Are freeCodeCamp certificates free of charge?

Yes. There is no paid tier, no fee for the exam or retakes, and no charge for the certificate. The organisation is funded by donations.

Are the old certificates still valid?

Yes. freeCodeCamp says a claimed certification stays with you. Legacy and archived certificates remain on the holder's profile, and most can still be earned.

Is the exam proctored?

Not in the usual sense. There is no webcam, microphone or ID upload. Instead the exam app runs closed book, questions are randomised, attempts are limited to one a week, and staff review every attempt before releasing a result.

All certifications

freeCodeCamp certifications

freeCodeCamp is a donor-funded charity that has given away coding certificates for more than a decade. For most of that time a certificate meant five projects that passed automated tests. Since December 2025 the main ones also end in an exam, which changes what they are worth more than any rename could.

Exam delivery: Unproctored online exam in freeCodeCamp's own open-source Exam Environment desktop app, every attempt reviewed by staff; legacy and archived certifications by project submission only

The old model was generous and easy to question. Anyone could claim a certificate by submitting projects that met the tests, and because solutions circulate freely, employers learned to read a freeCodeCamp certificate as proof of enrolment rather than proof of skill. The rebuilt curriculum keeps the projects, now as the entry ticket, and puts a 50-question closed-book exam behind them. It runs in freeCodeCamp's own open-source desktop app, draws questions at random from a bank, allows one attempt a week without limit on the total, and every attempt is looked at by staff before the result is released. There is still no webcam and no ID check, by design. That is a lighter touch than a vendor exam at a test centre, and a much firmer one than before.

Current, legacy and archived

Current certificates follow the new pattern: Responsive Web Design, JavaScript, Front-End Development Libraries, Python, Relational Databases and Back-End Development and APIs. Together they are the building blocks of a full-stack curriculum.
Legacy versions of several of these, earned through projects alone, stay valid for everyone who holds them and can still be claimed from the archive.
Archived subject certificates such as Data Analysis with Python are also still claimable, with the caveat that their content is no longer maintained and they have no exam.

None of them expire. freeCodeCamp once floated a recertification rule, then shelved it and promised a year's warning should it ever return. None of them cost anything either, not the course, the exam, the retakes or the certificate. The exams are English only at present, and they need a laptop or desktop rather than a phone.

What a freeCodeCamp certificate says about you

It says the holder finished a long, structured course and, for the current ones, passed a test of recall without help. freeCodeCamp credits each with three hundred hours of work, a figure for someone starting from zero. It does not say the holder can work in a team, ship to production or design something from a vague brief, and freeCodeCamp's courses do not claim to. The certificates are scaffolding for learning; a portfolio is what employers look at. For a learner who cannot pay for courses, it is the most complete free curriculum in the field.

Foundational

Associate

Choosing within freeCodeCamp

Each verdict is written from the first exam's page; the reverse view, where one exists, is written from the other's.

JavaScript Certification against Responsive Web Design Certification: The easier and earlier of the two. HTML and CSS come first because this course builds on them, but if only one freeCodeCamp certificate is going on a CV, it should be this one: programming is the harder skill to demonstrate.
Relational Databases Certification against Back-End Development and APIs Certification: The natural partner. The back-end certificate builds APIs without a database; this one teaches the database without an API. Together they describe a junior back-end developer better than either alone, and this one is the easier place to start.
Responsive Web Design Certification against JavaScript Certification: The natural next step, and the one with more weight. HTML and CSS are learned faster than programming, so if you can only finish one of the two, the JavaScript certificate says more about you. Do this one first anyway: the JavaScript course assumes you can already build the page it manipulates.
Data Analysis with Python Certification against Relational Databases Certification: A current freeCodeCamp certificate with an exam, teaching SQL rather than pandas. Analysts benefit from both; if you must choose, SQL is the skill more job adverts ask for.
Front-End Development Libraries Certification against JavaScript Certification: The prerequisite in all but name. Finish it first: this course spends no time on the language itself, and a shaky grip on JavaScript is the most common reason people stall on hooks.
Front-End Development Libraries Certification against Back-End Development and APIs Certification: The other half of the stack. Pick this one first if you enjoy visible results and interface work, the back-end one if data, servers and requests interest you more.

Frequently asked

Are freeCodeCamp certificates free of charge?: Yes. There is no paid tier, no fee for the exam or retakes, and no charge for the certificate. The organisation is funded by donations.
Are the old certificates still valid?: Yes. freeCodeCamp says a claimed certification stays with you. Legacy and archived certificates remain on the holder's profile, and most can still be earned.
Is the exam proctored?: Not in the usual sense. There is no webcam, microphone or ID upload. Instead the exam app runs closed book, questions are randomised, attempts are limited to one a week, and staff review every attempt before releasing a result.

Official certification portal: www.freecodecamp.org/learn

Last reviewed 26 September 2026 · Getting Digital