Despite price crashes in the first half of 2022, buying and selling cryptocurrency continues to steam forward. While governments have increased their efforts to regulate crypto markets, scams continue to plague crypto investors, and it’s more important than ever to find a trusted platform for buying and selling crypto.
Crypto exchanges are where most crypto traders buy and sell bitcoin, ether, dogecoin, and other types of cryptocurrency. In its rawest and most decentralized form, cryptocurrency is relatively unfriendly to obtain and use. Crypto exchanges make it fairly simple to trade all sorts of crypto tokens and coins.
The best crypto exchanges will hold your crypto securely, provide you with unfettered control over your assets, and make buying, selling, sending, receiving, and trading crypto simple and affordable.
Best crypto exchanges, compared
Here, we’ll focus on the basics, highlighting the exchanges that make it easy to sign up, get started, and carry out transactions without getting fleeced on fees. As with any investment, high fees can erode returns over time, and some exchanges offer more competitive fees than others.
Whether you’re a beginner looking for an easy on-ramp to crypto, or you’re a high-volume trader looking for the lowest “maker” and “taker” fees, we’ve got the info you need to choose the best crypto exchange for you.
Note: Crypto exchanges add and delist crypto tokens on a regular basis. Our “number of supported tokens” data is based on data from each exchange’s website as of July 25, 2022.
Coinbase
Coinbase is best for beginners. It supports 207 different cryptocurrencies and offers fees ranging from $0.99 to $2.99, or 1.49% for trades over $200.
Kraken
Kraken is best for advanced trading. It supports 191 different cryptocurrencies and offers varying fees, including 0.0-0.2% maker fees, 0.0-0.5% taker fees, and 1.5% instant buy fees.
Gemini
Gemini is best for educational resources. It supports 101 different cryptocurrencies and offers fees ranging from $0.99 to $2.99, or 1.49% for trades over $200.
Crypto.com
Crypto.com is best for altcoins. It supports 333 different cryptocurrencies and offers fees ranging from 0.04-0.4% maker fees to 0.1-0.4% taker fees.
bitFlyer
bitFlyer is best for low fees. It supports 15 different cryptocurrencies and offers fees ranging from 0.03%-0.1% maker/taker fees.
What about Binance and Binance.US?
Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. However, it has faced several legal investigations and controversies, raising concerns about its trustworthiness.
Binance.US, a sister company of Binance, operates in 45 states and offers a similar interface and low fees. However, it is still under investigation and lacks transparency in its practices.
Considering the ongoing legal investigations and the need for transparency, we would not recommend using Binance.US at this time.
FAQs
Q: How are crypto exchanges reviewed?
A: CNET reviews crypto exchanges and brokerages based on a set of criteria, including fees, security features, supported crypto assets, geographical availability, software interface, trade limits, educational resources, and customer support.
Methodology
CNET reviews crypto exchanges and brokerages by comparing them using an established set of criteria, including maker, taker, transaction, and withdrawal fees, security features, number and type of supported crypto assets, geographical availability, number and type of supported crypto pairs, software interface and functionality, trade limits or restrictions, educational resources, and customer support.
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