7 Best Algorithm Design Courses for Beginners
We compared 7 Algorithm Design courses currently listed on Coursera, edX and Udemy, priced from $19.99 to $219.00. 6 of them teach the subject directly and 1 are built around a certification exam. 3 come from a named university or institution, including University of Colorado Boulder, Seoul National University and Harvard University. They are ordered by our CourseAsk score, which is built from how thoroughly each course describes what it teaches, whether it comes from a named institution, and how it compares on price — not from star ratings, which our course data does not include.
- Courses compared
- 7
- Price range
- $19.99 – $219.00
- Providers
- Coursera, edX, Udemy
- Last updated
- 31 Aug 2026
How these 7 courses were chosen
Every course below is a real, currently listed course from Coursera, edX, Udemy, matched to "algorithm design" by our catalog and ordered by our CourseAsk score. Courses whose own title names the topic rank above those only tagged with it.
The grade on each entry scores how much the provider publishes about the course before you pay — the length and detail of the description, whether it lists learning outcomes and objectives — and whether a named university or institution stands behind it. A is fully documented and institution-backed; E is little more than a title and a price. Courses with almost nothing published are left ungraded rather than marked down, because an unknown course and a poor one are not the same thing.
There are no star ratings on this page — the course feeds we license do not include them, and we would rather leave a column out than fill it with a number we cannot stand behind. What we do have is price: these range from $19.99 to $219.00, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.
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1
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
The Introduction to Artificial Intelligence course provides a comprehensive survey of the foundations of artificial intelligence. Supported by the classic textbook Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Rus...
$49.00listed price -
2
Introduction to Optimization
Offered by Seoul National University
A self-contained course on the fundamentals of modern optimization with equal emphasis on theory, implementation, and application. We consider linear and nonlinear optimization problems, including network flow problems a...
$54.00listed price -
3
Learn C Programming from Scratch
One of the behemoths of the coding world, C has been around for, oh, around 50 years or so. Often perceived as one of the most difficult languages to master, any programmer who can list C on their resume is sure to carve...
$199.99listed price -
4
The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Genetic Algorithms in Python
Genetic algorithms are an important area of Artificial Intelligence responsible for solving complex real world problems. There are several practical applications of this type of algorithm, which can be applied to probl...
$19.99listed price -
5
Introduction to C Programming
If you are completely new to programming and want a simple introduction, then this course is for you. This course is partly based on the textbook C How to Program by Deitel and Deitel. C Programming is still a common req...
$49.99listed price -
6
Introduction to Generative AI
Offered by Google Cloud
Discover the fundamentals of generative AI, explore Google Tools, and build the skills you need to develop your own generative AI apps.
$25.00listed price -
7
CS50's Introduction to Computer Science
Offered by Harvard University
An introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming.
$219.00listed price
Best Algorithm Design Courses for Beginners compared
| # | Course | Provider | Offered by | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | Coursera | University of Colorado Boulder | $49.00 | View → |
| 2 | Introduction to Optimization | edX | Seoul National University | $54.00 | View → |
| 3 | Learn C Programming from Scratch | Udemy | — | $199.99 | View → |
| 4 | The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Genetic Algorithms in Python | Udemy | — | $19.99 | View → |
| 5 | Introduction to C Programming | Udemy | — | $49.99 | View → |
| 6 | Introduction to Generative AI | edX | Google Cloud | $25.00 | View → |
| 7 | CS50's Introduction to Computer Science | edX | Harvard University | $219.00 | View → |
Prices shown are the provider's listed price when we last updated this page. Confirm on their site before enrolling.
What the prices here tell you
The 7 priced courses on this page run from $19.99 to $219.00, with the middle of the range around $49.99 — a spread of $199.01. That is a wide gap for one subject. A higher price on this page usually reflects who is behind the course rather than how much material it contains, so it is worth opening two or three at different price points and comparing their syllabus before deciding.
Who is behind these courses
These courses come from Coursera, edX and Udemy. The platforms differ in how they sell: some charge once per course, others expect a subscription, and the listed price is not always what you pay at checkout after a promotion. 3 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including University of Colorado Boulder, Seoul National University and Harvard University — which usually means a fixed syllabus and a recognised certificate, rather than an individual instructor’s own course.
Courses versus exam preparation
1 of the entries here are built around a certification exam rather than teaching Algorithm Design from scratch. They are the right choice only if you already know the material and want to pass a specific exam; if you are starting out, pick one of the taught courses first and come back to exam preparation afterwards.
Before you enrol
Open the provider’s own page and check three things this comparison cannot tell you: when the course was last updated, what the syllabus actually covers in its later sections, and what recent learners say. Prices shown here are the provider’s listed price when we last rebuilt this page on 31 August 2026 — they change often, and a promotion can move them substantially. We earn a commission if you enrol through our links, which costs you nothing and never affects the order courses appear in.