Bitcoin exchanges compared
Four of these five run an affiliate program and one does not. Bitstamp is in the table because a comparison of only the companies that pay us is a sales page wearing a table's clothes.
| Exchange | Simple buy | Advanced screen | Debit card | US states | UK | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraken | 1 % on an instant buy in the app The instant buy quotes one price with the fee inside it. Kraken Pro shows the order book, so there the fee and the price are two numbers you can read separately. | 0.25 % maker on Kraken Pro | card processing on top, the rate depends on the payment method | Every state except New York and Maine | Kraken still serves UK clients. Its affiliate and referral programs closed to UK residents on 2025-08-08. | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Coinbase | about 0.5 % spread on a simple buy, plus the Coinbase fee The simple buy screen prints one number and folds the spread into it. The same order on Advanced Trade costs a fraction of that, and it is the same account. | 0.40 % maker and 0.60 % taker on Advanced Trade | 4.2 % on a debit card | Every state except Hawaii | The UK affiliate program is reported closed. Second-hand, not read on their site. | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Gemini | 1.49 % minimum on a simple buy The gap between the simple screen and ActiveTrader is the widest of the five, 1.49 against 0.20 percent, and switching costs nothing. | 0.20 % maker and 0.40 % taker on ActiveTrader | 3.49 % on a debit card | All fifty states | Closed to UK and EU account holders in 2026 | Sep 11, 2026 |
| eToro | 1 % on the buy and 1 % again on the sell One rate for everyone below the Club tiers, so there is no cheaper screen to switch to. The 1 % is charged twice over a round trip. | the same 1 %, lower only at the higher Club tiers, down to 0.10 % | not checked | The US arm does not serve New York, Nevada, Hawaii, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire or Tennessee. | Authorised by the FCA and open to UK buyers | Sep 11, 2026 |
| Bitstamp | 1.8 % fixed spread on Basic Trading, plus up to 0.5 % more when the market is volatile Basic Trading folds a fixed 1.8 % into the quoted price and adds a volatility spread of up to 0.5 % on top. The same order on the order book costs 0.40 % as a taker, and the maker rate falls with monthly volume, down to zero above $100 million. | 0.30 % maker and 0.40 % taker on the order book below $10,000 a month | 4 % on Instant Purchase by debit or credit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay | Served by Bitstamp USA, Inc. under a New York licence, the state list is not on the fee page | Bitstamp UK Ltd is FCA registered for crypto activities, Faster Payments withdrawal 2 GBP | Sep 26, 2026 |
What is being compared
Six things decide what a purchase costs and whether it is available to you at all. What the simple screen charges. What the advanced screen charges, since it is the same account. What a debit card adds. Whether the exchange operates in your state or country. Whether it lets you withdraw to an address of your own. And what it asks for before it lets you trade.
Two things are deliberately missing. There is no score, because the right exchange depends on where you live more than on any ranking. And there is no order of merit: the rows are printed in the order the research listed them.
Where a cell reads "not checked", nobody has read that fact on the exchange's own page. It is an unknown, not a no.
Row by row
Kraken
The instant buy quotes one price with the fee inside it. Kraken Pro shows the order book, so there the fee and the price are two numbers you can read separately.
- Simple buy
- 1 % on an instant buy in the app
- Advanced screen
- 0.25 % maker on Kraken Pro
- Debit card
- card processing on top, the rate depends on the payment method
- ID check
- Identity documents before any fiat trade
- Payment methods
- Bank transfer, debit card
- US states
- Every state except New York and Maine
- UK
- Kraken still serves UK clients. Its affiliate and referral programs closed to UK residents on 2025-08-08.
- Insurance
- No cover on crypto balances
- Withdraw to your own wallet
- Yes, standard withdrawal to any bitcoin address
Read Sep 11, 2026 from https://www.kraken.com/features/fee-schedule
Coinbase
The simple buy screen prints one number and folds the spread into it. The same order on Advanced Trade costs a fraction of that, and it is the same account.
- Simple buy
- about 0.5 % spread on a simple buy, plus the Coinbase fee
- Advanced screen
- 0.40 % maker and 0.60 % taker on Advanced Trade
- Debit card
- 4.2 % on a debit card
- ID check
- Identity documents before trading
- Payment methods
- Bank transfer, debit card
- US states
- Every state except Hawaii
- UK
- The UK affiliate program is reported closed. Second-hand, not read on their site.
- Insurance
- not checked
- Withdraw to your own wallet
- Yes, standard withdrawal to any bitcoin address
Read Sep 11, 2026 from https://www.coinbase.com/legal/user_agreement/fees
Gemini
The gap between the simple screen and ActiveTrader is the widest of the five, 1.49 against 0.20 percent, and switching costs nothing.
- Simple buy
- 1.49 % minimum on a simple buy
- Advanced screen
- 0.20 % maker and 0.40 % taker on ActiveTrader
- Debit card
- 3.49 % on a debit card
- ID check
- Identity documents before trading
- Payment methods
- Bank transfer, debit card
- US states
- All fifty states
- UK
- Closed to UK and EU account holders in 2026
- Insurance
- not checked
- Withdraw to your own wallet
- Yes, standard withdrawal to any bitcoin address
Read Sep 11, 2026 from https://www.gemini.com/fees
eToro
One rate for everyone below the Club tiers, so there is no cheaper screen to switch to. The 1 % is charged twice over a round trip.
- Simple buy
- 1 % on the buy and 1 % again on the sell
- Advanced screen
- the same 1 %, lower only at the higher Club tiers, down to 0.10 %
- Debit card
- not checked
- ID check
- Identity documents before trading
- Payment methods
- not checked
- US states
- The US arm does not serve New York, Nevada, Hawaii, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire or Tennessee.
- UK
- Authorised by the FCA and open to UK buyers
- Insurance
- not checked
- Withdraw to your own wallet
- Yes, through the eToro wallet. The fee page quotes 2 % on a transfer out.
Read Sep 11, 2026 from https://www.etoro.com/trading/fees/
Bitstamp
Basic Trading folds a fixed 1.8 % into the quoted price and adds a volatility spread of up to 0.5 % on top. The same order on the order book costs 0.40 % as a taker, and the maker rate falls with monthly volume, down to zero above $100 million.
- Simple buy
- 1.8 % fixed spread on Basic Trading, plus up to 0.5 % more when the market is volatile
- Advanced screen
- 0.30 % maker and 0.40 % taker on the order book below $10,000 a month
- Debit card
- 4 % on Instant Purchase by debit or credit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay
- ID check
- Identity documents before trading
- Payment methods
- SEPA and ACH deposits free, Faster Payments in the UK, international wire at 0.05 % in, debit and credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay
- US states
- Served by Bitstamp USA, Inc. under a New York licence, the state list is not on the fee page
- UK
- Bitstamp UK Ltd is FCA registered for crypto activities, Faster Payments withdrawal 2 GBP
- Insurance
- not checked
- Withdraw to your own wallet
- Yes, standard withdrawal to any bitcoin address. The fee is variable, network cost plus a processing fee, and it is shown before you confirm.
Read Sep 26, 2026 from https://www.bitstamp.net/fee-schedule/