Top picks for bitcoin brokers
Best broker for crypto trading – eToro
Company |
Overall Rating |
Bitcoin |
Bitcoin (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) |
eToro
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
eToro is a long-time pioneer of cryptocurrency trading and one of the first global forex brokers that offered bitcoin trading in the early years before it became an established asset class.
Innovations: eToro has developed many new innovations as part of its crypto offering, including the ability to easily switch between crypto CFDs and underlying (physical) crypto assets straight from within the trade ticket window when creating an order (where permitted by local regulations).
Selection of cryptocurrencies: eToro offers a wide range of 111 cryptocurrencies, including popular crypto tokens. Traders can compare daily movers, cryptos by market cap, crypto portfolios to copy, as well as crypto-focused investors. Directional signals from COINFI are also directly integrated within the platform, along with client sentiment.
Trading costs: It’s worth noting that eToro is not a discount broker – it charges about 1% for buying or selling underlying crypto assets, in addition to prevailing spreads. There may be brokers out there that offer lower fees, but you won’t get the same research or trading tools that you’ll find at eToro. There is also a 2% fee (minimum $1) or maximum fee of $100 for transferring crypto out into the eToro Money crypto wallet.
Integrated copy trading and research: Additional standout features that make eToro my top choice for bitcoin and crypto trading across forex brokers include the integrated news and research articles within the “Latest News” section for each crypto asset, as well as the ability to copy trade crypto investors and crypto portfolios.
NFTs: In addition to cryptocurrencies, eToro has an app called Delta, dedicated to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). This app lets you connect a Web3 wallet and explore NFTs across compatible blockchain networks. As an owner and creator of NFTs, I’m glad to see features like this coming to established brokerages such as eToro, helping to solidify its position as a market leader for cryptocurrency.
Trusted Swiss crypto custodian – Swissquote
Company |
Overall Rating |
Bitcoin |
Bitcoin (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) |
Swissquote
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Swissquote is another early pioneer in the world of crypto trading and was one of the first global banks to offer the underlying bitcoin asset. It was also one of the first to launching exchange-traded products (ETPs) dedicated to crypto. It’s worth noting that traders don’t choose Swissquote for its low fees, but rather for the security of holding their crypto with a Swiss Bank.
Variety of crypto assets: Swissquote offers nearly 40 crypto assets, with underlying assets available via its in-house crypto exchange SQX, which includes digital asset custody via its Swissquote Wallet. The only downside here is that these are separate from its forex and CFD trading account. Multi-asset traders looking to trade crypto will have to open a separate crypto account and then switch between them from within the broker’s web platform.
Range of crypto instruments: Swissquote also offers bitcoin and ethereum futures contracts via the CME and EUREX. Other exchange-traded crypto products at Swissquote include crypto tracker certificates, mini futures via Swiss DOTS, crypto ETFs, and crypto ETPs.
Crypto Staking: Swissquote is one of the few forex broker banks that offers crypto staking, which allows you to lock your crypto assets for a period of time in return for interest that can be payable in native tokens. Staking is currently available across Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Polkadot (DOT) and Tezos (XTZ). Staking fees come to 20%, which is steep, but setting up manual staking would require self-custodial crypto wallets and quite a bit of technical expertise.
Extensive selection of crypto CFDs – Capital.com
Company |
Overall Rating |
Bitcoin |
Bitcoin (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) |
Capital.com
|
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Capital.com provides one of the largest selection of cryptocurrency CFDs, making it a top choice in 2024 for your bitcoin trading needs.
Crypto CFDs exclusively: Capital.com doesn’t offer underlying (physical) crypto assets for long-term holding. That said, if you want to trade crypto CFDs over the short term, including bitcoin, Capital.com provides both the ability to go long and short on crypto CFDs. These products are offered alongside its forex and CFD business, helping to round out Capital.com’s offering as a multi-asset broker (On a related note: Share trading was recently discontinued at Capital.com).
Wide selection of crypto CFDs: Capital.com offers a whopping 136 cryptocurrency CFD pairs, making it a great choice for trading bitcoin and beyond. Whether you want to focus on popular crypto assets, or more exotic tokens, you’ll likely find them at Capital.com
Low trading costs for crypto: Capital.com offers excellent pricing for crypto CFD trading, with spreads of roughly $100 when you trade bitcoin versus the USD (BTC/USD), which is a fairly low sample spread. (Note: This is not an average or minimum spread). Considering that one bitcoin at the time of writing is worth over $57,000, this equates to less than 0.0017% of the trade value. In addition, you can buy as little as 0.0005 BTC or roughly $285 worth of bitcoin at a time.
Comparison of crypto brokers
Company |
Bitcoin |
Ethereum |
Bitcoin (Deposit/Withdraw) |
Cryptocurrency (Physical) |
Cryptocurrency (Derivative) |
eToro
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Swissquote
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Capital.com
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Interactive Brokers
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Eightcap
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
XTB
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Saxo
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
FAQs
Is trading cryptocurrency legal?
In some jurisdictions, cryptocurrency is banned or illegal to purchase, trade, or own. Meanwhile, in other countries, it is perfectly legal. For example, in the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (U.K.), it is legal to buy cryptocurrency from regulated brokers. However, CFDs are illegal to trade in both countries. The U.K. ban on bitcoin CFDs went into effect on Jan. 6, 2021.
United States residents: If you live in the U.S. we recommend reading our best U.S. brokers for bitcoin trading guide on our sister site, StockBrokers.com
Where you can buy and sell cryptocurrency?
There are three primary ways to buy and sell cryptocurrencies like bitcoin:
- Buy the coin (the underlying asset) - The most common way to buy cryptocurrency is to buy physical coins from an online crypto broker or exchange such as
eToro. Your bitcoin is then held and secured in a digital wallet provided by the broker (or you can withdraw it to the wallet of your choice).
- Buy a crypto CFD (contract for difference) - Another popular way to trade crypto is through CFDs. With a CFD, you do not own the underlying coin. Instead, you are betting on the direction that the crypto coin's price will go — either up or down. With CFDs, you can short the coin if you expect the price to go down. However, holding longer term can be expensive due to the cost of carrying CFDs overnight – you can learn more about how CFDs work by checking out our full-length guide to CFDs.
- Buy an exchange-traded product (ETP) - Exchange-traded products are a class of securities that can be anything from a structured product or fund to a derivative contract or trust. Bitcoin ETPs, for example, include exchange traded funds (ETFs), exchange traded notes (ETNs) and other securities such as the Greyscale Trust (GBTC) that aim to track the price of bitcoin.
currency_exchangeMore about Bitcoin ETFs
Curious about spot Bitcoin ETFs following their approval by the SEC? Check out my guide to the Best Bitcoin ETF Brokers to learn more about this exchange-traded product.
Note: Confused about the difference between a crypto broker or a crypto exchange? The term “crypto broker” is virtually synonymous with the term “crypto exchange” – all crypto exchanges provide crypto broker services, in that they’ll let you buy and sell currency via their online trading platform. That said, a crypto broker can, in some cases, refer to a dedicated individual – such as an institutional trader – working on a trading desk. While the individual on the trading desk is helping to “broker” each trade, it’s important to note that they will almost always utilize underlying crypto exchanges to execute their trades.
How do I know if a crypto broker is regulated?
To avoid scams, you should only use regulated bitcoin brokers. To verify a broker's regulatory status, start by determining the broker's legal name and country, and then find the appropriate regulator website to look them up. For example, a broker in the U.K. must be authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Here at ForexBrokers.com, we track, rate, and rank brokers across 100+
international regulators.
Which forex broker offers the most cryptocurrencies to trade?
Our research found that
eToro offers the most cryptocurrency pairs to trade. With eToro, investors can buy and sell bitcoin (as the underlying asset), trade crypto CFDs, and even copy trade other investors. After eToro, other crypto brokers that offer dozens of cryptocurrency CFDs to choose from include
XTB and
HYCM
.
Which crypto broker has the lowest fees?
While Coinbase and Binance both offer entry-level pricing, Binance is cheaper with just 0.1% for the maker fee (when you place a limit order) or taker fee (when you place a market order), compared to Coinbase which charges 0.5% for both maker and taker fees on its base level (lowest) pricing tier. Binance and Coinbase are the largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally.
In terms of fees for active traders, Coinbase only outranks Binance when you compare the highest tiers offered by each broker. For example, for traders that surpass $1 billion dollars in volume — or 150,000 BTC — Coinbase is cheaper, offering a 0% maker fee and 0.04% taker fee. The 0% maker fee kicks in when you surpass $300 million on Coinbase, whereas on Binance you are charged a maker fee no matter how much volume you trade.
Which crypto broker is best for trading on a mobile device?
If you're after the best crypto broker for mobile trading, eToro is a clear standout. An early adopter of cryptocurrency, eToro delivers a sleek mobile experience that brings all the power of its web platform to its convenient mobile apps. Whether you're trading bitcoin or exploring other cryptocurrencies, the app makes it seamless to switch between crypto CFDs and actual crypto holdings with just a few taps.
Beyond the main app, eToro offers eToro Money, a dedicated crypto wallet that lets you securely deposit, withdraw, and manage real cryptocurrencies. It mirrors the intuitive design of the main app, making it easy to navigate your assets. Plus, the wallet supports social trading, allowing you to interact with the broader eToro community while managing your digital currencies. It's a practical tool for any serious crypto trader looking to keep everything in one place.
The eToro app gives you access to 111 cryptocurrencies, with features like integrated news, research, and the option to copy-trade top crypto investors. While the fees—about 1% per transaction—aren't the lowest out there, the tradeoff is a platform rich in tools, information, and features like Delta for NFTs. Whether you're using Android or iOS, eToro's mobile apps deliver a powerful, well-rounded crypto trading experience.
Our testing
Why you should trust us
Steven Hatzakis is a well-known finance writer, with 25+ years of experience in the foreign exchange and financial markets. He is the Global Director of Online Broker Research for Reink Media Group, leading research efforts for ForexBrokers.com since 2016. Steven is an expert writer and researcher who has published over 1,000 articles covering the foreign exchange markets and cryptocurrency industries. He has served as a registered commodity futures representative for domestic and internationally-regulated brokerages. Steven holds a Series III license in the US as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).
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Mobile testing is conducted on modern devices that run the most up-to-date operating systems available:
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- For Android, we use the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra devices running Android OS 14.
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Our researchers thoroughly test a wide range of key features, such as the availability and quality of watch lists, mobile charting, real-time and streaming quotes, and educational resources – among other important variables. We also evaluate the overall design of the mobile experience, and look for a fluid user experience moving between mobile and desktop platforms.
Forex Risk Disclaimer
There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities. With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses. Read more on forex trading risks.