Real courses, real reviews, no filler. Everything you need to pick the right one and actually finish it.
When you are new to Python, picking a course feels like the easy part. It is not. There are hundreds of options across dozens of platforms, every one of them claiming to be the best place to start. Some of them are genuinely excellent. Others will waste your time and send you searching for yet another course before you have written anything useful. This guide cuts through that. The courses below are the ones people actually finish, actually recommend, and actually remember. Real learner reviews are included throughout so you can hear from people who have been through each course, not just a description of what it claims to cover.
100 Days of Code: The Complete Python Bootcamp by Dr. Angela Yu
If there is one course that consistently comes up when beginners ask where to start, it is this one. Dr. Angela Yu teaches with a project-first approach, meaning that every day you build something rather than just watching explanations. By the end of the 100 days you have worked through roughly 100 projects, from simple calculators to web scrapers to basic games.
The format is what makes it work for people who have struggled with other courses before. Rather than sitting through long theory lectures before writing any code, you are building things almost immediately. That keeps motivation alive in a way that more academic approaches often do not. Several learners mentioned the coding exercises after almost every topic as one of the biggest reasons the content actually stuck.
“I tried to get into Python and programming a few times and always gave up. Angela Yu’s course gave me the structure I needed to actually learn. Now I am making more money than ever due to the skills I acquired. I finished it in about 12 months though. Don’t stress about rushing it, just commit.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
That timeline is worth taking seriously. This is not a weekend course. It is a long-term commitment, and trying to sprint through it tends to backfire. One learner noted the jump from beginner weeks to intermediate content is noticeable, but appreciated that the course trusts you to figure things out rather than spoonfeeding every answer. Another described the core lesson of the course as learning that everything is doable step by step, which they called a fundamental skill in itself.
“Most of the course is her teaching you some aspects of the language and then you are on your own creating the applications. Good course if you’re looking for exposure and prefer video teaching.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
For someone genuinely starting from zero, the consensus is consistent. One learner summarised it as definitely informative and one of the better courses out there for a newbie. Another added that the balance of material and examples makes it a solid time investment.
Best for
Complete beginners who need structure, energy, and something that keeps them coming back every day. Give yourself the full year if you need it.
Learn Python Programming Masterclass by Tim Buchalka
Tim Buchalka’s Masterclass takes a different approach to Angela Yu’s course. Where Angela Yu is energetic and project-driven, Tim Buchalka is methodical and thorough. The course is long and covers Python comprehensively, including object-oriented programming that many beginner courses rush past or skip entirely.
One genuine advantage is that the course is regularly updated. As one learner pointed out, whenever the content is refreshed, older material gets moved to a legacy section rather than disappearing, meaning the course stays current without losing historical context.
“Tim Buchalka makes some good stuff. Don’t mind the length. Whenever he updates the content, the old videos get pushed to legacy sections.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
Where some learners struggle
The reviews for this course are more divided than for Angela Yu’s. A recurring theme is that the teaching style can be difficult to follow for complete beginners. Several learners felt that explanations moved too quickly without enough context for why things were being done a certain way.
“Throughout the whole beginner section he does things fast and really doesn’t even tell you why he’s doing them. He just talked over an IDE with almost no visuals.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
The length is also a point of contention. The course is genuinely long, and some learners found the pace slow despite the volume of content, which is a frustrating combination. For people who already have some programming background and want thorough Python coverage, it works well. For complete beginners, it may be worth trying Angela Yu’s course first and coming back to Tim Buchalka’s to fill in any gaps.
Best for
Learners who want comprehensive, no-gaps coverage of Python and are comfortable with a denser, more methodical teaching style.
CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science by Harvard University
CS50 is not a typical beginner course. Harvard’s introductory computer science programme has developed a reputation that extends well beyond online learning communities. It is rigorous, demanding, and completely free to audit.
The course starts with C before moving to Python, which surprises some people expecting to jump straight into Python syntax. That choice is intentional. Learning to manage memory and understand what a computer is actually doing at a low level before moving to a higher-level language gives you a depth of understanding that most beginner courses never provide.
The problem sets are the heart of the course. Unlike many online courses where the answer is visible two scrolls down the page, CS50 expects you to think, research, and work things out. That is uncomfortable. It is also how real programming works.
“CS50 is absolutely fantastic. The best course I have ever done. It gives you a lot of ideas and a broad overview of the main things to learn. It forces you to think and look things up for yourself rather than giving you all the answers in advance. This was absolutely a big influence on starting my computer science career from a non-traditional background.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
“I started a week ago with no experience at all. All I can say is that the course is fantastic and 100% recommend it.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
The honest caveat is that this course is harder than most of what you will find on Udemy or Codecademy. People drop out. The problem sets take longer than expected. But learners who complete it consistently describe it as something genuinely different, the kind of experience that changes how you think about problems rather than just teaching syntax.
Best for
Learners who want to understand how computers actually work, not just how to write scripts. Be prepared for a real challenge.
CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
Once you have a foundation in Python, this course is an excellent next step if artificial intelligence interests you. It covers AI concepts broadly including search algorithms, Markov chains, neural networks, and natural language processing, all implemented in Python. A more recent lecture on large language models has also been added to reflect where the field has moved.
What sets this course apart from most AI beginner content is that it actually teaches you what is happening under the hood. You write programs that play games using minimax, that classify text, that make decisions. The concepts go back decades in some cases, and the course does not pretend otherwise.
“Now studying AI in uni, much of what we learn are concepts from the 1960s and 1970s that were just ideas back then. My classmates struggle with many concepts that I am already comfortable with, thanks to CS50 AI.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
This course covers AI more broadly than just the current LLM wave, which is actually a strength. Understanding the foundations of search, probability, and classic machine learning gives you context that makes the more recent developments easier to understand and evaluate.
Best for
Learners with Python basics who want to move into AI and understand the concepts deeply, not just call pre-built APIs.
“The good things about it is how very well structured it is. Every course is neatly packed and organised for you. It is also very interactive, you read and you do. Which is great.”REAL LEARNER REVIEW
Where it falls short
The limitations become clear once you move past the basics. Codecademy guides you through exercises so carefully that it is possible to feel like you understand something when what you have actually done is follow prompts. One learner described it plainly: it will give you a false sense of comprehension that gets destroyed as soon as you try to do something on your own computer.
The cost is also worth considering before signing up. The free tier scratches the surface but not much more, and at roughly seven euros a month the subscription adds up quickly. Several learners suggest starting with genuinely free resources first to confirm programming is something you want to pursue before paying for anything. The University of Helsinki MOOC and Harvard’s CS50 come up repeatedly as better free alternatives for people who want real depth.
“Honestly Codecademy is pretty solid for getting your feet wet but 7 euros a month adds up fast. I’d suggest starting with free stuff first to see if you actually vibe with programming before dropping cash.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
Where Codecademy works best is as a daily practice supplement alongside a more substantial course. If you are working through CS50 or Angela Yu’s course and want something to drill syntax during short sessions, it fits that role well.
Best for
Daily practice and drilling syntax alongside a primary course. Not recommended as a standalone learning path.
Python Programming Fundamentals by DataCamp
DataCamp’s Python Fundamentals course is built specifically for people who want to learn Python in a data context. From the earliest modules, the examples involve data manipulation rather than generic programming problems, which makes the learning feel purposeful for anyone heading toward data science or analytics.
The platform design is polished. Short videos and exercises are woven together so you are never watching for too long before writing code, and the built-in IDE removes any setup friction. Learners tend to describe it as a genuinely solid foundation builder, particularly for combining Python with SQL basics.
“DataCamp is great for beginners as it has a built-in IDE for Python and SQL coding and gives you a really good base with short exercises and videos interspersed with each other.”
REAL LEARNER REVIEW
That data focus is also the main limitation. If you want to learn general Python development, build web applications, or automate everyday tasks, DataCamp is not the right fit. Everything runs through a data lens. Someone interested in broader Python work would find the content too narrow. But for the learner who knows they want to work with data, the focused approach is a feature rather than a problem.
Best for
People interested in data science who want to learn Python in that context from the very beginning.
Associate Data Scientist in Python by DataCamp
“I recommend you pick a skill track instead of individual courses so you don’t end up doing one data analysis course and then a machine learning one and having it all feel scattered.”REAL LEARNER REVIEW
The certification question comes up in community discussions. The candid answer is that DataCamp certificates carry limited weight in hiring. The value of the track is the knowledge and practice it builds, not the credential at the end. What matters is what you can actually do with the skills once you have them.
For anyone who wants to set up a proper coding environment alongside their DataCamp work, learners recommend Jupyter Notebook or VS Code for local development and Google Colab or Replit for browser-based coding without installing anything. Getting comfortable with real tools alongside the DataCamp content makes the transition to actual data work much smoother.
Best for
Learners who want a structured career track toward data science rather than isolated skills in no particular order.
