Blockcerts vs OpenCred
Blockcerts
blockcerts.orgOpenCred
opencred.globalSide by side
| Figure | Blockcerts | OpenCred |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Credentialing Software | 9.0 (#2) | 7.7 (#21) |
| License | Core public repositories such as cert-issuer, cert-verifier-js and blockcerts-verifier are published under the MIT License. | OpenCred is open source under the MIT licence. |
| Privacy | The FAQ says the blockchain stores a one-way hash of certificate data, from which the original data cannot feasibly be recovered. | The documentation says the Docker image runs in the operator's infrastructure and sends no data to OpenCred or NFH Trust Labs. |
| Purpose | Blockcerts is an open standard and open-source ecosystem for creating, issuing, viewing, and verifying blockchain-based credentials and official records. | OpenCred is an open-source, local-first toolkit for issuing and verifying W3C Verifiable Credentials. |
| Support | The public community forum is presented as a place to ask technical questions, discuss topics, and share news. | The documentation directs bug reports, feature requests, and questions to GitHub issues and security vulnerability reports to private reporting. |
Plans
In their own words
Blockcerts
Blockcerts is an open standard and open-source ecosystem for creating, issuing, receiving, and checking blockchain-based credentials and official records. Its intended settings include civic records, education, professional licensing, and workforce development. Recipients can use the Blockcerts app to receive, import, keep, and share credentials; a private passphrase supports ownership and recovery. A universal verifier checks records independently and can be incorporated into other software. Developer resources include Python tools for creating and issuing credentials, a JavaScript verification library for Node.js or browsers, and a standalone web verifier. The issuer library supports Bitcoin and Ethereum, while the standard is designed to work across blockchains. Verification checks issuer signatures and certificate data, including expiry and revocation. Issued certificates cannot be edited, though an issuer can revoke an incorrect one or issue a replacement batch. Blockchain data is a one-way hash of certificate information. Blockcerts is free; Bitcoin batch issuance may incur a variable network transaction fee.
OpenCred
OpenCred is an open-source, local-first toolkit for issuing and verifying W3C Verifiable Credentials. Individuals and small teams can use its desktop app to issue, manage, and export credentials, including PDFs with scannable QR codes. Organizations can run its Docker image as a headless HTTP API on their own infrastructure, and embed the API or CLI in student records, HR, and billing systems. Listed verification inputs include JSON-LD credentials, vc-jwt, sd-jwt-vc, and PixelPass QR data. OpenCred says signing keys remain in the issuer’s environment: on the desktop machine or in an issuer-operated server container. The Docker image runs within the operator’s infrastructure and sends no data to OpenCred or NFH Trust Labs. did:key credentials can be verified offline; did:web credentials need network access to retrieve the issuer’s DID document. OpenCred is available for free under the MIT licence, as a desktop app or self-hosted Docker server. OID4VCI support is planned.