C is a structured general purpose programming language. It was developed late 1960’s and early 1970’s by Dennis Ritchie and Bell Labs. C is one of the most widely adopted and used programming languages; it was developed originally for the Unix Operating System.

Many of the new/modern programming languages (e.g. Python, Perl, PHP, etc.) were driven directly or indirectly from C. Learning C is very helpful for those who’re willing to learn objective-C, C++ and C# as it will provide them with the basic knowledge required to dive deep into these languages.

Many beginners willing to learn C programming start with search Google and they end up with tens and even hundreds of tutorials, but which one is suitable for total beginners and here comes this post. This post is a guide for anyone willing to start learning C programming online for free from scratch, the post will present and compare between the best online sources where beginners can start from and follow along, the sources stated in this post are full structured courses so you won’t find a link to a single video or a group of unrelated tutorials.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn C programming) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Start Learning C Programming for Free from Scratch

Alison

Alison is the first online outlet where beginners can start learning C programming for free; you need to register in order to have access to the course. What’s unique about Alison is that you can receive a certificate at the end of the course, if you pass the assessment, it’s worth noting that the course is free but the certificate will cost you round 10 $.

Structure: The course is divided into 17 modules, 13 of these 17 modules are dedicated to explaining C programming while the 6^th, 10^th, 13^th, 16^th and 17^th modules are the quizzes modules that test your comprehension of the course. Each of the 13 explanatory modules is divided into lessons, and each lesson covers a certain topic in C programming.

Interface: The interface is very simple, the lessons are arranged one after the other, after finishing a lesson just click on go to the next lesson and you’ll be directed to it.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The course is well-organized and structured for beginners.
3. The certificate is really a unique thing about this outlet, and it might be an asset for many beginners.
4. The course starts by giving beginners a general idea about programming.

Cons

1. There’s no interactive editor to write the code and see the result.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners to start learning C programming through video tutorials.

The New Boston

The New Boston is the second free online outlet where beginner can start learning C programming. You don’t need to register to have access to the training, just go to the website and you’re ready to go.

Structure: The course is divided into 15 video tutorials that cover the very basics of C programming.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just go to the website and click on the topic you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the video’s page.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training is more of an overview about C programming, so it’s not suitable for beginners on its own.

Verdict: This training is suitable for anyone willing to have an overview about C programming through video tutorials.

Learn C

Learn C is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning C programming from scratch. You don’t need to register to have access to the course.

Structure: The course is an interactive course; the course is divided into lessons and each lesson covers certain topics in C programming. There’s a built-in editor where you can try the code and see the result.

Interface: The user interface is very simple; the page is divided into 3 sections:

1. Lesson body section.
2. The editor where you type your code.
3. The output window.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The course is well-structured and organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The explanation isn’t simple for complete beginners, which makes it hard for beginners to follow along.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners to learn C programming through an interactive trainings, but it’s worth noting that it’s not suitable for total programming beginners.

Learn C Online

Learn C Online is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning C programming, this is a text-based training and there are no videos. You don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into lessons (36 in total) and each of these lessons covers a certain topic in C programming.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson and you’ll be directed to the lesson’s page.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized for beginners

Cons

1. The training is available as text only which might be a problem for beginners who prefer video tutorials.
2. The structure of the training makes it hard for total programming beginners to follow along.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners who prefer text-based tutorials to learn C programming.

C Programming Expert

C Programming Expert is the fifth free online outlet where beginners can start learning C programming; this is a text-based training. You don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 21 sections; each section covers certain topics in C programming.

Interface: The interface is very simple, click on the section you’re interested in and a list of available topics will appear in a drop down menu, then choose the topic you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the topic’s page.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized and structured for beginners.

Cons

1. The training is available as text only which might be a problem for beginners who prefer video tutorials.

Verdict: This is a good outlet for beginners who prefer text-based training, choosing between this outlets and “Learn C Online” will depend on your personal preferences.

C Programming

C Programming is the sixth free online outlet where beginners can start learning C programming; this is a text-based training. You don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The course is divided into 4 sections, each section is divided into lessons (16 in total) and each lesson covers a certain topic in C programming.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the lesson’s page.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training doesn’t cover as many topics as the other outlets.
2. The course is available as text only which might be a problem for beginners who prefer video tutorials.

Verdict: Though this is a good source to start learning C programming, but it doesn’t cover as many topics as the other outlets stated in this post.

Fresh 2 Refresh

Fresh 2 Refresh is the seventh free online outlet where beginners can start learning C programming; this is a text-based tutorial. You don’t need to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into lessons and each of the lessons covers a certain topic in C programming. This training is structured and organized in a way that makes it more suitable for revising C programming than learning it from scratch.

Interface: The interface is very simple, click on the topic you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the topic’s page.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized for revising various topics in C programming.

Cons

1. The organization and structure of this outlet makes it for suitable for revising C programming than start learning it from scratch.

Verdict: This outlet is more suitable for revising C programming than start learning it from scratch.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning C programming for free

1. Alison is the best outlet to start learning C programming through video tutorials.
2. Learn C is the best outlet to start learning C programming through an interactive course.
3. Learn C Online is the best outlet to start learning C programming through a text-based tutorial.
4. The free online book  Teach Yourself C in 24 Hours is the best options for beginners who prefer studying from books.
5. If you have studied C programming before and you want to revise it then Fresh 2 Refresh is the best option.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in C programming.