12 Best JavaScript Courses Online in 2026 (Free and Paid)

Last updated: October 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson. We checked every course below live on 14 October 2026: ratings, length and last-updated dates come from each course page, and we read Reddit threads in r/learnjavascript to see what learners say after finishing them. See our review methodology. If you enroll through our links we may earn a commission, which never changes the ranking.

The best JavaScript course for most people in 2026 is The Complete JavaScript Course by Jonas Schmedtmann on Udemy: 71 hours, rated 4.7 from more than 234,000 reviews, and still the course r/learnjavascript recommends most often. If you would rather not pay, javascript.info and the freeCodeCamp JavaScript Certification cover the same language for free. If you already write JavaScript and want to understand how it works under the hood, take JavaScript: The Advanced Concepts from Zero To Mastery next.

JavaScript courses compared

Ratings and lengths were read from each course page on 14 October 2026. Prices, ratings and course versions change, so check the course page before you buy.

How we picked these courses

We started from the ten courses the old version of this page and the top-ranking roundups recommend, then loaded every course page in a real browser to check that it is still sold, when it was last updated, how long it is and how students rate it. A course updated in 2015 with a 4.6 rating is a different product from one updated this year, so the last-updated date counted as much as the score. We dropped anything that teaches pre-2015 JavaScript as current.

We also read the r/learnjavascript and r/learnprogramming threads that come up for “best JavaScript course” and “is Jonas Schmedtmann worth it”, because learners describe things a course page never will: where a course drags, what it skips, and what they took next. We have not taken every course end to end ourselves, and we say so where it matters. See our review methodology.

Commission does not decide the order. Two of the strongest picks, javascript.info and freeCodeCamp, are free and pay us nothing.

1. Best overall: The Complete JavaScript Course (Jonas Schmedtmann, Udemy)

Jonas teaches the language from variables and functions through to modern JavaScript: ES6+ syntax, object-oriented programming with classes and prototypal inheritance, closures and the this keyword, asynchronous code with the event loop, promises, async/await and API calls, and modern tooling (npm, Parcel, Babel and ES modules). Along the way you build six portfolio projects and work through more than 50 challenges with solutions, which is the step most beginners never reach on their own.

What sets it apart is the theory. Each topic gets a short explanation of how JavaScript works underneath (the call stack, scope, the event loop) before you write the code, so you learn why something works rather than copying it. One learner who finished it in about a month, coming from Java, wrote that the course made them far more confident at solving problems in general, not just at JavaScript.

The common complaint is pace. Several learners say Jonas goes slowly and into more detail than a beginner needs, and the usual advice in those threads is to watch at 1.25x to 2x speed and skip ahead when a project feels obvious. If you know you need fast, hands-on lessons, Scrimba (pick 10) suits that style better.

See The Complete JavaScript Course on Udemy →

2. Best free reference course: The Modern JavaScript Tutorial (javascript.info)

javascript.info is the most thorough free JavaScript course on the web, and it is written as a course rather than a reference: it starts at “Hello, world!” and works up to classes, promises, generators and modules, with short exercises and solutions after most chapters. Part 2 covers the browser itself, from the DOM to events and forms, which many video courses only touch on.

It suits people who learn by reading and who want to look things up later. It does not hold your hand through projects, so pair it with JavaScript30 or the projects in pick 3 if you need something to build. Many developers keep it open as their main reference long after they have finished a paid course.

Open The Modern JavaScript Tutorial (free)

3. Best free certificate: freeCodeCamp JavaScript Certification

freeCodeCamp teaches JavaScript through short coding steps in the browser and then makes you build projects to earn the certificate, which is the right order: you only get the credential once you can write working code without the steps. It answers the most common search on this topic, “JavaScript course free with certificate”, better than anything else we found.

Treat the certificate as proof of practice rather than a hiring credential. Employers look at what you have built, and the freeCodeCamp projects give you a first few things to show. If you plan to go further, its Certified Full-Stack Developer curriculum continues into React and back-end work.

Start the freeCodeCamp JavaScript Certification (free)

4. Best for how JavaScript really works: JavaScript: Understanding the Weird Parts (Udemy)

This is not a first course. Anthony Alicea explains the parts of JavaScript that confuse people who already write it: execution contexts and lexical environments, closures, prototypal inheritance, IIFEs, promises and async/await, and how popular frameworks are built on those ideas, ending with a small library you write yourself. It is short compared with the other paid picks, and that is a strength: 12 hours of explanation rather than 70 hours of building.

Take it after a beginner course, or alongside one when a concept will not click. It has the highest rating of any course on this list, and the reviews consistently say the same thing: it explains why the code behaves the way it does.

See Understanding the Weird Parts on Udemy →

5. Best advanced course: JavaScript: The Advanced Concepts (Zero To Mastery)

Andrei Neagoie’s advanced course covers the JavaScript engine and runtime, the call stack and memory heap, closures and prototypes, object-oriented and functional programming, asynchronous JavaScript and modules, aimed at developers preparing for interviews or moving from junior to mid-level work. It was updated this month, which matters for a course that discusses how engines and runtimes behave.

Because it sits inside a membership, the same subscription also gives you Zero To Mastery’s full web developer course and its career paths. That makes it better value than a single course if you plan to keep going into React, Node.js or TypeScript.

See JavaScript: The Advanced Concepts at Zero To Mastery →

6. Best long alternative: JavaScript: The Complete Guide (Academind, Udemy)

Maximilian Schwarzmüller covers the same ground as Jonas and goes further: the DOM and HTTP requests, how JavaScript engines work, meta-programming, performance optimization and memory leaks, and finally testing, security and deployment. Learners who bounce off Jonas’s pace often prefer Max’s more direct style, and the reverse is also true, so look at the free preview lectures of both before you buy.

It is a good choice if you want one long course that also covers the testing, security and deployment topics you will meet at work.

See JavaScript: The Complete Guide on Udemy →

7. Best project-first course: Modern JavaScript From The Beginning 2.0 (Brad Traversy, Udemy)

Brad Traversy is known for teaching through small, practical projects, and this course follows that pattern: five real-world projects and more than ten mini-projects, ending with a full-stack app built with Webpack, Node, Express and MongoDB. Each concept goes into something you can see in the browser straight away. One r/learnjavascript learner who moved from The Odin Project to Full Stack Open went back to this course when their JavaScript felt shaky, and said it filled the gaps.

If you want even more practice, the same instructor’s 50 Projects In 50 Days (19 h 23 m, 4.5 from 12,881 ratings, updated July 2025) is a set of small HTML, CSS and JavaScript builds, one a day. It is practice, not a course on the language, so take it after the fundamentals.

See Modern JavaScript From The Beginning on Udemy →

8. Best credential: Programming with JavaScript (Meta, Coursera)

Meta’s course covers JavaScript fundamentals, objects and object-oriented programming, unit testing with Jest and an introduction to Node.js, with graded assignments. It is shorter and less deep than the Udemy picks, but it comes with a shareable Coursera certificate from Meta and counts toward the full Meta Front-End Developer certificate if you continue.

Coursera charges by subscription rather than per course. You can preview the first module free, and financial aid is available for this course if the cost is a barrier.

See Programming with JavaScript on Coursera →

9. Best interactive start: Learn JavaScript (Codecademy)

Codecademy is the gentlest way to write your first lines of JavaScript: you type into an editor next to the lesson and get instant feedback, with nothing to install. Learners who have tried it describe it fairly as hand-holding, which is exactly what helps on day one and what holds you back by week four.

Use it to get past the blank-screen stage, then move to a longer course or javascript.info. If you like the format, its Front-End and Full-Stack career paths continue in the same style.

Try Learn JavaScript on Codecademy →

10. Best free interactive video: Learn JavaScript (Scrimba)

Scrimba’s format lets you pause the screencast and edit the instructor’s code in place, which r/learnjavascript users single out as more hands-on than lecture-style video. The free Learn JavaScript course has you building small apps from the first lessons. Scrimba’s paid career paths continue from there.

Scrimba is not on any affiliate network we use, so this is an unpaid recommendation.

Open Scrimba’s free Learn JavaScript course

11. Best free full path: The Odin Project and Full Stack Open

Neither is only a JavaScript course, but both are where many self-taught developers learn it. The Odin Project is the most recommended free path in r/webdev and r/learnprogramming because it makes you set up a real development environment and build projects without step-by-step instructions. Some beginners find that too hard at first; learners in those threads suggest a guided course first and The Odin Project second.

Full Stack Open assumes you can already program and moves quickly through modern React and Node.js. People who finish Harvard’s CS50 or a beginner JavaScript course often go straight to it.

See The Odin Project paths (free) · Open Full Stack Open (free)

12. Best intro in a web context: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for Web Developers (Johns Hopkins, Coursera)

Yaakov Chaikin’s course teaches JavaScript as part of building a website, alongside HTML, CSS and responsive design. If you do not yet know HTML and CSS, this is a better first course than a pure JavaScript one, because the browser is where most beginners use the language.

See the Johns Hopkins course on Coursera →

Free practice to use alongside any course

• JavaScript30 by Wes Bos: 30 small projects in plain JavaScript, free.
• Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke: a free online book, 4th edition (2024), good for programming fundamentals.
• Exercism’s JavaScript track: 159 exercises across 37 concepts with automated feedback and volunteer mentoring, 100% free.

Courses teach the language; practice is what makes it stick. Most learners in the threads we read said the same thing in different words: stop collecting courses once you finish one, and build something without a tutorial.

What a good JavaScript course should cover in 2026

JavaScript changed a lot after 2015, and older courses still sell well because their ratings stay high. Before you buy any course, including ones not on this list, check the curriculum for these topics. A course that is missing several of them is teaching an older version of the language.

• Modern syntax: let and const, arrow functions, destructuring, the spread operator, template literals and optional chaining.
• Asynchronous code: the event loop, promises, async/await and fetch for calling an API. Courses that stop at callbacks are out of date.
• Modules: import and export, and how npm packages fit in.
• The DOM and events: how JavaScript changes a web page, which is where most beginners use it first.
• Classes and prototypes: how objects and inheritance work, which every framework relies on.
• Projects: at least one app you build from a blank file, not only exercises.

Check the last-updated date on the course page as well. Every paid pick above was updated in the last twelve months.

How to choose by learning style

If none of these fits, take the free option in your row first. The cost of starting with the wrong free course is a week; the cost of the wrong paid course is the money and the motivation you lose when it does not suit you.

Free vs paid JavaScript courses

You can learn JavaScript to a professional level without paying. javascript.info, freeCodeCamp, The Odin Project, Full Stack Open, Scrimba’s free course and Eloquent JavaScript together cover more than any single paid course. What paid courses add is structure, video and pace: someone has decided the order for you and explains each step out loud.

JavaScript courses with certificates

There is no single industry-standard JavaScript certification that employers ask for. The certificates on offer prove that you finished a course or passed its projects:

• freeCodeCamp JavaScript Certification: free, earned by completing required projects.
• Meta Programming with JavaScript (Coursera): a shareable certificate from Meta; part of a 9-course front-end certificate.
• Codecademy: certificates of completion on paid plans.
• Udemy: a certificate of completion on every paid course; it shows you finished, nothing more.
• Scrimba and Full Stack Open: free certificates; Full Stack Open also offers free University of Helsinki credits.

A portfolio of three or four working projects will do more for a job application than any of these. If a certificate helps you stay motivated or satisfies an employer’s training budget, the Meta one carries the most name recognition.

How long does it take to learn JavaScript?

Expect two to three months of steady study (around 10 hours a week) to be comfortable with the fundamentals, and six months or more to build complete applications on your own. The long video courses here run 40 to 71 hours, but finishing one with the exercises takes most people several times the video length.

Background changes the timeline. One learner with a Java background finished Jonas’s 71-hour course in just over a month of daily study. Someone who has never programmed should plan for longer, and should not judge themselves by people who already knew another language. Learning “JavaScript in a week” is realistic only for the syntax, and only if you already program.

A JavaScript learning path for 2026

• 1. Fundamentals: variables, functions, arrays, objects, loops (any beginner pick above).
• 2. The browser: the DOM, events and forms (javascript.info Part 2, or JavaScript30).
• 3. Asynchronous code: promises, async/await and fetching data from an API.
• 4. Projects without a tutorial: two or three small apps you design yourself.
• 5. TypeScript: most professional codebases now use it. See our best TypeScript courses.
• 6. A framework: React is the most used; see our best React courses and best Vue courses.

If your goal is a job as a web developer, the bigger picture is in our guides to front-end development courses, full-stack courses and web development courses.

Why learn JavaScript in 2026?

JavaScript is the only language that runs natively in every web browser. W3Techs measured client-side JavaScript on 98.9% of websites on 14 October 2026, and in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 it was the most used language, by 66% of respondents. TypeScript, which is JavaScript with types, became the most used language on GitHub in August 2025 according to GitHub’s Octoverse report, so learning JavaScript well also prepares you for TypeScript.

The jobs follow. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for web developers and digital designers at $99,520 (May 2025), and for software developers at $135,980. JavaScript alone will not get you either job, but it is the language almost every front-end and full-stack role asks for. Our guide to web development languages shows where it fits with the rest.

What learners say about these courses

We read threads in r/learnjavascript, r/webdev and r/learnprogramming about the best JavaScript course and about Jonas Schmedtmann’s course specifically. The opinions below are paraphrased from those threads.

• Jonas Schmedtmann’s course is the most recommended paid course, praised for teaching how to think like a programmer, with the repeated caveat that it is slow and best watched sped up.
• Scrimba gets recommended to people who find lecture-style video boring, because you edit the code inside the lesson.
• The Odin Project is praised as the best free path, but some beginners find its “read the docs and figure it out” style overwhelming at first.
• MDN’s JavaScript guides, paired with YouTube for anything confusing, is a common free combination.
• The most repeated advice: pick one course, finish it, and build things without a tutorial rather than buying a second course.

Once you are building back ends with JavaScript or TypeScript, NestJS adds a clear structure to Node.js APIs. Our guide to the best NestJS courses covers the official course, its certificate and the strongest Udemy options.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best JavaScript course for beginners?

For most beginners, The Complete JavaScript Course by Jonas Schmedtmann on Udemy (71 hours, 4.7 from more than 234,000 ratings). If you want to pay nothing, use javascript.info or the freeCodeCamp JavaScript Certification. If you have never written code, Codecademy or Scrimba’s free Learn JavaScript course are gentler first steps.

Is there a free JavaScript course with a certificate?

Yes. The freeCodeCamp JavaScript Certification is free and requires you to build projects to earn it. Scrimba’s free Learn JavaScript course and the University of Helsinki’s Full Stack Open also give free certificates.

Is Jonas Schmedtmann’s JavaScript course worth it?

Yes, for a beginner who wants to understand the language rather than just copy code. It is 71 hours, updated in October 2025 and rated 4.7. The main criticism from learners is the slow pace, which many solve by watching at 1.25x to 2x speed.

How long does it take to learn JavaScript?

About two to three months at around 10 hours a week to be comfortable with the fundamentals, and six months or more to build complete applications on your own. People who already know another language move much faster.

Should I learn JavaScript or TypeScript first?

Learn JavaScript first. TypeScript adds types on top of JavaScript, so the fundamentals are the same, and most TypeScript courses assume you already know JavaScript.

Is Udemy or Coursera better for learning JavaScript?

Udemy has the deeper JavaScript courses, such as Jonas Schmedtmann’s and Academind’s, sold one at a time. Coursera has shorter courses from companies and universities, such as Meta’s Programming with JavaScript, with a certificate that carries a recognizable name.

Can I learn JavaScript in a week?

Only the basic syntax, and only if you already program in another language. Writing real programs in JavaScript takes most people a few months of regular practice.

Do I need to learn HTML and CSS before JavaScript?

It helps if you want to build websites, because most beginner JavaScript projects run in a web page. The Johns Hopkins course on Coursera or freeCodeCamp’s Responsive Web Design certification teach HTML and CSS first.

Related: Once your JavaScript is solid, the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React and Node.js) is a common next step. See our guide to the best MERN stack courses.

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