The short answer
Yes. Alison’s current help center says there is no cost to study and complete its courses. The confusion usually starts after completion, because Alison also sells optional digital and printed certificates.
What you can do for free
You can enroll in a course, study the material, complete the required sections and assessments, and keep a record of your learning without buying a certificate. Alison also provides a free Learner Record, which documents courses you have started or completed and includes study information.
What may cost money
After you complete a course, Alison can offer a digital or printed certificate as an optional purchase. That purchase supports a different goal: presenting the completion in a polished credential format. You do not need to buy it simply to access the course material.
When a certificate may be worth paying for
A certificate can make sense if you know exactly where you will use it—for example, adding evidence of recent learning to a professional profile, documenting internal development or keeping a formal record for yourself. The decision is weaker when you are buying it only because the checkout appears immediately after finishing.
When to keep the free record instead
If your real objective is to learn a skill, build a project or decide whether a topic deserves deeper study, the free Learner Record may be enough. Spend on the credential only when the credential itself has a clear use.
Bottom line
The cleanest way to think about Alison is: learning is free; premium certificate formats are optional. Start with the course, not the purchase decision.