Best AWS Certification Courses in 2026 (Cloud Practitioner to Solutions Architect)
Korshub Team
Jun 29, 20265 min read
AWS certifications are still the clearest way to prove cloud skills to an employer, and demand for people who hold them hasn't cooled. The hard part isn't finding a course — it's picking one that matches the exact exam you're sitting and your current level, without paying a "list price" that almost nobody actually pays.
This guide covers the two certifications most people start their AWS journey with — the Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) and the Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) — plus a couple of foundation and multi-cloud options worth knowing. Each pick links straight to its current deal so you can check today's price yourself.
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First, match the course to the exam you're actually sitting
AWS uses specific exam codes, and a course built for the wrong one wastes your money. The two entry points look similar on a résumé but test very different things.
CLF-C02 — Cloud Practitioner (the foundational badge)
This is AWS's entry-level certification. It has no prerequisites, runs 90 minutes, and asks around 65 questions scored on a 100–1000 scale with 700 to pass. The content is broad and mostly conceptual: what the cloud is good for, core services, basic security under the shared responsibility model, and how billing works. It's a sensible first badge for career-switchers, salespeople, project managers, and anyone testing whether cloud work suits them before committing to a heavier exam.
SAA-C03 — Solutions Architect Associate (the flagship)
This is the associate-level exam employers care about most. It's 130 minutes, roughly 65 questions, and needs 720 to pass. The questions are scenario-driven — you design resilient, secure, cost-effective architectures rather than recite definitions. It assumes you're already comfortable clicking around the console. Harder than the Practitioner, and worth considerably more when you're job-hunting.
New to cloud entirely? Sit CLF-C02 first. Already working with AWS day to day? You can skip straight to SAA-C03.
Best Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) courses
[NEW] Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 2026
Our top pick for a first-timer. The [NEW] Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C02 2026 course is a full video path that walks every domain of the current exam blueprint with hands-on demos in the console, so the services stop being abstract names. It's rebuilt for the CLF-C02 objectives rather than an older revision, which matters — AWS refreshes these exams and outdated courses quietly drift out of scope. On Udemy you buy it once and keep it forever; the list price looks high but it's discounted so routinely that waiting for a sale is the norm, not the exception.
If you only take one Practitioner course and you learn well from structured video plus labs, start here.
