5 Websites That Make Learning Expensive Things FREE!

Overview

The video presents five free online resources for learning programming, computer science, academic subjects, and scientific concepts. Each offers a different approach, from coding practice to textbooks and interactive experiments.

Free access to learning materials does not necessarily mean that a credential is accredited or equivalent to a degree. Similarly, simulations can support learning but do not replace physical experiments.

The Five Resources

1. freeCodeCamp — Practical Programming

• Provides structured learning paths with lessons and coding exercises that can be completed in a browser.
• Covers topics such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, databases, and server-side programming.
• Helps learners apply concepts by writing and testing code, fixing bugs, and completing projects.
• Offers free certification paths that require learners to complete specified projects and tests.
• Certificates can document progress, but becoming job-ready requires further practice, independent projects, and problem-solving.

2. Harvard CS50 — Computer Science Foundations

• Offers an online introduction to computer science for learners who are not attending Harvard.
• Combines lectures, course materials, assignments, and a final project.
• Covers foundational ideas such as algorithms, data structures, memory, and software development, while introducing C, Python, SQL, and web development.
• Requires students to apply and test what they learn through assignments.
• Can be challenging, especially for beginners. Eligible students may earn a free CS50 certificate by meeting the requirements; verified certificates may have different requirements.

How it differs from freeCodeCamp: freeCodeCamp emphasizes a structured path for practical programming, while CS50 provides a broader foundation in computer science.

3. Saylor Academy — Self-Paced Courses Across Subjects

• Offers free, self-paced courses in areas such as business, computer science, mathematics, history, and professional development.
• Uses materials such as texts and videos, allowing learners to progress on their own schedule.
• Provides free digital certificates of completion to learners who meet course requirements, including assessments.
• Certificates document learning but are not equivalent to accredited diplomas, and employers may assess them differently.
• Some courses offer credit-transfer pathways or additional assessments. Certain proctored exams may cost money.

Getting started: Browse the course catalog, choose a course, and check its requirements.

4. LibreTexts — Open Educational Materials

• Provides organized collections of free educational materials, including textbooks, across fields such as chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, and the humanities.
• Helps learners find explanations and related sections without buying separate textbooks.
• Supports teachers who want to adapt or create learning materials.
• Some resources may be reused or modified under open licenses. Check each resource’s specific license rather than assuming it can be copied freely.
• Materials vary in depth and format, but can support self-paced study or supplement classroom explanations.

5. PhET Interactive Simulations — Visual, Hands-On Exploration

• Offers interactive simulations in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and Earth sciences.
• Lets learners change variables and observe outcomes—for example, adjusting an electrical circuit to explore voltage, current, and resistance.
• Encourages learners to test ideas, observe results, and try again.
• Includes teaching resources and classroom activities.
• Simulations can help explain concepts without access to a physical lab, but they model systems and do not replace real experiments.

Main Takeaway

These resources offer different ways to learn without paying for core study materials: practice coding, study computer science, take self-paced courses, use textbooks, or explore concepts through simulations. Learners should check course and certificate requirements, understand the limits of credentials, and recognize that independent practice remains important.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: One narrator; no other individual speakers are identified in the subtitles.
• Sources and organizations: freeCodeCamp; Harvard CS50; Saylor Academy; LibreTexts; PhET Interactive Simulations; the University of Colorado at Boulder, identified as the developer of PhET.