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WP101 is a solid video-only WordPress course, but it hasn't been the obvious default since its 2023 acquisition. The best alternative depends on how you get stuck: learn.wordpress.org for free official lessons, WP Tutoring if you want courses plus a live human on your own site, Udemy for one-time-purchase depth, YouTube/WPBeginner for free browsing, and LinkedIn Learning if you already have a subscription.
WP101 has taught WordPress basics since 2008 — more than three million people have watched its videos, and for years it was the default answer to "where do I learn WordPress?" In 2023 it was acquired by Awesome Motive (WPBeginner's parent company) and its founder moved on. The videos are still good; the reasons people search for alternatives are usually one of these three:
- It's video-only. When your site doesn't match the video, there's nobody to ask.
- Update pace. WordPress ships major releases constantly; a video library ages fast unless it's continuously re-recorded.
- Coverage. WP101 covers core WordPress well, but sites live and die by their plugins — backups, security, SEO, forms — where general overviews run thin.
Here are the seven alternatives we'd actually point people to, including when we would not be the right choice.
1. WP Tutoring — courses plus a live human (that's us)
We'll state our bias up front: this is our site. Here's the honest pitch. Our WordPress courses cover the fundamentals plus the specific plugins and themes real sites run — 42 courses and 195 short video lessons on tools like UpdraftPlus, Wordfence-class security plugins, Rank Math, WooCommerce, Astra and GeneratePress — recorded on clean, current WordPress installs. The difference from every video-only platform on this list: when the video isn't enough, live one-on-one training on your own website is one click away, and our 215+ written tutorials and the free edition of the WordPress Manual cost nothing.
Choose us if: you want the option of a real person when you're stuck, or you need to master a specific plugin rather than WordPress-in-general. Skip us if: you only want the cheapest possible all-video subscription — WP101 undercuts us there.
2. learn.wordpress.org — the free official option
The WordPress project's own learning platform: free structured courses, lesson plans, and workshops, from first login through full site editing. It's the right starting point for absolute beginners on a budget of zero, and it ranks #1 for most WordPress-training searches for a reason.
Choose it if: free and official matter most. Limits: no help with third-party plugins or themes (which is most of a real site), and no human support.
3. WPBeginner (YouTube + blog) — free, enormous, unstructured
Over a million YouTube subscribers and thousands of written guides. Since WPBeginner's parent company now owns WP101, the free channel and the paid product have effectively merged into one family. Fantastic for looking up a single task; hard to use as a curriculum — and its plugin recommendations skew toward Awesome Motive's own products, so read them as a catalog as much as advice.
4. Udemy — buy one deep course outright
Marketplace courses like the perennial WordPress bestsellers give you 15–30 hours of structured video for a one-time price (frequently discounted). Quality varies by instructor; check the last-updated date before buying — WordPress courses age quickly.
Choose it if: you want a single comprehensive course you own forever.
5. LinkedIn Learning — if you already have it
Solid, professionally produced WordPress paths, often free through employers and public libraries. The WordPress catalog is shallower than dedicated platforms, but if you already have access the price is right.
6. Yoast Academy — free, SEO-flavored
Yoast's free "WordPress for beginners" training is well produced and a natural pick if SEO is your endgame. Narrow by design — you'll outgrow it.
7. Skillshare / Coursera — structured extras
Both carry WordPress content inside broader subscriptions. Coursera's guided projects suit hands-on learners; Skillshare suits creative-adjacent site owners. Neither specializes in WordPress, so treat them as supplements rather than a home base.
How to choose
- Zero budget, want a curriculum → learn.wordpress.org, then Yoast Academy for SEO.
- Zero budget, want answers to specific questions → WPBeginner's videos or our free tutorials.
- Self-paced videos on the plugins your site actually uses → our WordPress courses.
- You keep getting stuck and want a human → live one-on-one training — no other option on this list offers it.
- One-time purchase, maximum hours → Udemy.
However you learn, pair it with something searchable for the day-to-day questions — that's what free tutorial libraries (ours, WPBeginner's, the official docs) are for.
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