Where to buy carbon credits: providers compared

There is no single best place to buy carbon credits. The right seller depends on who you are, how many tonnes you need and how much choice you want over the project. The table below lists the providers we track, alphabetically, with what each one’s own pages say. Use the filters to narrow it down. It is part of our buying guides.

How we compare providers

The table uses the same columns for every provider, and each value comes from the provider’s own pages:

• Type. Retailer or offset shop, marketplace, broker, exchange or project developer.
• Best for. The buyers a provider says it serves: individuals, small businesses or companies.
• Minimum purchase. The smallest order the provider states, or “No minimum stated”.
• Registry serials. Whether the provider says buyers get serial numbers or a registry link for their purchase.
• Retirement certificate. Whether the provider says its certificate shows the retirement, not just the purchase.
• CCP-labelled available. Whether the provider says it sells credits carrying the ICVCM’s CCP label^{Source 1}.
• Regions and last checked, the date we last reviewed the provider’s pages.

A value is “Unknown” when the provider’s pages don’t say. It isn’t a judgement: many good sellers simply don’t publish every detail. Ask them directly before you buy.

Providers are listed alphabetically, not ranked, and no provider pays to be listed or to change its position. Each row links to the sources we used, so you can check them yourself.

What each type of provider does

• Retailers and offset shops choose the credits for you and sell them at a set price per tonne, usually online. They retire the credits on your behalf.
• Marketplaces list credits from many projects or sellers, so you pick the project yourself and see the price before you buy.
• Brokers source credits against your requirements and negotiate the terms, typically for organisations buying larger volumes.
• Exchanges trade standardised contracts and are used mainly by companies and traders.
• Project developers run or finance their own projects and sell or take contributions for them directly.

The same company can play more than one role, so check what the provider actually does for you: who chooses the project, who retires the credits, and in whose name.

Which type of provider suits you?

• Individuals usually buy from retailers and offset shops, or from marketplaces that sell small amounts.
• Small businesses have the same options, plus some brokers. See buying carbon credits for a small business.
• Companies buying larger volumes often run a request for proposals, use a broker or buy on an exchange. See buying carbon credits for a company.

What to check with any provider

Whoever you buy from, the same checks apply:

1. Serial numbers and registry. You should be able to find the credits in the standard’s public registry.
2. Retirement with your name. On the Verra Registry, the retirement record shows the serial numbers and, if the account holder chooses, the beneficial owner^{Source 2}. Ask for your name to be shown.
3. Proof you can keep. Gold Standard gives buyers on its own marketplace a certificate that links to the registry record where their credits were retired^{Source 5}.
4. The methodology. Credits from methodologies that meet the Core Carbon Principles can carry the CCP label^{Source 1}.

Comparing prices

Providers price credits differently, so compare the price per tonne for the same kind of credit, and buy only the number of credits you need: our credits-needed calculator works it out from your tonnes. The project type matters most. In Ecosystem Marketplace’s survey of 2024 deals, removal credits sold for an average of $19.50 per tonne, against $4.05 for reduction credits^{Source 4}. These are averages of reported deals, so use them as a guide rather than a benchmark for any single provider.

A low price isn’t a problem in itself, but it should come with the same evidence as any other purchase: a named project, a standard, serial numbers and a retirement record.

Who retires the credits?

When you buy from a retailer or offset shop, the provider usually retires the credits for you. On a marketplace you may be able to choose the beneficiary yourself. Either way, retirement is what counts: retired credits can’t be recirculated or resold^{Source 5}. On the Verra Registry, the record can show a beneficial owner, which is where your name or your organisation’s name appears^{Source 2}. Check whose name the provider uses before you pay.

Questions to ask before you buy

• Which project, standard and registry are the credits from, and what is the vintage?
• Will the credits be retired for me, and in whose name will the retirement appear?
• Will I get the serial numbers and a link to the retirement record?
• What exactly does the price per tonne include?

Our guide to how to verify carbon credits shows how to check a retirement, registry by registry. For the full buying process, read how to buy carbon offsets or buying carbon credits as an individual.

Buying on a shop page? How to buy carbon credits online covers what to check before and after you pay. Comparing on price? See the cheapest carbon credits. Buying large volumes? See buying carbon credits in bulk.