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Learn Machine Learning by Doing Learn Now

The 6 Best Python Courses for 2024 – Ranked by Software Engineer

Brendan Martin
Founder of LearnDataSci

Chief Editor at LearnDataSci and Software Engineer

LearnDataSci is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, earned commissions help support our team of writers, researchers, and designers at no extra cost to you.

Update: The original analysis for this article has been moved here.

In 2014, I started my first job out of college as a Java software engineer. A few months in, the company tasked me with developing additional features for a Python application developed by a previous coworker. I had zero Python experience, so I took a few weeks to learn from a book while tinkering with the app's code.

Eventually, I knew enough to improve the app, but it took much longer than it would today. Nowadays, you have hundreds of online, interactive courses with active online communities to shorten the learning curve.

Teachers, assignments, quizzes, projects, certificates, and dozens of other parameters contribute to a course's overall quality, so I've created a scoring system to consider each factor. With the addition of personally auditing each selection on this list, the following Python courses scored the best against my evaluation criteria.

Expand Intro
Best for Complete Beginners

Programming for Everybody: Getting Started with Python

On Coursera (University of Michigan) by Dr. Charles Severance
Enroll Here
1,200,000+ students
4.32*
Very Good 4.32
*Graded across 10 evaluation metrics
CLOSE

Rating Breakdown

We rate learning materials through a variety of standardized metrics listed below. Each metric is given both an impact weight and a grade. For a perfect grade (A+) this metric must reach our "gold standard" score. Learn more about our evaluation metrics.

Title
Impact
Grade
Score
Assignments and Projects
15.0
B
Assignments and Projects
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Community Quality
5.0
B+
Community Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Course Completion and Certification
2.0
B+
Course Completion and Certification
1
2
Curriculum Coverage
10.0
B
Curriculum Coverage
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Instructor Qualifications
5.0
A+
Instructor Qualifications
1
2
3
4
5
Lesson Structure
10.0
A+
Lesson Structure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Media Quality
5.0
B
Media Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Platform User Experience
5.0
A
Platform User Experience
1
2
3
4
5
Teaching Effectiveness
20.0
A+
Teaching Effectiveness
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Tests and Quizzes
10.0
A
Tests and Quizzes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Strengths

  • Taught by university professor

  • Tens of thousands of students enrolled

  • Highly accessible for beginners

  • Immersive

Weaknesses

  • Pacing may be too slow for some learners

  • Some videos are dated

Highlights
Pricing Free to $39.50/Month

Free to audit, upgrade for access to tests, assignments, and certificate

Certificate Yes
Time to complete 2–8 months

Very flexible weekly time commitment; can be as low as 3 hours per week

Recommended level Beginner

This course is best for someone with minimal or zero experience with coding or technical subjects.

Enroll Here
1,200,000+ students

What makes this course stand out?

Best Overall Python Course

The Complete Python Course: Learn Python by Doing

On Udemy by Jose Salvatierra
Enroll Here
81,000+ students
4.31*
Very Good 4.31
*Graded across 10 evaluation metrics
CLOSE

Rating Breakdown

We rate learning materials through a variety of standardized metrics listed below. Each metric is given both an impact weight and a grade. For a perfect grade (A+) this metric must reach our "gold standard" score. Learn more about our evaluation metrics.

Title
Impact
Grade
Score
Assignments and Projects
15.0
A
Assignments and Projects
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Community Quality
5.0
B
Community Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Course Completion and Certification
2.0
C
Course Completion and Certification
1
2
Curriculum Coverage
10.0
A+
Curriculum Coverage
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Instructor Qualifications
5.0
A+
Instructor Qualifications
1
2
3
4
5
Lesson Structure
10.0
B+
Lesson Structure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Media Quality
5.0
A
Media Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Platform User Experience
5.0
A
Platform User Experience
1
2
3
4
5
Teaching Effectiveness
20.0
A
Teaching Effectiveness
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Tests and Quizzes
10.0
B
Tests and Quizzes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Strengths

  • Beginner-friendly

  • Extensive curriculum

  • Interactive quizzes and projects

  • Learn professional tools and techniques

Weaknesses

  • Udemy certificates are less valuable than other platforms

Highlights
Pricing $109.99

Often discounted during Udemy sitewide sales

Certificate Yes
Time to complete 2-4 months

3–5 hours per week

Recommended level Beginner to Intermediate
Enroll Here
81,000+ students

What makes this course stand out?

Best for a Computer Science Foundation

Computer Science for Python Programming Professional Certificate

On edX (Harvard) by David J. Malan
Enroll Here
4,700,000+ students
4.4*
Very Good 4.4
*Graded across 10 evaluation metrics
CLOSE

Rating Breakdown

We rate learning materials through a variety of standardized metrics listed below. Each metric is given both an impact weight and a grade. For a perfect grade (A+) this metric must reach our "gold standard" score. Learn more about our evaluation metrics.

Title
Impact
Grade
Score
Assignments and Projects
15.0
A
Assignments and Projects
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Community Quality
5.0
A+
Community Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Course Completion and Certification
2.0
B+
Course Completion and Certification
1
2
Curriculum Coverage
10.0
B+
Curriculum Coverage
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Instructor Qualifications
5.0
A+
Instructor Qualifications
1
2
3
4
5
Lesson Structure
10.0
A+
Lesson Structure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Media Quality
5.0
A+
Media Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Platform User Experience
5.0
B
Platform User Experience
1
2
3
4
5
Teaching Effectiveness
20.0
A
Teaching Effectiveness
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Tests and Quizzes
10.0
B
Tests and Quizzes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Strengths

  • Highly engaging instructor

  • Unique and interesting assignments

  • Builds a robust programming foundation

Weaknesses

  • Long videos

  • Challenging for beginners

Highlights
Pricing Free to $314

Free to audit, upgrade for access to tests, assignments, and certificate

Certificate Yes
Time to complete 6 months

5–14 hours per week

Recommended level Beginner to Intermediate
Enroll Here
4,700,000+ students

What makes this course stand out?

Best for Building a Programming Habit

100 Days of Code: The Complete Python Pro Bootcamp

On Udemy by Dr. Angela Yu
Enroll Here
846,000+ students
4.21*
Very Good 4.21
*Graded across 10 evaluation metrics
CLOSE

Rating Breakdown

We rate learning materials through a variety of standardized metrics listed below. Each metric is given both an impact weight and a grade. For a perfect grade (A+) this metric must reach our "gold standard" score. Learn more about our evaluation metrics.

Title
Impact
Grade
Score
Assignments and Projects
15.0
A
Assignments and Projects
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Community Quality
5.0
A
Community Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Course Completion and Certification
2.0
C-
Course Completion and Certification
1
2
Curriculum Coverage
10.0
B+
Curriculum Coverage
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Instructor Qualifications
5.0
B+
Instructor Qualifications
1
2
3
4
5
Lesson Structure
10.0
A
Lesson Structure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Media Quality
5.0
B+
Media Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Platform User Experience
5.0
A
Platform User Experience
1
2
3
4
5
Teaching Effectiveness
20.0
A
Teaching Effectiveness
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Tests and Quizzes
10.0
B
Tests and Quizzes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Strengths

  • Builds coding habit

  • Couples video and interactive learning

  • Many unique assignments and projects with video solutions

  • Helps transition from coding in-browser to desktop

  • Strong community

Weaknesses

  • Video lessons stop after day 38

  • Text-based lessons may lack enough information to complete assignments without searching

Highlights
Pricing $119.99

Often discounted during Udemy sitewide sales

Certificate Yes
Time to complete 3-4 months

10–12 hours per week

Recommended level Beginner
Enroll Here
846,000+ students

What makes this course stand out?

Best for an Academic Approach

Introduction to Python Programming Professional Certificate

On edX (Georgia Tech) by David Joyner
Enroll Here
236,000+ students
4.17*
Very Good 4.17
*Graded across 10 evaluation metrics
CLOSE

Rating Breakdown

We rate learning materials through a variety of standardized metrics listed below. Each metric is given both an impact weight and a grade. For a perfect grade (A+) this metric must reach our "gold standard" score. Learn more about our evaluation metrics.

Title
Impact
Grade
Score
Assignments and Projects
15.0
B+
Assignments and Projects
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Course Completion and Certification
2.0
B+
Course Completion and Certification
1
2
Community Quality
5.0
B-
Community Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Curriculum Coverage
10.0
A
Curriculum Coverage
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Instructor Qualifications
5.0
A+
Instructor Qualifications
1
2
3
4
5
Lesson Structure
10.0
A
Lesson Structure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Media Quality
5.0
B+
Media Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Platform User Experience
5.0
B-
Platform User Experience
1
2
3
4
5
Teaching Effectiveness
20.0
A
Teaching Effectiveness
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Tests and Quizzes
10.0
B+
Tests and Quizzes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Strengths

  • Academic computer science approach

  • Interactive learning environment

  • Well-rounded program for software engineering

Weaknesses

  • Too many short videos

  • Some concepts introduced without context

  • Some platform quirks

Highlights
Pricing Free to $537

Free to audit, upgrade for access to tests, assignments, and certificate

Certificate Yes
Time to complete 5 months

9–10 hours per week

Recommended level Beginner
Enroll Here
236,000+ students

What makes this course stand out?

Best for Aspiring Data Professionals

Python Basics for Data Analysis

On Dataquest by Dataquest Team
Enroll Here
202,000+ students
4.3*
Very Good 4.3
*Graded across 10 evaluation metrics
CLOSE

Rating Breakdown

We rate learning materials through a variety of standardized metrics listed below. Each metric is given both an impact weight and a grade. For a perfect grade (A+) this metric must reach our "gold standard" score. Learn more about our evaluation metrics.

Title
Impact
Grade
Score
Assignments and Projects
15.0
A
Assignments and Projects
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Community Quality
5.0
B+
Community Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Curriculum Coverage
10.0
B+
Curriculum Coverage
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Course Completion and Certification
2.0
C-
Course Completion and Certification
1
2
Instructor Qualifications
5.0
A
Instructor Qualifications
1
2
3
4
5
Lesson Structure
10.0
A+
Lesson Structure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Media Quality
5.0
B+
Media Quality
1
2
3
4
5
Platform User Experience
5.0
A+
Platform User Experience
1
2
3
4
5
Teaching Effectiveness
20.0
B+
Teaching Effectiveness
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Tests and Quizzes
10.0
A
Tests and Quizzes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Strengths

  • Beginner friendly

  • Project-based learning

  • Well-rounded data science platform

Weaknesses

  • Lessons are text only

Highlights
Pricing Free–$24.50/month

1/3 of Dataquest's content is free

Certificate Yes
Time to complete 1 month

5 hours per week

Recommended level Beginner
Enroll Here
202,000+ students

What makes this course stand out?

Frequently asked questions

Is it too late to learn Python and get a job?

This is one of the most common questions I see in online communities and when talking to those curious about software development. The fact is, it's never "too late" to start learning Python, and it's never "too late" to earn an income from programming. Developers are in constant demand, and there are still plenty of software solutions you can build. Whether you want to join a company, launch a startup, or freelance on the side, there are plenty of ways to add value with your new Python skills.

Just search r/learnprogramming for "too late," and you'll find accounts from dozens of people of all ages learning to program and earning an income.

Why should I learn Python?

Python is an excellent language to learn due to its readability, versatility, and programming efficiency. Since you can prototype quickly with the language, many startups are built on Python—Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Uber, and Quora, to name a few. Python also supports many programming paradigms (procedural, object-oriented, functional), allowing you to experiment with different programming methods in the same language.

Due to Python's popularity, it has one of the most active online communities, countless open-source libraries to build on and learn from, and an almost endless supply of job opportunities. These reasons make it one of the best languages for beginners.

How long does it take to learn Python?

The time it takes to become proficient with Python varies based on your previous experience and the amount of time you dedicate to learning. Complete beginners can get comfortable with the basics in a few weeks. With persistence, you can be job-ready in 6–12 months. Mastering Python can take many years and depends on the skills, libraries, and frameworks you pursue—more specialized, higher-paying fields take significant programming, infrastructure, and computer science knowledge.

What career opportunities exist, and how much can I earn?

Python's versatility lends well to many industries, including data science, machine learning, AI, web development, automation, scientific computing, particle physics, and more. Python is a tool, and while you can certainly get a "Python Developer" job, many careers list Python as a required skill. These other careers require additional skills besides Python, so salaries vary widely depending on your background, experience, and interests.

According to PayScale, a Python software developer can expect to earn $55k–$116k. So, if you only gain Python programming proficiency, you can expect an entry-level floor salary of $55k. Acquiring other skills, like data science, will only increase your wage from there. To learn Python and those other skills, check out my other articles on the best courses for data science, machine learning, AI, and data analytics, which often include Python introductions.

What books should I get?

I always recommend pairing courses with books because doing so immerses you in multiple learning mediums, allowing you to learn more quickly and deeply.

The specific book you should get depends on your current programming experience; for beginners, I recommend Automate the Boring Stuff, also available for free. The same author also wrote The Big Book of Small Python Projects, a collection of 81 Python projects to help you solve diverse problems.

If you have some programming experience, read through Fluent Python for a more thorough coverage of Python.

You can find these and hundreds of other programming books through a single O'Reilly subscription.


Meet the Authors

Brendan Martin
Brendan Martin Founder of LearnDataSci

Chief Editor at LearnDataSci and Software Engineer

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