Guide
Sep 18, 2026
Key takeaways
Standards certification and issuer verification determine whether a badge can be trusted
Bulk issuing, delivery options, and PDF certificates save administrators time
Badges only get used if recipients can share them with a link
The 7 checks at a glance
| Check | How to check it |
|---|---|
| 1. Standards certification | Is it Open Badges certified, and listed in the public registry? |
| 2. Issuer verification | Does it confirm with documents that the issuer is real? |
| 3. Tamper checks | Can badge details be checked against the issuing record? |
| 4. Bulk issuing | Can you issue to a whole spreadsheet list at once? |
| 5. Delivery | Can badges be sent by email (or messenger)? |
| 6. PDF certificates | Can it issue a PDF certificate with the same details? |
| 7. Sharing | Can recipients share a link and add it to a résumé? |
1. Is it certified to an international standard?
Many companies make digital badges. The international standard that lets any badge be verified the same way, whichever service issued it, is Open Badges1. Certified services appear in a public registry, and Certi is Open Badges 3.0 certified.
2. Does it verify issuers?
If anyone can create badges in an organization’s name, badges are hard to trust. Certi confirms each organization with school or business registration documents or an official letter, and only verified organizations get the verified mark.
3. Can you check for tampering?
You should be able to confirm that what a badge shows matches its original issuing record. Certi keeps issuing records on a blockchain2 so anyone can check them.
4. Can you issue to a whole list at once?
Even a few dozen graduates are a lot to enter one by one. Check that you can fill in names and contact details in a spreadsheet template, upload it, and issue in one go. See how to create a digital badge for the steps.
5. Does it deliver badges where people will see them?
Not every learner checks their inbox. Certi lets you send by email, or by KakaoTalk, Korea’s most-used messenger.
6. Can it issue PDF certificates too?
Plenty of places still ask for a certificate file. A PDF certificate with the same details as the badge means no separate template to design. See issuing PDF certificates alongside badges.
7. Is it easy for recipients to use?
A badge only matters if its recipient uses it. Check that recipients can share it with one link and add it to a résumé or LinkedIn’s Licenses & certifications.
Frequently asked questions
Q
Where can I check Open Badges certification?
Search for the service by name in the certification registry run by 1EdTech, which maintains the standard.
Q
Can we adopt it without developers?
Yes. With Certi you issue straight from the admin console, with no development needed. Our team helps first-time organizations get set up.
Q
Does a platform need all seven?
It depends on how you run your programs, but checks 1 to 3 are about trust, so we recommend checking them no matter what.
See all seven for yourself in Certi
Contact sales
Keep reading
All posts
