Is Scrimba Free? Free vs Pro Explained
Yes, Scrimba is free, partially and permanently. The free tier is not a trial: it includes 24 full courses (Learn React, Learn JavaScript, Learn HTML and CSS, Learn TypeScript, Learn Python, Learn SQL, and more) plus 10 interactive challenges total. Pro unlocks all 74+ courses, unlimited challenges, the 4 career paths, the Pro-only Discord channels, and path certificates. Free courses do not expire.
Is Scrimba free? The short answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is there a free plan? | Yes. A permanent free account, no card required. |
| How many courses are free? | 24 of 74+, including the flagship React and JavaScript courses. |
| Is there a free trial of Pro? | No classic trial. There is a 7-day refund window and a free month for students via GitHub, covered on the student discount page. See Scrimba free trial. |
| What is Pro-only? | Career paths, unlimited challenges, the Pro-only Discord channels (basic Discord access is free), path certificates, and most advanced courses. |
| Does free expire? | No. Free courses stay free as long as Scrimba lists them as free. |
| What about Scrimba Explain? | 10 explainers for life on Free, 100 a month on Pro. See the Scrimba Explain reference. |
Check current free courses on Scrimba (opens in a new tab) (filter by "Free"). Pro is worth it if you want structure and accountability beyond the basics; the rest of this page shows exactly where free stops.
Which one fits your goal?
Match your goal to the lock row below. A path, the Pro Discord channels, or unlimited challenges means Pro pays for itself in structure; one free stack like React or JavaScript on its own means stay on Community until you feel the ceiling.
Free users get 10 interactive challenges total; Pro includes unlimited challenges.
This comparison table may scroll horizontally on smaller screens.
| Feature | Scrimba | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Number of courses | All 74+ courses | ~24 courses |
| Career paths | All 4 paths (Frontend, Fullstack, Backend, AI) | None |
| Interactive challenges | Unlimited | 10 total |
| Scrimba Explain (AI video explainers) | 100 per month | 10 total, lifetime |
| Discord community | Basic access + Pro-only channels (code reviews, instructors) | Basic access |
| Certificates | Yes, for career paths | No |
| New courses | Immediate access | Only if marked free |
| Code download | Yes | Yes |
| Interactive editor | Yes | Yes |
Notable free courses
These popular courses are available without a Pro subscription. Lesson counts are from Scrimba's catalog data:
- Learn React, 15.1 hours, 358 lessons with Bob Ziroll (in partnership with MDN). Both capstones, Tenzies and Assembly: Endgame, are free.
- Learn JavaScript, 9.4 hours, 238 lessons, 140+ challenges (in partnership with MDN). Passenger counter, blackjack, Chrome extension and Firebase modules are all free.
- Learn HTML and CSS, 5.7 hours, 121 lessons (in partnership with MDN). The closing Hometown Homepage solo project is free.
- Learn TypeScript, 4.2 hours, 79 lessons, types, interfaces, React & Express
- React 19 Tutorial, 1.2 hours, 16 lessons, new React 19 features
- Learn Python, 4.1 hours, 133 lessons, relaunched in August 2026
- Learn Next.js, 8.5 hours, 127 lessons, App Router and server components
- Learn Node.js (3.5 hours, 53 lessons), Learn SQL (3.8 hours, 50 lessons), and Intro to Supabase (4.8 hours, 57 lessons)
- Build Serverless AI Agents (Langbase), 50 min, 19 lessons
Learn Python, Learn Node.js, Learn SQL, Intro to Supabase and Learn Next.js have no Pro items inside them at all. The only Pro feature they touch is the certificate at the end.
The full ranked list, with a flag on the ones showing their age, is in Best free Scrimba courses.
What Pro gates inside the free courses
The gate inside a free course is the solo project: a design file, a written spec and no walkthrough. In Learn JavaScript that is the basketball scoreboard, the password generator and the unit converter, one at the end of each Practice Time module. In Learn React it is the Digital Business Card after section one and Quizzical after the final capstone. In Learn HTML and CSS three solo projects are Pro (a newsletter, an Amazon product page, a web agency hero), but the final Hometown Homepage is free.
Everything else in those courses, including every challenge and every deploy, plays on a free account.
What requires Pro?
The major career paths and advanced courses are Pro-only:
- Frontend Developer Path (81.6 hours)
- Fullstack Developer Path (108.4 hours)
- Backend Developer Path (36.2 hours)
- AI Engineer Path (11.4 hours)
- Advanced React (18.8 hours, three sample scrims free), React Challenges, React Router
- Learn Responsive Web Design (15.1 hours, four sample scrims free), Learn Flexbox and Learn CSS Grid (four and three sample scrims)
- Intro to AI Engineering and Prompt Engineering for Web Developers (first five scrims free on each)
- All interview prep courses, including JavaScript Interview Challenges (two sample scrims)
Choose Pro vs stay free
Choose Pro if you:
- Want a structured career path from zero to job-ready
- Need certificates for your resume/LinkedIn
- Want unlimited interactive challenges
- Want the Pro-only Discord channels for code reviews and instructor help
- Plan to learn consistently for 3+ months
Stay Free if you:
- Just want to try Scrimba's format
- Only need React or JavaScript basics
- Are supplementing another learning resource
How far can you get on the free tier?
Further than most people expect. Here is a realistic free-only route, in order, before you ever hit a paywall:
- Learn HTML and CSS with Per Borgen. A Google.com clone, a digital business card, a birthday site, five deploys. Budget 12 to 18 hours. No Pro needed.
- Learn JavaScript with Per Borgen. A passenger counter you deploy to Netlify in module 1, then blackjack and a Chrome extension. Budget 20 to 30 hours. Free in full.
- Learn React with Bob Ziroll. 15.1 hours of video, MDN-reviewed. By the end you have built Tenzies and a hangman game. Budget 35 to 45 hours.
- Learn TypeScript with Bob Ziroll and Rachel Johnson. Adds types to what you already know. Budget 9 to 13 hours.
- Build a portfolio project of your own using what those courses taught. This is where most of the real learning happens, and it costs nothing. The Pro solo projects (basketball scoreboard, Quizzical) do this job with a spec; on free you write your own.
That sequence is enough to assemble a small portfolio and decide whether coding is for you. Where the free tier stops you: you cannot follow an ordered career path end to end, you cap out at 10 interactive challenges total, you get only basic Discord access without the Pro-only channels, you earn no path certificate, and Scrimba Explain stops after 10 lifetime explainers where Pro gets 100 a month. Those five limits are exactly what Pro removes. If you finish the route above and want a structured push to job-ready instead of a self-assembled one, that is the moment Pro starts paying for itself.
Free or Pro? A quick decision flow
Work top to bottom and stop at the first match:
- Just curious whether the scrim format clicks for you? Stay Free. Open Learn React and edit live code.
- Only need React or JavaScript fundamentals to supplement another resource? Stay Free. The core courses cover that without a subscription.
- Capping out at 10 challenges right when you are gaining speed? Upgrade to Pro for unlimited challenges.
- Want one ordered path from zero to a job-ready portfolio, plus the Pro Discord channels and a certificate? Upgrade to annual Pro.
- Will you study consistently for three months or more? Annual Pro is the cheaper-per-month choice; see Scrimba pricing.
- Unsure and on a tight budget? Stay Free, ship two or three small projects, then re-decide. The decision gets obvious once you feel the ceiling.
Unlock every 74+ courses + all paths
Start on free scrims, then upgrade when you want unlimited challenges, the Pro Discord channels, and certificates. 7-day refund on first purchase, cancel anytime, progress saved if you pause.
Scrimba free vs other free options
- freeCodeCamp: 100% free, text-first, certification tracks. Broader, but you code in a separate editor. See Scrimba vs freeCodeCamp.
- The Odin Project: free, reading plus projects, forces a real local environment. See Scrimba vs The Odin Project.
- Scrimba Free: fewer topics than either, but you code inside the lesson with no setup, which is the reason most people try it first.
Location-based pricing
Scrimba offers location-based discounts that automatically adjust pricing based on your country. If you're in a lower cost-of-living region, you may see significantly reduced subscription prices, no coupon code needed. This is available on both monthly and annual plans.
Scrimba documents the policy in its help centre under regional pricing, and it is applied automatically at checkout. Check the Scrimba pricing page (opens in a new tab) to see the pricing available in your location.
Long-term renewal value
A single subscription keeps unlocking new material, which is why some subscribers renew across multiple years:
- Year 1: Complete a full career path (Frontend or Fullstack), the bulk of the value.
- Year 2+: Scrimba keeps adding courses (AI engineering, React 19, TypeScript), so an active subscription covers newer topics without a separate purchase.
- After you are hired: The catalog stays available for picking up a technology your job introduces.
For a subscriber's perspective on that ongoing value, see Why I Keep Renewing Scrimba Pro.
Related pages
- Scrimba Pricing
- Student Discounts
- Scrimba vs Coding Bootcamps, compare Scrimba to traditional bootcamps
- Is Scrimba Worth It?
- Best Free Scrimba Courses
- Why I Keep Renewing Scrimba Pro, long-term subscriber perspective
No. Your progress is saved even after cancellation. You just lose access to Pro-only courses and Discord channels.
Source: Scrimba Help Centre
No. Scrimba only offers subscription plans. There is no option to purchase individual courses.
Source: Scrimba Help Centre
You keep access to free courses and your saved progress, but Pro-only courses become locked until you re-subscribe.
Source: Scrimba Help Centre
Yes. Scrimba automatically adjusts pricing based on your country. Users in lower cost-of-living regions may see significantly reduced subscription rates. No coupon code is needed, the discount is applied automatically.
No. Scrimba is free for a permanent set of full courses (about two dozen, including Learn React and Learn JavaScript) and 10 interactive challenges. Career paths, unlimited challenges, the Pro-only Discord channels, and certificates require Pro. Basic Discord access is free, and Scrimba Explain gives free accounts 10 explainers for life against 100 a month on Pro.
Source: Scrimba Help Centre
No. The free tier has no countdown timer. Individual promotions can end, so confirm which courses show a Free badge on Scrimba's catalog.
Source: Scrimba Help Centre
Free accounts can complete up to 10 interactive challenges total across the platform. Pro unlocks unlimited challenges.
Source: Scrimba Help Centre
Career path certificates require Pro. Individual free courses do not issue a path certificate.
It can be if you pair the free React and JavaScript courses with your own portfolio projects and networking, but most job seekers eventually want an ordered path, more challenges, or community, which is where Pro or a mix of resources comes in.
Scrimba occasionally adds or changes which courses are free. Some new courses launch as free before moving to Pro. Check the Scrimba site for current free offerings, the free catalog may evolve over time.