Virtualbadge.io vs Credly: A comparison with sources

Credly and Virtualbadge.io both issue digital credentials that people can share and anyone can check. They are built around different ideas. Credly, part of Pearson since 2022, is a network: earners collect badges in a Credly profile, and employers find and verify them there.¹² Virtualbadge.io is an issuing and verification platform: certificates and badges stay under your brand, and the check happens on your own website.

This page compares the two on what matters once a credential leaves your system: what the recipient has to do, where verification happens, which standards are supported, how documents are protected and how pricing works. We used each vendor’s public documentation.

Part 1How Credly’s network model works

How Credly issues and hosts badges

Credly describes itself as hosting “the largest and most-connected digital credential network”.² Issuers create badge templates and award them. Earners accept the badge and manage it in their Credly profile, from where they share it to LinkedIn and other channels.²

Credly also offers certificates as a complement to badges: issuers can let earners download and print certificates built from a Credly or custom template.³

The model works best when a badge gains value from the network itself, for example IT vendor certifications that hiring managers already know from Credly.

Pricing model

The Credly product pages we reviewed show no public price list. The main call to action is “Talk to Sales”.⁴ Expect a quote based on your volume and program.

Standards and portability

Credly supports Open Badges 3.0.⁴ Since October 2024, earners can also upload Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 credentials from other platforms into their Credly profile.⁵

The account step for earners

To accept a badge, earners are asked to create a Credly account and confirm their email. Sharing happens after logging in on credly.com.²

For a network this is consistent: the account is the profile. For an issuer it adds a step between the email and the moment the credential is used. It is also the point we hear about most often from teams that move from Credly to Virtualbadge.io.

• Every recipient needs an email address they can confirm.
• A badge that is never accepted is never shared.

Verification and branding

Badge pages and verification live on credly.com.² The badge page shows the issuer and the badge details inside Credly’s layout. That suits credentials that are meant to be found in a public network. It suits official certificates less, where an employer or authority should check the document with the institution that issued it.

Data protection and hosting

The Credly pages we reviewed do not state where earner data is hosted. They refer to Pearson’s privacy program and a Data Security Center.² If you are a European public body or a regulated issuer, ask for the data processing agreement and the list of subprocessors before you start.

Summary of Credly

• Large earner network; strong where hiring managers already look for Credly badges.²
• Supports Open Badges 3.0.⁴
• Earners create an account to accept and share.²
• Badge pages and verification live on credly.com.²
• Sales-led pricing; no public price list on the pages we reviewed.⁴
• Part of Pearson since 2022.¹

Part 2Virtualbadge.io vs Credly for certificates people actually use

Use case 1: A learner receives a credential and shares it

TakeawayTwo steps instead of four. Every step you remove is one less reason for a recipient to stop before the credential is used.

Use case 2: An employer checks a certificate

TakeawayWith Virtualbadge.io the check happens where the certificate comes from, on your institution’s website, and the verifier leaves with a document that shows what was checked and when.

Use case 3: Many locations or partners issue under one brand

TakeawayNetworks of training partners and test centers are where the Organization Hub does the most work. telc has connected more than 3,000 authorized issuers to Virtualbadge.io this way.¹¹

Virtualbadge.io vs Credly: Feature comparison

Status as documented publicly in November 2026. “Not documented” means we could not find the capability in the vendor’s public materials. Where a capability depends on the plan, the cell names the plan.

For plan details, see Virtualbadge.io pricing and ask Credly for a quote at your volume.

Key Virtualbadge.io features not documented for Credly

• No recipient accountRecipients open, download and share their credential without signing up anywhere.⁷
• Verification on your websiteThe check runs on your domain, embedded in your own site, with your brand around it (Professional plan).
• Sealed PDF certificatesA digital seal inside the PDF keeps the proof with the document wherever it goes (add-on to the Professional plan).
• Sealed verification receiptsVerifiers can download a sealed receipt that documents each check.
• Organization HubTest centers, authorized issuers or units issue on your behalf while you control templates and rights centrally (Professional plan).
• Fake verification page monitoring with AI Fraud ProtectFinds lookalike verification pages and copies of your certificates and supports takedown requests.

Pricing model comparison

• CredlySales-led. The product pages we reviewed lead to “Talk to Sales” rather than a price list.⁴
• Virtualbadge.ioSelf-service plans (Essentials, Advanced) priced by credits per year; Professional with custom volume on request. 7-day free trial.⁶
• What to compareTotal cost per credential at your real annual volume, plus seats, integrations and verification under your own domain.

With Credly you pay for a place in a network. With Virtualbadge.io you pay for issuing and verification under your own brand. Ask both vendors for a quote at the same volume and compare like for like.

Credly vs Virtualbadge.io: Which should you choose?

Both platforms issue standards-based credentials. The difference is where a credential lives after it is issued. In Credly it lives in the earner’s Credly profile. In Virtualbadge.io it stays with the issuer and is checked on the issuer’s website.

The right choice depends on what your credential has to do:

Switching from Credly to Virtualbadge.io

You can plan the switch in five steps:

1. Take stock. Ask Credly which data you can export and how long credentials you already issued stay accessible.
2. Bring your templates. Upload your current certificate design or build templates in the editor, including multi-page documents.
3. Connect your data. Import recipients by CSV or connect your LMS, CRM or exam system through the API, webhooks, Zapier or LMS connectors.
4. Move verification. Embed the validation page in your website (Professional plan) and link it wherever employers check today.
5. Run in parallel. Issue new credentials with Virtualbadge.io while existing ones keep running at Credly for as long as your contract allows.

TakeawayYou can test the whole flow in the 7-day trial with your own design and real data.

Frequently asked questions about Credly and Virtualbadge.io

Information about Credly comes from the public sources listed below, as of Nov 6, 2026. Product capabilities change; we review this page every quarter. Credly and Pearson are trademarks of their respective owners. Virtualbadge.io is not affiliated with Credly or Pearson. Found something out of date? Contact us and we will correct it.