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Top Crypto Exchanges 2024: Reviews, Fees, and Security Compared - Business Insider

Best Crypto Exchanges of 2024: A Comprehensive Guide for Investors

  • Best Cryptocurrency Selection
  • Best for Mobile
  • Best for Low Fees
  • Best for Futures and Margin Traders
  • Best Cryptocurrency Exchange for All Types of Traders
  • Best Cryptocurrency Exchange for Bitcoin
  • FAQs
  • Methodology

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What are Crypto Exchanges?

A cryptocurrency exchange is like an online brokerage for cryptocurrencies, tokens (virtual assets created through existing blockchains), and other digital assets. Many of these exchanges offer investment options for active traders looking to buy, sell, or hold digital assets like bitcoin, ether, and litecoin. 

There are two types of crypto exchanges: centralized and decentralized. The most common type, centralized exchanges, are platforms owned and operated by private companies. Decentralized exchanges are peer-to-peer marketplaces that operate on the blockchain.

Best Crypto Exchanges for 2024

  • Coinbase: Best cryptocurrency selection
  • Crypto.com: Best for mobile trading
  • Abra: Best for low fees
  • Kraken: Best for futures and margin traders
  • Cash App Investing: Best for bitcoin

If you don't want to use your exchange's built-in wallet (if applicable), you'll need to set up an external crypto wallet, such as one of the best bitcoin wallets, to store your assets securely. 

Compare the Top Cryptocurrency Exchanges

The best cryptocurrency exchanges work similarly to the best stock trading apps, offering competitive fees and resources on digital marketplaces like mobile or desktop. Crypto-enthusiasts can easily buy, sell, and store popular digital currencies like bitcoin or Ethereum alongside traditional investable securities. 

Here are the best cryptocurrency exchanges for low fees, human advisor access, and more as picked by Business Insider editors in 2024. 

Best Cryptocurrency Selection

Best overall
Coinbase
Coinbase Coinbase
Insider's Rating
A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star
4.35/5
Account Minimum

$2

Fees

0.50% spread for buy/sell transactions; transaction fee from $0.99 to $2.99; up to 0.60% for Coinbase Pro and Coinbase Advanced Trade

Pros
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Buy, sell, or store more than 170 cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and dogecoin
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Educational investment resources, mobile access, digital storage, and customer support
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Low account minimums
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Can earn rewards for certain cryptocurrencies
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Coinbase card lets you spend crypto or USD anywhere and earn crypto rewards; can deposit your paycheck into your account and convert from USD to crypto with no fees
Cons
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Pay more for lower balances
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. High trading and transaction fees
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Limited staking options
Insider's Take

Coinbase is one of the best investment platforms for crypto trading, staking rewards, and crypto storage. The crypto exchange offering nearly 250 coins and tokens and is great for active real investors who can utilize Coinbase's services, account options, and investment tools.

Coinbase review External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user."
Product Details
  • Promotion: Get $5 of bitcoin when you join Coinbase; earn up to $200 when you set up a new account and make your first purchase
  • Features: Coinbase Earn rewards, Coinbase Pro advanced account, user-controlled storage, stablecoins, staking, and institutional trading tools.
  • App store rating: 4.7 iOS/ 4.1 Android; Coinbase Pro: 4.7 iOS/ 4.1 Android
  • Awards: Named Best Prime Broker in Hedgeweek's annual European Digital Assets Awards
Show Pros, Cons, and More chevron down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down.

As one of the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges, Coinbase is a user-friendly digital marketplace offering hundreds more coins and tokens. Coinbase caters to all kinds of traders, including sophisticated investors, institutions, and high-net-worth clients through its Pro, Advanced Trade, and Prime platforms. 

Coinbase has a low account minimum to get started and offers wallet storage for digital assets. Coinbase's beta NFT trading platform currently offers no transaction fees for creators and collectors. 

What to look out for: Coinbase is currently under investigation by the SEC. Also, if you regularly use margin accounts to trade, Coinbase isn't the best choice. It charges high fees.

Coinbase review

Best Cryptocurrency Exchange for Mobile Trading

Best for Mobile Trading
Crypto.com
Start investing
On Crypto.com's website
Crypto.com Crypto.com
Insider's Rating
A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star
4.35/5
Account Minimum

$1

Fees

Maker fees 0.0750% - 0% and taker fees are 0.0750% - 0.0500%; 0% credit/debit card purchases for first 30 days of opening account

Pros
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. 350+ cryptocurrencies; support for more than 20 fiat currencies
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Separate NFT platform
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Earn up to 5% cash back on purchases with Crypto.com Visa Card
  • Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. You can set up price alerts and price movement alerts to stay updated on more than 250 assets
Cons
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Crypto.com Exchange isn't available to U.S. residents; U.S. investors limited to the mobile app
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Crypto.com isn't available to residents of New York
  • con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. High credit and debit card transaction fees
Crypto.com review External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user."
Product Details
  • Promotion: Get up to $2,000 for every friend you refer and 50% of their trading fees.
Show Pros, Cons, and More chevron down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down.

Crypto.com is a popular global crypto trading platform with a user-friendly mobile trading app featuring various reward opportunities and DeFi wallet storage. Although Crypto.com offers a web-based exchange in addition to its mobile trading platform, U.S. investors cannot access the online exchange. 

Crypto.com supports more than 350 cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin, and others. It also accepts 20+ fiat currencies. The Crypto.com mobile app provides Visa Card perks, reward-earning opportunities, crypto-tracking features, and price alerts.

What to look out for: U.S. investors won't have access to Crypto.com's more advanced trading features, such as margin trading, OTC trading, staking, and trading bots. 

Crypto.com review

Best Cryptocurrency Exchange for Low Fees

Best for low-fees
Abra
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