Google does offer free certificates, mainly in two places. Skillshop gives free certifications for Google products such as Google Ads and Analytics, and Google Skills, the platform that replaced Cloud Skills Boost, gives free badges for many cloud and AI courses. Google Career Certificates, including IT Support, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity and AI Essentials, are different: they run on Coursera and need a paid subscription or approved financial aid.
Key takeaways
- Skillshop certifications for Google Ads and Analytics are free to study and free to sit.
- Google Skills offers free introductory courses and badges in cloud and generative AI.
- Google Career Certificates on Coursera are not free by default.
- Many online lists call every Google course free, so check the provider's own page before you start.
Where does Google offer free courses?
Google's training is spread across several sites, which is why lists online disagree. MeshWorld's guide to free Google certificates counts five separate learning platforms, among them Skillshop, Google Skills (formerly Cloud Skills Boost) and Grow with Google, and says that between them more than 1,000 courses include a free certificate or badge.
| Platform | Topics | Cost of the credential |
|---|---|---|
| Skillshop | Google Ads, Analytics, marketing tools | Free |
| Google Skills | Cloud, data, generative AI | Many free badges; some labs need credits |
| Grow with Google on Coursera | Career Certificates | Paid subscription or financial aid |
A 2026 overview of free AI courses reports that Google merged Cloud Skills Boost, DeepMind learning material and Grow with Google into the single Google Skills platform in early 2026. If an old link sends you to Cloud Skills Boost, you will be redirected.
What are Skillshop certifications?
Skillshop is Google's training site for its advertising and measurement products. You study short lessons, then take a timed online assessment. Passing gives a certificate with your name that you can share on LinkedIn. The Google Ads certifications and the Google Analytics certification are the best known. They are free, and they expire after a year, so you retake them to stay current.
These are useful for students interested in marketing, business or running a website. If you manage any site with Google Analytics, the Analytics certification teaches you to read your own traffic reports.
What can you earn on Google Skills?
Google Skills hosts technical courses on cloud computing, data and AI. Short introductory courses, such as Introduction to Generative AI, end with a quiz and a completion badge. Longer skill badges combine courses with hands-on labs. Google explains its generative AI skill badge on its cloud blog, and we walk through earning it in free AI courses with certificates.
Check each course page before you start. Videos and quizzes are generally free, while some hands-on labs use credits. Free credits are often available to new accounts or through student programmes.
Are Google Career Certificates free?
No. This is the most common confusion. Google's own AI Essentials enrolment page shows the course is a paid Coursera programme after a short free trial, with pricing that varies by country. The same is true of the IT Support, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, Project Management and UX Design certificates.
You have two honest ways to get them without paying. One is Coursera financial aid, explained in how to get Coursera courses for free. The other is a scholarship through a school, charity or government programme that partners with Google, which exist in many countries. For how one of these certificates compares with an industry exam, see Google IT Support Certificate vs CompTIA A+.
Which free Google course should you take?
- For AI basics: Introduction to Generative AI on Google Skills. It is short and gives a badge.
- For marketing or your own website: the Google Analytics certification on Skillshop.
- For cloud careers: the cloud fundamentals courses on Google Skills, then compare with AZ-900 and AWS Cloud Practitioner.
- For a job-ready programme: a Career Certificate through financial aid, one course at a time.
Whichever you choose, be precise when you list it. Write the exact name and the platform, for example 'Google Analytics Certification, Skillshop'. A badge for a one-hour course should not be described as a Google certification.
Are free Google certificates valuable?
They are a good start. Google's name is recognised, and a Skillshop certification shows you can use a tool that businesses rely on. Short completion badges carry less weight, so treat them as proof of interest, not expertise.
As with every free course, the certificate matters less than what you can do afterwards. Run a small campaign, analyse a real website's traffic or build a tiny project with a cloud service, and describe that next to the certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google AI Essentials free?
No. Google AI Essentials is a paid Coursera programme after a free trial. You can apply for Coursera financial aid, or take Google's free Introduction to Generative AI course instead.
Are Google Skillshop certifications free?
Yes. Skillshop courses and their certification assessments are free. Most certifications are valid for one year.
What happened to Google Cloud Skills Boost?
It became part of Google Skills in 2026. Courses and badges moved to the new platform, and old links redirect there.
Sources
- Free Google certificates and badges, MeshWorld
- Google AI Essentials enrolment, Grow with Google
- Generative AI skill badge, Google Cloud Blog
- Free AI courses from OpenAI and Google, Pasquale Pillitteri