Best Template.net Alternatives in 2025

Template.net has built its reputation on sheer volume. With free templates, the site is a go-to for students, freelancers and small businesses. The library is regularly updated and for anyone starting from scratch, it’s full of useful resources that save time.

But certificates on Template.net are just another category in the mix. You can customize templates, edit layouts and download files, but the process ends there.

That’s why alternatives exist. The platforms below don’t just give you a page to design—they give you the tools to manage the entire credentialing workflow: from design and delivery through verification and analytics. Learn more about them today.

TL;DR

Template.net is fine for quick certificate designs, but the files stay static.

Better options exist—Certifier, Canva, Venngage, Bannerbear, and Visme each bring something extra.

Certifier is the top pick if you want branded, trackable, and verifiable certificates.

Template.net: tool’s overview

Template.net is a website offering a vast library of templates: contracts, business plans, HR forms, flyers AND certificates. Users can access designs for Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Google Docs, making it versatile across devices.

Strengths:

Impressive library of free editable templates for almost any business or personal use case

Helpful categories for HR, legal, design and certificate needs

Regularly updated with new resources and formats

Saves time for small businesses that need ready-made documentation

Limitations:

Certificates are a side feature, with no verification or automation

Only paid options unlock full template libraries and commercial use rights

Free version comes with an intrusive watermark

Chat support and customer services focus on general template help, not credentialing

Requests for refunds or subscription cancellations appear often in user reviews, pointing to mixed experiences with support

Best for: people who want quick access to templates and are happy with static designs. It’s efficient for a company that needs to purchase marketing materials or forms, but not for organizations that want to issue professional, verifiable certificates.

A quick list of the top Template.net alternatives

With Template.net, certificates here are simply documents—not the trackable credentials that companies and learners increasingly expect. Check alternatives you can use instead.

Below is the shortlist of certificate tools we covered in this article:

Certifier—the best Template.net alternative

Canva

Venngage

Bannerbear

Visme

Scroll down for more details.

01 Certifier

Certifier is the alternative that treats certificates as credentials. Where Template.net gives you files to download, Certifier gives you an end-to-end process for creating and managing recognition at scale.

With Certifier, you can:

Start from editable certificate templates or design from scratch

Customize templates with your own branding — logos, fonts, colors and sign fields

Deliver certificates instantly via branded email, cutting cost and saving hours

Bulk issue certificates using CSVs, APIs or integrations with CRMs, LMSs and other software

Offer digital wallet for credentials and QR verification links

Track opens, shares and verifications through analytics dashboards

Connect your certificate workflows with the tools you already use

Why customers choose it:

Certifier turns recognition into measurable value. A certificate becomes a verifiable asset that learners, employees or clients can share on LinkedIn, in a claim or as part of their professional records.

Best for: schools, training providers and companies that want certificates to feel branded and secure—not just another file in storage.

Create and Send Digital Credentials

Take your digital certificate making to the next level.

Start for free

Templates are just the start. Forget static certificates and discover digital credentials that recipients can trust and share—with Certifier.

02 Canva

Canva is one of the most popular software tools for design. Users appreciate the large library of editable templates that make it easy to create certificates and business marketing materials.

But Canva stops at design. You can edit, download and share certificates, but they remain static files you can't do anything with but print. You can't use any verification, automation or credential management options. Canva is, therefore, great for quick ideas but less so for organizations that want to scale.

03 Venngage

Venngage built its brand around creating infographics and data visualizations. Certificates follow the same pattern—polished, infographic-style layouts where you can add widgets, charts or icons to tell a story.

It’s a helpful tool when you want certificates to feel creative. But like Template.net, it ends at the download stage. There’s no workflow to manage recipients, no analytics to respond to feedback and no verification.

04 Bannerbear

Bannerbear approaches certificates differently. It’s an API-driven tool that lets developers generate thousands of certificates automatically. Customers can feed in a dataset and receive certificates without manual design work.

This makes it efficient for high-volume companies that want less work in repetitive design. But there are trade-offs: the quality is functional, not polished and Bannerbear doesn’t include branded delivery or verification.

05 Visme

Visme blends certificates with presentation-style creations. You can create certificates that include charts, graphics and even video elements, making them feel more engaging than a standard template.

It’s strong for businesses that want recognition to double as marketing materials. But the outputs are still static—certificates you download and store, not credentials you can track or verify.

Template.net for certificates: yes or not?

Don't get us wrong: Template.net is still a useful resource for quick certificates, especially if you already use the site for forms, contracts or marketing materials. The free version can cover simple needs, while paid options (from $2 monthly) unlock broader access.

But for professional recognition, the difference is clear. Certificates need to do more than look good; they need to be verifiable, scalable and connected to workflows and projects. That’s something Template.net wasn’t built to provide.

Choose a Template.net alternative that suits your needs

Templates are the starting line, not the finish line. Template.net is excellent for free templates, Word documents and Excel reports—but certificates deserve more than static layouts.

Certifier is the best Template.net alternative, giving you a full process to design, issue, verify and track certificates. Canva, Venngage, Bannerbear and Visme each serve creative or automation niches, but only Certifier transforms certificates into credentials that keep delivering value for your business and your recipients.

Try Certifier today or book a demo.