5E is definitely a departure from 4E, probably closer to 2E/3E. Really, I think it does a good job of grabbing the best features of all the version of D&D and making a game that's relatively fast and easy to play. A lot of the basic rules are available for free online via a SRD at sites like
https://www.5esrd.com/ or
https://5e.d20srd.org/. You can create a character using the basic rules at
https://www.dndbeyond.com/. If you make an account, I could actually share my account with you, because I've paid for an upgrade and can share my purchased materials with you all for character creation (like the complete PHB and Xanatar's Guide to Everything, which is basically a splatbook.)
5E is much lighter in character options than something like Pathfinder or 3/3.5. You've got your basic classes, like Fighter, Barbarian, Cleric, Wizard, Sorcerer, Warlock, Bard, etc. Each class has an archetype that it can choose from at 3rd level (in most cases, though a few classes, like Druid and Cleric choose earlier.). These archetypes are the primary choice you make, and they've added some, but basically there's a half-dozen choices for each class, which aren't really expanding as the game expands. Most of what Wizards has published is setting/adventure guides. Feats aren't really a big component of the character building process anymore; you can forgo an ability score increase to instead choose a feat, but it's not as extensive as it was in 3.5/PF.
For instance, take the Fighter. The basic archetype for the Fighter is the Champion, which expands your crit range, gives you an additional bonus on some checks like jumping, etc. In the complete PHB, there's additional archetypes like Battle Master and Eldritch Knight. The Battlemaster gains "maneuvers" they can learn, like Trip Attack or Parry that expand their combat options. The Eldritch Knight gives the Fighter some spellcasting ability they can combine with their martial attacks.