Online learning platform Udemy has racked up more than 155,000 courses on every topic from cookery to coding. The courses, which span over 65 languages, are delivered predominantly through pre-recorded videos. While most people may rely on YouTube for this sort of learning, the beauty of Udemy is that it offers a more structured approach to learning with all content housed in one place.
Udemy courses can be accessed via a desktop computer, laptop or smartphone, so you can dip in and out wherever you are. We rate it as one of the best online learning platforms currently around, providing some of the best coding courses online. Here we round up the most popular courses on the platform – chosen by the company's own algorithm, which takes into account both overall star rating and the number of submitted reviews.
1. 2021 Complete Python Bootcamp From Zero to Hero in Python
Consistently rated as one of the best Udemy courses to give a solid foundation of Python – even for complete beginners or those with no experience of programming – this will take you through the fundamentals, with enough depth to give you a gist of advanced Python. The detailed explanations and exercises help you make sense of the theory and put it into practice, so you can go from beginner to creating your own games and solving the most complex of problems. Great value too.
Star rating: 4.6/5
Duration: 22 hours of on-demand video
2. Microsoft Excel – Excel from Beginner to Advanced
Breaking down even the most complex Excel concepts into simple, easy to understand nuggets, Kyle’s teaching style – and his enthusiasm and energy for the subject matter – keeps you hooked. You will not get bored of his teaching, and come away as an Excel pro, learning the basic structure of Excel, formulas, functions, reports, Macros, and even VBA. This is perfectly suited to beginners until you reach the latter sections of the VBA and macros, which can be difficult to follow, and are only really suited to those who are very passionate about Excel and comfortable working with data.
Star rating: 4.6/5
Duration: 18 hours of on-demand video
3. The Web Developer Bootcamp 2021
Go from knowing nothing about web development to creating your first app with this popular course. Perfect for someone who has never written a single line of code, this course makes web development accessible for all. The instructor, Colt, a former web developer, shows the workflow process from reading docs to making coding errors and finding where things went wrong. You can speed up your learning by doing the projects, however do note that these quizzes and coding challenges stop half way through the course. The course covers HTML5, CS3, JavaScript, and more, however previous students have commented that the end of the course feels a little rushed and finishes abruptly.
Star rating: 4.7/5
Duration: 63 hours of on-demand video
4. Machine Learning A-Z: Hands-On Python & R In Data Science
Get a comprehensive overview of machine learning on this structured beginners’ course, which has been mastered by two professional data scientists. Mixing intuition lectures and coding classes, the course is perfect for getting to grips with the subject of machine learning at an entry level. The extra reading links are also handy for diving deeper into key topics. The downsides are that the course doesn’t really go into the theoretical and mathematical background – only intuition – and there’s a lot of repetition at the beginning of each section as the instructor repeats the process of opening the data set every time. Note that it’s likely you’ll need to do a lot of self study to supplement what you learn on the course.
Star rating: 4.5/5
Duration: 44 hours of on-demand video
5. Angular – The Complete Guide (2021 Edition)
A thorough course on Angular 12, fit for those with previous JavaScript experience. The content throughout the course jumps between new and old recordings – obviously a good effort by the course provider to keep it up to date – but this can make it feel a little disjointed at times. What’s more, the instructor moves at a swift pace so it can be hard to keep up, and the learnings are definitely not fit for beginners. Be warned, the course gets a little dense in the “NgRx” section.
Star rating: 4.6/5
Duration: 34 hours of on-demand video
6. Java Programming Masterclass for Software Developers
A very extensive course that’s updated regularly to help people learn core Java skills and industry best practices in software development. The course is taught through slides, a bit like lectures, and lacks any animation or visual aid to keep your attention, so it’s a bit too easy to switch off from the course, which is very long as it is (80 hours!). There are a lot of tasks to solve, and you can get a quick reply to your questions, but the course in general is too complex for beginners – particularly the challenges. Still, for such a great number of lessons, it’s great value for money, and a good resource if you are already clued up about Java.
Star rating: 4.6/5
Duration: 80 hours on-demand video
7. The Complete 2021 Web Development Bootcamp
Learn most of the coding basics with this comprehensive course. It’s led by an engaging tutor, Angela, who uses visual aids (including memes, videos and illustrations) to get across her message. There’s a lot to learn, and this is a great tool for newbies wanting to become full-stack web developers. However, while this is advertised as a “2021” course a lot of material could do with a little refresh.
Star rating: 4.7/5
Duration: 54.5 hours of on-demand video
8. The Complete Digital Marketing Course – 12 Courses in 1
A super informative course for those who want a broad brush introductory insight into digital marketing, with topics covering SEO, YouTube marketing, Facebook marketing, Google Adwords and Google Analytics, to name a few. Those who are further in their digital marketing careers may be bored by the simplified material presented in this course, plus some material needs updating in line with current trends. It’s quite slow so listen to this on at least 1.5x speed.
Star rating: 4.5/5
Duration: 22.5 hours of on-demand video
9. React – The Complete Guide (incl Hooks, React Router, Redux)
Learn React from the ground up with this course, which covers all the basics and provides lots of examples and assignments too so you can put the theory to work. The well presented course is led by Max, who provides clear, straightforward explanations, making this course suited to people who are new to React. There’s a lot of depth here – perhaps too much at some points – but on the upside the course is kept bang up to date.
Star rating: 4.6/5
Duration: 47.5 hours of on-demand video
10. The Ultimate Drawing Course – Beginner to Advanced
Great for beginners, the course explains the fundamentals of drawing with clear and easy-to-understand instructions. It’s particularly good for those who draw with pencils as the instructor shows a lot of techniques for detailing and shading – less so for those using a tablet pen. Course attendees are invited to join an exclusive Facebook group with a community of other artists, which is a nice touch.
Star rating: 4.6/5
Duration: 11 hours of on-demand video
Looking for more tips on online learning? Don't forget to check out our guide to the best online learning platforms, where we rank the likes of Udemy alongside websites such as Udacity and Skillshare. And for 1:1 help, take a quick look through our round-up of the best online tutoring services.
