CredentialCore vs InstantCard

An InstantCard alternative with no prepaid deposit

InstantCard and CredentialCore both print PVC ID badges and ship them to you. The biggest differences are how you pay, what a card costs, and who designs it. Here's a side-by-side comparison from each company's published information.

Side by side

CredentialCore InstantCard
How you pay Pay per order. No account deposit. Prepaid account. Minimum first deposit is $200; funds don't expire.
Price per card $7.50 for 1–9 cards, down to $4.00 at 100+ and $3.10 at 1,500+. Same price for everyone. $8.95, $7.35 or $5.95, depending on whether you prefund $200, $1,000 or $2,500. $1.50 off each card in print jobs of 100+.
Setup and template fees $25 setup fee on orders under 100 cards. No template fees. No setup fees. $50 per template beyond the ones your plan includes.
Who designs the card You, in our free online badge maker with 25+ templates. Or our design team, from $49.00. Their designers build your template for free.
Names and photos for many people Spreadsheet upload, up to 2,000 people per upload, with photos. Excel batch upload; 25, 100 or unlimited cards per batch depending on plan.
Same-day shipping With Rush (+25%), orders placed by 11 AM ET on a weekday ship the same day. Standard orders ship within 3–5 business days. Orders placed by 4 PM ET ship the same day.
Barcodes and QR codes Code 128, Code 39 and QR, filled in per person. 30 barcode types plus QR codes.
Magnetic stripe Not offered on ID cards. Encoded on tracks 1–3 at no extra charge.
HID prox / RFID access cards Not offered. We print photo ID, not door-access credentials. They print on your HID prox or RFID cards, or supply them.
NFC NFC Smart Link chip for $5.00 a card; change where it points anytime. Listed as a card option; price not published.
Slot punch Free Free on the Enterprise plan; not published for other plans.

InstantCard details are from their public website on October 8, 2026 and may have changed since: InstantCard pricing, InstantCard FAQ. Our prices are current. InstantCard is a trademark of its owner; CredentialCore isn't affiliated with them.

CredentialCore is a better fit if…

  • You don't want to prepay $200 or more into an account before your first order.
  • You order 100 or more cards: our published price is $4.00 a card at 100+ and $3.50 at 500+.
  • You want to design it yourself right now, from a template, and see the price as you go.
  • You want NFC cards whose link you can change after they're printed.

InstantCard is a better fit if…

  • Your badges need to open doors: they print on HID prox and RFID cards and we don't.
  • You need a magnetic stripe on ID cards.
  • You need same-day shipping on standard orders without a Rush fee.
  • You want their team to build your template, or need an API for an enterprise system.

See your exact price

Design your card for free and see the price at every quantity before you order.

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