AI Training Guide 24 courses · 24 schools
24 AI trainings, courses and certifications, ranked by a published value formula instead of vibes. 13 cost nothing at all. Every score shows its arithmetic — click a row. Level, time and difficulty are filters, not score axes: a 4-month specialization is not worse than a 6-hour badge. Independently compiled by RXed. No affiliate links, no paid placements. Published links are clean. As of 2026-07-31.
| Programme ↕ | Value ↕ | Level ↕ | Format | Time | Cost ↕ | Cert ↕ | Mine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Microsoft | 83 | Intro | Remote global | Free self-study modules plus one proctored exam | Free to start | Exam-backed | |
CertificateMicrosoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals CostLearning modules free on Microsoft Learn; exam fee priced per country TimeFree self-study modules plus one proctored exam AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 AI-900 retired 30 June 2026, so only AI-901 counts; modules are free but the exam is paid and Azure-specific. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| AI Agents Course Hugging Face | 75 | Practitioner | Remote global | ~3-4 h/week per unit, no deadlines | Free | Yes | |
CertificateHugging Face Agents certificate CostFree, including the certificate Time~3-4 h/week per unit, no deadlines AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Rare thing: genuinely free course and free certificate, no deadlines; still a developer course, not a business one. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations Anthropic Academy | 75 | Intro | Remote global | 10 modules, self-paced | Free | Yes | |
CertificateAnthropic certificate of completion CostFree, certificate of completion included Time10 modules, self-paced AudienceBusiness Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Vendor-neutral 4D framework for working with any LLM; free with certificate, but every example runs on Claude. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| ARISA AI Skills Academy ARISA project (EU co-funded) | 75 | Intro | Remote EU | 12 weeks part-time, ~6-8 h/week | Free | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostFree, certificate of achievement included Time12 weeks part-time, ~6-8 h/week AudienceBeginner Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 EU-funded seven-course track up to deep learning; heavier than it looks and the certificate carries no formal weight. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) Amazon Web Services | 75 | Intro | Remote global | 90-minute exam, self-paced prep | Paid | Exam-backed | |
CertificateAWS Certified AI Practitioner Cost$100 USD exam; official prep material free on AWS Skill Builder Time90-minute exam, self-paced prep AudienceBusiness Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Cert for managers and analysts who buy AI rather than build it; only worth $100 if you are already on AWS. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Elements of AI University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn | 75 | Intro | Remote EU | 6 chapters, ~4 weeks part-time | Free | Yes | |
CertificateElements of AI certificate CostFree, certificate included; ECTS credits only available in Finland Time6 chapters, ~4 weeks part-time AudienceBeginner Languagemulti Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Europe's default AI-literacy course, in Dutch and 20+ languages; conceptual only, no hands-on tool practice. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Introduction to Modern AI Cisco Networking Academy | 75 | Intro | Remote global | ~6 h total | Free | Yes | |
CertificateCisco Credly badge CostFree, including the Cisco digital badge Time~6 h total AudienceBeginner Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Six-hour no-code intro with a free Credly badge; broad and shallow, useful as a company-wide baseline. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Kaggle Learn Kaggle (Google) | 75 | Intro | Remote global | Micro-courses, a few hours each | Free | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostFree, including certificates; Kaggle account required TimeMicro-courses, a few hours each AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Free micro-courses with free certificates; data-science flavoured, so more pandas than prompting. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| KI-Campus Stifterverband (Germany) | 75 | Intro | Remote EU | Courses from ~2 h to several weeks | Free | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostFree, including certificates TimeCourses from ~2 h to several weeks AudienceBeginner Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 German public AI learning platform, much of it in English with free certificates; quality varies sharply per course. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| AI For Everyone DeepLearning.AI (via Coursera) | 58 | Intro | Remote global | 4 modules, ~7 h total | Free to start | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostFree to audit; certificate requires a paid Coursera subscription Time4 modules, ~7 h total AudienceExecutive Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Made for owners and managers who will never write code; predates generative AI, so pair it with something newer. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python Harvard University | 58 | Practitioner | Remote US | 7 weeks of material | Free to start | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostFree via OpenCourseWare; verified edX certificate costs extra Time7 weeks of material AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Free through Harvard's OpenCourseWare; the edX certificate costs extra and you need a year of Python first. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate IBM (via Coursera) | 58 | Practitioner | Remote global | 13 courses, ~4 months at 10 h/week | Free to start | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostFree to enrol; Coursera subscription needed for the certificate Time13 courses, ~4 months at 10 h/week AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Job-oriented engineering track; 13 courses is a real commitment and the subscription runs the whole time. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Introduction to Generative AI (learning path) Google Skills (formerly Cloud Skills Boost) | 58 | Intro | Remote global | 5 activities, self-paced | Free to start | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostFree with a Google account; hands-on labs elsewhere consume paid credits Time5 activities, self-paced AudienceBeginner Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Free vendor intro to generative AI on Google Cloud; the real hands-on labs burn paid credits. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute self-paced courses NVIDIA | 58 | Practitioner | Remote global | Courses of ~2-8 h; workshops run a full day | Free to start | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostSeveral self-paced courses free; deeper ones around $90 each TimeCourses of ~2-8 h; workshops run a full day AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 GPU-backed labs you cannot easily replicate locally; the free catalogue rotates and the best courses are paid. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Short Courses catalogue DeepLearning.AI | 58 | Practitioner | Remote global | 100+ courses, ~1-11 h each | Free to start | Yes | |
CertificateYes CostVideos free; labs, quizzes and certificates need Pro membership Time100+ courses, ~1-11 h each AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Videos are free and current; labs, quizzes and certificates sit behind the Pro membership paywall. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| AI For Business Vlerick Business School | 50 | Intro | Hybrid BE | 3 days in Brussels plus self-paced pre-work | Paid | Yes | |
CertificateVlerick certificate CostEUR 3,995 excl. 21% VAT Time3 days in Brussels plus self-paced pre-work AudienceExecutive Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Belgian three-day exec programme for SME decision-makers; you leave with a strategy, not with hands-on skills. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Google AI Essentials Google (via Coursera) | 50 | Intro | Remote global | 5 modules, under 5 h total | Paid | Yes | |
CertificateGoogle AI Essentials Certificate Cost$49/month Coursera subscription after a 7-day free trial Time5 modules, under 5 h total AudienceBeginner Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Best short primer for non-technical staff; you pay Coursera monthly, so finish inside the trial or budget for it. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Machine Learning Specialization Stanford University & DeepLearning.AI (via Coursera) | 50 | Practitioner | Remote global | 3 courses, ~2 months at 10 h/week | Paid | Yes | |
CertificateYes Cost$49/month Coursera subscription; no free audit, financial aid available Time3 courses, ~2 months at 10 h/week AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 The standard on-ramp to real machine learning; there is no audit option, so the monthly fee is unavoidable. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Artificiele intelligentie (AI) - online VDAB (Flemish public employment service) | 42 | Intro | Remote BE | Online course, self-paced | Free | No | |
CertificateNone CostFree (VDAB-recognised online learning) TimeOnline course, self-paced AudienceBeginner Languagenl Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Free Flemish public training for jobseekers and employees; Dutch only and you need a VDAB account to enrol. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| De Vlaamse AI-Cursus VAIA / Jim Stolze | 42 | Intro | Remote BE | Short online modules, self-paced | Free | No | |
CertificateNone CostFree TimeShort online modules, self-paced AudienceBeginner Languagenl Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Dutch-language AI basics for anyone in Belgium, works on a phone; very introductory and sponsor-backed. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| LLM Course Hugging Face | 42 | Practitioner | Remote global | ~6-8 h/week, roughly one chapter per week | Free | No | |
CertificateNone CostFree, readable without an account; no certificate offered yet Time~6-8 h/week, roughly one chapter per week AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Full transformer and LLM course readable without an account; no certificate yet and it expects solid Python. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Machine Learning Crash Course Google for Developers | 42 | Practitioner | Remote global | 12+ modules, self-paced | Free | No | |
CertificateNone CostFree, no sign-up, no certificate Time12+ modules, self-paced AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Free with no signup, from regression to LLMs; assumes Python and school maths, and gives no credential. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| OpenAI Academy OpenAI | 42 | Intro | Remote global | 3 core courses plus weekly live skill labs, ~30-60 min each | Free | No | |
CertificateNone CostFree, account required Time3 core courses plus weekly live skill labs, ~30-60 min each AudienceBusiness Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Free ChatGPT-centric training with live skill labs; no credential in the free tier and it assumes a paid ChatGPT plan. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
| Practical Deep Learning for Coders fast.ai | 42 | Practitioner | Remote global | Part 1: 9 lessons, ~13.5 h of video plus practice | Free | No | |
CertificateNone CostFree, no account and no certificate TimePart 1: 9 lessons, ~13.5 h of video plus practice AudienceTechnical Languageen Sourcemanual/ai_schools_v1 First seen2026-07-30 Last verified2026-07-30 Coding-first deep learning, no signup wall; needs a year of Python and real time, not a lunch break. Link is clean — no affiliate tag, nobody paid to be listed. | |||||||
Listing is editorial. Nobody paid to be here, nothing is an affiliate link, and a course that is free to take but charges for the certificate is filed under free to start, not free. Spot something wrong or missing? Tell us.
AI schools 24 checked
Where to learn it, free options first. Same rule as the courses above: editorial list, nobody paid to be here. Prefer filters? Full directory.
- huggingface.co/learn/agents-course/unit0/introducti…" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI Agents Course Free — Hugging Face, ~3-4 h/week per unit, no deadlines
- anthropic.skilljar.com/ai-fluency-framework-foundat…" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations Free — Anthropic Academy, 10 modules, self-paced
- academy.aiskills.eu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ARISA AI Skills Academy Free — ARISA project (EU co-funded), 12 weeks part-time, ~6-8 h/week
- vdab.be/opleidingen/aanbod/O-AMI-800882/cursus/C-AM…" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Artificiele intelligentie (AI) - online Free — VDAB (Flemish public employment service), Online course, self-paced
- vaia.be/nl/opleidingen/de-vlaamse-ai-cursus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">De Vlaamse AI-Cursus Free — VAIA / Jim Stolze, Short online modules, self-paced
- elementsofai.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elements of AI Free — University of Helsinki & MinnaLearn, 6 chapters, ~4 weeks part-time
- netacad.com/courses/introduction-to-modern-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Introduction to Modern AI Free — Cisco Networking Academy, ~6 h total
- ki-campus.org/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KI-Campus Free — Stifterverband (Germany), Courses from ~2 h to several weeks
- kaggle.com/learn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kaggle Learn Free — Kaggle (Google), Micro-courses, a few hours each
- huggingface.co/learn/llm-course/chapter1/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LLM Course Free — Hugging Face, ~6-8 h/week, roughly one chapter per week
- developers.google.com/machine-learning/crash-course" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Machine Learning Crash Course Free — Google for Developers, 12+ modules, self-paced
- academy.openai.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OpenAI Academy Free — OpenAI, 3 core courses plus weekly live skill labs, ~30-60 min each
- course.fast.ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Practical Deep Learning for Coders Free — fast.ai, Part 1: 9 lessons, ~13.5 h of video plus practice
- coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI For Everyone Free to start — DeepLearning.AI (via Coursera), 4 modules, ~7 h total
- cs50.harvard.edu/ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python Free to start — Harvard University, 7 weeks of material
- coursera.org/professional-certificates/ai-engineer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate Free to start — IBM (via Coursera), 13 courses, ~4 months at 10 h/week
- skills.google/paths/118" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Introduction to Generative AI (learning path) Free to start — Google Skills (formerly Cloud Skills Boost), 5 activities, self-paced
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certification…" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Free to start — Microsoft, Free self-study modules plus one proctored exam
- nvidia.com/en-us/training/online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute self-paced courses Free to start — NVIDIA, Courses of ~2-8 h; workshops run a full day
- deeplearning.ai/short-courses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Short Courses catalogue Free to start — DeepLearning.AI, 100+ courses, ~1-11 h each
- vlerick.com/en/programmes/programmes-in-digital-tra…" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI For Business Paid — Vlerick Business School, 3 days in Brussels plus self-paced pre-work
- aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-ai-practitio…" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) Paid — Amazon Web Services, 90-minute exam, self-paced prep
- grow.google/ai-essentials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google AI Essentials Paid — Google (via Coursera), 5 modules, under 5 h total
- coursera.org/specializations/machine-learning-intro…" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Machine Learning Specialization Paid — Stanford University & DeepLearning.AI (via Coursera), 3 courses, ~2 months at 10 h/week