FREE VS PAID
Free Courses With Certificate: What 'Free' Really Costs on Each Platform
Most free online courses are free to learn and paid to certify. Here is where the free part stops on eight platforms, and what each certificate costs.
Most free online courses with certificate are free to learn and paid to certify. Coursera now opens only the first module of most courses, edX and FutureLearn give limited free access, Alison and EDWartens give the whole course free and charge for the certificate, and Inductive University is free including its credential.
Checked 26 September 2026. Prices and policies change, so each section below names the provider's own page, and every one is listed under Sources at the foot of this article.
Four kinds of "free"
Running a course costs money, so every platform decides where the free part stops. There are four common models.
- Free to learn, pay to certify. The whole course is open and the certificate is the product. Alison and EDWartens work this way.
- Free preview, pay for the rest. You see part of the course, then pay to continue and to earn a certificate. Coursera's Preview works this way.
- Free for a limited time. You get most of the material while the course runs, then lose it unless you pay. edX audit and FutureLearn limited access are close to this.
- Free including the credential. Rare, and usually because a software maker wants you to learn its product. Inductive University is the clearest example.
None of these is dishonest. The trouble starts only when you find out which one you are on after you have done the work.
Coursera: Audit became Preview
Coursera used to let most learners audit a course: watch the lectures and read the material without paying, but without graded work or a certificate. On 8 August 2025 Coursera announced a new preview experience that replaces the audit experience. Learners can now take the first module of most courses free, including its assessments, videos and AI support features.
To go past the first module you pay, for example through a Coursera Plus subscription, and the certificate comes with paid access. Coursera says eligible learners can still apply for financial aid to get full access and the certificate free or at a reduced cost. If money is the only obstacle, apply for aid before you give up on a course.
edX: audit or verified
edX runs two tracks. Auditors get temporary access to course materials at no cost. The verified track adds graded assignments, a certificate and unlimited access to the content. edX says verified certificates on individual courses start from about US$50, and its professional certificate programmes cost more.
So you can learn a lot on edX for free, but you cannot earn the certificate on the free track, and free access does not last.
Alison: every course free, certificates paid
Alison's help centre says all learning on Alison is free. When you complete a course you can buy a digital or printed certificate, or a diploma for diploma-level courses. Alison's pricing page lists the certificate and diploma types and notes that prices for some courses vary; the figure you pay appears in its shop at checkout, so look before you start. An optional Premium subscription removes adverts and adds certificate discounts.
Alison is the closest model to ours: learn the whole course free, pay only if you want the document.
FutureLearn: limited access, then upgrade
Most FutureLearn short courses can be joined free with limited access, which lasts for the duration of the course. On some courses content opens week by week, so you have to keep to the schedule. To earn a certificate you buy the course or join FutureLearn Unlimited; buying also gives access for as long as the course exists on FutureLearn. Some Premium courses have no free option at all.
Udemy: free courses carry no certificate
Udemy is mainly a paid marketplace, but it also lists free courses. Its help centre is plain about it: free courses, and courses that only contain practice tests, do not offer a certificate of completion. Paid courses do. Udemy also says it is not an accredited institution, so its certificates cannot be used for formal accreditation.
Inductive University: free, credential included
If you want to learn Ignition SCADA, start here. Inductive University, run by Inductive Automation, the company that makes Ignition, says it is 100% free of charge for anyone to use. You earn an Ignition credential by passing all of the challenges in the credential courses, and that costs nothing.
The credential is not the same as Ignition certification, which is earned by passing a separate certification test. Inductive University says members of Inductive Automation's Integrator Program receive a complimentary Core Certification test credit when they earn the credential. For Ignition in particular, the maker's own free training is the better choice than any third-party course, ours included.
Microsoft and Google
Microsoft Learn training is free. Finishing a module earns a badge and finishing a learning path earns a trophy, both shown on your Learn profile. A Microsoft Certification is a different thing: it needs an exam, and Microsoft says Associate and Expert exams typically cost US$165, priced according to the currency in each country or region.
Google's Career Certificates are delivered on Coursera and paid through a subscription after a 7-day free trial.
For both companies the free learning is real and worth using. The recognised credential is the part that costs money.
EDWartens: free course, priced certificate
EDWartens (edwartens.com) runs complete free courses for engineers: PLC, SCADA, HMI, drives, robotics, DCS, instrumentation, electrical design, industrial networks, safety, IIoT and 12 AI courses. Each course is free in full: video lessons by independent YouTube creators, credited on every course page, plus written notes with worked examples, a practice task per module and one final assessment that we write. The assessment is 15 questions drawn from the whole course with a 60% pass mark and three attempts, then a 24-hour wait and a fresh paper. You need a free account so your progress is saved. There is no card and no trial.
The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued after you pass the final assessment. It is a small one-off fee, from US$2.99 for a beginner course, with intermediate and advanced courses costing a little more. Checkout shows your price before you pay.
Each certificate carries a unique code and a QR code that anyone can check at edwartens.com/verification. It records that you finished and passed our course. It is not a Siemens, Rockwell or other vendor certification, and it is not a university or government qualification.
Before you enrol anywhere
A few minutes on the provider's help pages saves weeks of work on the wrong track. These are the questions worth answering first.
Which one should you choose?
Pick by what you need at the end, not by which page says "free" loudest.
- Ignition SCADA: Inductive University. It is free, it is the maker's own training, and the credential costs nothing.
- University-branded theory: Coursera or edX, with financial aid if the fee is what stops you.
- Microsoft products: Microsoft Learn, then the exam if an employer asks for the certification.
- A broad catalogue of general subjects: Alison.
- PLC, SCADA, HMI, drives and AI for engineers, in vendor software you can run on a laptop: EDWartens. Every course runs in vendor trial or free software with simulators such as PLCSIM, CCW and CODESYS, so no hardware is needed.
Start a free course
Browse the full catalogue of free courses, or start with free PLC training if automation is your field. Siemens TIA Portal and Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 are both beginner courses, and Python for AI and Engineering Data is the first step on the AI side. For SCADA, our free Ignition SCADA course sits well alongside Inductive University.
Learning, practice tasks and the final assessment cost nothing. The certificate is optional and is a small one-off fee, from US$2.99 for a beginner course. It is an EDWartens certificate of completion with a code anyone can verify, not a vendor certification or an accredited qualification. Create a free account to start.
Take the free course
Questions
Is Coursera still free to audit?
Not in the old way. In August 2025 Coursera replaced its audit experience with a preview that makes the first module of most courses free. Full access and the certificate need payment, though eligible learners can apply for financial aid.
How much does an Alison certificate cost?
Alison courses are free and the certificate is an optional purchase in digital or printed form. Alison says prices vary by course, and the exact price is shown in its shop at checkout.
Do free Udemy courses give a certificate?
No. Udemy's help centre says free courses, and courses that only contain practice tests, do not include a certificate of completion. Paid courses do.
Which platform gives a free certificate with no payment at all?
Inductive University gives its Ignition credential free when you pass all the challenges in the credential courses. Microsoft Learn gives free badges and trophies for modules and learning paths, but its certification exams are paid.
What does the EDWartens certificate cost?
The course is free. The optional certificate is a small one-off fee, from US$2.99 for a beginner course, and checkout shows your price before you pay.
Is a free course certificate worth anything to an employer?
It shows you finished and passed a course, and one with an online verification code is easy to check. It is not a vendor certification or a formal qualification, so pair it with work you can show, such as a project file.
Sources
- Coursera blog: introducing the new course preview experience (8 Aug 2025)
- edX: benefits of a verified certificate
- Alison: certificate pricing
- Alison Help Center: how do I purchase my certificate?
- FutureLearn Support: limited access and purchasing short courses
- Udemy Support: certificate of completion
- Inductive University: about and FAQ
- Microsoft Learn FAQ: training cost, badges and trophies
- Microsoft Learn: exam frequently asked questions (exam price)
- Grow with Google: Google Career Certificates
Written by the EDWartens engineering team for general education. Product names are trademarks of their owners; mentioning them does not imply endorsement. Prices and terms of other providers were checked on the date shown and can change.
