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Free certificate generator

A free certificate maker for organizers, teachers and trainers. Pick a design, paste your list of names, and download a print-ready PDF with one certificate per person.

Design
Accent colour
Background image

Optional. PNG or JPG of your own certificate artwork. It fills the A4 landscape page and is cropped to fit; pick Text only to drop the built-in borders.

One name per line. You can paste a column straight from a spreadsheet.

Sample preview. Add names to see each certificate.

Add at least one name to download the PDF.

Free certificate templates

Three designs to start from, each shown as the tool makes it. Change the wording and the colour to fit your event, or import your own artwork as the background.

  • Modern certificate of participation template with a purple header bar, the recipient's name, the event name, the date and an organizer signature
    Modern — bold header bar, big name. Shown as a certificate of participation.
  • Classic certificate of achievement template with a double border, the recipient's name, a course name, the date and a signature line
    Classic — double border, formal layout. Shown as a certificate of achievement.
  • Minimal certificate of appreciation template with the event name, a thin accent rule, a large recipient name and the date
    Minimal — typography only. Shown as a certificate of appreciation.

Certificates you can make with it

  • Certificate of participation

    For everyone who took part in a hackathon, game jam, workshop or conference. The default wording, ready as it is.

  • Certificate of completion

    For a course, bootcamp or training programme. Change the line to "has successfully completed" and name the course.

  • Certificate of achievement

    For winners, finalists and top scores. Put the place or the prize in the line before the event name.

  • Certificate of appreciation

    For volunteers, mentors, judges and speakers: a thank-you they can keep, signed by the organizer.

  • Certificates for a whole class

    Paste the class list and every student gets a page in one PDF, ready to print on A4 or Letter.

  • Certificates from a spreadsheet

    Copy the name column from Excel, Google Sheets or a registration export and paste it in. One name per row becomes one certificate.

How to make certificates for a whole group

Choose a design and an accent colour, then fill in the title, the event and the date. The preview updates as you type.

Paste your participant list into Names, one person per line. A column copied from a spreadsheet or a registration export works as it is.

Download the PDF. Every name gets its own A4 landscape page, ready to print or split and email. Use the arrows to check any certificate before you download.

What a certificate should say

The name is the only thing that changes, so it gets the most space. Check spelling against what people typed when they registered, because a misspelled certificate is the one that gets reported.

Name the event and the date plainly. A certificate is usually read months later by someone who was not there, such as a university admissions office or an employer.

Add a signer when the certificate carries weight: the organizer, the course lead or the head of the programme. Their name and role do more for credibility than decoration does.

Questions

Is it really free?
Yes. No account, no watermark and no limit on downloads.
Are the names I paste stored?
No. The certificates are built in your browser, so your list never leaves your device.
How many certificates can I make at once?
Up to 500 names per PDF. For a bigger group, split the list and run it twice.
Can I make certificates from an Excel or Google Sheets list?
Yes. Select the column of names in Excel, Google Sheets or your registration export, copy it, and paste it into Names. Each row becomes one certificate in the PDF.
Will it print on US Letter paper?
The pages are A4 landscape. Choose "Fit to page" in your printer settings and they print correctly on Letter with a slightly wider margin.
Can I use my own certificate design?
Yes. Import your artwork as a PNG or JPG under Background image, choose Text only, and the names are set on top of it. The image stays in your browser like everything else.
Does it work with names in other alphabets?
Yes. Latin names with accents, Cyrillic, Greek and Vietnamese are supported, and names with characters such as the Azerbaijani ə automatically switch to a font that has them.
Can people verify a certificate is real?
Not a PDF made here. On HackathonHost each certificate carries a QR code and a unique link that anyone can open to confirm it was issued.

Certificates people can verify

On HackathonHost, certificates come from the event itself: participants, winners, mentors and judges each get the right one, every certificate carries a QR code anyone can check, and each person receives theirs by email.

Run your next event on itPricing

Every tool here runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or stored anywhere.