The Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges in 2019
Cryptocurrencies belong to our world like using our phone for everything on a daily basis. They are an accepted and normal form of (depends for sure on the country) digital currency. The user themselves can be divided into three groups: a) those that do not want to deal with it at all, b) the ones who are trying things out – step by step and c) the believers, who understand and love the idea of cryptocurrencies. First of all, I want to be honest – group a will not find a way to avoid them. At some point it will be the future as we are living in a digital world.
So, what do all consumers have in common? Right – the need to interchange cryptocurrencies. We require cryptocurrency exchanges for trading, or put simply, to buy and sell our coins and tokens. To do so, we need to find one that best fits all individual needs.
The number of offerings on the market is enormous. Some of you may have already noticed that there are differences in the exchanges themselves and that is why I have listed the most important criteria on which you should focus on when it comes to choosing the best place to buy cryptocurrency.
- Registration – can you still register, do you have to give up ALL your private data, do you have to pay for it?
- Payment options – can you buy coins with fiat money, Bitcoin, or Ethereum? Or do you have to buy a special currency to be able to swap it for your beloved crypto coins. Are there fees and if yes, how much do you get charged?
- The availability of cryptocurrencies – do they deal with all of them? Just special ones for specific countries?
- The device – does the exchange offer a mobile app? If so, is there one for Android and/or iOS?
By now you should see that there are some criteria on which all of us must keep an eye on. Maybe it’s not important for you if there is an Android app, because you are just trading on your laptop from home, but maybe you would like to grab a “gift” for registering on a new exchange in the form of a small amount of coins. People and their interest in crypto, or even trading, are different. That’s why it is always important to focus on the things which are important to your own specific use.
Before you check out the list of the top 10 exchanges, it is necessary to know, that some of them might have suspended the option for new registrations. To make it easier, I compiled for you the list of exchanges where you can still register. For sure, that list is constantly updated. So, whenever one of the crypto trading platforms allows you to register again, you will find it in the list.
- KuCoin – A really strong exchange platform with perhaps the best mobile app in the industry (for iOS and Android).
- Binance – Registering here is a bit of gamble – they open registration for a fixed number of users in a fixed number of hours per day. With a bit of luck, you might get in.
- Huobi – They have their own coin: HT. It’s worth a try, their usage is pretty unique, and they have an astonishing number of cryptos.
- Bitmex – One of the big crypto exchanges. They offer margin trading as well.
- Changelly – Using it is so easy. You can immediately transform your cryptocurrency to any other.
- Yobit – Perfect for advanced traders, as there’s a small market cap here.
Here you can see a list of the best cryptocurrency exchanges, additional with some of my comments.
- Bitmex – One of the big cryptocurrency exchanges. They offer margin trading as well.
- KuCoin – A really strong trading platform with perhaps the best mobile app in the industry (for iOS and Android).
- Binance – Registering here is a bit of gamble – they open registration for a fixed number of users in a fixed number of hours per day. With a bit of luck, you might get in.
- Bitfinex – A well-known exchange, with a mobile app as well. Special here: you can borrow coins, to become more familiar with crypto.
- Bittrex – An exchange with a respectable amount of variety.
- Changelly – Perfect choice for beginners, using it is a breeze.
- Cryptopia – A good choice if you are searching for underdog coins.
- Huobi Pro – If you wonder where to buy cryptocurrency that was just released on the market, you could find it here.
- Kraken – A well-established exchange with years of experience in customer service and a well-rounded reputation. They also allow FIAT transfers.
- Poloniex – Excellent exchange for beginners. Provides a vast amount of coins and margin trading for users who want to try out their technical analyses (TA) skills.
For those you have struggles to buy Crypto because of some regulation in their country, I can recommend these two exchanges. Both accept credit and debit cards.
Let us take a more detailed look on the top 10 exchanges now. I listed them based on their popularity among users. Starting with the easiest and best choices for beginners and ending with the ones which are more for the advanced users. Feel free to visit their official websites directly and check them out, to see if they’re the right fit for you.
Top 10 Crypto Exchanges for Trading
1. Bitmex
The founding of BitMex is really interesting, as it’s the story of a few crypto enthuiasast who came together and worked on what we now know as one of the large exchanges for cryptocurrencies.
On Bitmex you can find 8 of the most popular cryptocurrencies which you can leverage trade: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash and others.
The registration process is done using your email address and is almost аs easy as the trading fees on BitMex are low.
2. KuCoin
At KuCoin you will find an intuitive interface. It serves the user with a huge choice of currencies, among which you will find the most common ones and also some special coins.
As already mentioned, KuCoin has one of the strongest mobile apps. The app works on Android and on iOS.
Registering here is as easy as possible, input your email, a password and you’re done. You can´t trade with fiat money, but more or less every cryptocurrency is accepted.
When it comes to trading fees, KuCoin also has special offers. If you use their KuCoin Shares (KCS) you can save 50% of trading fees.
3. Binance
The Binance Exchange is one of best places where you can buy cryptocurrencies and it can also be accessed by nearly all countries in the world. Its impressive when you consider the fact, that it is based in China and it’s not a closed eco-system.
At the moment, you can find over 140 altcoins there. Additional ones are being added constantly, with no end in sight.
Since Binance finalized its ICO, it’s in the list of top ten world crypto exchanges.
As already mentioned, some exchanges create their own currency, Binance is no exception. It’s called Binance Coin (BNB). The platform offers special rebate for daily traders which are using BNB coins. Therefor you can see, Binance is a centralized exchange.
Let us check the fees: one specialty is the low standard fee with 0,1%. Also interesting for some of you: if you are trading with BNB, you can even reduce the trading fee .
The registration here is easy, you just need to use your email ID. If you register you can benefit from receiving QTUM coins as a gift for completing the verification. But be fast, that offer is for a limited time only.
The platform can also be accessed via the mobile app for Android or iOS. I found a video, which explains how to easily use the app.
Register here for Binance.
4. Bitfinex
Needless to say, Bitfinex also belong to the list of most famous and largest crypto exchanges in the world. It was founded 2014 in Hong Kong and allows you to trade crypto for Bitcoin or US Dollars.
Here is a portion of the supported cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, IOTA, Ripple, Dash, Monero, Ethereum, Litecoin and many more.
The wire fee for trading with USD is for sure a bit higher. You should have noticed already, that not so many exchanges accept USD for trading. The minimum wire fee here is $20. The trading fee here is between 0,1 and 0,8%. To learn more, check their user-friendly overview.
Bitfinex offers specialties for advanced trader like trailing stop, fill or kill, limit orders etc. On that crypto trading platform you have as well the option of the mobile app, for Android and iOS.
For the registration process you should plan a few more days (maximum 20 working days). Out of security reasons you must verify your ID, to be welcomed to the platform. They’ve also implemented a limit regarding the deposit with the value of 1000 USD.
5. Bittrex
Bittrex is an exchange for cryptocurrencies which is based in the US. Because of that, it is regulated and safe for all users. You have a choice among almost 200 cryptocurrencies.
Interesting fact, Bittrex is the exchange with the biggest Bitcoin trading volume in the world.
The registration here is done using your email address. In case you want to withdraw your funds, you should take steps to increase your security (which is good for you and your funds). To do so, submit your phone number and your ID documents as part of Bittrex’s KYC policy. Additionally, you have to enable two-factor authentication. Don’t worry, even when it sounds annoying, you’ll be done quickly.
When it comes to fees, Bittrex takes a service fee of 0,25%, but the seller and buyer will need to agree on their trading fees separately.
You cannot deposit fiat money here, only cryptocurrencies.
Bittrex has different accounts when it comes to withdrawal of your funds. If you already know that you want to withdraw often and higher amounts, you should go for the advanced account (up to 100 BTC per day). If you want to keep it simple, choose the basic account (up to 3 BTC per day).
Help yourself with the step by step guide to open your account.
Start with Bittrex right away.
6. Changelly
Changelly, as the name suggest, offers a form of transformation. It is a change in the way of using exchanges, because it allows you to do so with ease.
Registering is also a walk in the park. Just sign in with your email and that’s it.
To buy coins, you can use fiat money like US Dollars or Euros. Over 30 cryptocurrencies are supported by fiat and you can be pay via credit or debit card. The special thing here is that you can also use any cryptocurrency which is supported by Changelly. Just follow the guide and perform the little steps.
Changelly takes 0,5% as a commission fee for every singly trade. Compared with other fees you probably have the feeling now, that it’s a high percentage. But to face it, it’s pretty fair.
7. Cryptopia
On Cryptopia you can find a huge amount of altcoins, over 400 be specific. Here, everyone should be able to get their interest satisfied, whether it’s cheap or expensive coins, Cryptopia has them.
Cryptopia was founded in New Zealand which means that you can trade your favorite cryptos from almost any part of the world.
The process of registration is like all others crypto exchanges, your need your email and, like always, you must set a password. In addition, something that’s recommend not only by us, but the exchange as well, is to enable the two-factor authentication as well.
The fees on Cryptotopia are a bit tricky. During the trading process you can monitor them in real time in a little edge of your screen. To avoid the confusion, check out their own statements to the fees.
8. Huobi Pro
Huobi Pro, which is based in Singapore, is one of the major players as it offers over 200 cryptocurrencies. Everyone should be able to find his currency on the platform.
The registration is also really user-friendly, you can choose between email or phone registration. In addition to that: trading fees are also pretty low.
Since Huobi belongs to the big exchanges, for sure, they are also offer mobile versions of their platform. The Huobi app works on Android and iOS.
Start right now with Huobi Pro.
9. Kraken
Kraken is also part of the biggest exchanges for cryptocurrency coins and tokens. It’s not famous just for beginners, it also has its advantages for advances traders.
Kraken was founded in 2011 in San Francisco. The crypto exchange allows you to deposit fiat money and to find quality crypto. Kraken doesn’t list all cryptos, they focus on quality over quantity.
For the registration process you will need an email, though if you want to withdraw funds from the exchange you will need to go through the verification process. Tier 1 lets you withdraw crypto, while Tier 2 lets you withdraw FIAT.
Unfortunately, at this point in time, Kraken is one of the few exchanges which don’t provide a mobile app. I will update you if there’s a change.
The trading fee on Kraken is in the same range as all the others, nothing special here – as a taker you must pay 0,26% and as maker the fee is 0,16%.
Start here with trading on Kraken.
10. Poloniex
Poloniex was founded back in 2014 (also in the US) and has been growing fast. Currently, it’s one of the best-known cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Using it, you’ll have access to over 100 different cryptos.
When it comes down to trading, Poloniex endorses an autonomous Bitcoin and Ethereum market.
After the easy registration, you should go ahead and enable two-factor authentication for security reasons – then you can start to trade. Do keep in mind that the Poloniex Exchange is for crypto only. Start with an something easy, like Tether Dollars.
The trading fees here depend on your own position, are you the taker or the maker? After that is clear, the fee will be in the range between 0,15-0,25%.
For those who are still not sure how to start – check out their own created guide.
I hope that by now you’ve become a bit more familiar with the choices you have when it comes to cryptocurrency exchanges.
For sure, my overview is just a small sample out of hundreds of exchanges. Follow the footsteps of those before you and simply follow their advice to avoid the pitfalls.
Two final tips from my side – a) I always recommend opening a few more accounts than just one. B) use the exchange only for trading, for holding coins you should use third party wallets (Ledger Nano S for example).
And now, have fun by trying out the platforms suggested in the article.