As a beginner, it is very crucial for you to choose the right coding software. Your choice will have a great impact on your learning experience. And this also opens up tons of opportunities. Coding software has made things much simpler for beginner coders. You can now enjoy an easy learning experience that will contribute to your success as a developer.
Free coding applications for beginners. It is always exciting for developers from all over the world whenever they get to showcase their best coding software at computer expos and tech conferences. On that note when we talk about the best free coding software for Windows and Mac to use we cannot help but wait in anticipation for brand-new features to use right away.
When you’re learning how to code for the first time, it can be hard to find free coding software for beginners. I mean, when you search online, the results are like one million flavors of coding programs. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming knowing where to start.
Here, I’ll highlight 6 free coding software for beginners that can get you started on your journey to learning how to code.
Udacity
The best thing about this app is the many choices of coding you can learn. From HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and others- this app offers courses taught by industry leaders from places like Google and Facebook. The app is free for many of the courses, but if you opt for the premium version of the app- you can gain access to feedback from those in their field and connect with others learning how to code as well. This is more than a platform to learn, but it helps build a community and make connections with those interested in coding. Some of the premium courses recently released can actually teach you how to build artificial intelligence as well, but can be a bit pricey ranging from $1000-$2400 a course.
Enki
The Enki app offers a variety of coding courses. With Enki, you can study everything from Python and JavaScript to spreadsheets and Airtable. Enki is very similar to other coding apps, like SoloLoearn. But Enki has one of the most accessible and attractive interfaces I’ve seen. Much of the content on Enki is available for free, but the cost of the pro plan might just be worth it. You’ll get access to all the content on the learning platform, and it only costs $7.99 a month.
Eclipse
Pros
- Great framework for building Java applications
- Includes plenty of debugging options
- Supports various build systems such as CMAKE
- Easy to get standard plugins from the marketplace
Cons
- It consumes a lot of RAM
- Sometimes it crashes on loading big projects
Price: Free
Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows
Eclipse is an IDE that supports an extensible plug-in system for customizing the environment. Although it is primarily used for developing Java applications, you can use it to write apps in other programming languages as well (via plug-ins).
It checks compile-time errors while writing the code. And since it provides suggestions and has a great online community to help users, you can increase your pace of coding with this tool.
Eclipse manages multiple files and projects efficiently and supports a broad range of file formats with type-specific syntax formatting. It provides connectors for multiple databases and supports common DB access methods. Moreover, project integration into GIT is virtually seamless.
BitDegree
BitDegree is a great place to learn to code for free. This online learning platform has courses on various programming languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, jQuery, and Ruby on Rails.
Moreover, there are coding classes for subjects like game development and data science. Some even come with certifications, which can be helpful when looking for a new job.
To get started, simply sign up with an email address and password, and pick one of the available free courses.
Generally, there are two types of online courses to choose from. The first is designed by BitDegree itself and usually comes in an interactive format. There will be a screen with a code editor, allowing students to test the scripts right away.
The other type is composed of standard video lessons developed by experts in the industry. Some may include quizzes, open-ended questions, or exercises to create a more engaging learning experience.
What’s excellent about BitDegree is that it uses a token system to reward students every time they complete a session. They can use these tokens to get a discount for paid coding classes or fund upcoming courses in the Community Votes section.
Other than that, students can check out the Code Playground page to submit their work or check others’ for inspiration.
CodeHub
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CodeHub is the best platform if you are dedicated to learning to code quickly and efficiently. Each course has 50 lessons in total, so it gives a vast amount of information and you can choose to take the courses however you feel most comfortable learning. The lessons are divided into 4 levels, giving you the ability to choose your category of strengths in each department so if you have any prior coding knowledge you can skip the basics.
Programming Hub
Programming Hub is a slick, attractive coding app that takes a clever approach to learning coding and other technical subjects. Each course presents its lessons in a kind of story format and features comprehension quizzes after each section.
Where Programming Hub really stands out, though, is in the breadth of courses offered. You can take classes to learn programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, C++, Scala, Julia, and more. But you can also take courses in subjects like ethical hacking, app development, AI, material design, edge computing, digital marketing, SEO, and tons more.
An added benefit of Programming Hub’s interface is its text-to-speech functionality. This is a nice touch that makes learning to code accessible to a much larger audience.
Geany
Pros
- Lightweight and fast
- Comes with a built-in plugin manager
- Code completion and syntax highlighting
- Extensive file-type support
Cons
- Not as advanced as some other text editors
- Windows version doesn’t properly support 2-byte characters such as Japanese and Chinese
Price: Free
Platform: Linux, macOS, Windows
Geany is an open-source, lightweight text editor, specifically designed to have short load times with limited dependencies on external libraries or separate packages.
It supports many programming and markup languages, including C, C#, C++, PHP, HTML, CSS JavaScript, Python, Perl, Haskell, and Pascal. Other common file types like Diff-output, SQL files, and ini-style config files are also supported.
Unlike other code editors, you don’t have to search through numerous syntax styles just to be able to change the used font. And since it features Real Syntax Parsing (not just coloring), it can display inner classes and methods in source code.
Codecademy
Codecademy is one of the best sites to learn coding. Like BitDegree, it offers free and paid courses on a wide range of programming subjects. Students can choose their class based on the language they want to master or their desired career path.
If you’re unsure where to begin, Codecademy has a sorting quiz to determine what programming job is best for you and which course to start with.
The free coding classes mainly cover introductory lessons, though there are several intermediate ones as well.
Besides essentials like HTML and CSS, Codecademy also features specific programming languages, such as Go and Swift. These are used to make Google and Apple applications, respectively.
The learning experience is quite hands-on. Each course features a set of explanations and instructions, along with a code editor for students to practice their knowledge.
Should you get stuck on the instructions, use the hint provided. The community forums are also accessible within the lesson if you need more information.
Note that Codecademy doesn’t offer certificates for its free courses as BitDegree does. To get them, consider purchasing the Pro plan, which costs $19.99/month. College students can enjoy a 35% discount.
SoloLearn
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SoloLearn is best for those who have no prior coding knowledge and want to start from the beginning. Each section is broken up into “chapters” that you learn and test on. At the end of each chapter, you are quizzed on your knowledge and must receive a passing score to move on to the next chapter. It works much like a college online course where you can participate in forums with other students and ask questions about things you may be confused about. There are hundreds of different quizzes and activities in the code playground section to keep practicing.
Conclusion:
I was always interested how apps are built. But all the resources out there are not very beginner-friendly. And that’s why I decided to share with you the best applications for coding.
It is very crucial for you to choose the right coding software. Your choice will have a great impact on your learning experience. And this also opens up tons of opportunities. Coding software has made things much simpler for beginner coders. You can now enjoy an easy learning experience that will contribute to your success as a developer.
Coding is a skill that you must learn as a student if you want to succeed in your career as a programmer or software engineer. it is important to know that there are millions of websites that offer you the possibility to browse learning material for free, but also that you can buy premium learning material at equally affordable prices. this post contains the best applications for coding.