20+ Online Marketing Courses in Canada: Free, Funded, and Paid Options for 2026

Free, funded, platform-run, or straight-up paid: here's everywhere Canadian marketers can go this summer (and into fall) to learn something new.

We put a callout to the SNMA community, dug through every corner of the internet, and cross-checked pricing and dates so you don't have to.

One quick heads up before you dive in: Growclass has an “Extra Credit" session on AI and search this week, and MNC readers get 30% off with code MNC30. Details below!

Start here

SNMA Summer School: Free for SNMA members, hosted on Circle, running July 13 to September 10. Twice the webinars this year, twice a week:

• Mondays: Get Fall Ready (12pm MT / 2pm ET): a new eight-session series to help you build your strategy and head into fall stronger, kicking off July 13 with a session on what to focus on (and forget) in social media for 2026
• Wednesdays: Voices from the Community (10am MT / 12pm ET): regular programming, with fresh perspectives from a different SNMA community member every week

Our own, and still the best place to start. Plus, 65 recorded webinars saved in the archive!

Free

HeyOrca Content Creation Bootcamp: Free, four-part live webinar series for social media managers working with real constraints (small teams, tight approvals, no viral-campaign budget). All sessions 2pm EDT:

• Aug 11: Build a social media strategy that makes your community (and your boss) happy
• Aug 13: How to create great social media content for "boring" industries
• Aug 18: What engaging social media content actually looks like
• Aug 20: How to do the most on social with a small team

Digital Skills for Women+ (Digital Nova Scotia): Free, 6 sessions over 7 weeks, Sept–Oct cohort. Applications close Aug 21. Restricted to Nova Scotia residents from underrepresented gender identities in tech.

WeBC SMART Program: Strategic Marketing: Normally $149, free thanks to the federal Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. Self-paced.

Digital Main Street: Free webinars for Ontario small businesses, government of Canada and Ontario-backed:

• July 21: Social Media For Your Business
• July 28: The Importance of Paid Advertising in the Digital Space
• Aug 11: Search Engine Optimization: Understanding SEO Basics
• Aug 18: Email Marketing for Small Businesses

Amanda Laird: "Stop Guessing, Start Growing" (Metrics for Solo Small Biz Owners): Free, live July 21, 2026, replay available after. From the Toronto-based founder of Slow & Steady Studio, for solo and small business owners who'd rather not drown in a dashboard.

Free, platform-run (not Canadian, but free for Canadians)

These aren't Canadian programs, but they don't cost anything and anyone here can use them.

Pinterest Academy: Free, self-paced, 14+ courses and 30+ micro-lessons, plus live webinars and a paid-media certification exam.

HubSpot Academy — Digital Marketing Certification: Free, self-paced, 10 lessons covering SEO, social, email, content, and AI in marketing. Available in French.

Meta Blueprint: Over 100 free self-paced courses on ad creative, targeting, and measurement. The entry-level Digital Marketing Associate certification is also free. Professional-level certs (Media Buying, Media Planning, Creative Strategy) require a $99–150 USD exam fee, though the study material stays free.

LinkedIn Marketing Academy: Free, self-paced, marketing-specific courses on B2B strategy, conversions, account-based marketing, and analytics. Available in French and several other languages. (Not to be confused with LinkedIn Learning, which has no free courses, only a 30-day trial.)

Semrush Academy: Fully free, 100+ courses on SEO, content, PPC, social, and AI search. Free certifications valid for one year, plus monthly webinars.

Metricool: Free across the board: a “Social Media Summer School" (2-week self-paced course, optional live sessions), an AI Social Media Marketing Course (6 modules, starts July 20), an Expert Certification (21 lessons plus exam), and an evergreen Social Media School.

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate: Normally $49 USD/month on Coursera, but Google.org funds NPower Canada to deliver 5,000 free scholarships for Canadians from underserved communities, distributed through partners like Indspire, Toronto Public Library, the YMCA, and Pathways to Education.

Paid

BrainStation: 4 or 8-week Digital Marketing Certification, online, evenings and weekends.

University of Calgary Continuing Education

• Marketing Fundamentals Certificate: 5 courses, 100 hours, online, $2,850 (including $105 admission fee)
• Digital Marketing Certificate: 5 courses, 100 hours, online, $2,850. Can follow Marketing Fundamentals or stand alone.

Growclass Extra Credit: How AI is Changing How Your Business Gets Found: Virtual half-day session, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 9:30am–12pm ET. $50, with a 30% discount for MNC readers using code MNC30. All sessions recorded and emailed to registrants after. A second "Extra Credit" event is in the works for August, details to come.

Chartered Marketer (CMA) micro-credentials: Standalone à la carte courses under the same designation body.

Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate: $49 USD/month on Coursera, standard route (see above for the free version).

Caley Dimmock (Meta Ads Academy founder, Nova Scotia)

• Gateway to Ads: Self-paced Instagram ads course, $147 CAD on sale (regularly ~$327 CAD)
• Ad Spend 101: 45-minute mini-course on setting digital ad budgets
• Meta Ads Academy: 12-week group coaching program, Fall 2026 cohort applications now open

Know a program we missed? Tell us at news@socialnext.ca and we'll add it to the list.