The four bookkeeping credentials

Quick answer

What are the main bookkeeping credentials?

The four most-compared paths are AIPB's Certified Bookkeeper (CB), NACPB's Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB) license, the Intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate (a course badge, not a body designation), and the QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor certification (a software credential, not a bookkeeping-competency one). They are not substitutes for each other.

Certified Bookkeeper (CB) Professional designation

The older, experience-gated, exam-heavy general bookkeeping-competency designation

Body

American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB), US-based professional body
Certified Public Bookkeeper (CPB) License

The newer, module-based bookkeeping license with a broader curriculum (bookkeeping, payroll, accounting principles, software)

Body

National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers (NACPB), US-based professional body
Intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate Course badge

An entry-level, software-agnostic bookkeeping-literacy course completion badge, not a credentialing-body designation

Body

Intuit, Coursera-hosted
QuickBooks Online (QBO) ProAdvisor Certification Software certification

A software-competency certification proving QuickBooks Online fluency, not a bookkeeping-competency credential

Body

Intuit, free with a QuickBooks Online Accountant login (Intuit is migrating this account into what it calls Intuit Accountant Suite)

Weigh them side by side in the comparison matrix, or let the recommender rank them for your experience and budget.