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BBB (Better Business Bureau) is a US-based nonprofit that operates a marketplace trust platform serving consumers and businesses across the United States and Canada through business accreditation, ratings and reviews, scam tracking, and complaint mediation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1912
- HeadquartersNot specified, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Bbb does
BBB (Better Business Bureau) is a US-headquartered nonprofit organization — legally the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (IABBB) — that operates a marketplace trust platform serving consumers and businesses across the United States and Canada. The organization runs under a 501(c)(6) designation and has built its identity around the registered BBB® trademark and the "Trust, Built Locally™" tagline. Its core offerings consist of BBB Accreditation (a certification program for businesses that meet integrity standards), a business directory with ratings and reviews, a Scam Tracker that enables crowdsourced scam reporting with heatmap visualization, and a formal complaint filing and mediation service. These are complemented by an ecosystem of affiliated programs: BBB Wise Giving Alliance (charity evaluation via Give.org), BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (marketplace education), and BBB National Programs (industry self-regulatory initiatives).
The underlying technology is a web platform supporting nine languages with cookie-based personalization, plus a separate educational property at bbbaihub.org (the BBB AI Hub) that delivers free AI-literacy workshops and courses to the community. Newer surface additions include the Scam Survival Kit and Scam Prevention Guide resources. No mobile app is offered; distribution is entirely web-based and self-serve.
BBB's revenue model is built on recurring subscription-style fees paid by businesses for Accreditation and for inclusion in the BBB business directory. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; businesses apply directly. The go-to-market motion is community-led and trust-based, leaning on the BBB brand reputation to drive both consumer engagement (free) and business participation (paid), with reach amplified by an organic social presence on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, plus a newsroom for earned media. The organization serves two primary customer segments: individual consumers seeking to verify businesses and report scams, and businesses seeking credibility signaling through accreditation or listing.
Bbb firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bbb
- Legal name
- International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (IABBB)
- Website
- https://[email protected]
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1912
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- BBB (Better Business Bureau) is a US-based nonprofit that operates a marketplace trust platform serving consumers and businesses across the United States and Canada through business accreditation, ratings and reviews, scam tracking, and complaint mediation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bbb industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Trust and Accreditation Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)
Keywords
Where Bbb is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Not specified
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bbb business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Business Accreditation Fees: BBB generates revenue through charging businesses for accreditation services. Businesses pay to become BBB Accredited, demonstrating trustworthiness to consumers.
- Business Listing Fees: Revenue from businesses seeking to be listed in the BBB directory, providing visibility to consumers searching for trustworthy businesses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Business Accreditation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Bbb product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BBB operates a nonprofit marketplace trust platform that certifies businesses through its BBB Accreditation program, maintains a public directory with ratings and reviews, enables formal complaint filing and mediation between consumers and businesses, and runs a crowdsourced Scam Tracker with heatmap visualization. The organization also offers educational resources including the BBB AI Hub for AI literacy and affiliated programs covering charity evaluation and self-regulatory industry standards, serving both consumers (free) and businesses (paid accreditation and listing fees) across the US and Canada.
Product overview
BBB (Better Business Bureau) operates as a marketplace trust organization offering a portfolio of interconnected consumer-protection and business-accreditation services. The core offerings include a business directory with ratings and reviews, a business accreditation program (BBB Accreditation) that certifies businesses meeting integrity standards, a Scam Tracker for reporting and visualizing scam activity, and complaint filing/mediation services. These core services are complemented by educational resources including the BBB AI Hub (free AI safety workshops and courses) and affiliated programs such as BBB Wise Giving Alliance (charity evaluation) and BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust. Additional consumer tools include Get a Quote, the Scam Survival Kit, and a Scam Prevention Guide. The organization primarily serves both consumers (seeking trustworthy businesses and scam protection) and businesses (seeking accreditation and visibility) across the US and Canada.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BBB AI Hub: Free workshops, courses, and easy-to-follow guidance to use AI safely and with confidence.
- BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust
- BBB Wise Giving Alliance (Give.org)
- BBB National Programs
Products and services
- BBB Accreditation A certification program for businesses that demonstrates they operate honestly and with integrity; businesses meeting BBB standards can display the Accredited Business seal to build consumer trust. Available to businesses across the US and Canada via an application process on BBB.org.
- Business Reviews and Ratings Directory An online directory allowing consumers to find, review, and rate businesses; provides credibility scores, complaint records, and accreditation status to help consumers make informed decisions about which businesses to trust.
- Scam Tracker A crowdsourced platform enabling consumers to report scams, look up scams, and view scam activity via a heatmap dashboard; helps identify emerging fraud patterns and includes the Scam Survival Kit and Scam Prevention Guide resources.
- Complaint Filing and Mediation Service A formal complaint process allowing consumers to file complaints against businesses; BBB mediates disputes between consumers and businesses to seek resolution.
- BBB AI Hub An educational platform (bbbaihub.org) offering free workshops, courses, and easy-to-follow guidance to help community members use AI safely and with confidence.
- BBB Wise Giving Alliance (Give.org) A charity evaluation service that assesses nonprofits against standards for charity accountability; helps donors make informed decisions about charitable giving.
- BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust An educational institute focused on marketplace trust and consumer protection; provides research and training on ethical business practices and marketplace trust education.
- BBB National Programs Self-regulatory programs for businesses and industries that address industry-wide issues and promote consumer confidence through accountability standards.
Companies that use Bbb
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bbb technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Bbb partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- BBB Institute for Marketplace TrustcoreAffiliated program focused on marketplace trust education and research. Provides resources to help consumers make informed decisions and businesses build ethical practices.
- BBB Wise Giving Alliance (Give.org)coreAffiliated program focused on charity evaluation and philanthropic giving. Helps donors evaluate charities and ensures philanthropic organizations meet standards.
- BBB National ProgramscoreAffiliated umbrella organization for BBB programmatic initiatives and standards development across various industries and business practices.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bbb competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Trustpilot: Trustpilot is a direct competitor operating a global business review and rating platform with both free and subscription (Trustpilot Business) tiers. It mirrors BBB's core function of collecting consumer reviews and offering paid trust signals to businesses.
- Yelp: Yelp is a consumer-facing business directory and review platform. It competes with BBB on local business discovery, consumer reviews, and business advertising/listings—overlapping significantly with BBB's core directory and trust-rating offering.
- Angi (formerly Angie's List): Angi is a paid home-services marketplace with reviews and accreditation-style trust signals for contractors. It overlaps with BBB's home-services directory and accreditation program, monetizing through subscriptions and lead generation.
- Charity Navigator: Charity Navigator evaluates nonprofit organizations for donors, paralleling BBB Wise Giving Alliance (Give.org). Both are nonprofit trust intermediaries that rate organizations against accountability standards to inform consumer/donor decisions.
Broad incumbents
- Google Business Profile: Google Business Profile embeds free business listings, reviews, and ratings into Search and Maps. As the default local discovery layer, it is the most significant broad incumbent competing with BBB's directory and review function.
- Consumer Reports: Consumer Reports is a nonprofit consumer trust organization providing product testing, ratings, and advocacy. It shares BBB's nonprofit trust-and-evaluation mission and consumer-protection orientation, though focused on products rather than business integrity.
- Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor operates one of the world's largest consumer review platforms with paid business listing options. It is a broad incumbent in trust-and-review infrastructure, with comparable review, accreditation, and listing mechanics to BBB.
Emerging players
- Glassdoor: Glassdoor provides company reviews and ratings from employees and consumers. It intersects with BBB's business-rating function in a different vertical (employer/corporate reputation) and represents a partial-overlap trust platform.
- Sitejabber: Sitejabber is a consumer review platform focused on e-commerce businesses. It is a niche/emerging competitor in the same business-reviews category as BBB but with a narrower vertical focus.
- ResellerRatings: ResellerRatings is an online merchant review and accreditation platform. It shares BBB's model of collecting consumer reviews and providing trust signals to businesses, with overlap in e-commerce vertical focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bbb social profiles
Digital presenceBbb financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bbb leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Bbb subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Bbb funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bbb M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bbb
What does Bbb do?
BBB operates a nonprofit marketplace trust platform that certifies businesses through its BBB Accreditation program, maintains a public directory with ratings and reviews, enables formal complaint filing and mediation between consumers and businesses, and runs a crowdsourced Scam Tracker with heatmap visualization. The organization also offers educational resources including the BBB AI Hub for AI literacy and affiliated programs covering charity evaluation and self-regulatory industry standards, serving both consumers (free) and businesses (paid accreditation and listing fees) across the US and Canada.
Is Bbb a public or private company?
Bbb is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Bbb founded?
Bbb was founded in 1912.
Where is Bbb based?
Bbb is headquartered in Not specified, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bbb make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Business Accreditation Fees are the primary driver. The others are business Listing Fees.
Who are Bbb's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Trustpilot, Yelp, Angi (formerly Angie's List) and Charity Navigator. Broad incumbents are Google Business Profile, Consumer Reports and Tripadvisor. Emerging players are Glassdoor, Sitejabber and ResellerRatings.
Does Bbb have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bbb.
What industry is Bbb in?
Bbb's product category is Business Trust and Accreditation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAGAD, B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms.