Best carbon credit platforms for 2027

Registries record credits, exchanges and marketplaces sell them, developers create them, and India’s own scheme, the CCTS, is new. Buyers who mix these up can pay for the wrong thing.

Senseible makes one of the tools on this list.

The list

1. Gold Standard Impact Registry and Marketplace

• Who it is for: Project developers certifying reductions, removals and SDG impacts; companies buying certified credits; governments. Projects in 133 countries per the homepage.
• Best for: Smaller buyers who want to retire certified credits at a visible price without a broker.
• Pricing: Registry account US$1,000 a year per organisation; issuance US$0.25 per credit (cash option) or US$0.15 plus 2% of issuance; US$0.20 or US$0.10 in least developed countries; transfer and retirement US$0.02 per credit. Marketplace prices vary by project (US$10, 12 and 39 per tonne seen on 29 October 2026).
• Strengths: Buy by the tonne at a listed price, including Indian projects. Registry, marketplace and regulation tracker under one standard body.
• Limits: Marketplace only carries Gold Standard projects. No API found for automated buying.

2. Verra Registry

• Who it is for: Project developers who register projects and issue credits; buyers and brokers who hold, transfer and retire credits. Any account holder passes KYC checks. Worldwide.
• Best for: Developers issuing VCS credits and buyers who want to hold and retire them in their own name.
• Pricing: Account opening US$750 and annual maintenance US$750 per account; VCU issuance levy US$0.23 per claimed tonne of CO2e; VCU transfer, retirement and cancellation US$0.02 per VCU each (Verra Program Fee Schedule v1.1).
• Strengths: Unit-level labels and VVB tracked at each verification in the new registry. Full fee schedule is public, so costs can be planned.
• Limits: Not a place to buy at a quoted price; you need a seller or broker. Every account pays US$750 a year, whatever its size.

3. Indian Carbon Market (Carbon Credit Trading Scheme)

• Who it is for: Obligated entities (compliance market) and non-obligated entities (offset market) in India.
• Best for: Indian obligated industries and offset project owners preparing for CCTS.
• Pricing: Prices are set on the power exchanges; fees not published.
• Strengths: The only route to India's compliance certificates. Regulated by CERC with registry cross-checks on sale bids.
• Limits: Start of trading not confirmed on an official page when checked. Registry fees and rules sit with BEE and Grid Controller of India; check them directly.

4. CBL (Xpansiv)

• Who it is for: Commercial, financial and industrial traders: corporate buyers, fund managers, trading houses. Global.
• Best for: Traders and large buyers who need exchange pricing and fast settlement.
• Pricing: On request.
• Strengths: Deep spot liquidity with same-day settlement. Standard contracts (CORSIA, GEO CCP) give price benchmarks.
• Limits: Built for trading desks, not one-off small purchases. No published fees.

5. EKI Energy Services

• Who it is for: Companies buying offsets and project owners who want carbon credits developed; 3,500+ clients in 40+ countries per its site.
• Best for: Indian project owners who want a developer to take a project to issuance.
• Pricing: On request.
• Strengths: Handles the whole project cycle from design to issuance. Also offers footprints, EPR and renewable certificates.
• Limits: Broker and developer, so prices are negotiated. No public price or fee list.

6. Senseible (readiness only)

• Who it is for: Indian MSMEs that want to see whether reductions in their own bills could support a credit claim later.
• Best for: MSMEs building the evidence base before approaching a project developer or registry.
• Pricing: Free Snapshot plan. Paid plans from ₹499 a month billed yearly, plus GST. Scale on request.
• Strengths: Turns bills and invoices into a hash-fingerprinted emissions record a credit buyer or developer can check. Free to start.
• Limits: Cannot issue, register or sell credits; you still need a standard (Verra, Gold Standard, CCTS) and a verifier. Eligibility signals are not an additionality decision.

Side by side

Which tools fit which situation

• Small company buying credits to retire: Gold Standard Impact Registry and Marketplace, Verra Registry, Indian Carbon Market (Carbon Credit Trading Scheme)
• Indian project owner seeking issuance: Gold Standard Impact Registry and Marketplace, Indian Carbon Market (Carbon Credit Trading Scheme), Verra Registry
• Indian company under CCTS: Indian Carbon Market (Carbon Credit Trading Scheme), Gold Standard Impact Registry and Marketplace, EKI Energy Services
• Trading desk or large buyer: CBL (Xpansiv), Gold Standard Impact Registry and Marketplace, Verra Registry
• MSME checking if its savings could count later: Senseible (readiness only), Gold Standard Impact Registry and Marketplace, Indian Carbon Market (Carbon Credit Trading Scheme)

How to choose

1. Issues or tracks credits with unique serial numbers, so a tonne cannot be sold twice. Ask: "Where is the serial number kept, and who can see it retired?"
2. Lets you buy, sell or trade credits. Ask: "Can we buy here at a listed price, or do we need a broker?"
3. Public view of projects, issuances and retirements. Ask: "Can anyone check this project’s issuances and retirements?"
4. Quality signals: CORSIA, Article 6 or similar labels, or independent ratings. Ask: "Which labels does this credit carry, and who awarded them?"
5. Fees or prices published. Ask: "What do we pay to open an account, buy and retire?"
6. API or system access for buyers and developers. Ask: "Can our systems buy or retire through an API?"
7. Indian projects, Indian buyers or the Indian Carbon Market. Ask: "Do you list Indian projects, or serve CCTS participants?"
8. Usable by a small company without large minimums. Ask: "What is the smallest purchase, and what fixed fees apply?"

Four different things are called carbon credits in India. See which one fits you.

Related guides: Best green loans for Indian MSMEs in 2027.