HTML & CSS Cost

In general, coding with HTML & CSS is free. The language and libraries are open sources, and while some code editors have associated costs, many perfectly good editors are either free or have free versions available.

What is HTML & CSS?

HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are the two primary programming languages upon which all modern web infrastructure is built. These two programming languages tell your computer how to display a web page and distinguish one web element from another. HTML uses a system of tags and breaks to communicate to web browsers how a given web page should be displayed for users. It is what tells the web page you are looking at right now what the difference between a header and a paragraph is so that the web page knows when to separate the two blocks of text. CSS informs the web browser how it should display some aspects of content, assigning fonts, sizes, colors, and other visual data to web page elements. It tells the web page to display these words in a specific font, size, and color. Together, these two languages help build simple web pages composed of text, images, and hyperlinks.

Since their adoption in the mid-90s, HTML & CSS have become the most commonly used programming languages for web development, as virtually all web pages run on a skeleton built using these two languages. While the output of HTML & CSS is rather unimpressive by modern standards since it only deals with the production of visual elements, text, images, and links. However, modern web pages would be impossible to design for all their complexity without HTML & CSS. This means that anyone aspiring to work in web development must learn how to code in HTML & CSS before they can begin to learn more complex languages. 

Read more about what HTML & CSS is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with HTML & CSS?

Using HTML & CSS, you can design rudimentary web pages and begin the process of learning how to create dynamic and evocative web pages. While most modern web page design programs like WordPress allow novice users to construct more elaborate web pages than with HTML & CSS training alone, learning how to work with HTML & CSS prepares students for complex coding processes using programming languages such as JavaScript, React, or Python.

Learning HTML & CSS is also an essential first step in learning how to code web pages professionally. As more and more businesses, companies, organizations, and groups seek to establish an online presence, skilled Web Developers are in high demand. While any professional Web Developer will also need additional training, learning the fundamentals of front-end web development will ensure that students have the foundation to build into a profitable future career.

In-Depth Review of the Cost

Like most coding languages, HTML & CSS are open-source and, therefore, accessible to users to work with as they please. This means that anyone can use the existing infrastructure to start building web pages. HTML & CSS, which have been industry-standard web development tools since the mid-90s, also means there is a massive community of developers producing free assets and libraries for coders to utilize. In most cases, hundreds of free snippets of code are available if you need to know how to code a primary function in HTML & CSS.

Programmers will want to acquire a code editing application, but many of these, such as VS Code, Notepad++, and Bluefish, are free or have free versions. Unless users are very particular about their code editor, they can easily find a non-paid option.

Websites have hosting fees, and users may need to purchase domains, which is largely an incidental cost.

Why Learn HTML & CSS?

If your goal is to build web pages, personally or professionally, you’ll need to learn how to use HTML & CSS. While almost all modern web pages use more complex programming languages, such as JavaScript or Python, HTML & CSS are the backbones of the modern website. These are the languages that tell a browser how to distinguish elements of a web page for display, meaning that these are the languages that make more internet browsing possible. Web Developers cannot construct the architecture onto which they build more complex digital elements for web pages without knowing how to use these two languages.

In addition, learning HTML & CSS is a great way to begin down the road of web development training. Today, almost no website strictly uses HTML & CSS, but by the same coin, no web pages function without HTML & CSS. This means that while anyone hoping to work in the field of web development will need more training, virtually all of that training will build off their HTML & CSS knowledge in some meaningful way. For example, when students want to learn how to build interactive elements for their web pages, they will probably want to learn JavaScript, which requires knowledge of HTML & CSS. No matter what a student wants to learn when it comes to building web pages, HTML & CSS will almost certainly be a required prerequisite.

Read more about why you should learn HTML & CSS.

Free Introductory HTML & CSS Course Online 

Looking for an overview of HTML & CSS without investing in a professional training course? Start learning HTML & CSS for free online. In these free introductory courses, you will learn the basics of tagging elements in HTML to allow web browsers to distinguish between elements of a web page and how to use CSS to alter the size, font, or color of text and other visual elements.

Noble Desktop offers a few online course options on its website and its official YouTube page. Users can visit their Web Design and Development playlist to find videos introducing students to the essential elements of front-end web development using HTML & CSS and associated programming languages. Noble also provides a free Intro to Front End Web Development course on their free seminars page. Similar to other free tutorials, this class will teach students both the basics of coding generally alongside introductory lessons on using HTML & CSS.

Numerous other free HTML & CSS training courses are available through service providers like Coursera and UDemy. Since HTML & CSS is so ingrained in web development, free resources for helping ease new programmers into coding are plentiful.

Read about more free HTML & CSS videos and online tutorials.

Learn HTML & CSS with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to learn HTML & CSS can find several specialized training courses through Noble Desktop. These courses, available both in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and through live online instruction, will provide students with in-depth training in HTML & CSS and many programming languages built off of HTML & CSS. Regardless of the course they enroll in, students will benefit from being able to work directly with Noble’s experienced instructors. Even online, class sizes remain small to ensure that students aren’t competing for their instructor’s attention. As a bonus, all of Noble’s courses have an option to retake the class for free within a year of enrolling, giving students extra opportunities to get hands-on HTML & CSS instruction and experience.

Noble offers an introduction to web development bootcamp through their Web Development with HTML & CSS and Advanced HTML & CSS courses. These courses are designed to give students a taste of front end web development by teaching them the essential practices of coding web pages using HTML & CSS. These courses are ideal for students with no coding experience who are interested in learning the fundamental processes of learning the syntax of a programming language and translating that knowledge into the construction of a practical project. Students will learn the basic principles of using HTML tags to differentiate between elements of a web page and how to use CSS tags to apply fonts and styles to text. In the more advanced courses, students will learn how to build multi-page websites that link to one another.

Most students with aspirations of learning web development aren’t going to be content learning how to design web pages that look like they were last updated in 1997. These students may wish to enroll in Noble’s Front End Web Development Certificate program. This course will teach students the vital HTML & CSS skills they need to know to build web pages. After mastering those skills, students will learn how to use programs and languages built on top of HTML & CSS to design more complex, interactive web pages. This course will teach students how to use JavaScript, one of the most popular front end programming languages, to add interactive elements and seamless animations to their web designs. Students will also receive training on how to utilize and build WordPress templates. Nearly 40% of all modern web pages use WordPress in some capacity, so learning these skills is an ideal way to start down the path of a career in web development.

Students interested in learning more about the HTML & CSS classes and bootcamps available should consult the web development section of Noble’s website (which they can easily view and navigate thanks to developers with HTML & CSS training).