Top 6 Online SQL Courses for Beginners in 2025

Finding the right SQL course can be overwhelming with so many options out there. To save you time, I’ve gathered the 6 best SQL courses for beginners in 2025—complete with fresh details, pricing, learning formats, honest opinions, and a breakdown of pros and cons. No need to browse endlessly—everything you need is right here!

SQL (Structured Query Language) remains one of the most essential tools for working with databases, even in 2025 (for more insights into SQL’s relevance today, check out this article: Why SQL Still Matters in 2025). It allows you to interact directly with structured data, making it easier to organize, retrieve, and analyze critical information. While AI tools are evolving rapidly, understanding SQL gives you full control over data, ensuring accuracy and efficiency that automated systems can’t always guarantee.

By learning SQL, you gain the ability to query databases independently and tailor data analysis to your specific needs. This skill is invaluable for roles in data analysis, engineering, and science, as well as for professionals in finance, marketing, HR, and operations. Whether you're monitoring business performance, preparing custom reports, or verifying data, SQL remains a practical and time-saving tool.

If you're considering a career in data or simply want to improve how you work with information, SQL is the way to go. And the best part? You don’t need to spend hours searching for resources. I’ve curated a list of the top SQL courses to get you started.

What is SQL Used For?

SQL, developed in the 1970s, is essential for managing and retrieving data from databases. It powers industries by handling tasks like managing customer data, tracking sales, and analyzing operations.

For example, beginners can use SQL to create simple reports, such as listing customers who made purchases in the past month. SQL is widely used by data analysts, developers, and professionals in marketing, finance, and HR, to streamline tasks like tracking financial transactions or organizing employee records. The best beginner SQL courses for data analysts focus on practical skills to tackle these real-world scenarios effectively.

How to Choose the Best Online SQL Course for Your Needs

Before I get to the list of beginner-level SQL courses, I want to say that the “best” course can vary depending on your learning style and preferences. I’ve put together this list to make your search easier, based on practical factors like content, ease of learning, and value. I hope it helps you find the right fit!

• Learning format: A good SQL course should focus on user experience, as this shapes how quickly and effectively you learn. Courses that combine video lectures, practical exercises, and interactive tools allow for better engagement. Simply reading or listening isn’t enough—writing queries and practicing actively are key to mastering practical SQL skills faster and more effectively.
• Content: With so much information out there, good course content should focus on what learners need at the right time. For beginners, this means a clear, well-structured selection of topics presented in a logical order. That’s exactly what I looked for while exploring these courses.
• Course duration: Time matters. If you’re learning SQL to step into a new role, such as that of a data analyst, you need to balance your time across multiple areas and can’t spend too much on mastering just one skill. That’s why I focused on courses that deliver quality content without taking up too much time.
• Student ratings and feedback: Descriptions are made to be nice—that’s what marketers are for. Student reviews, ratings, and testimonials, on the other hand, offer honest insights and help complete the picture of what a course is really like.
• Value for money: Whether free or paid, a course should be worth its cost. I looked for options that strike a good balance between price, content, tools, and certifications offered.

Top 6 Online SQL Courses for Beginners

With so many SQL courses out there, it’s hard to pick the right one. I’ve narrowed it down to the top six for beginners, focusing on quality, value, and effectiveness. These are the best options for English speakers, but some platforms, like LearnSQL.com, offer language versions, while others, like Udemy, provide subtitles. With these points in mind, let’s dive into the top SQL courses for 2025!

LearnSQL.com: SQL Basics

LearnSQL.com is a platform dedicated solely to teaching SQL, making it one of the best resources for learning SQL from scratch. The course is ideal for total beginners who want a simple and effective way to get comfortable with SQL. Instead of theoretical lessons, you’ll tackle real SQL queries and gain practical skills in a short time, making it an excellent starting point for exploring SQL. If you have no coding experience at all, it’s not a problem here.

Rating: 4.82/5

Price: $39 (Unlimited access)

Form of learning: Online, browser-based interactive exercises

Estimated learning time: 10 hours

Certification: Completion certificate provided

What you’ll learn:

• Basic SQL concepts.
• Writing queries using SELECT, WHERE, and GROUP BY.
• Working with tables to retrieve data effectively.
• Handling multiple tables.
• Creating simple reports.

Pros:

• Simple, browser-based platform—no installation required.
• 129 interactive exercises with instant feedback.
• Free access to the first two lessons.
• Also available in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese versions.
• My personal favorite: perfect cheat sheets to keep at hand. Check them out and save them in the format that suits you best!

Cons:

• Focuses only on foundational SQL, not advanced topics.
• Requires time and concentration, but at least you’ll be ready to use SQL afterwards!

Bonus tips:

• Students can access this course for free by registering with their academic email. Check the education offer page for details.
• The SQL Skills Assessment is a free test to evaluate your current SQL level and determine areas for improvement. It automatically suggests courses tailored to your level and needs. If you pass the assessment with a score of at least 70%, you’ll receive the Certificate of Competency in SQL, a popular sign of SQL expertise in the LinkedIn community.
• Regularly check the free course of the month – each month, you can take a certain course for free! These courses are often practical challenges, but sometimes entire advanced tracks are available!

Udemy: The Complete SQL Bootcamp: Go from Zero to Hero

The Complete SQL Bootcamp by Jose Portilla is one of Udemy's most popular SQL courses, offering a comprehensive introduction to SQL with practical, real-world applications. This course is designed to take you from a complete beginner to a confident SQL user, equipped to handle real data analysis challenges.

• Rating: 4.7/5
• Price: $159,99 (Unlimited access)
• Form of learning: Online video lectures and tests
• Estimated learning time: Self-paced, around 15 hours
• Certification: Completion certificate provided

What you’ll learn:

• SQL basics, including syntax and commands.
• Using GROUP BY, joins, and other essential SQL constructs.
• Practical data analysis techniques in PostgreSQL.
• Learn to create tables and databases with constraints on data entries.
• Learn to use Python to further advance your SQL skills.

Pros:

• Delivered by a top-rated instructor with Fortune 500 training experience.
• Real-world examples make concepts easy to understand.
• Covers both SQL basics and data analysis applications.
• Access on mobile and TV.
• Includes downloadable resources.

Cons:

• Primarily focused on PostgreSQL, with more videos than practice.

Datacamp: Introduction to SQL

The Introduction to SQL course is a beginner-friendly program that introduces the essentials of working with databases. Through bite-sized video lectures and practical exercises, it covers topics like data organization, simple queries, and practical analysis techniques in PostgreSQL. Ideal for those new to SQL, it helps learners decide on the next steps in their database journey, whether that’s with PostgreSQL or SQL Server.

• Rating: 4.7/5
• Price: $29/month
• Form of learning: Online video lectures and tests after each topic
• Estimated learning time: 2 hours
• Certification: State of Accomplishment provided

What you’ll earn:

• Basics of data organization, tables, and best practices for database construction.
• Creating simple SQL queries for selecting data.
• Practical data analysis techniques in PostgreSQL.
• Understand the Difference Between PostgreSQL and SQL Server to decide in which field to deepen your knowledge further.

Pros:

• Really short program with bite-sized videos.
• Provides a good understanding of how relational databases work for the total beginners.
• Convenient for learning during short breaks.
• Quick way to get an SQL certification from a credible source, should you need one urgently.

Cons:

• As the course name suggests, it’s only an introduction to SQL. You won’t be able to query databases freely, manipulate data or make solid reports afterwards. More suitable for understanding the basics and determining which dialect best suits your needs for further learning.

Bonus tip: The first chapter of each course on Datacamp is free. So, in this particular course, you can explore databases and table organization, data types and storage, and basic practices for database construction.

Coursera: SQL for Data Science

This beginner-friendly course focuses on the fundamentals of SQL, with an emphasis on practical data science applications. It covers techniques for managing, retrieving, and analyzing data, making it ideal for those looking to develop essential SQL skills for data analysis and preparation. Perfect for aspiring data analysts, scientists, or anyone new to SQL, it focuses on teaching practical skills like filtering, sorting, and summarizing data using SQLite.

• Rating: 4.6/5
• Price: $39 USD per month
• Form of learning: Online video lectures and practical exercises
• Estimated learning time: Approximately 14 hours (self-paced)
• Certification: Completion certificate provided

What you’ll learn:

• SQL basics and simple data analysis.
• Identifying and retrieving subsets of data.
• Writing queries to manage and analyze data in SQLite.
• Using SQL commands to filter, sort, and summarize data.
• Manipulating strings, dates, and numeric data using functions, to integrate data from different sources into fields with the correct format for analysis.

Pros:

• Led by Sadie St. Lawrence, an experienced data science instructor.
• Combines SQL fundamentals with practical data science applications.
• Uses SQLite, a lightweight database ideal for learning.

Cons:

• Limited to SQLite; not transferable to all SQL dialects.

Bonus tip: Coursera offers a free trial for the first 7 days after registration. If you're quick enough, you can complete the course and earn a certificate during this period. After the 7-day trial, the regular subscription is $39/month, but there’s an option for financial aid. Explain why you need assistance and get up to a 75% discount for the specific course.

Udemy: SQL for Newbs

The SQL for Newbs course by David Kim and Peter Sefton is a hands-on program designed to teach SQL with a business-oriented approach. It uses real-world scenarios to show how SQL can solve common data analysis challenges, such as tracking sales or managing customer data. Ideal for beginners, the course is particularly helpful for new data analysts or small business owners working with data.

• Rating: 4.3/5
• Price: $139,99 (Unlimited access)
• Form of learning: Online video lessons and practical case study exercises
• Estimated learning time: Around 4h, self-paced
• Certification: Completion certificate provided

What you’lllLearn:

• How to write basic SQL queries to analyze and manipulate data.
• Using SQL to answer real business questions from a dataset.
• Techniques to filter, sort, and aggregate data effectively.
• Joining multiple tables to find relationships in data.
• Structuring queries to solve common business challenges, such as tracking sales and customer data.

Pros:

• Unique business case study format makes learning engaging.
• Focuses on SQL applications relevant to small and new businesses.
• Beginner-friendly explanations with step-by-step guidance.
• The structure of the course allows you to grasp the principles of queries, understand their analogies, and adapt those skills to create custom queries for your specific purposes.

Cons:

• It can feel a little slow at times, so if you like learning fast, I would recommend one of the other courses on the list.
• Limited to MySQL database applications. But in general, what you learn in MySQL can be applied to pretty much all the variants of SQL (PostgreSQL, SQL Server, etc).

Bonus tip: the course includes a bonus section where new lectures are occasionally added. These may include student-requested topics, advanced concepts, strategies for overcoming challenges, and more!

W3Schools: SQL Tutorial

Some would say W3Schools’ SQL Tutorial is not a course: a course needs to have videos, an instructor, etc. But the intent of this article is to give you the best online sources to study SQL, even if they don’t match a conventional definition of an online ‘course’. W3Schools' is a great resource for beginners who prefer self-paced learning. It focuses on teaching SQL basics through easy-to-understand examples and simple exercises.

• Rating: 4.3/5
• Price: free
• Form of learning: Set of well-structured articles
• Estimated learning time: Self-paced
• Certification: No certification

What you’ll learn:

• Core SQL commands like SELECT, INSERT, and UPDATE.
• Working with tables, filters, and basic joins.
• Practical examples for everyday database tasks.

Pros:

• Free and easily accessible.
• Clear and straightforward explanations of SQL basics.
• Great as a reference or supplementary resource.

Cons:

• Lacks interactive features or advanced topics.
• Not suitable as a standalone learning tool for beginners.

All set to Learn SQL?

Think of SQL as your microscope—a tool that allows you to look closely at data, filter it, and uncover valuable insights. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to navigate datasets, identify patterns, and draw meaningful conclusions. You’ll not only improve your technical skills but also develop the ability to create data-backed recommendations and presentations that stand out. But no matter what course you choose, the important thing is to start applying your learning. If you need inspiration, these movies where SQL is one of the main stars should give you a boost.

If you’re a student, try applying SQL in an internship or a personal project. If you’re a working professional, use it to tackle real-world tasks within your job role, such as analyzing sales data or creating insightful reports. Regular practice is key to mastering SQL, so bookmark resources with challenging exercises to keep improving.

Remember, the journey to mastering SQL starts with small steps. The courses in this list are designed to make learning straightforward and practical, and include plenty of hands-on exercises to build your confidence. As you grow your skills, you’ll see your ability to analyze and present data improve significantly.

All the best on your SQL learning journey—start now, and watch your potential grow!