Key Takeaways
Badges are already built into Moodle. No Moodle plugin is required to award one.
Several popular badge plugins no longer work today. Downloads do not show this.
The 2 richest options both need a paid account. Independence and features rarely overlap.
Moodle Plugins for Badges
We went through every Moodle plugin built for badges. Here are the top 9 Moodle plugins worth knowing about.
Enrolment, custom certificate, and badge plugins all sit in the same directory. Moodle has awarded badges since version 2.5, built right into moodle core. No custom moodle plugins are required to issue a basic badge. This guide covers moodle plugins to enhance your LMS for badges specifically.
It suits moodle developers, moodle admins, and any moodle learning management system. Elearning teams on a moodle LMS rely on badges for real progress. Plugins for moodle vary widely in compatibility, workflow, and moodle course setups. These are the best moodle plugins for badges, not simply the biggest ones.
What to Look for in Moodle Plugins for Badges
Before comparing plugins available in the directory, get clear on what matters.
Compatibility. Check integration with Moodle for your exact moodle version and moodle platform.
Simplify your setup. A configurable, user-friendly plugin needs no moodle developer.
User experience matters too. A clean, collapsible display keeps a course page tidy.
Adaptable and highly customizable. The right moodle plugin fits your course format and brand.
Analytics. Good plugins offer analytics and reporting on student activity data.
Open-source and drag-and-drop. Many top moodle plugins need no code at all.
Experience in Moodle. Right moodle plugins come from maintainers with real moodle experience.
1. Open Badge Factory
Maintainer: OBF Admin, Antti Koskinen, Emilie Lenel Source: moodle.org/plugins/local_obf
This is the most actively maintained Moodle plugin here, updated 6 weeks ago. It connects Moodle to a separate cloud badge platform. One OBF account can even connect to multiple moodle sites at once.
Key features
Issue badges based on course, activity, or profile completion rules
Get a full badge awarding history per user
Issue badges from multiple OBF sub-organisations, added recently
Requires: A paid Open Badge Factory Pro account and an API key.
Pros: Actively developed, with real awarding automation and configurable rules built in.
Cons: Basic and Premium plan users cannot upgrade past certain versions.
2. Accredible Certificates and Badges
Maintainer: Accredible Inc, David King Source: moodle.org/plugins/mod_accredible
This plugin for Moodle covers both badges and a custom certificate plugin. It was updated 2 weeks ago, so it stays current.
Key features
Issue digital badges, PDF certificates, or blockchain credentials
Track recipient engagement, including shares and site traffic
Auto issue on course completion or a set grade
Requires: A separate, paid Accredible account and API key.
Pros: Covers badges and certificates from one single, adaptable plugin.
Cons: One review calls support non-existent, with slow plugin updates.
3. Open Badges Enrolment
Maintainer: Community maintained Source: moodle.org/plugins/enrol_ibobenrol
This pair of plugins is confirmed working on Moodle 4.5. It needs no paid account of any kind.
Key features
Enrol students using any Open Badge they already hold
Works with badges issued outside Moodle, like Open Badge Factory
Handles notifications and profile syncing through scheduled tasks
Requires: Both enrol_ibobenrol and local_ibob installed together.
Pros: No external paid account, and works with outside badges.
Cons: Installing only one of the pair causes a hard crash.
4. Course Badges
Maintainer: DNE, French Ministry of Education Source: moodle.org/plugins/mod_coursebadges
This activity module was last updated 3 years ago, fairly recent here. It runs with no external dependency at all, and stays free to use. Like several activity modules here, it helps track student progress toward a goal.
Key features
Let students choose badges as course objectives
Give teachers a dashboard of chosen and earned badges
Auto add a linked block showing badge progress
Requires: Nothing beyond core Moodle badges.
Pros: Fully independent, no paid account, genuinely still current.
Cons: More setup work than a simple display block.
5. Badge Enrolment
Maintainer: Matthias Berlin (Schwabe) Source: moodle.org/plugins/enrol_badgeenrol
This enrolment plugin only officially supports up to Moodle 3.6. It has not been updated in about 7 years.
Key features
Restrict course enrolment to students holding a required badge
Simple setup through the enrolment methods menu
No coding needed to configure
Requires: Nothing beyond core Moodle badges.
Pros: Simple idea, and no external paid account needed.
Cons: The enrol button reportedly stays active even without the badge.
6. Badge Ladder
Maintainer: Matthias Berlin (Schwabe) Source: moodle.org/plugins/local_bs_badge_ladder
This plugin supports only Moodle 2.9 through 3.6. Early sorting requests were fixed back in 2018, but Moodle 4+ was not.
Key features
Leaderboard ranking users by badges earned
A second leaderboard ranking badges by how many users hold them
An anonymous mode to hide student names
Requires: Nothing beyond core Moodle badges.
Pros: Simple, motivating leaderboard concept for active courses.
Cons: Confirmed broken on Moodle 4+, plus a course restore bug reported.
7. Badge Pool
Maintainer: Matthias Berlin (Schwabe) Source: moodle.org/plugins/local_bs_badge_pool
This plugin was last released in 2018, for Moodle 3.5 and 3.6. It saves trainers time building repeat badge designs.
Key features
Build reusable badge templates across every course
Organize templates into categories
Export and import templates as XML files
Requires: Nothing beyond core Moodle badges.
Pros: Useful time saver when it works on your moodle version.
Cons: Users report the pool missing from some course categories.
8. Recent Badges
Maintainer: Matthias Berlin (Schwabe) Source: moodle.org/plugins/block_bs_recent_badges
This is the oldest plugin in this list, untouched for about 7 years. It only supports Moodle versions up to 3.6.
Key features
Display recently awarded course or site badges
Choose big or small badge icons
Show or hide the name of the badge recipient
Requires: Nothing beyond core Moodle badges.
Pros: Very simple, minimal setup, easy to understand.
Cons: One user reports it failing to show on the Front Page.
9. Restriction by Badge
Maintainer: Tim Lock Source: moodle.org/plugins/availability_badge
This is the most outdated plugin covered here. It supports only up to Moodle 3.1, and broke by Moodle 3.2.
Key features
Restrict an activity until a student holds a specific badge
Works at the course or site badge level
Requires: Nothing beyond core Moodle badges.
Pros: A genuinely useful idea, back when it still worked.
Cons: Multiple update requests over years were never fulfilled.
How to Choose the Right Moodle Plugins
Match your pick to what your moodle site actually needs.
Want automation at scale: Start with Open Badge Factory, if a paid plan works.
Want badges and certificates together: Accredible covers both from one plugin.
Want free and independent: Try Course Badges or Open Badges Enrolment.
Running an older Moodle hosting setup: The Badge Ladder or Pool may still work.
On a current moodle version: Skip anything capped at Moodle 3.6.
Planning a moodle migration: Confirm compatibility before you move any plugin over.
The Comparison Table
A side-by-side look at all 9 Moodle plugins covered above.
Plugin | Type | Requires |
Open Badge Factory | Local plugin | Paid OBF account |
Accredible | Activity module | Paid Accredible account |
Open Badges Enrolment | Enrolment (2-plugin pair) | Both paired plugins |
Course Badges | Activity module | Nothing |
Badge Enrolment | Enrolment | Nothing |
Badge Ladder | Local plugin | Nothing |
Badge Pool | Local plugin | Nothing |
Recent Badges | Block | Nothing |
Restriction by Badge | Availability restriction | Nothing |
Where Moodle Plugins Start to Fall Short
Not every one of the moodle plugins available today still works. Line these 9 up by real compatibility, and the picture changes fast.
Only 3 of 9 plugins are confirmed to run on a current Moodle version
5 plugins share one maintainer, and 4 of those stopped at Moodle 3.6
The 2 richest, most current options both need a paid outside account
None of this shows up if you sort by downloads alone
Wauld: A Simpler Alternative to the Plugin Stack
Wauld issues both certificates and badges from one platform, independent of Moodle. There is no version ceiling, and no plugin to check for compatibility. See our guide to digital badges for the full picture.
Key features
Over 1,000 ready made templates, for both badges and certificates
Every badge follows the Open Badge 3.0 standard, not an aging plugin
Bulk issuing through CSV upload, or one badge at a time
Real time analytics and reporting: opens, shares, and verifications
Full branding: logos, colors, and QR codes, no code needed
Pricing: Free plan includes 300 credentials a year, with automation included. Growth plan starts from $39 a month, with no annual contract.
Pros: Never breaks from a Moodle upgrade, and covers badges and certificates together.
Cons: Not a Moodle plugin, so it runs alongside Moodle, not inside it.
Moodle Plugins vs Wauld
What you need | Moodle plugins | Wauld |
Works on current Moodle | Only 3 of 9 confirmed | Not tied to Moodle at all |
Badge design | Varies by plugin | Built in, 1,000+ templates |
External paid account required | Yes, for the 2 best options | Never |
Certificates included too | Only with Accredible | Built in, same platform |
Survives a Moodle migration | No, tied to Moodle core | Yes, runs independently |
For dedicated badge platforms, see our digital badge platforms guide and Credly alternatives.
Who Should Stick With Moodle Plugins
Sites already using Course Badges or Open Badges Enrolment successfully
Teams comfortable paying for Open Badge Factory or Accredible directly
Anyone on an older Moodle version where the legacy plugins still run
Who Should Choose Wauld Instead
Training providers who want badges and certificates in one place
Associations tracking membership badges, see our continuing education guide
Higher education teams who need badges to survive a Moodle migration
Anyone stuck on a badge plugin capped at Moodle 3.6 already
Teams tired of paying 2 vendors for badges and certificates separately
Conclusion
These 9 Moodle plugins cover a wide range of real badge needs. Only 3 of them are confirmed to work on a current Moodle site. The other 6 either need a paid account or a very old moodle version.
Beyond badges, the wider Moodle plugins directory covers quizzes, H5P, and conferencing too. A good knowledge base and clear moodle services help you evaluate any plugin type. Custom moodle plugins should always match your course format and brand, not just features.
Badges are core to Moodle, but a healthy badge program still needs upkeep. If you want one platform that never depends on Moodle's version, Wauld is simpler. See our best certificate and badge software roundup for the wider market.
FAQs on Moodle Plugins for Badges
Answers to common questions on Moodle plugins for badges.
