5 Best Free and Low-Cost Proofreading Courses

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As a trained proofreader, I can tell you about the best free and low-cost proofreading courses on the market. I’ll let you know which ones give you a certificate of completion for finishing the class or passing the final assessment.

We’ll also see the details of each course, who would benefit from these classes, and who may want to avoid them.

Om Proofreading’s Pick for the Best Free Class

Here’s my top choice for the best free proofreading course.

Pick	Reason
An Introduction to Proofreading by Alison	free without a trial, available worldwide, class has earned CPD certification

Let’s look at the best options for free and low-cost proofreading courses.

Best Free Proofreading Courses + Low-Cost Options

Course	Included in Free Trial?	Rating
1) An Introduction to Proofreading (Alison)	It’s Free without a Trial	High
2) Writing Editing Masterclass (Skillshare)	Yes (for some regions)	High
3) Proofread Like a Pro (Udemy)	Maybe*	4.5
4) How to Find & Correct Writing Errors (Udemy)	No	4.6
5) Proofreading Power Basics (Udemy)	No	4.4

Prices, ratings, and other details are subject to change. I’ve included links to all the classes so you can see the most up-to-date information.

The Price for These Proofreading Classes

What to Know about Free Proofreading Courses

Before we begin, please know that free and low-cost classes aren’t suitable for providing adequate training for aspiring proofreaders.

Although you can become a proofreader in a fraction of the time required to get a college degree, you still need adequate training and practice.

Competition exists in every sector, and the proofreading industry is no exception.

It’s unrealistic to expect a free course lasting only a few hours to provide the same level of preparation as thorough professional training, especially given the rates professional proofreaders are paid.

If you have any doubts about this, I encourage you to ask successful proofreaders for their opinions.

However, if you want to become a professional proofreader, more comprehensive training options are available.

The FAQ at the end of this article contains all the information you need to take your next step.

Who Should Take a Free (or Low-Cost) Proofreading Class?

These classes are best suited to the following:

• people who are unsure whether being a proofreader is a good fit for them
• proofreaders who want to brush up on their skills or get additional training
• those who’d like to volunteer as proofreaders
• folks wanting to improve their proofreading skills for job-related purposes
• students wishing to boost their proofreading proficiency to earn better grades

Now, let’s look at the standards a course had to meet to be included in this article.

Criteria for the Courses

I developed specific criteria for evaluating the courses I researched. To make the list, classes needed to meet the following requirements:

• a high rating (4.0 or above for Udemy courses)
• ratings from a minimum of 300 students
• at least one hour of video content

How I Organized the List

The Alison course comes first, since you likely prefer a free course that doesn’t require a free trial. The downside of the Alison course is that you have to pay for a certificate if you want one.

Then comes a Skillshare class that’s available with a free trial. The advantage of the Skillshare course is that you don’t have to purchase a certificate.

However, the downside is that if you forget to cancel your free trial before it ends, it will automatically convert to a paid membership. The membership is typically for one year unless otherwise stated, and you’ll generally have to pay that one-year subscription in a single payment.

Finally, the list concludes with three Udemy courses. Udemy doesn’t seem to offer free trials as often as it used to, according to this Reddit thread. However, Udemy’s website suggests that free trials are still occasionally offered.

Details of the Best Free Proofreading Courses

1) An Introduction to Proofreading

Provider: Alison

Course Level: All levels

Who It’s For: Writers, office assistants, paralegals, and anyone in charge of producing error-free texts

Requirements: A printer

Cost: Free

Rating: High

Certificate: Available for purchase after you pass the class with an 80% or above on the final assessment

Duration: 1.5 hours (7 topics) / 3–4 hours to complete

Time to Access Course: Lifetime

Materials: 5 downloads, 3 practice tests

Main Topics:

• how to spot and fix mistakes
• proofreading hacks
• advanced proofreading methods
• common pitfalls for proofreaders
• special proofreading situations

Course Creator: Marcia Yudkin / Marcia is an author, marketing mentor, and writing coach who has been an editor for a small press.

Since the Alison platform isn’t as well known, I’ve included some additional info below.

Pros of the Alison Proofreading Course:

• fantastic instructor (she knows her stuff!)
• excellent course overall (lots of great takeaways)
• practice tests are helpful, and corrections are accurate
• class has earned CPD certification

Cons of the Alison Proofreading Course:

• tech support lacking* (took more than 24 hours to respond during the week)
• must pay if you don’t want ads between videos 
• outdated user interface (can’t play videos at a higher speed)
• I had to email customer support to get my certificate

* The first video lesson stopped loading at one point, but fast-forwarding a few seconds fixed the glitch. It may have been a problem on my end, but no one was available to help me at the time (hence the listing as a con).

How to Receive a Certificate of Completion from the Alison Proofreading Course

To ensure that readers who want to take this class receive the certificate they’re promised, I completed the class and purchased the certificate. 😊

Some of Alison’s courses offer a free certificate of completion but not the proofreading class.

Although I had to email the support team to get my certificate (it wasn’t automatic), I got it within a day of writing them. The certificate typically costs about $40, but sometimes you can get it for less if Alison is running a sale.

Here’s the certificate I received, in case you’re curious about what it looks like.

Sign up for An Introduction to Proofreading.

An Industry Expert’s Opinion about Free Proofreading Courses

Louise Harnby is a well-known editor, proofreader, writer, podcaster, and speaker with 30 years of experience in publishing.

Here’s what she says about free and inexpensive proofreading courses for aspiring proofreaders:

“Any courses that promise miracles for very little to no money and time need to be viewed with caution. Use them to evaluate whether a professional editorial career is right for you. Beyond that, financial investment will be necessary.”

– Louise Harnby

Louise also discusses what someone looks for when they need editorial services. She tells us that people are looking for an enthusiastic professional who cares enough to invest in top-quality training and understands how to correct a document to industry standards.

She says, “If you can’t demonstrate that you’re that person, you won’t be able to compete effectively.”

I agree with Louise.

It would be a shame to invest in an inexpensive course with the idea that it would be your sole source of training. You’d then have to fork over more money after realizing you didn’t receive sufficient preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which proofreading course is best?

After countless hours of research, I can confidently recommend four online proofreading courses—all of which can help prepare you to work as a professional proofreader.

1. General Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ by Proofread Anywhere
2. Becoming a Proofreader by Knowadays
3. Essential Proofreading: Editorial Skills One by The Publishing Training Centre
4. A series of three courses by The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading

I authored a comprehensive article comparing these classes.

How do I learn to proofread?

How you learn to proofread depends on your goals. If you want to become a professional proofreader, a comprehensive course is the best way to get the knowledge and confidence you need. However, self-study or a simple class can suffice if you just want to improve your proofreading know-how.

Are proofreading courses worth it?

A short and basic class is worth it if you’d like to modestly improve your proofreading abilities. Producing polished writing is essential in many careers and in academic settings.

And if you want to become a professional proofreader, a thorough course will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence you need to succeed.

How do I become a certified proofreader?

To become a certified proofreader, you must pass a rigorous proofreading exam offered by Editors Canada. They recommend that you have at least five years of full-time proofreading experience prior to taking the test. Currently, no organization in the United States offers this certification.

Getting a professional certification in proofreading and getting a proofreading certificate are two different processes.

Finally, let’s move on to the research I did to write this article.

I hope this article has provided you with valuable information about the best free and inexpensive proofreading courses.

Good luck with your proofreading-related goals!

Best wishes to you!

“I don’t want to live in the kind of world where we don’t look out for each other. Not just the people that are close to us, but anybody who needs a helping hand. I can’t change the way anybody else thinks, or what they choose to do, but I can do my bit.”

– Charles de Lint