Frequently asked
questions about Certi

Certi is a service that turns paper awards, certificates, licenses, and course completion records into digital badges built on the international standard. Upload an Excel list, and Certi sends the badges by KakaoTalk (AlimTalk notifications in Korea) and email. You can also give a PDF certificate with the same details. Certi is run by NFTIME Inc.

Universities, public institutions, and companies use Certi. Hoseo University uses Certi across the whole university, connected to its academic system and extracurricular programs. Korea University (K-MOOC), the AID courses for working professionals at Kwangwoon University and Jaeneung University, the Gachon University Semiconductor Specialized University Program, the National Science Museum (Korea), the Ministry of Education’s 300+ Promising Student Startup Teams, and the SK hynix Heinstein program have also issued badges with Certi. See our customer stories for details.

Five reasons. 1) Badges go out by KakaoTalk notification, so recipients don’t miss them. 2) You give a digital badge and a PDF certificate in your institution’s format at the same time. 3) Our prices are public, and issuer verification and your organization page come at no extra cost. 4) Certi is certified for the international Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 standards. 5) Data is encrypted and stored on servers in Korea, and our team answers your questions directly.

Yes. You create and issue badges in the admin dashboard, so no development work is needed. You only need the API if you want badges to go out automatically from your academic system or learning platform.

The same day you sign up. Checking your organization’s documents takes 1–3 business days, but you can use the service right away while that happens. Once the check is done, a blue verified mark appears next to your organization’s name on the platform.

Any proof that shows who achieved what: certificates of completion, awards, licenses, course completion records, participation confirmations, and activity certificates. They are often used for extracurricular programs, short courses, contests and competitions, event participation, and in-house training.

You buy a pass for the period you need. With annual billing (12 months), you get 15% off, and the monthly price is Mini $6 (50 credits a month), Basic $18 (150 credits a month), or Pro $48 (500 credits a month). If you need 1–11 months, it’s Mini $7, Basic $22, or Pro $58 per month. See the pricing page for details.

No. Certi doesn’t keep your card on file and charge it each month. You buy a pass for the period you want (1–12 months) in a single payment. Nothing is charged automatically, so there’s nothing to worry about. Before your pass ends, you can extend it or move to a higher plan.

Yes. The free trial lasts 1 month and comes with 30 credits. You can start without adding a card.

Every plan includes unlimited admin accounts, unlimited badge creation, KakaoTalk and email delivery, PDF certificates in your institution’s format, link and QR verification, program management, API integration, and issuer verification with an organization page. The Pro plan adds one custom badge design for your institution and development support for API integration.

Credits are what you use to issue digital badges. Issuing one badge to one person uses 1 credit. Credits count badges issued, not people, so giving one person two badges uses 2 credits.

You can buy extra credits on their own. Volume discounts apply from 3,000 credits and again from 10,000 credits. If you need a large number at once, chat with us and we’ll help you with payment.

There is no setup fee. There is no limit on admin accounts or on the number of badges you create, and issuer verification and your organization page come at no extra cost. The only costs beyond your pass are extra credits and custom badge designs for your institution (a one-time fee per design, up to 3 revisions).

No. Recipients can view, keep, and share their badges for free.

They stay. Your pass covers issuing new badges, so when it ends, recipients can keep viewing and storing the badges you already sent. Buy a new pass, and you can pick up issuing new badges again.

Yes. You can pay by card, and we issue Korean tax invoices. Certi is also listed on the EduTech mall of Korea’s S2B school procurement marketplace, so schools can buy it there directly.

We can send you a quote and service materials. Spending rules differ by program office and institution, so we prepare the documents you need to match your funding guidelines. Chat with us to get started.

You can buy credits at volume prices, with discounts from 3,000 credits and from 10,000 credits. We’ll guide you based on your issuing volume and schedule, so please chat with us.

Open Badges is the international standard for digital badges. Each badge stores details such as the issuer, the recipient, the earning criteria, and the issue date in a set format, so it can be checked and moved the same way no matter which service issued it. The standard is managed by 1EdTech. Read What are Open Badges? to learn more.

Yes. Certi is certified by 1EdTech for Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0. For 3.0, Certi is certified for all three roles: Issuer, Host, and Displayer. You can check the certified versions and dates in the official 1EdTech certification directory.

Yes. Certi issues badges on Open Badges, the international standard also adopted by Korea’s Ministry of Education. Some programs set their own common badges, so please also check the announcement and guidelines for your program.

Open the badge link or scan its QR code to see the issuer, recipient, earning criteria, and issue date right away. Open Badges 3.0 badges carry the issuer’s digital signature, so any change to the content is caught during verification. Issuance records are also kept on a blockchain, so they can be cross-checked.

Yes. Certi records badge issuance on a blockchain. The standard doesn’t require blockchain, but it gives you one more record to check against, which helps prevent forgery and tampering.

Yes. The Open Badges 3.0 badges Certi issues include a DID. A DID is a way to confirm the issuer and the recipient without relying on any one company’s server.

Certi gives a blue verified mark only to organizations we have checked through registration documents and official letters. The check takes 1–3 business days, and you can see the mark next to the issuer on the badge page.

We collect only the minimum information needed to issue a badge, and we never collect sensitive data such as national ID numbers. Data is encrypted and stored securely on Naver Cloud (servers in Korea). See our privacy policy for details.

Yes. Versions 2.0 and 3.0 are both in use today. You don’t need to reissue your existing 2.0 badges as 3.0.

In three steps. 1) Pick a design and enter the badge name, description, earning criteria, and skills. 2) Upload an Excel list or choose program participants. 3) Click Publish, and the badges go out by KakaoTalk and email. See How to create a digital badge for a full walkthrough.

Pick them from the skills list in Certi. When you enter the badge name and description, AI suggests matching skills, so choosing is easy.

Yes. Upload an Excel list, and badges go out to hundreds of people in one go. You can also add details that differ for each recipient, such as a team name or year.

Yes. You can send badges by KakaoTalk notification and by email. Recipients tap the link in the notification to see their badge right away. This cuts down on missed badges caused by emails landing in spam.

A name, plus an email address (for email delivery) or a mobile phone number (for KakaoTalk delivery). Depending on how you run your program, you can add details such as affiliation or course name. We never collect sensitive data such as national ID numbers.

Yes. You can export a PDF certificate in your institution’s format with the same details as the badge. Landscape and portrait layouts are available, and recipients can download the PDF themselves from their badge page. See PDF certificates and digital badges for details.

Yes. You can add your logo to a shared design template and use it right away, or ask us for a custom badge design for your institution. Custom design is a one-time fee per design, up to 3 revisions. One custom design is included with Pro.

Yes. Create a separate badge for each level, so learners collect them in order, from participation to excellence. You can also offer course badges alongside a bundle badge. See How to issue digital badges in tiers for details.

Yes. There’s no limit on admin accounts, and you can invite colleagues as members and split permissions by department. A feature for running several organizations (teams) within one institution is coming soon.

Yes. You can revoke a badge in the admin dashboard and send it again. Credits used on badges already sent are not refunded. Think of it like a print shop: once a page is printed, the paper and ink are already used.

Yes. For each badge, you can see who received it and who has viewed it, and download the issuance records as an Excel file. This works well for program results reports.

Yes. With program management, you can manage your participant list and issue badges from it directly. Application forms for collecting participants are coming soon.

Yes. Beyond course completion, you can record participation, finishing, and awards from events as badges. The National Science Museum (Korea) and the Ministry of Education’s 300+ Promising Student Startup Teams event have issued Certi badges.

Yes. Certi provides an API for issuing badges automatically from outside systems. You create an API key in the admin dashboard, and on the Pro plan we also support your integration development.

Yes. You can set it up so that badges are issued automatically through the API when a learner finishes a course or meets the criteria. Hoseo University uses Certi across the whole university, connected to its academic system and extracurricular programs. We decide the scope of the integration together during onboarding, based on your systems.

Yes. You can award participation, completion, and excellence in extracurricular programs as tiered badges. Even after graduating, students can share their badges as links on résumés and portfolios.

Yes. Click a student’s profile on the platform to see all the badges they have received. Students can also see badges from different organizations in one place under “My badges” in their Certi account.

Yes. Admin accounts are unlimited, so several departments can work under one institution name, with permissions split by department. All badges issued are gathered on your organization page. A feature for running several organizations (teams) within one institution is coming soon.

Co-issuing, where several organizations issue a badge together, is coming soon. If you need it now, chat with us.

Yes. You can see issuance and view status for each badge in the admin dashboard, and we can prepare a results report for you if you need one.

Yes. Issuance records show who received what and on which criteria, and you can download them as an Excel file to use as evidence of results. Please check your program guidelines first to see whether badges count toward its performance indicators. See How to document ANCHOR program outcomes with digital badges for details.

Yes. You can record school activities with levels, such as reading, volunteering, and clubs, as badges. Badges are sent to each student directly by KakaoTalk or email.

Yes. You can award badges for completing in-house training, job skills, and taking part in social impact programs. The SK hynix Heinstein program issued separate badges for students, instructors, and the Olympiad.

Tap the link in the KakaoTalk or email notification to see your badge on Certi. All your badges are collected under “My badges” in your Certi account.

No. You can view and share your badges right on the web at app.certi.world, with no app to install.

Yes. Anyone who has the link can see the badge name, issuer, earning criteria, and issue date.

Yes. Use the Share button on your badge page to copy the link, then add it to the Licenses & certifications section on LinkedIn or to your résumé. See How to add a digital badge to LinkedIn and your résumé for step-by-step instructions.

Yes. Open Badges 3.0 badges follow the international standard, so you can move them into other digital wallets or badge collection services.

Yes. Your badges are kept in your Certi account, and you can share them with a link at any time.