Credly vs Accredible

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Credly vs Accredible: Let us Compare two popular digital credential platforms and discover a third option that might be better for you: Certopus. Learn more here.

Introduction

Digital credentials are becoming increasingly important in the modern world as they provide a way to recognize and showcase achievements and qualifications. They can also help motivate learners, increase engagement, boost retention, and enhance branding. However, not all digital credential platforms are created equal. Some of them offer more features, flexibility, and security than others. Some of them are more user-friendly, cost-effective, and scalable than others. And some of them are simply outdated, overpriced, or unreliable.

If you want to recognize and reward your employees, customers, or members with digital credentials, you need a reliable and user-friendly platform to create, issue, and manage them. But with so many options on the market, how do you know which is best for your needs?

In this article, we will compare two of the most popular digital credential platforms in the market: Credly and Accredible. We will examine their pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses, and similarities and differences. We will also introduce you to Certopus, a more advanced, transparent, and affordable alternative to Credly that lets you create and issue digital badges in minutes.

What is Credly?

Credly pioneered digital credentialing when it first began operating in 2012. Credly is used to provide digital badges that "recognize the skills, capabilities, and achievements of learners" and "make talent more visible and opportunity more accessible." After that, the business expanded to deal with significant corporations around the United States, earning positive reviews.

What is Accredible?

Accredible is the industry's top platform for digital credentialing, enabling users to securely issue, administer, track, and validate digital badges and certificates more quickly and easily. Digital certificates, open badges, pocket cards, and other items are all part of the Accredible Suite. Learners may produce stunning badge content showcasing their abilities and accomplishments using authoring, publishing, and maintenance tools.

According to its website, Accredible issues digital certificates for MIT, Cambridge University, and over 1,700 other organizations worldwide.

Credly vs Accredible

Designing Credentials

Credly

Credly offers a wide selection of badge templates, with over 3000 icons available.

Credly allows customers to alter the badge's appearance by choosing colors, fonts, and logos.

Users can design badges on Credly that represent their organization's and course's identity and brand.

Accredible

With its extensive library of certificate templates and dozens of variations, Accredible enables customers to issue digital credentials quickly and easily without changing the appearance.

Users can brand certificates with their logos, colors, and fonts by using Accredible.

By granting digital certificates, Accredible enables customers to build brand awareness and expand the audience for their course.

Comparison

Both Credly and Accredible offer a variety of templates for designing digital credentials, but they differ in the types and levels of customization they allow.

Credly has a rich library of badge templates with over 3000 icons, while Accredible has an extensive collection of certificate templates with thousands of options. This means both platforms have great design tools that suit different preferences and needs.

Credly allows users to customize the badge design, while Accredible allows users to add branding elements to the certificate. Both platforms enable users to create badges or certificates reflecting their course and organization’s brand and identity.

Credential Management

Credly

Users receive a notification email of their award from Credly

Users can create an account and accept their badge on Credly

Users can add their badge to their user profile on Credly

Users can manage and share their achievements on Credly

Credly is simple, effective, and available to all users

Accredible

Accredible offers a user profile feature called the ‘digital wallet’

The digital wallet allows users to store and display their credentials

The digital wallet is only unlocked at higher price tiers

The digital wallet is a highly demanded and valuable feature

Alternatives to Accredible offer the digital wallet feature as standard

Comparison

Both platforms offer good profiles for learners to store and manage their credentials

Credly provides this functionality as standard to all customers

Accredible requires higher price tiers to unlock this feature

Credly has an advantage over Accredible in this aspect

Pricing

Credly

Credly does not reveal its pricing model on its website. You have to contact their sales team to get a quote for their software and features.

Credly has different products that require separate sign-on, so you may have to pay extra to access different functionalities.

Accredible

Accredible has utterly transparent pricing.

Accredible offers three pricing plans: Launch, Connect, and Growth.

Launch is the most basic plan that starts at $960 per year and allows up to 1000 unique recipients per year. It includes badge and certificate designs, email templates, API access, standard integrations, blockchain credentials, and email support.

Connect is a custom-priced plan that offers more advanced features such as primary branding, insights reporting, onboarding and training, a dedicated account manager, pathways, digital wallet cards, and up to 3 departments.

Growth is also a custom-priced plan that offers the most comprehensive features, such as access to advanced integrations, custom white labeling, program marketing analytics, spotlight directory, priority support, single sign-on, job market insights, program growth success support, and 5+ departments.

‍Comparison

Credly has a hidden pricing model requiring contacting their sales team, while Accredible has a transparent pricing model on their website.

Credible has different products that need separate sign-on and may incur extra costs, while Accredible has a unified platform that offers different features based on the pricing plan.

Accredible has three pricing plans: Launch, Connect, and Growth, ranging from $960 per year to custom prices depending on the number of recipients and features. Credly does not disclose its pricing plans or features.

Customer Reviews

Credly

Credly has ratings of 4.9/10 on G2 and 8.7/10 on Trustradius, which suggests that it will likely be a good fit for many people.

Accredible

Accredible is a reliable digital certificate/badge issuing platform with an impressive reputation (4.8/10 on G2, 8.9/10 on TrustRadius) among software review websites.

Summary

Credly

Credly is a platform for digital credential issuing and management.

Credly is designed for larger entities such as professional associations, job boards, higher education institutions, and enterprises.

Credly may be too complex for small and medium-sized businesses or individuals issuing course certificates.

Credly may not meet the needs of users who prefer simplicity and efficiency.

Accredible

Accredible is a comprehensive platform for digital credential issuing.

Accredible has enough versatility to cover different types of customers.

Accredible is easy to use but has complex features.

Accredible’s pricing is high for individuals new to digital credential issuing.

Accredible may not be suitable for beginners or small-scale users.

Drawbacks of Credly

Credly has a lot of shortcomings that make it a horrible option for your badge needs, even though it may look like a convenient and dependable platform for designing and issuing digital badges. Using Credly has many drawbacks, some of which are listed below:

Credly's website makes no explicit mention of its pricing or features. To get a price estimate for using their platform, you must contact them and ask for a demo or a quote. Because of this, it's challenging for you to weigh your options and compare Credly to competing services.

Your ability to customize your badges and emails using Credly is limited. You can only utilize their email sender identification and templates, which might not match your brand's identity or style. This restricts your ability to design applicable, significant, and exciting badges for your recipients and viewers.

Customers who use Credly are not given enough customer help. Without live chat assistance, Credly only provides ineffective email support or the help center's articles. One online review said Credly's customer service is not responsive or proactive.

Drawbacks of Accredible

Accredible has some drawbacks that you should be aware of before using it. Here are some of the possible drawbacks of Accredible:

Accredible does not offer a free plan for its services. You have to pay a monthly or annual fee depending on the number of credentials you want to issue. This can be expensive for some organizations that have a limited budget or a large number of learners.

Accredible’s design options for creating credentials are limited compared to some of its competitors. You can only choose from a few templates and customize them with your logo, colors, and fonts. You cannot create your unique designs or use advanced features like animations, videos, or interactive elements

According to one of its customer reviews, The uploading process for issuing bulk badges is not tricky. Still, it involves several steps that must be followed precisely with no errors, and also, Creating the metadata as a new administrator of digital badging is a little cumbersome. Takes a while to understand.

Credly and Accredible alternative for digital badges: Certopus

Certopus is one of the best programs for certifying digital certificates. Using Certopus, which enables you to create high-quality vectorized certificates in pdf format stored on a unique URL, your certificates will appear professional in terms of style & branding.

You can increase the effectiveness of your company by manufacturing certificates in bulk and sending them quickly.

Your certificates will be highly secure and difficult to forge thanks to Certopus's most reliable and sophisticated verification procedure, which was built utilizing the bank-level secure cryptographic technique HMAC-SHA256 and the leading industry standard Inter Planetary File System (IPFS).

No other digital credential platform has the same level of verifiability; you can even tell if someone has changed a single pixel on the certificate.

Some of the Features of Certopus are:

Certopus' affordable cost is among its most significant advantages. Even with far more features and restrictions, Certopus is the cheapest digital credentials solution on the market. As a result, Certopus is a cost-effective option for anyone who wants to design and distribute digital badges, including individuals, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, educators, and other professionals.

Digital credentials from Certopus do not require an account to see or distribute, unlike those from Credly. Additionally, credentials can be accessed immediately from the delivery email, facilitating a more streamlined and user-friendly approach.

Another benefit of Certopus is its complete transparency. Certopus discloses its pricing and features clearly on its website. You can see exactly what you are getting for your money and whether it is worth it. Certopus also provides information about how they verify the validity and quality of the badges they issue.

Certopus provides some tools to assist users in getting started, including tutorial videos, one-on-one product demonstrations, a knowledge library, and live chat assistance. Thanks to this all-inclusive strategy, all users, whether gratis or paid, have equal access to resources and support.

Certopus provides top-notch customer service. Regardless of subscription level, Certopus offers live chat help to its customers. Anytime you have a query or concern, contact us, and we'll respond with a prompt, considerate, and valuable response.

Conclusion

In the realm of digital credential platforms, Credly and Accredible offer distinctive features, each catering to different needs. While Credly boasts vast customization options, its hidden pricing, and limited support might hinder users. Accredible excels in transparency and user-friendliness yet lacks a free plan and design flexibility. For those seeking affordability, transparency, user-friendliness, vast customization, and security, Certopus emerges as a standout alternative. With its cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and responsive support, Certopus presents a compelling option for digital credentialing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What sets Certopus apart?

Certopus is known for its affordability, transparency, and secure credentials. It offers accessible accounts and robust customer support, ideal for individuals and small businesses.

Is Accredible free?

No, it is not cost-free. Accredible must sign a costly annual contract to provide organizations with digital badges.

What is Credly acclaim?

A digital credentialing platform called Credly Acclaim enables organizations to create and administer digital credentials.

Need more information?

Schedule a demo to learn more about Certopus for your business use-case, or if you have any questions, please contact us. We would be delighted to assist you. Finally, if you're on social media, follow us to remain informed about our latest developments and to learn more about digital credentials like digital certificates, digital badges and micro-credentials.

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