WordPress is an open source project, meaning anyone can contribute to the software, regardless of skill level. You probably first think of writing code, but it goes beyond that: whether you’re submitting patches, translating content, or organizing events, your contributions matter and are essential to the ongoing success of the WordPress project. 

This collective effort ensures WordPress remains accessible, secure, and innovative. Plus, it’s a chance to work alongside passionate individuals who share a love for WordPress and the open web.

When you contribute, you not only get that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with giving back, but you also get a virtual badge on your WordPress.org profile. Today’s post is going to explore the ins and outs of these meaningful additions to your WordPress C.V.  

What are WordPress.org profile badges?

In the WordPress community, badges aren’t just for scouts—they’re symbols of contributors’ dedication to the power of the open web and professional achievement. No matter your role in the WordPress ecosystem, profile badges highlight your contributions to the open source project that powers over 40% of the web.

If you’ve been part of the WordPress open source project in any capacity, you have a WordPress.org profile that looks something like this (you can find Daniel’s, which is pictured below, here: https://profiles.wordpress.org/danielbachhuber): 

Note: this is your WordPress.org profile, not your WordPress.com profile. 

What may be different about your own profile are all those cool badges—or lack thereof. If you don’t have (m)any, you’re probably thinking, “Those are cool! How do I get those?” 

Think of these badges as your WordPress resume. They are visual markers that help showcase your contributions to the core WordPress project. As you can see, these badges appear on your WordPress.org profile, giving others a glimpse into your involvement and expertise.

Badges are earned for a number of contribution types—in fact, there are 30 different badges you can show off. Whether you’re writing code, answering questions in the forums, helping translate WordPress into other languages, or organizing meetups and WordCamps, there’s a badge for nearly every type of contribution.

Beyond just being a fun visual, though, profile badges are a way to build your reputation within the WordPress ecosystem and signal to others that you’re an engaged, knowledgeable, and reliable member of the community.

Why badges matter 

Profile badges are more than just digital stickers—they come with a few tangible benefits: 

• Get recognized for your efforts: Whether you’re a plugin developer or an accessibility contributor, badges are a public way of being recognized for your hard work. It’s a way for the community to say, “Thank you!” 
• Build credibility: If your career is related to WordPress, your badges are a symbol of your expertise and commitment. Potential clients or hiring managers can see your dedication to the platform, which can set you apart from other providers or job candidates.
• Increase your networking opportunities: Badges can also serve as a way to connect with others who share similar interests. If you’re active in the WordPress community, your badges show that you’re invested, making it easier to forge connections with others who are just as passionate.

Badges are a reflection of your journey within the WordPress community.

All the possible WordPress.org profile badges. 

How to earn WordPress.org profile badges

Earning WordPress badges is all about getting involved. All you need to do is create your profile (if you haven’t already) and start contributing. Here’s a breakdown of some common badges and how you can earn them:

1. Core Contributor

The Core Contributor badge is awarded to those who contribute directly to WordPress Core. This can include submitting code patches, testing new features, or reporting bugs during development cycles.

To earn this badge, you don’t have to be a coding wizard—there are plenty of ways to contribute to WordPress core, even if you’re just getting started with development. Testing, providing feedback, and reporting bugs are all valuable contributions that can help you earn this badge.

2. Meetup Organizer

If you’re passionate about building local WordPress communities, organizing a meetup is a great way to get involved. To earn this badge, you’ll need to officially register your meetup group through WordPress.org and organize regular events. It’s a fantastic way to contribute to the community and make connections with fellow WordPressers in your area. 

Don’t forget about WordPress.com’s free hosting offer for any local meetup website. 

3. Accessibility

This badge is awarded to contributors who help ensure that WordPress remains inclusive and usable for everyone. Work in this area includes testing themes and plugins for accessibility compliance, contributing code that improves accessibility features, and helping write documentation and best practices. Your efforts here make WordPress more user-friendly for all. By working towards this badge, you’re playing a crucial role in making the web a more accessible place, one improvement at a time. 

4. Polyglots (Translation) 

WordPress is a global platform, and the Polyglots team is responsible for translating it into hundreds of languages. If you’re multilingual, contributing to translations is an incredibly valuable way to give back to the community.

To earn this badge, you can join the Polyglots team and start translating WordPress Core, themes, and plugins into your native language. Every contribution counts, whether it’s a single string or an entire project.

5. Support 

The WordPress support forums are a lifeline for users around the world, and those who actively help others solve their WordPress problems can earn the Support badge. Whether you’re answering questions, providing advice, or sharing your knowledge, this badge is for those who make the forums a valuable resource.

Earning this badge is simple: Get involved in the support forums and help other users navigate their WordPress questions.

This is just a sampling of what’s available. Remember, there are 30 total badges to earn! 

Show your commitment to the WordPress community 

While digital trophies are fun and all, WordPress.org profile badges are more than that—they’re a visual and visible reflection of your commitment to the WordPress community and open source project. No matter the type of contribution you’ve made, every badge tells a story of how you have helped make WordPress what it is today. 

Whether you have one badge or all thirty, every contribution pathway is meaningful. Make it your own and go deep, go wide, or do both in contributing to this one-of-a-kind project and community.

No matter your skill level, there’s always more to do in this grand quest of democratizing publishing for the entire world. Get involved, make a difference, and show off your badges with pride. 

In 2023, the total transaction value of crypto gateway payments recorded worldwide was $1.62 billion. This is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17% from 2023 to 2030. Since most crypto transactions are through direct wallet-to-wallet transactions, the actual value of cryptocurrency transactions used for payment of goods may actually be significantly higher than this value.

Businesses looking to get a piece of that pie are exploring ways to start accepting cryptocurrencies beyond the usual wallet-to-wallet crypto transactions. A crypto payment gateway allows businesses to accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether as payments within a more secure payment flow. Crypto payment gateways may also allow merchants to keep the payments as cryptocurrencies, convert cryptocurrencies to fiat currencies, and accept cross-border payments.

RELATED: Top Cryptocurrency Predictions for 2024

Aside from the increased adoption of crypto payments, some other benefits of accepting cryptocurrency payments are lower transaction costs, no risk of chargebacks, enhanced security, and access to a unique customer base.

Top crypto payment gateways comparison

The best crypto payment gateways offer a combination of seamless integration, extensive cryptocurrency support, robust security features, and competitive pricing. The comparison table below illustrates the transaction fees, number of crypto and fiat currencies supported, and e-commerce plugins for each crypto payment gateway.

Features

• Instant account registration.
• Accepts over 100 cryptocurrencies as payments.
• Settles in more than 20 fiat currencies.
• Custody feature.
• Ways to accept crypto payments:
  • API integration.
  • Invoices or payment links.
  • Ecommerce plugins: PrestaShop, Magento 2, OpenCart, Zen Cart, Shopware, WooCommerce, WHMCS, Ecwid, Shopify.
  • QR code.
  • Subscription.
  • Donation button.
• Payment flow:
  • Accept crypto > keep in custody
  • Accept crypto > convert to other cryptocurrency > keep in custody
  • Accept fiat > convert to cryptocurrency > keep in custody
  • Accept crypto > withdraw to your crypto wallet
  • Accept crypto > convert to other cryptocurrency > withdraw to your crypto wallet
  • Accept crypto > convert to fiat > withdraw to your bank account
  • Custody balance > withdraw to your crypto wallet
  • Custody balance > convert to fiat > withdraw to your bank account/
• Fixed-rate exchange option.
• Crypto-to-fiat withdrawal: 1 business day.
• Mass payouts.
• Network fee optimization.
• API to integrate with any mobile POS terminal.
• Sandbox environment for testing.
• 24/7 customer support.

Pros and cons

BitPay: Best for multi-user access

Our rating: 4.30 out of 5

BitPay is a cryptocurrency payment gateway known for its user-friendly interface and multi-user account capabilities. It offers tiered transaction fees that decrease with higher monthly volumes. However, it provides limited flexibility to merchants as payments are automatically converted and settled into the merchant’s bank account or cryptocurrency wallet.

Why I chose BitPay

BitPay is the only crypto payment gateway on this list that allows multi-user access. This makes it a great choice for businesses that require multiple team members to manage payments. It also locks in exchange rates at the time of purchase, which helps protect merchants from crypto price fluctuations.

While its transaction fees may be higher than others on this list, BitPay is a reliable and well-known provider, and its mobile POS app makes it easy to accept crypto payments in-store.

Pricing

• Transaction fee (based on monthly volume):
  • $500,000–$999,999: 1.5% + 25 cents
  • $1,000,000 and above: 1% + 25 cents
• Application fee: $75
• Minimum withdrawal amount: depends on currency; $20 for USD

Features

• Instant account registration.
• Accepts 15 cryptocurrencies as payments.
• Settles in 9 fiat currencies.
• Automatic volume discounts.
• Daily settlement.
• Ways to accept crypto payments:
  • API integration.
  • Invoices or payment links.
  • Subscription.
  • E-commerce plugins: Magento 2, Shopify, WHMCS, Wix, WooCommerce, BigCommerce.
  • Easy to embed payment button.
  • Donation button.
  • Mobile POS app.
• Payment flow:
  • Accept crypto > converted to your chosen currency > daily settlement to your chosen bank account or cryptocurrency wallet.
• Multi-user login access.
• Locks in rate at the time of purchase.
• Lightning network support.
• Customer support via email within 1 business day.

Pros and cons

Coinbase Commerce: Best for instant settlement

Our rating: 4.25 out of 5

Coinbase Commerce is a cryptocurrency payment gateway that makes it simple and straightforward for businesses to accept cryptocurrency payments. It automatically converts incoming crypto payments into USD or USDC and offers instant settlement to the deposit address provided by the merchant.

Why I chose Coinbase Commerce

Businesses that are just exploring crypto payments and would like to start small will find Coinbase Commerce simple and easy to use. Unlike other gateways on this list, Coinbase Commerce does not provide the option to keep other currencies except USD and USDC. Instead, it locks in exchange rates at the time of purchase and transfers funds directly to the merchant’s chosen deposit address.

While it lacks currency exchange options and is limited to website payments, its ease of use and support for popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce make it an ideal choice for businesses prioritizing straightforward, hassle-free transactions.

Pricing

Features

• Accepts 13 cryptocurrencies as payments.
• Settles in 1 fiat currency only.
• Daily settlement.
• Ways to accept crypto payments:
  • API integration.
  • E-commerce plugins: Jumpseller, Primer, Shopify, WooCommerce.
• Payment flow: Instant settlement to deposit address indicated.
• Locks in rate at the time of purchase.
• Lightning network support.
• Customer support via account dashboard only.

Pros and cons

OpenNode: Best for Bitcoin-only payments

Our rating: 3.98 out of 5

A cryptocurrency payment gateway focused exclusively on Bitcoin, OpenNode offers features such as split settlement and scheduled payouts. Its Lightning network support makes it highly efficient for Bitcoin transactions.

Why I chose OpenNode

OpenNode stands out as the best option for businesses that want to accept Bitcoin and nothing else. Its features, like custom automatic settlement schedules, multiple ways to accept crypto payments, and limited settlement currencies, make it an ideal option for businesses that want to limit their crypto payment acceptance but would like to accept it in various payment channels.

Although limited to Bitcoin, OpenNode’s simplicity, combined with strong e-commerce integrations, makes it a great fit for businesses focused on Bitcoin payments.

Pricing

• Transaction fee: 1%.
• Withdrawal fee: 1% for on-demand bitcoin payout.

Features

• Accepts 1 cryptocurrency only (Bitcoin).
• Settles in 8 fiat currencies.
• Ways to accept crypto payments:
  • API integration.
  • Payment button.
  • Invoices or payment links.
  • E-commerce plugins: Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, Prestashop, WooCommerce, OpenCart.
  • QR code.
• Payment flow: Accept bitcoin > keep as bitcoin or convert to local currency > transfer to bank account or bitcoin wallet.
• Merchant may choose to initiate payouts or to set them on a schedule.
• Split settlement.
• Lightning network.
• KYC compliant.
• 24/7 customer support.

Pros and cons

Features

• Instant account registration.
• Accepts over 30 cryptocurrencies as payments.
• Settles in 4 fiat currencies.
• Ways to accept crypto payments:
  • API integration.
  • Invoices or payment links.
  • Ecommerce plugins: Shopify, WooCommerce, OpenCart, Ecwid, NopCommerce, PrestaShop.
  • Subscription.
• Payment flow:
  • Accept crypto > convert to your chosen currency.
  • Account balance > withdraw to bank account or cryptocurrency wallet.
• Any conversion and transfer fees are charged to the customer.
• Customer can pay using a QR code or by linking to Crypto.com, Metamask, WalletConnect, or other cryptocurrency wallets.
• The merchant receives the exact pricing amount.
• Lightning network support.
• 24/7 customer support.

Pros and cons

Benefits of using a crypto payment gateway

Using a crypto payment gateway offers some advantages for businesses, including:

• Lower transaction fees compared to traditional payment processors.
• Instant payments and quicker settlements.
• Global reach.
• No chargebacks or payment reversals.
• Enhanced security with the blockchain technology.
• For some gateways, flexibility to convert crypto into fiat or keep as digital currency.

How do I choose the best crypto payment gateway for my business?

When choosing a cryptocurrency payment gateway for your business, consider these key factors:

• Transaction fees: To maximize your profits, look for a gateway with low fees, especially if you process a high volume of transactions.
• Supported cryptocurrencies: Make sure the platform supports popular cryptocurrencies or those most relevant to your customer base.
• Fiat conversion options: If you don’t want to hold crypto, choose a gateway that offers easy conversion to fiat currencies.
• Ease of integration: Ensure the platform integrates smoothly with your website, POS, or e-commerce platforms.
• Settlement times: Consider how fast the gateway settles payments into your bank or crypto wallet to maintain your cash flow.

Methodology

For this list of the best crypto payment gateways, I focused on solutions that offer flexibility, security, and ease of use for businesses looking to accept cryptocurrency payments. I evaluated each gateway based on specific criteria: integration, developer tools, and user experience (25%); supported cryptocurrencies and payment options (25%); security, compliance, and privacy (20%); pricing and transaction fees (15%); and customer support and resources (15%).

My research included a thorough review of product documentation, pricing pages, customer feedback, and hands-on testing or demo environments where available. The goal was to recommend gateways that offer a strong balance of features, ease of use, and security for businesses across different industries.

This article and methodology were reviewed by our retail expert, Meaghan Brophy

Your online presence is paramount to the success and well-being of your future self. Whether it’s for sharing your latest creative project, building an impressive portfolio, or simply expressing your ideas, owning a personal website gives you the power to control your online identity. It’s a space where you can showcase your work, share your story, and set yourself apart in a sea of digital noise.

A simple website can, in fact, change the world. 

You are the future of the web 

At WordPress.com, we know that students are at the forefront of driving online culture. Michael Dell founded Dell while he was a student at the University of Texas. Google came to life when Larry and Sergey were at Stanford. Mark Zuckerberg was 19 when he started Facebook. We could keep going. 

To kickstart your own world-changing ideas, we want to give you a free website. 

Starting this week, university students can get a free Premium WordPress.com website for one year. We’re offering this opportunity to the first 1,000 students who sign up.

Investing in yourself—here’s what you get with a WordPress.com premium plan  

A website is more than a tool. It’s an investment in your future. As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, having an online space where you can display your work, write about your passions, and connect with like-minded people is invaluable. From resumes to portfolios to blogs, your WordPress.com site will grow as you do.

Here’s what’s included when you take advantage of this free website offer: 

• Free custom domain name for the first year: Choose a personalized domain that reflects your identity.
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No matter what you’re creating, WordPress.com’s Premium plan gives you all the tools you need to succeed.

How to secure your free website 

Here’s how you can grab this amazing deal:

1. Submit the interest form ASAP: Head over to our campaign landing page and fill out the form with your details. Be quick—only the first 1,000 students will get the free site!
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3. Claim your free website: Once your student status is verified, you’ll receive a unique coupon code that allows you to create a new Premium plan website for free.
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This offer is perfect for students looking to stand out in their personal and professional journeys. Don’t miss out on this chance to create a space that’s truly your own.

Get started right away  

Having your own website is a game-changer in an online world increasingly controlled by social media algorithms. You’ll stand out by breaking the mold and announcing yourself as an individual, unmoved by the platform of the moment. 

WordPress.com is here to help you take that leap.

Take control of your digital identity. Sign up now and claim your free website while spots are still open!