Certificate platform alternatives
Verifycate vs Credly
Verifycate as an alternative to Credly — published pricing for 1,000 certificates a year, what each platform is good at, and which one fits your event.
What Credly is
The enterprise credentialing standard, owned by Pearson — 100M+ credentials, 47M+ earners, and issuers like IBM, Microsoft, and Google Cloud. Its strength isn't software features, it's the network: a Credly badge carries name recognition on a CV that nothing else on our list matches.
Credly's flagship features
- The largest credential network — 3,600+ issuers and 47M+ earners. Badges live in the network, where employers already look for them — that discoverability is the product.
- Labour market insights — earners see job prospects tied to their credential, by title, location, employer, and salary range.
- Workforce skills management — part of Pearson's Workforce Skills ecosystem, credentials turned into skills intelligence for hiring and mobility decisions.
- Pathways and talent directory — visualised badge progression, plus a searchable directory where earners' credentials surface to employers.
- Open Badge interoperability — earners can import Open Badge 2.0/3.0 credentials from other issuers into one profile.
At a glance
| Platform | 1,000 a year | On this plan | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verifycate | $54 (₹2,999) | Pro, billed annually — 1,200 credits included | 300 free credits on signup |
| Credly | Price on request | Enterprise credentialing | Free for earners, not issuers |
Side by side
| Feature | Credly | Verifycate |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | No — the pricing page is a quote form | Yes — the full price list is public |
| Free tier | Free for earners, not for issuers | 300 certificates on signup |
| Certificate designer | Yes — a certificate maker and badge templates | Yes — editor, or bring a Canva design in as the background |
| Digital badges | Yes — badges are the core product | No — certificates only |
| QR code and public verification page | Verification happens inside the Credly network | Yes — every certificate gets a QR and a public page |
| Open Badge 3.0 | Yes — earners can import other issuers' Open Badges | Yes |
| Bulk import and send | Yes — CSV and API issuing | Yes — CSV, Excel, or paste the list |
| Add to LinkedIn | Yes — shared from the earner's Credly account | Yes — one click, from the email or the public page |
| Request links (recipients submit their own details) | Not advertised | Yes — Pro |
| Gating forms (certificate released after a form) | Not advertised | Yes — Unlock Forms, on Pro |
| Self-serve name corrections | Not advertised | Yes — recipients submit, you approve. Never spends a credit |
| Expiration dates | Yes — default expiration dates on templates | Yes |
| Custom domain and branding | No — Credly states it doesn't offer white labelling | Yes — custom domain on Pro |
| Sponsor slots on the public page | Not advertised | Yes — logo, link, and caption on Pro |
| API and webhooks | Yes — REST API and 29 integrations | Yes — API and webhooks on Pro |
| AI agents (MCP) | Not advertised | Yes — MCP for Claude, Cursor, and other agents, on Pro |
| Analytics | Yes — enhanced programme analytics | Yes — opens, views, downloads, shares, verifications, delivery health, and funnels |
| Apple Wallet / Google Wallet passes | Yes — earner-side mobile wallets | No |
| Native LMS integrations | Yes — 29 integrations | No native connectors — the API covers custom integrations |
| Credits never expire | No — enterprise contracts | Yes — top up at $0.02 each when you need more |
| Issued pages stay live forever | Yes — hosted in the Credly network | Yes — even after you stop paying |
Cells describe what each platform advertises on its own site, checked on the date below. "Not advertised" means we couldn't find it there — it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Where Credly leads
They do some things we don't, and pretending otherwise wouldn't help you decide. These are the capabilities we can't match — if any of them is the point for you, pick them.
- The network itself. Employer recognition of the Credly name is a real, durable advantage we can't replicate.
- Labour-market and occupation insights tied to credentials.
- Workforce skills management inside the Pearson ecosystem.
- Earner-side tooling: mobile apps, transcripts for registrars, multilingual credential versions, and an earner skills wallet.
- Blockchain credentials.
Why teams choose Verifycate
- Certificates carry your design and your issuer name, on your own domain if you want it.
- Open Badge 3.0 is included, so the credential is still a standard others can verify.
- Set up and send the same day, with no contract.
- Priced for a student body running one fest, not for an enterprise credentialing programme.
Pick Credly if
The badge itself needs to be recognised by employers who already know the Credly name — a professional certification body, for example.
Common questions
- How much does Credly cost?
- Credly doesn't publish issuer pricing — the pricing page is a quote form, and reviewers consistently describe it as priced for enterprise programmes with annual contracts. Earning a badge is free for the recipient; issuing isn't.
- Is a Credly badge worth it?
- If your credential needs to be recognised by employers who already know the Credly name — professional certifications, vendor training — the network effect is real and nothing on our list matches it. For a campus fest, a course, or a workshop, that recognition buys nothing you need, and an enterprise contract is a poor fit.
- What does Credly offer that Verifycate doesn't?
- The network and the ecosystem: employer recognition, labour-market insights, workforce skills intelligence, earner mobile apps, and blockchain credentials. Verifycate is the opposite bet — your branding, your domain, event-scale pricing, and features like Unlock Forms and request links that Credly doesn't advertise.
Send the certificates tonight.
Every certificate gets a QR code and a public page anyone can verify. Pro is $54 a year with credits that never expire — and the first 300 certificates are free, no card.
Worth knowing: Unlock Forms aren't for collecting names you never had — Certificate Request links do that. Unlock Forms do the opposite job: after the event, each recipient gets a private link and completes your feedback form or leaves a testimonial before their certificate is released.
“Sixty-plus events for Vidyut 2025 — over 5,000 students — certificates out in under a day.”
Competitor pricing, plan details, and feature descriptions are taken from each platform's own public pages and were checked on 7 September 2026. They may have changed since — follow the pricing link to confirm. All other platform names are trademarks of their respective owners.