Crypto exchanges are services where traders can buy and sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. Here are the most popular exchanges as well as some of our favorites.
Crypto Exchanges Directory
Coinbase / Coinbase Pro – The most popular exchange in the US. You can purchase Bitcoin, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum with US dollars from your bank account. You can also use Coinbase to swap your cryptocurrency for US dollars and deposit them into your bank account.
From their site: Founded in June of 2012, Coinbase is a digital currency wallet and platform where merchants and consumers can transact with new digital currencies like bitcoin, ethereum, and litecoin. We’re based in San Francisco, California.
Binance – The most popular exchange by volume in the world. You currently cannot purchase crypto on their exchange with fiat currency so you must transfer bitcoin or other supported cryptocurrencies into their exchange and use that to trade with.
From their site: We operate the worlds biggest bitcoin exchange and altcoin crypto exchange in the world by volume. Our certified matching engine is capable of processing 1,400,000 orders per second, making Binance one of the fastest exchange in the market today.
Poloniex – A popular US based exchange. Like Binance, you cannot purchase crypto on their exchange with fiat so you must transfer a supported cryptocurrency in and trade with that.
From their site: Welcome to one of the most active crypto exchanges in the world. Take advantage of dozens of technical indicators and our robust API to inform and execute your trading strategy. Access the latest tokens and technologies that are pushing the industry forward.
Kraken – Another popular US based exchange that, like Coinbase, allows you to purchase crypocurrency with US dollars with a bank account.
From their site: Founded in 2011, San Francisco-based Kraken is the largest Bitcoin exchange in euro volume and liquidity and also trading Canadian dollars, US dollars, British pounds and Japanese yen. Kraken is consistently rated the best and most secure Bitcoin exchange by independent news media. Kraken was the first Bitcoin exchange to have trading price and volume displayed on the Bloomberg Terminal, the first to pass a cryptographically verifiable proof-of-reserves audit, and is a partner in the first cryptocurrency bank. Kraken is trusted by hundreds of thousands of traders, the Tokyo government’s court-appointed trustee, and Germany’s BaFin regulated Fidor Bank.
Bittrex – A popular exchange with lots of alt coins. They offer the ability to purchase Bitcoin with US dollars from a bank account.
From their site: Bittrex is a global leader in the blockchain revolution. We operate the premier U.S.-based blockchain trading platform, which is designed for customers who demand lightning-fast trade execution, dependable digital wallets, and industry-leading security practices.
IDEX – Our favorite decentralized exchange. There is slight learning curve to using it. You must either already have an Ether wallet or create one on their exchange. Then you must transfer Ether (or supported tokens) into that wallet and deposit that into the exchange in order to trade.
From their site:IDEX, the first high-performance decentralized exchange, provides both real-time trading and on-chain settlement. Traders on IDEX can trade continuously without waiting for transactions to mine, place true market orders and fill multiple orders at once, and cancel orders immediately without gas costs.
LocalBitcoins – Not technically an exchange but a way to purchase Bitcoin and cryptocurrency directly from other individuals.
From their site: At LocalBitcoins.com, people from different countries can exchange their local currency to bitcoins. The site allows users to post advertisements where they state exchange rate and payment methods for buying or selling bitcoins. You reply to these advertisements and agree to meet the person to buy bitcoins with cash, or trade directly with online banking. Bitcoins are placed in LocalBitcoins.com web wallet from where you can pay your bitcoin purchases directly.
What are we missing? Please comment below with your favorites. If they are good, we’ll add them to the list.
