Blockcerts pioneered blockchain-anchored academic credentials, but it is a technical standard, not a hosted platform, and it requires significant implementation effort. Here is an honest look at the practical alternatives for organizations that need verifiable credentials without the blockchain complexity.
Blockcerts is an open standard for blockchain-anchored credentials, originally developed by MIT Media Lab and Learning Machine (acquired by Hyland in 2020 and rebranded as Hyland Credentials). The standard allows organizations to record credentials on a blockchain, originally Bitcoin's blockchain, later expanded to Ethereum and others, creating a tamper-evident, decentralized verification record.
It is important to understand what Blockcerts is and is not: it is a technical standard and open-source toolkit, not a hosted platform. Organizations that want to implement Blockcerts must either build their own infrastructure using the open-source code or use a commercial provider built on the standard (most notably Hyland Credentials, formerly Learning Machine).
Blockcerts has genuine technical merit, blockchain anchoring provides an immutability guarantee that cryptographic signing alone does not. However, the practical implementation challenges are significant:
For most organizations, the verification assurance provided by Open Badges 2.0 or 3.0 with cryptographic signing and issuer verification URLs is sufficient. Blockchain adds a specific type of immutability that is useful in regulated industries but represents overkill for most training, event, and association use cases.
| Platform | Hosted SaaS | Open Badges 2.0 | Open Badges 3.0 / VC | Free Plan | Blockchain Anchoring | QR Verify | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IssueBadge.com | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Events, training, associations |
| Blockcerts (open source) | No (self-hosted) | Yes | Partial | Free (self-host) | Yes | Limited | Manual | Orgs needing blockchain tech control |
| Hyland Credentials | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Enterprise + academic institutions |
| CertifyMe | Yes | Yes | Check site | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Corporate training + blockchain |
| Credly | Yes | Yes | Partial | No | No | Yes | Yes | Enterprise certification |
| Badgr | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | No | Limited | Yes | Higher education, open source |
If you are evaluating Blockcerts because you want credentials that are verifiable, portable, and resistant to tampering, but do not specifically require blockchain anchoring as a technical mechanism, IssueBadge addresses those goals through Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 standards.
Open Badges 3.0 implements the W3C Verifiable Credentials (VC) data model, which is the same conceptual foundation that next-generation blockchain credential systems use. A VC-aligned credential is cryptographically signed, issuer-verifiable, and earner-owned, without requiring blockchain transaction infrastructure or cryptocurrency wallets. For organizations that want their credentials to be compatible with digital identity wallets and emerging verification systems, 3.0 delivers this through a standard that is simpler to implement and maintain than blockchain.
One of Blockcerts' fundamental limitations as a practical option is that it is not a hosted platform. Implementing Blockcerts requires engineering resources, blockchain wallet management, and ongoing infrastructure maintenance. IssueBadge is a fully hosted SaaS platform, you sign up, build a template, and start issuing. The infrastructure management, verification hosting, and platform maintenance is handled entirely by IssueBadge.
IssueBadge's free starter plan is accessible to any organization without technical prerequisites. No blockchain nodes, no cryptocurrency wallets, no smart contracts. A training coordinator, event manager, or faculty administrator can set up and issue their first credential without any developer involvement.
Blockcerts verification requires recipients and verifiers to understand blockchain verification flows or use specific apps. IssueBadge's QR verification is account-free and accessible to anyone with a smartphone camera, an employer, a recruiter, an admissions officer. Simpler verification infrastructure means higher adoption rates and more practical value for earners.
IssueBadge issues Open Badges 3.0 credentials with QR verification and LinkedIn sharing, free to start, no technical prerequisites.
Start FreeBeing honest means acknowledging the specific use cases where blockchain anchoring provides genuine value that alternatives cannot match:
For most event credentials, training certificates, association badges, and professional development records, these scenarios do not apply. The vast majority of organizations over-engineer their verification needs when evaluating blockchain credential systems.
If you specifically need a hosted, commercial implementation of blockchain credential standards, Hyland Credentials (formerly Learning Machine) is the most mature option. It is enterprise-priced and primarily serves academic institutions and large certification bodies. Check their website for current feature details and pricing. For organizations that need the Blockcerts standard with hosted infrastructure and support, Hyland is the primary commercial provider in this space.
| Attribute | IssueBadge.com | Blockcerts (Open Source) |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted SaaS platform | Yes | Self-hosted only |
| Technical setup required | No (no-code) | Developer required |
| Free access | Yes (hosted) | Yes (self-host) |
| Open Badges 2.0 | Yes | Yes |
| Open Badges 3.0 / VC | Yes | Partial |
| Blockchain anchoring | No | Yes |
| QR verification (no wallet) | Yes | Limited |
| LinkedIn sharing | Yes | Manual |
| Drag-and-drop designer | Yes | No |
| Bulk CSV issuance | Yes | Via custom code |
| Ongoing maintenance burden | None (SaaS) | High (self-managed) |
Blockcerts is an open standard and open-source toolkit for anchoring academic and professional credentials on a blockchain. It was developed by MIT Media Lab and Learning Machine (later Hyland Credentials). It is not a hosted platform but a technical standard that organizations implement themselves.
Yes. For most organizations, Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 provides all the credential verifiability and portability needed without requiring blockchain implementation. IssueBadge offers a hosted platform with a free plan, drag-and-drop designer, and REST API.
No. Blockchain provides a specific type of immutability through decentralized ledger records, but it is not required for credentials to be verifiable and trustworthy. Open Badges with cryptographic signing and issuer verification URLs provide robust verification for the vast majority of credential use cases.
Learning Machine was acquired by Hyland in 2020 and became Hyland Credentials. The Blockcerts open-source standard continues to exist but is no longer the primary focus of Hyland's commercial offerings. Check Hyland's website for current products and GitHub for the open-source project's maintenance status.
IssueBadge issues Open Badges 3.0 credentials aligned with the W3C Verifiable Credentials data model, the same foundational standard that next-generation blockchain credential systems use. This provides verifiability and portability without requiring users to manage blockchain wallets or cryptocurrency infrastructure.