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556 Best + Free Hacking Courses & Certificates [2026]

556 courses compared 152 over 10 hours long Updated October 19, 2026

Ranked by Michael Kuhlman, CourseDuck's founder, from student reviews across every provider. How we rank

Our guide: The 10 Best Cyber Security and Ethical Hacking Courses on Udemy in 2026

Our top picks

  • Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch [Udemy]Most Popular
  • The Complete Ethical Hacking Course: Beginner to Advanced! [Udemy]Best Paid Course
  • Learn Python & Ethical Hacking From Scratch [Udemy]
  • Complete Ethical Hacking Bootcamp [Udemy]
  • Start Kali Linux, Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing! [Udemy]
  • Wireshark: Packet Analysis and Ethical Hacking: Core Skills [Udemy]
  • Artificial Intelligence & ChatGPT for Cyber Security 2026 [Udemy]
  • The Complete Ethical Hacking Course [Udemy]
  • Learn Ethical Hacking: Beginner to Advanced [Udemy]
  • TOTAL: CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst (CS0-004) [Udemy]

About the best Hacking courses

CourseDuck compares the 556 Hacking courses listed here from 9 providers, 28 of them free, and ranks them from the 1.3 million ratings and reviews their students have left, with the price, length and level of each one side by side. No course pays to be listed or ranked. As featured on Harvard EDU, Stackify and Inc. How we rank

Frequently asked questions

The most-reviewed Hacking course in this category is Learn Ethical Hacking From Scratch by Zaid Sabih, with about 137,000 reviews at 4.6 as of October 2026.

Hacking, in its ethical form, is the authorized testing of computer systems, networks and applications to find security weaknesses before attackers do. It is used in penetration testing and security assessments. Courses here cover ethical hacking, penetration testing, Kali Linux, Wireshark and CompTIA Security+ preparation.

Average
$65,079 a year
Middle half earn
$26,000 to $131,500 25th to 75th percentile
Full range
$11,000 to $154,000

Share of US job postings in each pay band; the dark bar holds the average, the striped bars the 25th and 75th percentiles. Source: ZipRecruiter salary data collected in 2020-21, when this FAQ was first written; pay has moved since, so treat it as a rough guide.

Paid Udemy video courses include a certificate of completion when you finish; free courses and practice-test-only courses do not. It shows you did the work, but it is not an accredited qualification. Coursera and edX usually charge for a certificate, issued with the university or company that made the course.

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556 Filtered Courses
Learn Python & Ethical Hacking From Scratch
provider

3

Learn Python & Ethical Hacking From Scratch (2025)

4.6
(21,548 reviews)
byZaid Sabih

Zaid Sabih teaches Python by building 20-plus hacking tools, from an ARP spoofer to a cross-platform backdoor, in about 25 hours aimed squarely at total beginners.

Best for: Complete beginners who want to learn Python by writing real hacking tools instead of doing exercises first.

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Pros
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Cons
    • Every section ends with a tool you built: MAC changer, network scanner, DNS spoofer, keylogger, backdoor, web crawler
    • Reviewers say the pacing and plain-language explanations work well for people with zero coding background
    • About 64 percent of 21,500 reviews are five stars, and repeat students say Zaid's courses are consistently well structured
    • Covers networking, malware and web hacking in one 25-hour package, with 15 caption tracks
    • Recent one-star reviews report obsolete commands, dead links and a virtual machine that no longer behaves
    • Still teaches Python 2 alongside 3, and the HTTP-era web material felt dated to an experienced programmer
    • No quizzes or coding exercises, so it is easy to watch Zaid code without really learning Python
$189.99 Certificate Length: 24.9h
Complete Ethical Hacking Bootcamp
provider

4

Complete Ethical Hacking Bootcamp (2026)

4.7
(19,372 reviews)
byAndrei Neagoie

A 29 hour Zero To Mastery hacking course that builds a Kali lab, walks the five pentest phases, and has students code their own port scanner and backdoor in Python, refreshed in 2026.

Best for: Complete beginners who want to build a Kali lab and write their own hacking tools in Python along the way, not just run other people's.

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Pros
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Cons
    • Gets to hands-on tools fast; one reviewer says the narration is clear enough to follow at 2x speed
    • Three Python projects (port scanner, backdoor, login brute forcer) plus a from-scratch Python section
    • Covers the full pentest cycle, with extras on wireless cracking, Android and Active Directory
    • Refreshed in August 2026 and backed by a 4.7 rating from about 19,000 reviews
    • Low-star reviews say examples rely on old Windows targets with Defender off and some sections feel outdated
    • More press-this-then-type-this than explanation; one finisher struggled on an easy Hack The Box machine
    • Support is thin; one student says nobody answered questions, and the Python videos still use Repl
$139.99 Certificate Length: 28.8h
Start Kali Linux, Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing!
provider

5

Start Kali Linux, Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing! (2016)

4.3
(14,120 reviews)
byErmin Kreponic

A free four hour taster of Kali Linux and ethical hacking from Ermin Kreponic, fine for total beginners but nearly every lesson stops at "part 1".

Best for: Complete beginners who want a free, zero risk look at Kali Linux and the pen testing toolset before buying a full course.

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Pros
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Cons
    • Free, and short enough to finish in an evening: 22 lectures, about 4 hours.
    • Kreponic speaks clearly; a non-native English speaker says he's easy to follow.
    • Introduces the real starter toolkit: VirtualBox, the terminal, Tor, macchanger, aircrack, proxychains.
    • Gives enough context on what ethical hacking is to decide whether to go further.
    • Most lectures end at "part 1" with the rest only in the paid course, so nothing is shown end to end.
    • Last updated in 2016; the installation steps no longer match current Kali or VirtualBox.
    • Examples run on Fedora after the Kali setup, which trips up people following along.
Free Certificate Length: 4.2h
Wireshark: Packet Analysis and Ethical Hacking: Core Skills
provider

6

Wireshark: Packet Analysis and Ethical Hacking: Core Skills (2025)

4.2
(9,014 reviews)
byDavid Bombal

David Bombal's Wireshark course teaches packet capture, filters and password sniffing, then spends its second half on Cisco switching and routing protocols seen on the wire.

Best for: Networking students and CCNA candidates who want to see OSPF, STP and VTP in real captures, with pcap files to follow along.

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Pros
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Cons
    • Downloadable pcapng files, so the captures can be followed without any lab gear
    • Password captures for Telnet, FTP, TFTP and HTTP, plus VoIP call replay, shown step by step
    • Bombal explains the OSI model and L2/L3 protocols clearly; one reviewer says it dovetails with CCNA study
    • Updated May 2025, with tshark, Termshark and Python scripting sections added
    • Roughly the back half is Cisco switching and routing (VTP, STP, BGP) with little Wireshark in it
    • Labelled Beginner, but later sections assume networking knowledge and use GNS3 with no setup guide
    • Reviewers wanted more sample pcaps, especially for the routing and switching sections
$99.99 Certificate Length: 14.6h
Artificial Intelligence & ChatGPT for Cyber Security 2026
provider

7

Artificial Intelligence & ChatGPT for Cyber Security 2026

4.5
(8,566 reviews)
byLuka Anicin
Master Cyber Security/Ethical Hacking With Artificial Intelligence - Implement, Uncover Risks and Navigate The AI Era

iconWhat You'll Learn

  • Learn ChatGPT for Cyber Security
  • Learn Prompt Engineering
  • Use Advanced ChatGPT functionality
  • Implement Bypassing ChatGPT filters
  • Learn Social Engineering with Artificial Intelligence
  • Create a Voice Clone with AI
  • Create Deepfake Videos For Social Engineering with AI
  • Learn AI Based SIEM
  • Learn AI Based Firewalls
  • Learn Email Filtering with AI
  • Learn AI In Identity and Access Management
  • Build an Email Filtering System with AI and Python
  • Build a Phishing detection system with AI and Python
  • Implement Artificial Intelligence in Network Security
  • Using Logistic Regression Algorithm for Network Monitoring
  • Create Malware Detection system with AI and Python
  • Learn Decision Trees Algorithm
  • Learn K-Nearest Neighbors Algorithm KNN
  • Learn Data Poisoning Attack
  • Cover Data Bias Vulnerability
  • Learn Model Vulnerabilities
  • Cover Ethical
$89.99 Certificate Length: 7.1h
The Complete Ethical Hacking Course
provider

8

The Complete Ethical Hacking Course (2026)

4.5
(5,764 reviews)
byCodestars
Protect yourself from hackers & cyberattacks. Learn penetration testing + build security and coding tools with Python.

iconWhat You'll Learn

  • Kali Linux Tools
  • Basic Linux Commands
  • Fundamental ethical hacking attacks & protection methods
  • Network Fundamentals
  • Python
  • Writing ethical hacking tools with Python
  • Website penetration testing
  • Wireless networks penetration testing
  • System penetration testing
  • Social engineering
  • SQL Injection
  • SQL Fundamentals
  • Man In The Middle Attacks and protection
  • Tunneling Services
  • Metasploit
  • ChatGPT for Pentesting
$139.99 Certificate Length: 41.4h
Learn Ethical Hacking: Beginner to Advanced
provider

9

Learn Ethical Hacking: Beginner to Advanced (2024)

4.2
(5,714 reviews)
byJoseph Delgadillo
Learn ethical hacking, penetration testing and network security skills with our comprehensive course!

iconWhat You'll Learn

  • Ethical Hacking
  • Linux Commands
  • Kali Linux
  • Creating a Secure Environment
  • Footprinting
  • Scanning
  • Website Penetration Testing
  • Wireless Cracking
  • Man in the Middle Attacks
  • System Hacking
  • Python Programming Fundamentals
  • Coding Custom Pentesting Tools
  • Tips for Building a Career in Cyber Security
$74.99 Certificate Length: 28.8h
TOTAL: CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst (CS0-004)
provider

10

TOTAL: CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst (CS0-004) (2026)

4.5
(5,609 reviews)
byTotal Seminars
Ethical Hacking and CompTIA Cyber Security Analyst CySA+ (CS0-004) Exam Prep

iconWhat You'll Learn

  • Threat hunting
  • Data analysis to combat cyber attacks
  • Digital forensics
  • Securing your network to protect critical data
  • Business impact analysis and risk mitigation
  • Vulnerability management with networks, IoT, mobile, cloud, and more
  • Identity and access management (IAM)
$124.99 Certificate Length: 2.9h
The Complete Nmap Ethical Hacking Course : Network Security
provider

11

The Complete Nmap Ethical Hacking Course : Network Security (2020)

4.5
(4,459 reviews)
byNathan House
Become an expert in the ethical hacking and network security tool Nmap!

iconWhat You'll Learn

  • You will become an expert in using Nmap for ethical hacking, system administration and network security.
  • Learn how to successfully discover active and vulnerable hosts on a network.
  • Discover the secrets of ethical hacking and network discovery, using Nmap on this complete course.
  • You will explore the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) used for more advanced discovery and hacking. We look at many scripts including those used for brute forcing passwords in email and databases, cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection (SQLi) discovery and other cool Nmap scripts.
  • Learn Firewall and Intrusion detection evasion, Nmap output (convert, merge and compare) results, Zenmap (Nmap GUI) and how criminal black hat hackers use Nmap.
  • Scan to determine firewall rules while avoiding intrusion detection systems (IDS).
  • You will understand how Nmap is used in combination with criminal hacking infrastructures (command and control) servers.
  • Import
$94.99 Certificate Length: 4.5h

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