Compliance-linked carbon offset programs play an important role in expanding the scope of mitigation under emissions trading systems while engaging non-covered sectors. This study provides a comparative review of two such programs—the renewed China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme and California’s Compliance Offset Program—covering institutional design, methodology development, project eligibility, quantification approaches, integrity safeguards, and linkages with their parent emissions trading systems. Drawing on documentary analysis and program data, the study identifies areas of convergence and divergence and discusses the implications for credibility, additionality, and policy effectiveness. The comparison offers lessons for the further development of compliance-linked offsets in China and similar jurisdictions.