Head to head
LearnCoin vs Blockcerts
The open standard itself — originally from MIT Media Lab, now stewarded by Hyland. LearnCoin is built on Blockcerts v3.
This is a structural comparison — same axes evaluated against both platforms, with a candid note on who each is the better fit for. Reviewed 2026-04-20.
LearnCoin
Verifiable-credential infrastructure. W3C VC 2.0 + Blockcerts v3 + Open Badges 3.0 native, anchored on Ethereum L2 (Base).
- Founded
- 2026 · Tallinn, Estonia
- Open Badges
- OB 3.0 native from day one
- Trust anchor
- Public blockchain (Base L2)
- Verification
- Free, forever, for anyone (contractual)
Blockcerts
The open standard itself — originally from MIT Media Lab, now stewarded by Hyland. LearnCoin is built on Blockcerts v3.
- Founded
- 2017
- Ownership
- MIT Media Lab origin; Hyland stewardship
- Scale
- Open standard; used by MIT, Malta, Bahrain, many universities
- OB status
- Native OB 3.0
- Blockchain
- Public-chain anchored
- Verification
- Free — Blockcerts is a standard, not a service. Anyone can verify anywhere.
Side-by-side comparison
Same axes, different answers. Each row cites the observable fact as of 2026-04-20.
| Axis | LearnCoin | Blockcerts | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relationship model | Commercial infrastructure built on Blockcerts v3. You use LearnCoin; LearnCoin uses Blockcerts. | Open standard, self-hosted. You run cert-issuer yourself against your own blockchain node and HSM. | LearnCoin is the managed service layer Blockcerts doesn't provide. Institutions with serious DevOps can self-host; most cannot. |
| Operational ownership | LearnCoin operates HSMs, DID resolution, signing workers, webhook delivery, verify pages, revocation state. | Institution operates its own HSM, cert-issuer, cert-verifier, hosting for verify pages, revocation registry. | LearnCoin customers get the Blockcerts standards conformance without the operational overhead. |
| Semantic layer (OB 3.0) | OB 3.0 native — AchievementSubject, achievement.criteria, alignment[], Result, Evidence. | Blockcerts-native (W3C VC profile); institutions add OB 3.0 fields themselves if they want them. | LearnCoin ships the OB 3.0 profile pre-baked. Self-hosted Blockcerts users build it themselves per credential type. |
| UX for recipients | Public verify pages, magic-link claim flow, QR codes, OG images, PDF downloads, LinkedIn share targets. | Standards-level JSON documents + a minimal reference wallet. Issuers build their own recipient UX. | LearnCoin customers get a full recipient experience. Self-hosted Blockcerts deployments need a frontend team. |
| Chain support | Base (Ethereum L2 / OP Stack) anchoring shipped. Contributed upstream to lds-merkle-proof-2019 and explorer-lookup. | Reference chain support: Bitcoin (original), Ethereum. Base, Polygon, etc. require custom chain adapter work. | LearnCoin's Base support is contributed back to Blockcerts — using LearnCoin helps Blockcerts as a side effect. |
Choose LearnCoin if
- You want Blockcerts-conformant credentials without running Blockcerts infrastructure yourself.
- You value OB 3.0 semantic conformance alongside Blockcerts cryptographic conformance.
- You want Base L2 anchoring economics, recipient UX, and recipient-facing features like magic-link claim and public verify pages out of the box.
Choose Blockcerts if
- You have a dedicated DevOps team and strict data-residency / sovereignty requirements that mandate self-hosting.
- You're a government or academic consortium building your own national credentialing infrastructure.
- You specifically need Bitcoin anchoring and are willing to operate the pipeline yourself.
Ready to try LearnCoin?
Developer tier is free, forever, on Base Sepolia testnet. Ship your first credential today. Talk to us for Starter / Institution / Industry pricing.