Last updated: June 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.
QUICK VERDICT
Bottom line: AWS is a certification-driven field, and Stephane Maarek’s courses are the standard. Start with his Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) course on Udemy (4.7★, 289,000+ ratings) for the foundational cert, then his Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) (4.7★, 290,000+ ratings) — the most in-demand AWS certification. Want to learn the platform free first? AWS’s own AWS Fundamentals on Coursera (4.8★) is the pick. The certification ladder is explained below.
- Best first cert: AWS Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 (Udemy / Maarek)
- Best career cert: AWS Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 (Udemy / Maarek)
- Best free: AWS Fundamentals Specialization (Coursera / AWS)
AWS is the largest cloud platform, and AWS skills are some of the best-paid in tech — especially when backed by a certification. Most people learning AWS are working toward a cert, so this guide is built around that: which course gets you each credential, plus the strongest hands-on picks for serverless and databases. You don’t need an IT degree; the Cloud Practitioner cert is genuinely beginner-friendly, and the AWS Free Tier lets you practise on real services at no cost.
We’ve ranked the five AWS courses worth your time, by intent — the foundational cert, the career-defining Solutions Architect cert, free official fundamentals, serverless development, and DynamoDB. We confirmed each was live and checked its rating at the time of writing. We earn a commission if you enroll through our links, which never changes the order.
HOW WE PICKED
We weighed how current the course is (AWS exams revise often — CLF-C02 and SAA-C03 are the live versions), hands-on practice, instructor authority, learner ratings at scale, and whether each pick maps to a real AWS goal: a specific certification or a concrete skill. We replaced several once-listed courses that had aged out or covered retired exams.
1. Best first cert — AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 (Udemy / Stephane Maarek)
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Stephane Maarek is the most-trusted AWS instructor, and this is the standard prep for the foundational Cloud Practitioner exam — 4.7★ across more than 289,000 ratings, with 3.4 million students. Kept current for the CLF-C02 exam, it gives you a clear, broad understanding of AWS core services, pricing, security, and architecture, plus practice questions. It’s the right first step for anyone — technical or not — entering the AWS world.
Best for: beginners getting their first AWS certification. Worth knowing: you sit the exam separately through AWS (around $100). Udemy list prices are inflated — wait for the $15–$20 sale.
2. Best career cert — AWS Solutions Architect Associate SAA-C03 (Udemy / Stephane Maarek)
The Solutions Architect Associate is the most in-demand AWS certification, and Maarek’s course is the one nearly everyone uses to pass it — 4.7★ across more than 290,000 ratings. Updated for the SAA-C03 exam, it goes deep on EC2, S3, VPC, databases, high availability, and the architectural decisions the exam tests, with hands-on labs throughout. This is the cert that opens cloud-engineering and architecture roles.
Best for: developers and IT pros targeting the career-defining AWS Associate cert. Worth knowing: do the Cloud Practitioner course (or have equivalent basics) first — SAA assumes some AWS familiarity. Pair it with a practice-exam set before the test.
RECOMMENDED PARTNER — COURSERA
Learn AWS free, from AWS itself
Amazon’s own AWS Fundamentals Specialization (4.8★, 6,800+ reviews) is the best free way to learn the platform before committing to a cert — audit all three courses at no cost, pay only for the certificate.
Affiliate partnership — we may earn commission when you sign up via this link. We only recommend courses we’d send a friend to.
3. Best free official fundamentals — AWS Fundamentals Specialization (Coursera / AWS)
Built and taught by Amazon Web Services itself, this three-course specialization is the best free introduction to the platform — 4.8★ across more than 6,800 reviews, with over 300,000 learners. It covers AWS core services, IAM security, migration strategies, and serverless basics, with labs developed by AWS technical instructors. It’s the ideal way to get comfortable with AWS before you commit money to a certification course.
Best for: people who want to learn AWS free and official before deciding on a cert. Worth knowing: audit it free; the certificate needs a Coursera subscription. It’s foundational rather than exam-specific — use Maarek’s courses for the actual certs.
Enroll on Coursera (free audit) →
4. Best for serverless — AWS Serverless APIs & Apps (Udemy / Academind)
Serverless is one of the most useful AWS skills for developers, and Maximilian Schwarzmüller’s course is the best practical introduction — 4.6★ across more than 14,000 ratings. You build real serverless APIs and web apps using AWS Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, and Cognito, learning how the pieces fit together rather than just what each service does. It’s hands-on from the start and a natural step after the fundamentals.
Best for: developers who want to build serverless applications on AWS. Worth knowing: some JavaScript and basic AWS familiarity help; use the Free Tier so the labs don’t cost anything.
5. Best for DynamoDB — AWS DynamoDB: The Complete Guide (Udemy)
DynamoDB is AWS’s flagship NoSQL database and a common source of confusion, so a dedicated course pays off. Riyaz Sayyad’s guide — 4.7★ across 2,861 ratings — is the most thorough, with 18+ hands-on demos covering data modelling, partition keys, indexes, streams, and the design patterns that make DynamoDB fast and cheap (or slow and expensive if you get them wrong). Essential if your AWS work involves DynamoDB.
Best for: developers who need to use DynamoDB properly, not just get it working. Worth knowing: it’s focused on DynamoDB — pair it with a broader AWS course for the rest of the platform.
AWS courses compared
| Course | Platform | Best for | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) | Udemy (Maarek) | First cert | 4.7 (289k) |
| AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) | Udemy (Maarek) | Career cert | 4.7 (290k) |
| AWS Fundamentals Specialization | Coursera (AWS) | Free / official | 4.8 (6.8k) |
| AWS Serverless APIs & Apps | Udemy (Academind) | Serverless | 4.6 (14k) |
| AWS DynamoDB: The Complete Guide | Udemy (Sayyad) | DynamoDB | 4.7 (2.9k) |
THE AWS CERTIFICATION LADDER
AWS certifications come in four tiers, and knowing the order saves a lot of wasted effort:
- Foundational — Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02): the entry point, broad and beginner-friendly. Start here.
- Associate — Solutions Architect (SAA-C03), Developer (DVA-C02), SysOps Administrator (SOA-C02): the credentials employers actually hire on. Solutions Architect Associate is the most popular by far.
- Professional — Solutions Architect Professional (SAP-C02), DevOps Engineer Professional (DOP-C02): advanced, for experienced engineers.
- Specialty: focused exams in areas like Security, Machine Learning, and Advanced Networking.
For most people the path is simple: Cloud Practitioner, then Solutions Architect Associate — the two courses at the top of this guide. Each exam costs roughly $100–$150 and is taken online or at a test centre, and certifications are valid for three years. Hands-on practice on the AWS Free Tier matters as much as the coursework; the exams reward people who’ve actually used the services.
AWS is one of three big clouds. See our guides to Microsoft Azure courses, Google Cloud courses, and the best Kubernetes courses for the container layer on top.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AWS course?
It depends on your goal, but Stephane Maarek’s courses are the standard. His Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) course on Udemy (4.7★, 289,000+ ratings) is the best starting point, and his Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) course (4.7★, 290,000+ ratings) is the best for the most in-demand AWS cert. To learn AWS free first, Amazon’s own AWS Fundamentals on Coursera (4.8★) is the pick.
Which AWS certification should I get first?
Start with the Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) — it’s foundational, beginner-friendly, and gives you the vocabulary for everything else. Then move to the Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03), which is the certification most cloud roles ask for. Those two cover most people’s needs before they specialise.
Can you learn AWS for free?
Yes. You can audit Amazon’s AWS Fundamentals Specialization on Coursera free, AWS Skill Builder offers free official training, and the AWS Free Tier lets you use real services at no cost for 12 months. The paid courses add structured, exam-focused depth, but you can learn a lot before spending anything.
Do you need an IT background to learn AWS?
Not for the Cloud Practitioner level — it’s designed for beginners, including non-technical roles. The Associate certs (Solutions Architect, Developer) assume more comfort with IT fundamentals like networking and basic scripting. If you’re new to IT, start with Cloud Practitioner and build from there.
How long does it take to get AWS certified?
The Cloud Practitioner is achievable in two to four weeks of focused study. The Solutions Architect Associate typically takes one to three months, depending on your background and how much hands-on practice you do. Consistent lab work on the Free Tier shortens both — the exams favour people who’ve actually used the services.