The Best Python Courses to Take in 2026

2. Learn to Code in Python — Boot.dev

Boot.dev's Python course is a strong gamified option for learners who want to build a backend developer skill set rather than a general-purpose introduction.

• Level: Beginner
• Time: ~20 hours across 160+ lessons (the full Backend Developer Path takes substantially longer)
• Cost: Free to start; Boot.dev membership ~$29/month or $192/year
• Best for: Aspiring backend developers who want gamified, project-driven learning with an active community

Taught by Lane Wagner, Boot.dev's founder and a former backend engineer. The Python course is the entry point into Boot.dev's wider Backend Developer Path, which extends through Linux, Git, SQL, HTTP, Go, Docker, and personal portfolio projects. 

3. Python Development Career Path — Mimo

Mimo's Python Development career path is a strong mobile-first option for learners who want to build toward employability through short daily sessions and a project portfolio.

• Level: Beginner (no prerequisites)
• Time: Self-paced; 8 content sections, 23 coding practice challenges, and 8 portfolio projects
• Cost: Free to start; Mimo Pro is ~$8–12/month on annual billing
• Best for: Beginners who want to build Python skills on mobile or in short daily sessions, with GitHub-ready projects to show at the end

The path covers the standard beginner Python progression in eight modules: intro, flow control, lists, functions, tuples and dictionaries, modules and APIs, string and list operations, and object-oriented programming. Code is written directly in the app — phone or desktop — with instant feedback. The mobile-first format trades depth for habit-formation: easier to do five minutes on a phone every day than to schedule an hour at a desk every week.

4. Python Essential Training — LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning's Python Essential Training is a strong single-instructor video option for working professionals who want a concise overview of the language.

• Level: Beginner
• Time: ~4.5 hours
• Cost: LinkedIn Learning subscription (~$40/month); free trial available
• Best for: Working professionals who want a tight, modern Python overview with a LinkedIn-displayable certificate

Taught by Ryan Mitchell, a senior software engineer and Python author. The course covers installation and environment setup, variables and types, operators, control flow, functions, structured data, classes, exceptions, file I/O, the standard library, modules, and basic database integration. It has surpassed 600,000 viewers — dense but approachable, with tight pacing and no filler. The certificate appears directly on the learner's LinkedIn profile, which is the platform's main differentiator.

5. CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python — Harvard

Harvard's CS50P is a strong free, university-grade Python course, with rigorous problem sets and the production quality of Harvard's CS50 series.

• Level: Beginner
• Time: ~10 weeks; lecture series runs ~16 hours, with substantially more time on problem sets
• Cost: Free to audit on Harvard OpenCourseWare; free certificate available; $219 for an edX verified certificate
• Best for: Self-directed learners who want a serious, no-shortcuts foundation in Python from a top-tier university

Taught by Professor David J. Malan. The course covers functions, variables, conditionals, loops, exceptions, libraries, unit tests, file I/O, regular expressions, and object-oriented programming, ending in an open-ended final project. Assignments are auto-graded with strict precision — a single typo can fail your code, which is the point: it trains the precision real Python work demands. CS50P has surpassed 1.5 million enrollments since launching in 2022.

6. Python Programming MOOC — University of Helsinki

The Helsinki Python MOOC is a strong free option — text-based, exercise-heavy, and uncompromising about practice.

• Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Time: ~280 hours across two parts (Programming Basics and Advanced Course in Programming)
• Cost: Free; ECTS credit available for paying learners through the Open University of Helsinki
• Best for: Learners who want pro-level depth and don't mind skipping flashy video production for raw practice

The course is built around 250+ exercises auto-graded by Helsinki's "Test My Code" system. By around week four, learners move out of the browser and onto Visual Studio Code on their own machine — a transition most beginner courses delay or avoid. There are no shortcuts: you must pass roughly 80% of exercises in each section before advancing.

7. Learn Python 3 — Codecademy

Codecademy's Learn Python 3 is a strong interactive option for the first 20 hours of a Python journey.

• Level: Beginner
• Time: ~23 hours across 14 modules
• Cost: Free tier available; Pro is ~$25–40/month
• Best for: Total beginners who want zero setup friction and instant feedback on every line they write

The course covers Python syntax, control flow, functions, lists, loops, strings, classes, files, and modules, with code written in an in-browser editor and graded live. The Pro tier adds projects, quizzes, and an AI assistant. A common critique is that the free tier is heavily gated and Pro can feel thin past the introductory phase — but for the first stage of learning, the experience holds up well.

8. 6.0001 Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python — MIT OpenCourseWare

MIT's 6.0001 is a strong free university option for learners who want an introduction to Python framed as an introduction to computer science, not just to a language.

• Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Time: ~24 hours of lectures plus 6 problem sets (the newer 6.100L version paces the same material across a full semester)
• Cost: Completely free
• Best for: Learners who want MIT-grade rigor and care as much about how to think about computation as they do about Python syntax

Taught by Dr. Ana Bell, Professor Eric Grimson, and Professor John Guttag. The course covers branching and iteration, decomposition and abstraction, tuples and lists, recursion, dictionaries, testing and debugging, exceptions, object-oriented programming, and an introduction to algorithmic complexity. The lectures and problem sets are the actual on-campus MIT course materials.

9. Scientific Computing with Python — freeCodeCamp

freeCodeCamp's Scientific Computing with Python is a strong fully free option, with a project-based assessment model.

• Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Time: ~300 hours (self-paced; most learners take far less if they have prior experience)
• Cost: Completely free
• Best for: Learners who want a free certificate and prefer learning by completing graded projects rather than watching lectures

The course covers Python fundamentals through a curriculum that ends with five required projects: an arithmetic formatter, a time calculator, a budget app, a polygon area calculator, and a probability calculator. The certificate is awarded based on completed projects, not video watch time, which is a meaningfully different model from most platforms. freeCodeCamp's nonprofit status and lack of paywall make it a fitting recommendation for learners who can't or won't pay for a course.

10. Python for Beginners: Code With Confidence — Real Python

Real Python's Python for Beginners is a strong cohort-based option for learners who want live instruction and direct access to an experienced teacher rather than a self-paced course.

• Level: Beginner
• Time: 8 weeks (Aug 31–Oct 23, 2026 cohort); roughly one required live class per week plus daily learning materials and optional Q&A sessions
• Cost: $2,500 ($2,000 early bird); includes lifetime access to course materials
• Best for: Beginners who learn best with structure, accountability, and real-time feedback from both an instructor and a small peer cohort

Taught by Stephen Gruppetta, PhD, a Real Python core team member and author of The Python Coding Book. The eight-week curriculum runs from variables and data types through loops and iteration, functions, more advanced data structures (dictionaries, list comprehensions), object-oriented programming, and debugging. The format combines daily Real Python tutorials and video courses with eight interactive live classes via Zoom, sixteen live Q&A sessions, weekly mini-projects with instructor feedback. Substantially more expensive than the other options on this list, but it does have direct instructor access.

11. Python for Everybody Specialization — University of Michigan (Coursera)

Dr. Charles Severance's Python for Everybody is a strong option for absolute beginners with zero coding background.

• Level: Beginner
• Time: ~8 months at 3 hours per week (5-course specialization)
• Cost: Free to audit; ~$49/month for certificate
• Best for: Career-changers and non-technical learners who want a patient, plain-English introduction with a recognized credential

The specialization covers Python syntax and data structures, working with web data (scraping, JSON, APIs), and using Python with databases via SQLite. "Dr. Chuck" teaches with unusual patience — the course assumes you have never written a line of code and explains accordingly. Slower than most alternatives, but the gentler curve is exactly what some learners need.

12. 100 Days of Code: The Complete Python Pro Bootcamp — Udemy

Dr. Angela Yu's 100 Days of Code is a strong project-based option on Udemy, with roughly 1.4 million students enrolled.

• Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Time: ~55 hours of video, plus the time to build 100 projects (designed to take ~100 days at one hour per day)
• Cost: $15–$85 on Udemy sale
• Best for: Learners who learn by building and want a portfolio of projects to show for it

The course covers Python fundamentals, then branches into web scraping, automation, data science, web development with Flask, and an introduction to machine learning. Each day produces a small working project and the cumulative effect is a real GitHub portfolio.