Credly Pricing: Why Certopus is a More Affordable Credly Alternative

Introduction

Are you looking for the best platform to create, issue, and manage digital badges? You may have heard of Credly, but is it the best option for you? Credly is a known solution that offers a platform for digital badges. However, there can be multiple questions in your mind like is Credly the best fit for us? How much does Credly cost? Can you access Credly for free? Are there any options to consider that might provide better value? Credly pricing has been a mystery which we will uncover in this article.

Along with over 3 years of experience assisting enterprises implementing digital badging, I had the opportunity to lead several ventures in the direction of alternatives that went beyond Credly's offerings in different aspects. In this article, we'll resolve your queries head-on, diving deep right into Credly's prices, features, as well as user reviews. We will additionally compare it to a leading alternative Certopus highlighting essential differentiators to help you make an informed decision.

By the end of this article, you'll have a clear understanding of whether Credly lines up with your needs as well as budgets, or if discovering alternate solutions might be better for your company.

What is Credly and how does it work?

Credly is a company that supplies a system for issuing and managing digital badges. Digital badges are aesthetic signs which contain proven details regarding your abilities, success as well as credentials. They can be shared on the internet on social media sites, websites, returns to as well as profiles to display your capacities as well as trustworthiness.

Credly has a collection of products however it is well known for its digital badging solution Credly Acclaim. Credly Acclaim is utilized by over 3,500 organizations to issue digital badges.

How much does Credly cost?

Credly has been part of the digital badge industry for a decade and has a respectable position. However many potential Credly users have expressed concerns about Credly’s pricing model. It’s been challenging for potential users to understand the costs due to the lack of transparency. Based on feedback from users it seems that the pricing is quite high which can be worrisome for small or medium-sized organizations, with limited budgets. Moreover, larger enterprises may find that Credly’s limited features don't meet their needs adequately.

Credly Pricing:

Looking to issue digital badges with Credly but are unsure about the cost? You're not alone. While Credly does not openly disclose their pricing in public, information from current Credly users as well as market insights makes it clear to understand Credly pricing.

Here's a breakdown for Credly pricing tiers:

Credly pricing for 500 badges: $2,500/year

Credly pricing for 1,000 badges: $4,500/year

Credly pricing for 2,500 badges: $7,500/year

Credly pricing for 5,000 badges: $10,000/year

Credly pricing for 10,000 badges: $20,000/year

That implies Credly charges you between $2 and $5 per badge, depending on the volume you purchase and they only have annual contracts offering no flexibility of monthly billing.

A few Credly users also have reported that an additional setup fee is charged when they are onboarded.

Top Credly Alternative in 2024

If you are looking for a digital badging solution that can replace Credly, you need to consider several factors, such as:

Badge design: How easy is it to create and customize badges? Does the solution offer ready-made design templates to get rid of graphic design costs?

Team collaboration: How easy is it to work with other team members on the platform? Can you assign roles and permissions?

Automation and integration: How easy is it to generate badges in bulk and integrate with popular LMS and webinar platforms? Does the solution support APIs, webhooks, and other methods of automation?

Social sharing: How easy is it to share badges on social media and other online platforms? Does the solution offer features like embed codes, QR codes, and links to make sharing seamless?

Badge access: How easy is it for badge recipients to access and verify their badges? Does the solution offer features like digital wallets? Does the solution allow users to access badges without being forced to create an account, unlike Credly?

Marketing and branding value: How much value can you derive from digital badging campaigns in terms of increasing your brand awareness, reputation, and engagement? Does the solution offer features of White-labelling and Learning Pathways?

Credential standards: Does the solution support the latest and most important standards for digital credentials, such as Open Badges 3.0, W3C Verifiable Credentials, bank-grade security, and more?

Language support: Does the solution support multiple languages and internationalization for its platform and credentials? Does the solution offer features like language selection, translation, and localization to make the platform and certificates more accessible and inclusive for users and recipients from different regions and cultures?

We did the research for you. We analyzed 1485 user reviews on G2, a reputed platform for business software reviews. The reviews were for the factors listed above in the Digital Credentials Management Software category. Our analysis showed that Certopus is the best and most trusted alternative for Credly. It stands out in every aspect in 2024. Many Credly users have switched to Certopus and found better value.

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Credly vs. Certopus: Which Should You Use?

Do you know that 74% of companies admit to overspending on their business purchases due to various factors? The most common reasons cited by the respondents were difficulty in finding the right solution, poor planning and budgeting, and impulse buying of popular solutions without proper evaluation. The survey also revealed that overspending on business purchases can lead to reduced profitability, wasted resources, and lower customer satisfaction.

That makes absolute sense to always evaluate a solution before procurement by comparing with alternatives that may provide better value.

However, there are multiple digital badge solutions out there. All have strengths and weaknesses and specialise in different things.

Don’t worry. I’m here to help. In this piece, we’ll focus on two popular digital credentials platforms: Credly vs. Certopus. I’ll discuss their features, strengths, and nuances to help you decide which is right for you. The factors based on which we will compare are:

Onboarding / Trial

Digital Credentials Options

White Labelling & Branding

Design Templates

Credential Claiming, Sharing & Wallet

Pricing

Onboarding / Trial

Credly: According to some user reviews, Credly’s onboarding process can be time-consuming and challenging, as it requires contacting their sales team. Unlike its competitors, it doesn't offer a self-onboarding option or a free trial to try out the platform's features beforehand. This can be disheartening for those who prefer a hands-on approach. The only way to get onboard is by reaching out to Credly's team, which can sometimes be time-consuming and challenging. This lack of user onboarding can pose an obstacle, for organizations seeking a dependable and user-intuitive digital credentials platform.

Certopus:

Certopus provides a smooth onboarding experience that is user-friendly and intuitive. Users can get a sense of how Certopus works and whether it is the right fit for their organization by using self-onboarding options and a free trial with 50 credentials credits to test out the platform's features. Certopus also offers a variety of resources to help users get started, such as guided walkthroughs, tutorial videos, one-on-one product demos, a knowledge base, and live chat support. This all-inclusive approach means that all users, whether free or paid, have equal access to support and resources. Overall, Certopus' emphasis on providing a positive onboarding experience distinguishes it from its competitors and makes it an appealing option for organizations that value simplicity and ease of use.

Digital Credentials Options

Credly:

While Credly has been successful in the digital badge market, it doesn't focus much on the range of digital certificate and micro-credentials options that are available from its competitors. Furthermore, their support for Open badges is unclear. On the public credential page of digital badges, images lack metadata to be compliant with the Open Badges standard, which makes it difficult for users to comply with the standard. Users have to generate metadata using their API, which can be a challenging and time-consuming process. Overall, Credly's limited digital credential options and unclear support for Open badges make it a less attractive option for organizations looking for a more comprehensive and user-friendly digital credentials platform.

Certopus:

In contrast to Credly, Certopus is a versatile and user-friendly digital credentials platform that offers a wide range of digital credential options. Certopus is widely used for issuing digital certificates, digital badges, micro-credentials, licenses, and more. The platform is transparent about its security compliance and uses bank-level secure HMAC-SHA256 and industry-standard IPFS protocol-based robust file verification for credentials. Moreover, Certopus is compliant with the Open Badges standard for digital badges, making it easier for users to comply with the industry-recognized standards. With a comprehensive range of digital credential options and transparent security compliance, Certopus is the ideal platform for organizations looking for a secure and versatile digital credentials solution.

White Labelling & Branding

Credly:

Another area where Credly badly falls short is in branding and white labelling options. Digital credentials are a crucial extension of an organization's brand, and issuers relying on Credly are missing out on key marketing and brand-building opportunities. Unlike other digital credentials platforms like Certopus, Credly doesn't offer any options for white-labelling or branding credentials pages. Credly enforces its own identity in digital credentials issued using it despite the expensive price tag making it less value for money.

Certopus:

Certopus offers a range of branding and white labelling options to its users. With the professional subscription, users can host their credentials on their domain by simply setting up a CNAME, and the white-labelled credential pages have no Certopus branding. Credential emails can also be white-labelled using SMTP functionality. In addition to this, users can customize the look and feel of the credential pages by setting their brand colors, logos, favicons, and meta keywords for SEO purposes. Certopus also provides users with the option to create a dedicated white-labelled verification portal, which is not available on Credly. These branding and white labelling options give users the flexibility to showcase their brand and create a seamless user experience, which adds value for money to the product.

Design Templates

Credly:

When it comes to issuing digital credentials, Credly falls short in terms of design options. Credly's credential designer tool is not user-friendly and lacks modern features. There are no professional pre-made templates for users to choose from, and custom variables and attributes which is a very crucial feature is not supported. As a result, users may have to invest additional time and resources into designing and creating their digital credentials or hire graphic designers. This can be a significant additional expense on top of the already expensive annual fees charged by Credly.

Certopus:

Certopus offers a modern and user-friendly credential editor with a variety of pre-made design templates, allowing users to quickly create professional-looking digital credentials. Certopus, unlike Credly, supports text and image-based custom variables/attributes, giving issuers more flexibility in creating and customising credentials. Certopus also supports dynamic QR codes, which can be useful for tracking and verifying credentials. Certopus can significantly reduce the time and cost overheads associated with the credential issuance process with these design resources, making it a more cost-effective solution for organizations of all sizes.

Credential Claiming, Sharing & Wallet

Credly:

If you issue a badge using Credly, the badge recipient must create a Credly account to be able to accept and access the badge. This can be seen as a disadvantage because experience is Credly-centric rather than your organization. By requiring recipients to create an account on Credly, the effectiveness of the digital credential and the issuer's branding can be reduced. This has the potential to reduce the overall value of digital credentials in the eyes of recipients, ultimately undermining the credential issuer's goals.

Certopus:

Unlike Credly, recipients of digital credentials issued using Certopus do not need to create an account to view or share their badges Certopus's frictionless credential viewing, sharing, and claiming process is one of its most notable features. Digital badges can also be directly accessed from the delivery email, making the process more seamless and user-friendly. Certopus also provides white labelling options for public views of credential wallets, enhancing an organization's brand presence and overall professional appearance. This streamlined approach to digital credential management distinguishes Certopus from its competitors and demonstrates Certopus' commitment to providing a top-quality user experience.

Pricing

Credly:

Credly costs $2500 annually and goes up to $20000 per year (and even more for customized enterprise plans with higher badge volumes) . You are also bounded by an annual contract. You also have to pay an additional set-up fee. Credly doesn’t offer a free trial or a free tier if you need to make sure Credly is an ideal solution for you or not. As mentioned above with Credly, you burn $2 - $5 per badge based on the volume of badges you issue with

Certopus:

Certopus offers a generous free tier as well as pricing starts from $29/month.

Certopus Standard Tier:

No. of Credentials	Total Annual cost	Effective monthly cost
Upto 1200 credentials	$299	$24.92
Upto 3000 credentials	$499	$41.58
Upto 12000 credentials	$999	$83.25

Certopus Professional tier:

No. of Credentials	Total annual cost	Effective monthly cost
Upto 1200 credentials	$749	$62.42
Upto 3000 credentials	$999	$83.25
Upto 12000 credentials	$1499	$124.92
Upto 24000 credentials	$2499	$208.25
Upto 60000 credentials	$4999	$416.58

Certopus doesn’t bind you with an annual contract but incentivizes you if you opt for an annual tier by giving 2 months free, so you effectively pay for only 10 months instead of 12 as mentioned in the above pricing tables.

With the pricing in front of you, you can decide which solution is superior in terms of features and value for money. So, make a wise choice. By using Certopus, you not only reduce your burn, but you can also utilize your budget in other areas to improve the quality of your programs and services.

Conclusion

When considering which platform to use for issuing credentials it's crucial to consider the pros and cons of each option. While Credly has its strengths, such, as its focus on badges it may not offer the desired level of customization, branding options and user friendliness that many organizations require. On the hand Certopus provides a range of features and capabilities including support for various types of credentials an intuitive interface and robust security measures. All at a more affordable price. Ultimately our goal is to provide you with a comparison guide that will help you make a decision, between Credly and Certopus when it comes to your digital credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQ )

Does Credly provide a free trial?

Credly does not provide a free trial. To start using Credly, you need to contact their sales team to discuss pricing and onboarding options. This means that there is no way to test the platform or its features without committing to a paid plan.

What is Credly acclaim?

Credly Acclaim is a digital credentialing platform that allows organizations to issue and manage digital credentials.

What is the top Credly alternative for issuing digital credentials?

Certopus is a top alternative to Credly, providing an all-in-one digital credential management platform with features such as digital certificates, badges, and micro-credentials. Certopus has white labelling and branding features. Also, the pricing of Certopus is way more affordable than Credly.

Need More Information?

Book a demo to learn more about Certopus for your business use case, or if you have any questions, don't hesitate to 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 learn more about digital credentials like digital certificates, digital badges, and micro-credentials.

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