How much do coding classes cost in 2026? Full price breakdown for beginners and pros

How much do coding classes cost? If you’re thinking about learning to code, you’re probably wondering the same thing. The answer isn’t simple. You could pay under £100 for a basic intro course-or over £10,000 for a full-time bootcamp. The price depends on what you want to learn, how fast you want to learn it, and where you’re learning from.

Free coding classes: What you get for nothing

You don’t need to spend a penny to start coding. Sites like freeCodeCamp, Codecademy’s free tier, and Khan Academy offer full beginner courses in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These cover the basics of building simple websites. You’ll learn how to make buttons work, change text colors, and structure a page. It’s enough to build a personal portfolio site or tweak a WordPress theme.

But free doesn’t mean easy. You’re on your own. No mentor. No deadlines. No feedback on your code. People who stick with free resources often get stuck after a few weeks because they don’t know if they’re doing it right. A 2025 survey of 2,000 self-taught coders found that 68% quit before finishing their first project-not because it was too hard, but because they had no one to ask when things broke.

Online courses: £20 to £300 for structured learning

If you want structure, guidance, and a clear path, paid online courses are the sweet spot. Platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and Pluralsight offer coding classes that cost between £20 and £300. Most of these are self-paced. You watch videos, do exercises, and get a certificate at the end.

For example, a full Python for beginners course on Udemy usually costs £12.99 during sales (regularly £79). It includes 15 hours of video, quizzes, and a final project. A web development bootcamp on Coursera, like the one from the University of London, runs £249 for six months. You get weekly assignments, peer reviews, and access to teaching assistants.

These courses are great if you’re learning on the side-while working, studying, or raising kids. But they won’t get you a job on their own. Employers don’t care about certificates. They care about what you can build. So if you take a £49 course, you better build three real projects after it.

Bootcamps: £5,000 to £12,000 for fast-track careers

Bootcamps are the big spenders. They promise to turn you into a junior developer in 12 to 24 weeks. You’ll code 8 hours a day, five days a week. You’ll work on real client projects. You’ll get resume help, mock interviews, and job placement support.

In the UK, bootcamps like Code First: Girls (for women and non-binary people) and General Assembly charge between £7,500 and £12,000. Some offer income share agreements (ISAs)-you pay nothing upfront, then pay 15% of your salary for two years once you land a job over £30,000. Others, like Le Wagon, have payment plans: £1,500 down, then £500/month for 12 months.

Are they worth it? For some, yes. A 2025 report from the UK Department for Education showed that 74% of bootcamp graduates got a tech job within six months. But only 41% landed roles paying over £35,000. If you’re switching careers at 45 with no tech background, a bootcamp might be your best shot. If you’re 22 and already in university, you’re better off learning for free and building your own apps.

University degrees: £9,250 to £27,000 per year

If you’re thinking about a computer science degree, you’re looking at £9,250 a year in the UK for home students. International students pay up to £27,000. That’s three to four years of tuition-plus living costs.

Is it worth it? It depends. A degree gives you a broad foundation: algorithms, data structures, theory, math. You’ll learn how computers work under the hood. That’s useful if you want to work at Google, build AI systems, or do research.

But most coding jobs don’t need a degree. In 2025, 61% of junior developer roles in the UK didn’t require one, according to LinkedIn data. You can get the same job with a bootcamp and a GitHub profile full of working apps. A degree takes longer. Costs more. And you might graduate with £50,000 in debt just to build a to-do list app.

Local classes and community colleges: £100 to £800

Not everyone wants to learn online. Some people prefer sitting in a room with a teacher. Community colleges, adult education centres, and local tech hubs offer coding classes in person. In Manchester, places like Manchester Metropolitan University’s Community Learning run 10-week Python or web dev courses for £250. Libraries and co-working spaces sometimes host free or low-cost workshops too.

These are great for people who learn better with face-to-face help. You can ask questions in real time. You get immediate feedback. And you meet other learners. But they’re limited. You won’t find advanced topics like machine learning or cloud deployment in a £100 class. They’re designed for beginners who want to dip their toes in.

What you’re really paying for

When you pay for coding classes, you’re not just paying for videos or lectures. You’re paying for:

• Guidance-someone telling you what to learn next
• Feedback-someone reviewing your code and saying what’s wrong
• Accountability-deadlines that keep you moving
• Community-other learners to ask for help or collaborate with
• Job support-resume help, interview prep, company connections

Free resources give you none of these. Paid courses give you some. Bootcamps give you most. Degrees give you all-but with a huge price tag.

How to choose without overspending

Here’s a simple rule: start cheap, then invest only when you’re ready.

1. Start with free resources. Spend 4 weeks learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Build a simple website. If you finish it, you’re motivated.
2. If you’re stuck, buy a £30 course. Pick one with projects and a community forum.
3. After three projects, apply to a bootcamp-or start applying for junior roles. Don’t wait to "be ready." Most developers weren’t ready when they got their first job.
4. If you’re serious about a career change, save up for a bootcamp. Look for ones with job guarantees or ISAs.
5. Only go to university if you want to work in research, AI, or enterprise systems. Otherwise, it’s overkill.

Don’t let price scare you. The cheapest path is free. The fastest path to a job is a bootcamp. The safest path is a degree. Pick based on your goals, not your budget.

Hidden costs you shouldn’t ignore

There’s more to the cost than tuition. You need:

• A reliable laptop (minimum £500 if you don’t have one)
• Internet access (you’ll need it daily)
• Time-10 to 20 hours a week for part-time learning
• Software: most tools are free (VS Code, GitHub), but some paid tools like Figma or Notion Pro help
• Optional: domain names (£5/year), hosting (£3/month), or premium courses

Many people forget these. They think £8,000 for a bootcamp is the total cost. Then they realise they need a new laptop and can’t afford to quit their job. Plan ahead.

What works for who?

Let’s say you’re one of these people:

• Student on a budget → Free resources + university modules. Build a portfolio. Skip the bootcamp.
• Parent working part-time → Online course (£50-£150). Learn at night. Build one project per month.
• Mid-career switcher → Bootcamp with ISA. Invest £0 upfront. Pay only if you get hired.
• Entrepreneur building an app → Learn HTML/CSS/JavaScript for £30. Hire a developer for the rest.
• Retiree curious about tech → Local class (£100). No pressure. Just learn for fun.

There’s no one-size-fits-all. But there’s a path for everyone-even if you’ve got £0 to spend.

Final thought: Your time is the real cost

The biggest expense in learning to code isn’t money. It’s time. You could spend £10,000 on a bootcamp and still not get a job if you don’t practice. Or you could spend £0 and build a full app in six months by coding 30 minutes a day.

Stop comparing prices. Start comparing effort. What are you willing to do every day? That’s what will determine your success-not how much you paid.