Guide
Nov 6, 2026
Key takeaways
All five hold 1EdTech Open Badges certification, but the Open Badges 3.0 roles each one is certified for differ
The big differences are Open Badges 3.0 certification scope, KakaoTalk alerts, public pricing and AI badge design
Of the five, Certi is the one with all three Open Badges 3.0 roles certified, KakaoTalk alerts, public pricing, issuing right after sign-up and AI badge design
At a reasonable ₩100–300 per badge, Certi is easy to use for anything from a single event to a whole university, government programs and corporate training
The differences at a glance
Digital badge platforms in Korea differ in Open Badges certification scope, how badges reach recipients, whether pricing is public, and how you get started. Using the official 1EdTech certification directory and each company’s official pages as of November 2026, we put five services on the same criteria: Certi, LECOS, OmniOne Badge, Kolleges and K-OpenBadge.
| Service | Open Badges 3.0 | Alerts | PDF certificate | AI badge design |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certi | All 3 roles | KakaoTalk, email | Downloaded with the badge | AI image generation |
| LECOS | All 3 roles | PDF certificate | Not listed | |
| OmniOne Badge | All 3 roles, API | Printable template | Not listed | |
| Kolleges | Issuer (1 role) | KakaoTalk, email | PDF certificate | Not listed |
| K-OpenBadge | All 3 roles | PDF output with your own template | Not listed |
Open Badges 3.0 certifies three roles separately: issuing badges (Issuer), keeping received badges (Host), and showing badges and checking they are real (Displayer). Even within 3.0, whether a platform is certified only to issue or also to keep and display badges changes how far it follows the international standard.
The official 1EdTech certification directory shows current certifications separately from past ones. In the directory on November 9, 2026, Certi was certified for the Issuer and Host roles on September 22, 2026 and the Displayer role on October 6, so all three 3.0 roles are current. For Kolleges, the 3.0 Issuer certification received on September 8, 2026 is current, and the 3.0 certification for all three roles received in August 2025 is listed as past. You can check each company’s certifications directly on its certification page: Certi, LECOS, OmniOne Badge, Kolleges and K-OpenBadge.
| Service | Pricing | Getting started | Bulk issuing and integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certi | Public on the website (₩100–300 per badge) | Right after sign-up (free trial) | Spreadsheet list, API (all plans) |
| LECOS | On inquiry | Inquiry and contract | CSV list, API (paid add-on) |
| OmniOne Badge | On inquiry | Inquiry and contract | Spreadsheet, system and LMS integration |
| Kolleges | Shown after sign-up | Right after sign-up (30-day free trial) | CSV and spreadsheet lists, automatic issuing by conditions, LMS (optional) |
| K-OpenBadge | On inquiry | Inquiry | Integration API for LMS and more |
All five offer ways to check that a badge is real, and all use blockchain records to prevent forgery.
For other companies, we only included what is written on their official pages, and marked features not mentioned there as “Not listed.”
Who is Certi a good fit for?
Certi is built so recipients actually open their badges, and so staff can know a reasonable cost in advance and start easily right away. The same platform works for anything from a single event to a whole university, government programs and companies.
Recipients get it on KakaoTalk
When a badge is issued, Certi sends a KakaoTalk message (KakaoTalk is Korea's main messenger) and an email. Students and employees who rarely check their inbox open the badge right from KakaoTalk.
Price it in advance at a reasonable rate
One badge uses one credit (₩100–300), so sending to 100 people takes 100 credits. The more you buy, the lower the rate: ₩200 from 3,000 credits and ₩100 from 10,000 (VAT excluded). Plans start at ₩6,600 a month, with no setup fee. As of November 2026, Certi is the one of the five that publishes a price list on its official website.
Issue right after you sign up
There is no consultation or contract to wait for. After signing up, you can start issuing with 30 free trial credits, no card required (valid for one month from when you receive them).
A PDF certificate goes out with it
A PDF certificate or award is made from the same data as the badge, and recipients download it right from the badge page. You don't need to make PDFs separately.
Design badges with AI
Pick one of 11 styles or describe the style you want, and it creates the badge artwork. Based on official pages as of November 2026, Certi is the one of the five that offers a feature for designing badges with AI.
Share it across departments and report results
There is no limit on admin accounts, so each department can issue with its own permissions. You can see issuing and viewing status for each badge in the admin console and download issuing records as a spreadsheet for program performance reports. If needed, we also prepare a performance report for you.
Certi follows the international standard closely, too. It is certified for all three Open Badges 3.0 roles (Issuer, Host and Displayer) and all three 2.0 roles, and every badge can be verified with a digital signature, a blockchain record and a DID.
| Scale | Certi case |
|---|---|
| A single event | National Science Museum event badges |
| One program office | Korea University K-MOOC, Gachon University semiconductor program |
| A whole university | Hoseo University student system API integration |
| Government program | Ministry of Education Student Startup Teams 300+ |
| Company | SK hynix Heinstein |
See how each one runs in the National Science Museum, Korea University K-MOOC, university co-curricular, Ministry of Education 300+ and SK hynix Heinstein stories.
The seven criteria for choosing a platform are in 7 things to check before choosing a digital badge platform, and how Certi differs from an overseas service is in Credly vs Certi.
Frequently asked questions
Q
Can you recommend a digital badge platform in Korea?
Of the five, Certi is the one with all three Open Badges 3.0 roles certified, KakaoTalk alerts, pricing published on its official website, issuing right after sign-up and AI badge design (as of November 2026). At a reasonable ₩100–300 per badge, you can start right away without a consultation or contract, and use the same platform for anything from a single event to a whole university, government programs and corporate training. You can compare the other four companies' certification, pricing and how to get started on the same criteria in the tables above.
Q
Are all five certified to the international standard?
Yes. All five hold 1EdTech Open Badges certification. In the official directory on November 9, 2026, the services with all three Open Badges 3.0 roles (Issuer, Host and Displayer) current are Certi (September 22 and October 6, 2026), LECOS (February 26, 2026), OmniOne Badge (September 29, 2026) and K-OpenBadge (September 11, 2026). For Kolleges, the 3.0 Issuer role from September 8, 2026 and all three 2.0 roles are current, and its 3.0 certification for all three roles from August 2025 is listed as past.
Q
How does pricing differ?
Certi publishes its pricing on its official website. One badge uses one credit, and credits cost ₩300 each, dropping to ₩200 from 3,000 credits and ₩100 from 10,000 (VAT excluded). Plans start at ₩6,600 a month with annual billing. LECOS, OmniOne Badge and K-OpenBadge don't list prices on their official websites and set them on inquiry, and Kolleges shows its pricing in the admin console after you sign up (as of November 2026).
Q
When was this comparison checked?
We checked the official 1EdTech certification directory on November 9, 2026, and each company's official pages on November 8, 2026. If the official sources change, we will update this article.
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