So many exchanges, so many coins. Which ones do you choose? With each exchange following its own separate set of rules, it can be hard selecting just one exchange that aligns with your trading goals.
The following list features the top centralized cryptocurrency exchanges that our editors recommend. Each exchange is ranked based on several factors, including how long they’ve been in business, their ratings on TrustPilot, the user-friendliness of their interfaces, the number of assets they support, and their levels of security. Those looking for decentralization are advised to check out our article listing today’s top decentralized crypto exchanges.
Binance
Years in Business: 4
Trustpilot Score: 2
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 60
Security: 5
Binance is one of the youngest cryptocurrency exchanges in the market as it was only launched four years ago. Nonetheless, it has managed to quickly establish itself as one of the leading crypto-to-crypto exchanges. Binance supports over 100 digital assets and provides an intuitive trading platform that even beginners will find easy-to-use once they get the hang of it. The Cayman Islands-based exchange now has over 28 million users across the globe. (Our rating 3.5)
Coinbase
Years in Business: 9
Trustpilot Score: 1.6
User Friendliness: 5
Number of Assets: 108
Security: 5
San Francisco-based Coinbase is the first bitcoin startup “unicorn” and is now valued at roughly $70 billion. Coinbase reaches this status by being one of the leading crypto exchanges since it launched in 2012. Coinbase offers a very easy-to-use mobile and web-based platform to buy digital currencies. Its platform is available in over 100 countries and it currently services over 56 million users. When bitcoin was rallying in late 2017, its app even hit the top spot on the Apple iStore. Currently, Coinbase supports bitcoin (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), litecoin (LTC), ether (ETH), and many other assets. (Our rating 4.0)
BitMEX
Years in Business: 7
Trustpilot Score: 2.2
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 6
Security: 5
BitMEX is a digital asset derivatives trading platform for professional traders. The exchange was founded in 2014 and emerged as one of the most popular trading platforms for experienced bitcoin traders. BitMEX provides currency futures trading, derivatives, and other financial products. (Our rating 3.5)
Bittrex
Years in Business: 7
Trustpilot Score: 1.4
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 57
Security: 5
Seattle-based Bittrex quickly emerged as one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges for those who are particularly interested in investing in altcoins after it launched in 2014. Bittrex offers a wide range of digital assets and regularly adds (and removes) coins and tokens to meet investor demand. Investors who are very active in the initial coin offerings (ICO) market are generally very fond of Bittrex as it is often one of the first exchanges to list new ICO tokens. (Our rating 3.5)
LocalBitcoins
Years in Business: 9
Trustpilot Score: 4.8
User Friendliness: 5
Number of Assets: 17
Security: 4
LocalBitcoins is the most popular peer-to-peer bitcoin trading platform in the world. The Finland-based exchange was founded in 2012 and has managed to gain substantial popularity in emerging markets due to its wide range of fiat currency payment options. (Our rating 3.5)
Gemini
Years in Business: 7
Trustpilot Score: 2.6
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 63
Security: 4
Gemini is a regulated cryptocurrency exchange that enables investors to buy and sell assets like BTC, ETH, and Zcash. The exchange was founded in 2014 by the Winklevoss brothers and also offers a custodial service to its users. (Our rating 3.0)
HitBTC
Years in Business: 8
Trustpilot Score: 1.9
User Friendliness: 3
Number of Assets: 900
Security: 4
HitBTC was launched in 2013 and managed to establish itself as one of the bitcoin exchanges with the highest BTC trading volumes. The exchange offers over 300 digital assets for an investor to buy and sell, making it very popular among altcoin traders. (Our rating 4.0)
Huobi
Years in Business: 8
Trustpilot Score: 2.8
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 370
Security: 4
Seychelles-headquartered Huobi is one of the most popular exchanges. It was founded in 2013 and emerged as one of the go-to trading platforms for Asian cryptocurrency investors. (Our rating 3.5)
Kraken
Years in Business: 10
Trustpilot Score: 2.7
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 92
Security: 4
Kraken was founded in 2011 and has continuously expanded its digital asset offering to meet the demand of its users. Currently, the platform offers more than 90 cryptos including bitcoin (BTC), litecoin (LTC), and ether (ETH) and provides a trading dashboard with a range of charting tools and historical price data. Kraken’s user interface can be somewhat challenging to novices, which is why it is generally recommended for more experienced investors. (Our rating 3.5)
Poloniex
Years in Business: 7
Trustpilot Score: 1.5
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 200
Security: 4
Poloniex was launched in 2014 to offer investors greater access to altcoin investing. In the years to follow, the exchange managed to establish itself as one of the go-to altcoin trading platforms due to its range of investable assets and margin trading features.
In 2018, Poloniex was bought by prominent bitcoin startup Circle. (Our rating 3.0)
OKEx
Years in Business: 4
Trustpilot Score: 3.6
User Friendliness: 3
Number of Assets: 30
Security: 4
Seychelles-based OKEx was founded in 2017 to provide Asian investors with access to bitcoin and other digital assets. OKEx offers over 170 investable assets as well as futures trading. (Our rating 3.5)
Bitfinex
Years in Business: 9
Trustpilot Score: 3.6
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 100
Security: 3
Bitfinex was founded in 2012 to provide cryptocurrency investors with a wide array of digital currencies and tokens in which to invest. The Kazakhstan-based exchange has continuously ranked as one of the exchanges with the highest bitcoin trading volumes. (Our rating 3.5)
Bitstamp
Years in Business: 10
Trustpilot Score: 2.1
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 47
Security: 4
Luxembourg-based Bitstamp was founded in 2011 to provide easy access to bitcoin trading for European customers. The exchange quickly managed to emerge as one of the go-to exchanges for European bitcoin investors. (Our rating 3.0)
Changelly
Years in Business: 6
Trustpilot Score: 4.5
User Friendliness: 5
Number of Assets: 210
Security: 3
Changelly was launched in 2015 to provide cryptocurrency investors with an easy-to-use platform to purchase digital assets, with over two million registered users that supports over 210 digital coins and tokens. On Changelly, you can purchase bitcoin and other digital assets using a credit card, but the exchange is mainly known for its crypto-to-crypto trading service for which it charges only a 0.25% fee. Changelly is able to offer excellent conversion rates as it uses the trading API from several leading exchanges to receive the best prices. (Our rating 4.0)
CoinBene
Years in Business: 3
Trustpilot Score: 1.7
User Friendliness: 3
Number of Assets: 172
Security: 4
Singapore-based CoinBene was launched in 2018 but quickly managed to secure a top spot among the bitcoin exchanges with the highest BTC trading volumes. The exchange offers over 170 investable digital assets, which makes it popular among investors who want to trade a wide range of coins and tokens. (Our rating 3.0)
CoinCorner
Years in Business: 7
Trustpilot Score: 3.9
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 4
Security: 4
CoinCorner was founded in 2014 and surpassed 100,000 users within three years. The UK-based company now serves over 200,000 users in nearly 50 countries. (Our rating 3.5)
itBit
Years in Business: 8
Trustpilot Score: 3.7
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 8
Security: 4
New York-based itBit launched in 2013 to provide investors with easy access to bitcoin. Since then, the exchange has managed to establish itself as one of the go-to trading platforms for US investors. itBit also offers OTC trading services for large investors who want to trade outside of exchanges. (Our rating 3.0)
Liquid
Years in Business: 7
Trustpilot Score: 2.5
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 10
Security: 4
Japan/Singapore-based crypto exchange Liquid (formerly Quoine) was founded in 2014 to enable local investors to purchase bitcoin and other digital assets. Liquid also provides leverage trading services to its users. (Our rating 3.5)
BitMart
Years in Business: 4
Trustpilot Score: 2
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 133
Security: 4
BitMart is a Cayman Islands-based digital asset exchange that was launched in 2017 to offer crypto-to-crypto trading for investors across the globe. BitMart has offices in the United States, China, and South Korea. (Our rating 3.5)
CEX
Years in Business: 8
Trustpilot Score: 4.7
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 16
Security: 3
UK-based CEX.io is one of the oldest bitcoin exchanges in the country. It allows investors from around the globe to purchase several different digital assets with a range of fiat currency payment options. (Our rating 3.5)
CoinEx
Years in Business: 4
Trustpilot Score: 4
User Friendliness: 3
Number of Assets: 411
Security: 4
Launched by ViaBTC in 2017, UK-based CoinEx offers a range of investable assets.
The exchange also offers an OTC trading service for large investors. (Our rating 3.0)
FTX
Years in Business: 2
Trustpilot Score: 2.1
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 200
Security: 4
Founded in the Bahamas in 2019, FTX is one of the world’s newest crypto exchanges. It is averaging more than $10 billion in daily trades as of July 2021 and boasts more than one million users. It also operates a separate exchange called FTX.us. FTX primarily allows users to trade futures contracts based on tokens rather than actual tokens themselves. (Our rating 3.5)
FTX.US
Years in Business: 2
Trustpilot Score: 2.5
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 80
Security: 4
Arriving in 2019 in San Francisco, FTX.US is the American branch of international crypto exchange FTX. It offers market orders, limit orders, and stop limit orders on more than 80 assets. US residents can’t use the exchange’s native token FTT and cannot take part in multiple contracts. (Our rating 3.5)
Binance US
Years in Business: 2
Trustpilot Score: 1.2
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 50
Security: 3
The exchange is based in San Francisco and was founded in 2019. It is a derivative of international exchange Binance. The platform allows customers to trade more than 50 assets and provides access to dozens of trading pairs at low costs. (Our rating 3.5)
KuCoin
Years in Business: 4
Trustpilot Score: 2.2
User Friendliness: 5
Number of Assets: 420
Security: 5
Kucoin was founded in 2017 in Hong Kong. It boasts more than eight million users in over 200 territories across the globe. Known as the “People’s Exchange,” it operates out of Seychelles and has established communities in North America, Europe, and several other hotspots. It also offers 24/7 support in multiple languages. (Our rating 4.0)
Crypto.com
Years in Business: 5
Trustpilot Score: 2.2
User Friendliness: 5
Number of Assets: 30
Security: 3
Founded in 2016, Crypto.com operates out of Hong Kong and offers a staple product known as the Crypto.com Chain, which allows people to be paid in any cryptocurrency they want regardless of their location. (Our rating 3.0)
Uphold
Years in Business: 8
Trustpilot Score: 2.3
User Friendliness: 5
Number of Assets: 30
Security: 4
This is one of our featured exchanges based in the US. Founded in 2013, the company supports more than 30 assets and boasts users in more than 180 countries. It also charges zero fees on many crypto-to-crypto trades. (Our rating 4.0)
Top Picks
If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly exchange with many years in the business and a great reputation for security, Coinbase is our top pick.
If you’re an experienced trader looking to build a big portfolio, HitBTC has the most options, with more than 900 crypto assets to trade.
We offer objective, in-depth reviews on the world of crypto investing. To receive a stream of valuable information for bitcoin and blockchain investors, subscribe to the Bitcoin Market Journal newsletter today.
Related Articles
Bittrex
Years in Business: 7
Trustpilot Score: 1.4
User Friendliness: 4
Number of Assets: 57
Security: 5
Seattle-based Bittrex quickly emerged as one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges for those who are particularly interested in investing in altcoins after it launched in 2014. Bittrex offers a wide range of digital assets and regularly adds (and removes) coins and tokens to meet investor demand. Investors who are very active in the initial coin offerings (ICO) market are generally very fond of Bittrex as it is often one of the first exchanges to list new ICO tokens. (Our rating 3.5)
