaches, whether it comes from a named institution, and how it compares on price — not from star ratings, which our course data does not include.
- Courses compared
- 15
- Price range
- $19.99 – $680.40
- Providers
- Coursera, edX, Udemy
- Last updated
- 18 Sep 2026
How these 15 courses were chosen
Every course below is a real, currently listed course from Coursera, edX, Udemy, matched to "programming basics" by our catalog and ordered by our CourseAsk score. Courses whose own title names the topic rank above those only tagged with it.
The grade on each entry scores how much the provider publishes about the course before you pay — the length and detail of the description, whether it lists learning outcomes and objectives — and whether a named university or institution stands behind it. A is fully documented and institution-backed; E is little more than a title and a price. Courses with almost nothing published are left ungraded rather than marked down, because an unknown course and a poor one are not the same thing.
There are no star ratings on this page — the course feeds we license do not include them, and we would rather leave a column out than fill it with a number we cannot stand behind. What we do have is price: these range from $19.99 to $680.40, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.
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1
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming
Offered by Goldsmiths, University of London & University of London
This specialisation covers topics ranging from basic computing principles to the mathematical foundations required for computer science. You will learn fundamental concepts of how computers work, which can be applied to...
$49.00listed price -
2
R Programming Fundamentals
Offered by Stanford University
This course covers the basics of R: a free programming language and software environment used for statistical computing and graphics. R is widely used by data analysts, statisticians, and data scientists around the world...
$99.00listed price -
3
Web3 Development for Beginners - No Coding Skills Required
Offered by Packt
This course features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the co...
$49.00listed price -
4
Introduction to Python Programming
Offered by The Georgia Institute of Technology
This course serves as a foundational introduction to Python programming, perfect for those looking to get started with coding. You'll learn about basic syntax, data structures, and programming concepts that are essential...
$680.40listed price -
5
Apply C++ Programming Fundamentals for Beginners
Offered by EDUCBA
By the end of this course, learners will be able to explain core programming concepts, write and execute basic C++ programs, apply variables, operators, and expressions, and design structured programs using functions and...
$49.00listed price -
6
Core Java for Beginners
Offered by LearnKartS
Java remains one of the top programming languages in the world, powering over 3 billion devices globally. With its widespread use in enterprise systems, mobile apps, and cloud-based applications, Java continues to be a k...
$49.00listed price -
7
Scala Fundamentals
Offered by Packt
This course features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the co...
$49.00listed price -
8
PHP for Beginners: PDO, MySQL, phpMyAdmin
Welcome to PHP, PDO and MySQL for Beginners!This course is intended for those who wish to develop their understanding and skills in PHP and MySQL in order to develop data driven websites.Every line of code is explained a...
$44.99listed price -
9
Introduction to SwiftUI - Create Your First App
Do You Want To Create Your Own iPhone and iPad iOS Apps but are not sure where to start or even begin? Are you ready to jump right into the exciting world of mobile development but have little or no programming expe...
$19.99listed price -
10
Python for beginners: Create 10 Useful Projects Step by Step
Python is a dynamic modern object -oriented programming language that is easy to learn and can be used to do a lot of things both big and small. Python is what is referred to as a high level language. That means it is a...
$79.99listed price -
11
JavaScript voor beginners en gevorderden
IntroJavaScript is de programmeer taal van de browser en daarom één van de meest gebruikte programmeer talen van de wereld. Leer JavaScript met deze cursus gericht op beginners en ervaren developers. Modern JavaScript.Me...
$29.99listed price -
12
The Complete Python Programmer: From Scratch to Applications
Hey there! Welcome to the course on Python 3 named The Complete Python Programmer: From Scratch to Applications.As the name suggests, You'll learn everything in Python from Scratch and upto developing simple projects in...
$19.99listed price -
13
Failproof OpenGL for beginners
There are a TON of free resources, so why should you learn from me? Well, most people get stuck with the very basics while trying to learn OpenGL. There are a lot of new concepts that you need to put together at once bef...
$39.99listed price -
14
Master GDScript from Scratch with Godot 4 Games
Ready to transform your ideas into playable experiences? Whether you’re an absolute beginner or have dabbled in coding before, this GDScript-driven Godot Masterclass guides you from zero to building real, interactive gam...
$44.99listed price -
15
Kotlin Masterclass: From Beginner to Advanced Developer Q&S
Welcome to the complete guide to Kotlin programming, the modern language taking the development world by storm. Whether you want to build high-performance Android applications, scalable backend systems, or simply learn a...
$34.99listed price
Best Programming Basics Courses for Beginners compared
Prices shown are the provider's listed price when we last updated this page. Confirm on their site before enrolling.
What the prices here tell you
The 15 priced courses on this page run from $19.99 to $680.40, with the middle of the range around $49.00 — a spread of $660.41. That is a wide gap for one subject. A higher price on this page usually reflects who is behind the course rather than how much material it contains, so it is worth opening two or three at different price points and comparing their syllabus before deciding.
Who is behind these courses
These courses come from Coursera, edX and Udemy. The platforms differ in how they sell: some charge once per course, others expect a subscription, and the listed price is not always what you pay at checkout after a promotion. 3 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including Goldsmiths, University of London & University of London, Stanford University and The Georgia Institute of Technology — which usually means a fixed syllabus and a recognised certificate, rather than an individual instructor’s own course.
Before you enrol
Open the provider’s own page and check three things this comparison cannot tell you: when the course was last updated, what the syllabus actually covers in its later sections, and what recent learners say. Prices shown here are the provider’s listed price when we last rebuilt this page on 18 September 2026 — they change often, and a promotion can move them substantially. We earn a commission if you enrol through our links, which costs you nothing and never affects the order courses appear in.