The best Instagram courses depend on what you want Instagram to do for you, and the main ones from Instagram, Meta and HubSpot are free to start. Paid options from Coursera and LinkedIn Learning add certificates and longer paths. Each course below is listed with its length and cost, read from its own page on 15 October 2026.
We took none of these courses, so we rate none of them. Every fact is what the provider's own page says, and providers change prices and lessons without notice.
How do these Instagram courses compare?
Three say they are free, one lists no price and three involve a fee or a subscription, with lengths from 15 minutes to 82 hours.
| Course | Cost on its page | Length | Date on its page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram for Creators, best practices | No price listed, public site | Short creator videos, no total given | None |
| Meta Blueprint, Instagram marketing | Free | Four courses of 15 to 18 minutes, plus a test | Published 1 May 2023 |
| HubSpot Academy, Instagram Marketing and Ads Course | Free | 2 hr 50 min, 7 lessons, 19 videos, 5 quizzes | None |
| Semrush Academy, social media courses | Free | Varies, one example is 1 hour | None |
| Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate, Coursera | "Enroll for free" and "Included with Coursera Plus" | 6 courses, 82 hours in total | Recently updated June 2026 |
| Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate exam | USD 99 to USD 150 equivalent, by country | 90-minute exam | None |
| LinkedIn Learning, Marketing on Instagram | 1-month free trial, then subscription | 1 hr 14 min, beginner | Released 21 March 2024 |
Is there a free Instagram marketing course?
Yes: Meta Blueprint and HubSpot Academy both list Instagram courses as free, and Instagram for Creators publishes lessons from creators on a public site.
- Instagram for Creators. Its best practices page groups creator videos under Create, Grow, Connect, Monetize, How Instagram Works and Get Started. It gives no total length and no certificate, and it suits anyone who wants Instagram's own account of reach and earning.
- HubSpot Academy. Its Instagram Marketing and Ads Course covers a successful strategy, engaging content, getting followers, influencer content and Instagram ads. HubSpot names marketing managers, influencers and small business owners as the audience, and the page states no certificate for this course.
- Semrush Academy. Its social media catalogue says its courses are free and lists certification on them. The part we read had no Instagram-only course, but it did list Influencer Marketing Campaigns for Beginners, at one hour.
What is the Meta Blueprint Instagram course?
Meta Blueprint's Instagram path is a set of short beginner courses, free to take, that ends in a test for a skilling certificate. The Instagram marketing collection, published 1 May 2023, holds four courses: bringing your business online with Instagram (15 minutes), making content stand out (18), turning posts into ads (16) and going live (18). The test earns a Meta Small Business Academy skilling certificate for Instagram, and Meta says finishing the courses first is not required.
Meta for Business lists a longer Instagram learning path with courses on reels, Stories, engagement, messaging, Insights, getting started as a creator and monetising content, and says the courses are free and self-paced.
The paid route is separate. The Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate exam lasts 90 minutes and is aimed at entry-level marketers, and Meta describes it as covering the value of advertising on Meta technologies and the foundational tools for campaigns. Meta's FAQ puts certification exam fees between the equivalent of USD 99 and USD 150, varying by country, and the credential is valid for 24 months. Meta also lists a 30-question practice test.
Where should I start with an Instagram course for beginners?
Start with one free course that matches your goal, and add a paid one only if you need a certificate or a longer path.
- You post as a creator. Begin with Instagram for Creators, then read Instagram monetization tools for what each earning tool requires.
- You run a business account. Meta Blueprint's courses take 15 to 18 minutes each, so you can finish one in a sitting.
- You want strategy from start to finish. HubSpot's course runs 2 hr 50 min, and Instagram marketing: a plain guide gives a free written overview.
- You want your first followers. A course is slower than practice. Our guide to getting your first 100 followers gives you something to do tonight.
Which paid Instagram courses have public pages?
Two paid routes have public pages: Meta's Coursera certificate and LinkedIn Learning's Marketing on Instagram course.
- Meta Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate. Coursera lists six courses of 18, 18, 12, 15, 12 and 7 hours. The page says 5 months at 10 hours a week in its header and 5 hours a week in its FAQ, so plan from the course hours. It shows "Enroll for free" and "Included with Coursera Plus", a 7-day free trial if you subscribe, and financial aid. The first attempt at the Meta Digital Marketing Associate exam is included, with one free retake. The program covers Facebook and Instagram ads in Meta Ads Manager, so it is wider than Instagram.
- LinkedIn Learning, Marketing on Instagram. Taught by Anson Alexander, it runs 1 hr 14 min at beginner level and was released on 21 March 2024. It covers profile setup, content, Stories and Reels, Insights, shopping posts and paid ads. The page offers a one-month free trial and lists no course price.
We read no course sold by an individual instructor on Udemy, Skillshare or Domestika, so none appears here.
How do I check whether an Instagram course is out of date?
Find the date on the course page, then test one lesson against a rule Instagram has changed.
- Look for a release or update date. Meta Blueprint's Instagram collection says 1 May 2023, and LinkedIn's course says 21 March 2024. Instagram changes quickly, so an older date is a reason to check, not proof of a problem.
- Hashtags: Instagram's Help Center says you can use up to 5 tags on a post. A lesson that recommends many more contradicts that.
- Originality: on 30 April 2026 Instagram extended its originality rules to photos and carousels, so a lesson that builds reach by re-uploading other people's work conflicts with them.
- Ask the provider what changed. A page with no date, such as HubSpot's, is a reason to write and ask.
Where this stops working
- No quality ratings. Meta Blueprint and Coursera pages show learner ratings, and we repeat none, because we cannot check them.
- Cost is not outcome. None of the pages we read measures whether finishing a course grows an account.
- Dates. Two pages carry dates from 2023 and 2024, older than the rules cited above.
- Left out. Canva's Design School, Hootsuite Academy and individual-instructor courses are missing because we could not read their pages on 15 October 2026.
- Prices move. Coursera, LinkedIn and Meta can change fees, trials and exam prices at any time.
Now you can choose one free course for your goal today and check its date before you pay for anything. When your posts start drawing comments that ask for a link, a comment-to-DM tool such as inDM replies to each one, and the Free plan includes it.
Sources
Read on 15 October 2026:
- Instagram: Creator best practices, Use hashtags on Instagram and Rewarding original creators (30 April 2026).
- Meta: Instagram marketing on Meta Blueprint, Instagram learning path, 100-101 exam page and exam costs.
- Providers: HubSpot Academy Instagram course, Semrush Academy social media courses, Coursera Meta certificate and LinkedIn Learning, Marketing on Instagram.
Nothing here is an inDM measurement.