Free first aid course vs paid: what you get for the price

How first aid training works, free or paid

Every employer must make "appropriate first-aid arrangements" for the workplace, based on a first-aid needs assessment, HSE says. The minimum is a stocked first-aid kit, a person appointed to take charge, and information for staff. HSE says "An appointed person is not required to have any formal training." Some small low-risk workplaces need only a first-aid box and an appointed person.

Where the needs assessment says you need first-aiders, HSE describes a first-aider as someone "trained by a competent first aid training provider in first aid at work", such as EFAW or FAW. HSE's guide for employers says:

• EFAW: training and assessment of "at least six hours (not including breaks) over a minimum period of one day".
• FAW: "at least 18 hours (not including breaks) over a minimum period of three days".
• Blended learning, a mix of e-learning and face to face, "is an accepted means by which workplace first-aid training can be delivered". HSE "strongly recommends that practical elements of the course should be assessed by direct observation".
• First-aid certificates are valid for three years, and HSE strongly recommends annual refresher training in between.

Where an online course fits

An online course covers the knowledge, and your employer arranges any practical assessment. If your workplace needs an EFAW or FAW first-aider, that is the practical course HSE describes above.

An online course can teach you what to do in an emergency, refresh your knowledge between practical courses, and suit staff in workplaces where the needs assessment does not call for a trained first-aider. Your employer decides what your workplace needs.

Free options: can you do a first aid course free?

British Red Cross. The Red Cross offers a free first aid app, free online skills guides and free workshops online and in person. It says plainly: "These free workshops do not give you a first aid qualification, but equip you with basic skills."

St John Ambulance. St John Ambulance is "giving free access to our online Annual refresher course". It covers chest pains, choking, severe bleeding, the recovery position, and basic life support and AED (CPR), and a certificate generates when you finish. It works on a desktop or laptop only.

Virtual College. Prepared to Save a Life is a free online course that "takes less than an hour", covering DRABC, CPR, bleeding, choking and stroke. You receive a certificate on completion.

Your employer. If your employer needs you to be a first-aider, ask it to arrange your EFAW or FAW course.

First aid course cost: free and paid options compared

What each provider shows on its own page, checked 26 October 2026, with prices exactly as shown.

"Check provider" means the provider's page did not show that detail when we checked.

So what does paying add?

• A workplace first-aider certificate, if you pay for EFAW or FAW. This is the only route in our table to EFAW or FAW. It costs far more than an online course and needs practical training in a classroom; prices vary by date and venue.
• A full, structured online course, if you pay for online training. Paid online courses cover more than the free short courses, with a test and a certificate you can show your employer. They cost £19.99 to £26 +VAT in our table.
• A record and a refresh date. Paid online courses give you a dated certificate, which helps you and your employer keep track.

What you get with Lift College

Lift College's First Aid Training is an online CPD course for every employee, in any workplace, who wants to know what to do in the first minutes of an emergency.

• £19.99, pay once. No subscription and nothing added at checkout.
• 4 hours of learning in 8 short modules: first aid at work, assessing a casualty, CPR and defibrillators, choking, bleeding and shock, burns and scalds, seizures and strokes, and other medical emergencies such as chest pain, asthma and severe allergic reactions.
• Written around the Resuscitation Council UK 2025 guidelines, including chest compressions at 100 to 120 a minute.
• Knowledge check after each module and a final test, 80% to pass, unlimited free retakes.
• CPD certificate issued by Lift College the same day, with your hours, completion date, a refresh date 12 months on, a unique number and a verification link. The refresher is free.
• 14-day money back. Ask within 14 days of paying for a full refund.

It does not include practical assessment, and it is not an EFAW or FAW certificate. Training a team? It is £16.99 a course on a free organisation account.

Which should you choose?

Take a free course if you want basic skills for home or everyday life, or a quick CPR refresher.

Pay for an online course if your employer wants staff to know the basics of first aid with a certificate on file, your workplace does not need trained first-aiders, or you want to refresh your knowledge between practical courses.

Pay for EFAW or FAW if your employer has named you as a workplace first-aider. Only a course with practical training and assessment, in a classroom or blended, gives you that certificate.

Where to go next

• Compare online providers in our guides to first aid training online in the UK and the best online first aid courses in the UK.
• Need allergy training too? See Anaphylaxis Training, or browse all first aid and medical courses.

Ready to start? Take first aid training online with Lift College for £19.99, pay once.