Small businesses often struggle to find the skilled workers they need—helping your current employees gain new skills can be one solution. But traditional training programs can be expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes out of reach for small companies.

The good news is that free online courses can bridge the education gap. While self-taught expertise can’t always compete with formal degree programs, free upskilling classes offer a cost-effective way for your employees to learn new skills and sharpen their existing abilities.

Maybe you’re thinking, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” But prepare to whet your appetite. Free online courses can be even better than degree programs when it comes to learning day-to-day skills that are critical for small business success, like digital strategy on HubSpot or Python programming.

Open online courses have democratized access to high-quality education from prestigious institutions noted a recent E-Learning Market Report from Research and Markets. They offer free or low-cost courses to a global audience, making education more inclusive and accessible.

Here are 10 free online training resources that can help your team gain new expertise quickly and cost-effectively.

1. Alison

Alison offers over 5,500 free online business courses, covering topics across information technology (IT), human resources (HR), personal development and management. The intuitive platform is well-suited for learning new skills, exploring different fields, and facilitating career development. All courses are free, with the option to complete and purchase certification.

  • What it offers: Free business courses on topics such as IT, HR, and workplace skills—along with optional paid certifications.
  • Best for: IT fundamentals, HR management, and business-related soft skills, such as communication, collaboration and time management.
  • Testimonial: “Knowledge is power, and the more that you can learn, the farther you can go. Alison is free, and the knowledge is the same as anywhere else. If you take this knowledge and you put this in your pocket, it can only lead to positive change in your life.”
  • Learn More: Alison

2. Coursera

Coursera partners with more than 350 universities and companies to provide high-quality online courses. Many classes can be audited for free, covering topics like leadership, finance, digital marketing, and generative AI. It’s designed for people who want to expand their knowledge and workplace skillsets. Coursera offers both free and fee-based courses, as well as degree programs.

  • What it offers: Many universities provide free online courses through Coursera. While certificates often require payment, auditing courses is free.
  • Best for: Business strategy, finance, leadership, and digital marketing.
  • Testimonial: “Being a mother—especially a working mother—means I’m constantly trying to juggle my schedule, my kids’ schedules, and work. I am very grateful for the flexible and remote learning programs that Coursera has to offer.”
  • Learn More: Coursera

3. edX

edX provides more than 400 online courses from leading institutions like Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These in-depth programs provide world-class education for free. That makes edX a good platform for professionals interested in enhancing their expertise or pivoting careers.

  • What it offers: edX partners with universities to offer free courses in technology, management, and leadership.
  • Best for: Technology training, programming, project management, and data science.
  • Testimonial: “One employer was very interested in my boot camp experience and couldn’t believe all I learned in just six months. I ended up getting that job.”
  • Learn More: edX

4. FutureLearn

FutureLearn offers free and paid short courses from over 200 universities and companies. Focus areas include leadership, communication, digital transformation and workplace resilience. The platform’s focus on business management and technology skills makes it well-suited for mid-career workers interested in staying competitive and relevant in fast-changing industries. The free tier offers limited access to more than 1,400 courses.

  • What it offers: A diverse range of online courses, from big data and analytics to artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing.  
  • Best for: Career growth, digital skills, communication.
  • Testimonial: “I have worked in social media in previous roles, but did the course just to upskill and ensure that my knowledge was current and up-to-date. The content was great, and I enjoyed the use of video and extra reading as a way of varying the delivery of the course content.” 
  • Learn more: FutureLearn

5. Google Skillshop

Google Skillshop is designed for marketers and small business owners. It equips learners with practical and in-demand skills to help grow a company’s online presence and improve campaign performance.

  • What it offers: Free certifications in Google Ads, Google Analytics, YouTube, and digital marketing.
  • Best for: Digital marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and online advertising.
  • Testimonial: “I completed a course on Google Skillshop. Through this course, I learned how to track website and app traffic, find out where visitors are coming from, and what devices they use. I also learned about click-through rates, conversions, and other metrics.”
  • Learn More: Google Skillshop

6. HubSpot Academy

HubSpot Academy’s content is designed for professionals interested in mastering customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, automation tools, and modern customer engagement strategies. Hubspot offers courses that are specific to its own software and generally applicable to a wide range of marketing, sales, and service solutions.

  • What it offers: Free certified courses in marketing, sales, and customer service.
  • Best for: Marketing automation, CRM training, sales tactics.
  • Testimonial: “ The platform teaches you not just marketing theory, but how to apply that knowledge using HubSpot’s own CRM and other software, which can be a big productivity boost for teams already using these tools. It’s also incredibly flexible in terms of pacing—you can take a few minutes here and there to chip away at a course, making it ideal for busy professionals.”
  • Learn More: HubSpot Academy

7. LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning can help professionals seeking to improve soft skills or explore new fields. Expert-led lessons are accessible to anyone without a paid subscription.

  • What it offers: While LinkedIn Learning is primarily a paid service, it offers a limited selection of free courses on leadership, business strategy, marketing, AI and tech skills.
  • Best for: Leadership, business development, AI and cybersecurity.
  • Testimonial: “Great perspective on how AI can be used to maximize time and effort in the project management sphere, so the PM [project manager] can focus on strategy and innovation. There is so much that can be used in the AI realm to improve time management, documentation, and communication during a project lifespan.”
  • Learn More: LinkedIn Learning

8. OpenLearn

OpenLearn provides free courses from The Open University, a UK-based pioneer in distance learning. With structured content and academic quality, it supports self-paced learning for professionals aiming to strengthen their leadership skills or gain insights into business strategy and operations.

  • What it offers: Free courses in business, management and leadership from The Open University.
  • Best for: Business fundamentals, leadership training, and project management.
  • Testimonial: “I recently completed ‘Understanding Your Customers’ from The Open University, and it was an excellent introduction to customer behavior and marketing. The course explained key concepts like consumer vs. business-to-business marketing, and how to build strong customer relationships clearly and simply.”
  • Learn More: OpenLearn

9. SCORE  

The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) is a nonprofit organization that offers free mentoring, business tools and workshops to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Backed by experienced mentors, and affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration, it provides actionable guidance on planning, finance, operations and marketing.

  • What it offers: Free training and mentoring for small business owners and employees.
  • Best for: Business planning, operations and entrepreneurship.
  • Testimonial: “I would 100% pursue the assistance of SCORE. It has made a noticeable impact on my business and has taken a lot of stress of business ownership away knowing I am not alone on the journey. At zero cost, there is nothing to lose by giving the program a try.”
  • Learn More: SCORE

10. Udemy

Udemy’s free course section provides access to thousands of video tutorials across topics like tech skills, project management and marketing. With flexible learning options and courses created by instructors around the world, the platform has the potential to help anyone seeking to expand or refine their skills.

  • What it offers: Udemy has a large collection of free courses in technology, management and marketing.
  • Best for: Technical skills, project management, and customer service.
  • Testimonial: “Great insights and plan on managing your time well. Very useful and I loved how every lesson was bite-sized and not too overwhelming for someone like me, who has a short attention span.”  
  • Learn More: Udemy Free Courses

Of course, the value of free online courses is put to the test when your employees apply their new skills in the real world. Determining whether this type of workforce development is right for your business requires zero upfront investment – just some sweat equity from employees who want to learn new skills.

While the courses themselves are free, businesses that support employee access to continuing education programs can reap valuable returns from higher productivity, enhanced retention and improved morale. It’s a win-win for both small business owners and their employees.

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