Comparing Canvas Badges Basic and Canvas Credentials
Canvas Credentials offers a variety of features to help stack credentials, track analytics, gamify student learning and make implementing a full-scale badging program easy and fun. Canvas Credentials can be used with or without a Learning Management System (LMS).
General Feature Comparison
Instructure strives to regularly improve the overall functionality of the Canvas Badges and add new and useful features for users. Below is a comparison chart of features and functionality for Canvas Badges (free) and Canvas Credentials (available with paid subscription upgrade).
Canvas Badges offers free LTI versions 1.1 and 1.3 for Canvas LMS users that can be upgraded with a Canvas Credentials membership to include additional features such as Canvas Credentials Pathways.
Badging data may be housed in the Canvas Credentials server of your choice (Australia, Canada, Europe or the U.S.).
| Features | Personal Space (Canvas Badges) | Organizational Space (Canvas Credentials) |
|---|---|---|
| Social media sharing |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Badge expiration |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Associate standards with badge awards |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Manage “staff” access to issuer(s) |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Public pages |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Badge award data export via CSV |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Certificate format and designs | 1 template option | 9 template options |
| Bulk badge awards via CSV | Limit 50/file | Unlimited |
| Organization space |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Custom welcome page |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Canvas Credentials Pathways & LTI |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Advanced analytics |
❌ |
✔️ |
| QR & claim codes |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Customize your language |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Associate Emsi/Indeed job postings |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Groups membership management |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Organization & Issuer member lists |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Learner record |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Explore other pathways |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Customizations/white label |
❌ |
Additional fee |
| Custom SSO |
❌ |
Additional fee |
| Analytics |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Edit & manage issuer staff |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Badge Verification |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Create & edit Canvas Credentials Pathway |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Badge Design |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Email notifications & customized notification settings |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Badgr Groups for Blackboard LMS | Personal Space (Badgr Basic) | Organization Space (Badgr Pro) |
|---|---|---|
| Five-minute LTI setup for Blackboard LMS |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Manual badge objective |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| BB assignment badge objectives |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| CSV progress export |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Course leaderboard |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Custom leaderboard points for badges |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Issuer locking |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Tracking of external badge awards |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Advanced analytics |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Canvas LMS Features | Personal Space (Badgr Basic) | Organization Space (Badgr Pro) |
|---|---|---|
| Five-minute LTI setup for Canvas LMS |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Course leaderboard |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| CSV progress export |
✔️ |
✔️ |
| Issuer locking |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Tracking of external badge awards |
❌ |
✔️ |
| Course & subaccount analytics |
❌ |
✔️ |
Triggers and LMS LTI Integrations
In Canvas Badges, module completion is the sole trigger for automatic badge awards. In contrast, Credentials allows badges to be awarded based on module completion, assignments, or course grades. Additionally, Credentials enables the requirement for learners to submit evidence to earn a badge.
With Canvas Badges, the LTI integration must be installed for course-by-course. Moreover, instructors must be manually added as owners of issuers.
Canvas Credentials allows LTI installation at the account level. This provides administrators the ability to control which issuers instructors can access and set additional deployment preferences. With Credentials, canvas LMS admins can restrict instructors from awarding their own badges by managing issuer access.
Canvas Badges API
Canvas Badges offers a full-featured API you can connect with for easy badge awarding. Feel free to access our Quick start guide, API documentation and/or get more information from our Connected app developer's site.
