What are Canvas Badges? + Alternative

Canvas Badges began as a straightforward way for instructors to award digital badges to learners inside their Canvas course, giving a lightweight credentialing path with minimal setup. 

However, the tool is being rebranded under Parchment Digital Badges and the free-issuing plan is sunset. If you rely on Canvas Badges, you need to review what’s changing and consider alternatives like Certifier before the transition affects your issuing workflows.

What is Canvas Badges (and how it worked)

Canvas Badges emerged from Badgr integration into Canvas LMS–giving institutions a way to create and award digital badges tied to learner progress or achievements.

Key functionality

Instructors could enable a “Credentials” or “Badges” tab in course navigation, then create badges, define criteria (e.g., module completion, assignment grades, participation) and either manually or automatically award badges when learners meet the conditions.

Learners received badges to their “Backpack” (badge-wallet): a Canvas-linked account where they could view, download or share earned badges. A single growable Canvas badges account aggregated credentials from multiple courses if the same email address was used.

Badges served as digital credentials (“digital badges”) that learners could show on social media platforms or personal portfolios, giving a simple, micro-credentialing option integrated into their LMS experience.

Because this setup lived inside the LMS, it required no external systems, no complex workflow and made it easy to create badges and award badges within the same course interface: a low-friction entry into credentialing.

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What changed in 2025: rebrand & end of free issuing

Two major updates now define the future of Canvas Badges: a full rebrand and the end of free issuing.

Rebrand: Canvas Badges → Parchment Digital Badges

On October 31, 2025, Canvas Credentials (the tool behind Canvas Badges) was officially renamed Parchment Digital Badges. The change aligns the tool with a larger credential network, positioning it as part of a broader credential ecosystem.

From the user side, only the branding and product name change: the badge-issuing, “backpack” wallet and badge-award workflows remain operational—no immediate shift in functionality.

Sunset of free issuing model

The critical change: free issuing under Canvas Badges/Credentials is being phased out. Institutions cannot create new free-issuer accounts after June 30, 2025; and after December 31, 2025–free issuing and data export privileges end.

Existing free issuers are downgraded to “backpack only”: learners keep access to past badges, but no new issuing or export is allowed.

For courses or institutions that relied on Canvas Badges’ no-cost offering, this marks the end of a free, lightweight issuing path.

When Canvas Badges made sense and when it no longer does

Before deciding whether to keep using Canvas Badges, it helps to look at where the tool originally worked well and why those strengths don’t hold up as the platform changes.

When it worked

Canvas Badges was well suited for:

Small-scale courses or workshops: module/assignment-based badge awarding without full credentialing overhead

Pilot or informal learning experiences (e.g. skill modules, short-term training) where a simple “badge icon” or certificate was sufficient

Educators or institutions testing digital badging for the first time, using badges as a low-commitment way to reward learner progress or engagement

Because it was embedded in Canvas course navigation (just a few clicks under the course menu), setup was easy and instructors could manage badge awarding without external tools or heavy administrator involvement.

Why it becomes limited now

With free issuing gone:

Budget-sensitive programs (volunteer trainings, non-credit workshops, small cohorts) lose their no-cost badge option

Canvas Badges (or now Parchment Digital Badges) lacks advanced features many credentialing workflows require—e.g. robust metadata, exportable credential records, versioned credentials, sophisticated tracking or verification code workflows, so having a Parchment digital badges account might be no longer enough

For long-term programs requiring external recognition (on resumes, LinkedIn, external verification), the limitations become more pronounced

What users of Canvas Badges should do now

If your courses currently rely on Canvas Badges/Credentials:

Audit your existing badges and “past badges”. How many you issued, which modules/courses, how many learners and how many might need export or migration.

Decide on the future of your credentialing workflow. If you just need occasional badges or informal credentials → start evaluating lighter badge platforms. If you need stackable credentials, certificates or long-term credential management → look for a more feature-rich, future-proof solution.

Communicate changes to stakeholders (learners, instructors, admin). Explain that after the sunset date issuing/new credentials will stop under free plan.

Export and backup data if possible, especially if you rely on badge export or offline storage of credentials.

Alternatives for credentialing and why Certifier stands out

Now that Canvas Badges’ free path is closing, many educators are looking for alternatives. Among the options, Certifier emerges as a top candidate, especially when you want flexibility, clarity and control.

Why Certifier makes sense

Transparent free plan: unlike Canvas Badges pricing, Certifier offers a clear free tier for badge or certificate issuance, allowing programs to start without financial commitment.

Full digital badging support: you can create badges or certificates using templates or from scratch, embed metadata and verification for authenticity, let learners download or share credentials on social media sites or professional networks.

Platform-agnostic and independent setup: no mandatory LMS integration required. You can manage credential issuing outside a course context, useful for non-course-based trainings, community programs or small initiatives.

Portability and learner-centric credentials: recipients retain control over their credentials, enhancing value, verification and long-term usefulness.

Scalable over time: as your credentialing needs grow, you can upgrade plans; but you’re never locked into enterprise-scale licensing for modest volumes.

For course creators, organizers of volunteer trainings, workshops or micro-credential programs that need flexibility and affordability, Certifier gives many of the benefits of a full certification management software without the complexity or cost that free Canvas Badges once had.

See how Canvas Badges compares to Certifier:

How to move forward after Canvas Badges

Canvas Badges served as a useful, lightweight digital badging tool during its run, offering educators a simple way to reward learners inside Canvas courses. But with the 2025 sunset of free issuing and rebrand to Parchment Digital Badges, the free badge-issuing path is closing.

If your program issues a few badges now and then or your trainee volume is small, continuing under a paid plan may not make sense. In those cases, a platform like Certifier presents a viable, future-proof alternative: a modern, transparent and flexible digital badging solution.

Whether you opt for Parchment Digital Badges (for full ecosystem needs) or switch to Certifier (for flexibility and affordability), the key is to match the tool to your credentialing needs, budget and long-term vision.

Sign up for Certifier now.