Credly

Credly is a platform for organizations to issue digital credentials and for people to display and share them. It verifies both the issuing organization and the person who received each credential, and supports digital badges and certificates with public verification and expiry management. Issuers can define badge requirements so a completion badge is issued when an earner meets them. Its dashboard reports issuance, acceptance, sharing, views, and clicks, with CSV or Excel exports. Integrations are available for learning, assessment, and LXP platforms; REST API connections are also described, with Degreed listed as a featured partner. Earners can view, manage, and share credentials through the iOS and Android app. Credly says it holds ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications, complies with GDPR, and offers a FERPA-compliant solution and COPPA compliance. Customers include training providers, professional associations, certification providers, higher education institutions, and companies. Credly is paid, with pricing on request; there is no free plan. Customers cannot select specific features, and white-label credentials are not offered.

Credly brings credential issuance, verification, analytics, and sharing together for organizations and earners. Check whether its fixed feature set and lack of white-label credentials fit your needs before requesting pricing.

Credly suits organizations that issue credentials, including training providers, professional associations, higher education institutions, and corporate customers. It also serves earners who want to manage and share their credentials on mobile.

Credly is a digital credential platform for organizations that issue badges and certificates and for people who want to share what they have earned. It suits institutions and businesses managing credentials at scale better than buyers seeking a low-cost, customizable certificate maker.

Overview

Credly ties issuance to verification: it checks both the organization behind a credential and whether the named individual received it. That gives earners credentials they can display and share, while giving issuers a way to track what happens after an award is sent. The trade-off is a fixed feature set and no white-label credentials, so organizations that need a fully branded credential experience should look elsewhere.

Key features

• Verified credentials: Credly supports digital badges and certificates, public verification, and expiry management. Verifying the issuer as well as the recipient adds useful assurance for people assessing a credential.
• Pathways: Issuers can define badge requirements and award a completion badge when an earner meets them. This suits programs built from multiple milestones rather than a single award.
• Analytics: The dashboard tracks issuance, acceptance, sharing, views, and clicks, with CSV and Excel exports. That makes it more useful for program reporting than a tool focused only on creating certificates.
• Integrations and API: Ready-made connections cover learning, assessment, and LXP platforms; Degreed is a featured partner, and REST API connections are also described. These options can fit into existing learning systems, though they do not change Credly’s fixed feature set.
• Mobile sharing: Earners can view, manage, and share credentials through iOS and Android apps, in addition to the web platform.
• Security and compliance: Credly states that it holds ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications, complies with GDPR, and offers a FERPA-compliant solution while complying with COPPA.
• Support and onboarding: Customers can use Credly Academy, a Help Centre, support, and onboarding options ranging from Self-Paced to Workshop and Standard.

Pricing

Credly has no free plan; pricing is discussed with sales. Its Custom plan includes badge purchases that expire at the end of the contract year, a term buyers should account for when planning issuance volumes. The price is custom, so organizations should confirm the cost and purchase terms before committing.

Custom branding is supported, but Credly does not offer white-label credentials, and customers cannot select specific features. That makes it a less suitable purchase for teams that want to pay only for a narrower set of capabilities or present credentials entirely under their own identity.

Platforms

Credly is available on web, iOS, and Android, and offers API access. The mobile apps are aimed at earners managing and sharing credentials; the API and integrations are relevant to organizations connecting issuance with other systems.

Who it's for

Credly names training providers, professional associations, product certification providers, higher education institutions, and corporate customers among its users. Its verification, pathways, reporting, and integrations make it a stronger fit for organizations running structured credential programs than for individuals who simply need a one-off certificate design.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Issuer and recipient verification helps establish trust in credentials; pathways support multi-step achievement programs; analytics cover engagement as well as issuance; mobile apps let earners share credentials; learning-platform integrations and API access support connected workflows.
• Cons: No free plan means buyers must engage sales to assess pricing; badge purchases expire at the contract-year end; the feature set cannot be selected à la carte; and lack of white-label credentials limits branding control.

Alternatives

• For a free web-based design tool with limited templates, media, uploads, and saved designs, consider DesignCap instead.
• For certificate creation through an API or web app with a free allowance of 25 copies per month and three lifetime designs, consider EZdoc AI Certificate Maker.
• For document mail merge with a free tier capped at 25 documents monthly for one user and watermarked output, consider MailMergic.
• For a web and API certificate service with 50 introductory credits on its free plan, consider SimpleCert.
• For a web-based option with a free plan offering studio access and watermarked exports, consider Berlvis Credentials.
• For a web-based e-certificate service with a free Starter plan capped at 50 certificates, consider Certhive.
• For free web certificate creation with no stated usage limitations, consider CertificatesMaker.
• For a free web and API credential plan capped at 250 credentials per year, one user, and five templates, consider Certifier.

For other options, browse Certificate Maker Software or Credentialing Software.

Verdict

Credly is a strong fit for organizations that need verified digital credentials, program pathways, engagement analytics, and connections to learning systems. Its central advantage is the combination of issuer verification and lifecycle reporting; its biggest drawbacks are sales-led pricing, expiring badge purchases, and limited control over features and credential branding. Choose it for a structured credential program, not for a free or fully white-label certificate tool.