An exchange is where you swap one asset for another, usually fiat money for crypto or one coin for another. They differ in who can use them, which products they offer, what they charge, and how much regulators or courts have had to say about them. This guide compares 20 platforms on those points and removes two that no longer belong: Bittrex, which wound down in 2023, and Intellectia.AI, which is an analytics tool rather than an exchange.
The short version: if you live in the United States, start by checking which platforms accept US customers at all, because several of the biggest global exchanges do not. Compare the fee as a total cost (trading fee, spread, deposit and withdrawal fees), prefer platforms with clear licensing and a published fee schedule, and be most careful with leverage.
📋 Quick comparison: 20 platforms at a glance
| Platform | Type | Entry spot fee as published | US customers | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | Exchange and app | US Advanced entry 0.50% maker, 0.90% taker | Yes | Fees vary by region and have changed recently |
| Kraken | Exchange | Tier 1 0.40% maker, 0.80% taker | Yes (check your state) | Fees fall with volume to 0% maker |
| Binance | Global exchange | About 0.1% base (older Binance material) | Binance.US is a separate service; check the global terms | Pleaded guilty to US charges in 2023 |
| Bybit | Exchange, derivatives | 0.1% maker and taker (non-VIP) | Check eligibility | Rates vary by VIP level and region |
| OKX | Exchange, derivatives | Regular tier 0.08% maker, 0.10% taker | Check eligibility | Pleaded guilty to US charges in 2025 |
| KuCoin | Exchange | Level 0 0.10% maker and taker | Exited the US market | Pleaded guilty to US charges in 2025 |
| Gate | Exchange | Not read | Gate.com restricted; Gate US separate | Check restricted locations |
| MEXC | Exchange | Not read | Not accepted | US is a restricted jurisdiction |
| BingX | Exchange, derivatives | Not read | Not accepted | US is a restricted jurisdiction |
| Gemini | Exchange | Regional pages differ (see card) | Yes | New York based |
| Bitstamp | Exchange | Not read | Check eligibility | Now Bitstamp by Robinhood |
| Crypto.com | Exchange, card | Spot fees start at 0.075% (announcement) | Check eligibility | Base tier table not confirmed |
| CEX.IO | Exchange | About 0.25% lowest tier (third-party) | Partly (spot yes, margin and Earn no) | State rules apply |
| Changelly | Swap service | 0.25% floating service fee plus network fee | Check terms | Fixed-rate fees are built into the rate |
| ChangeNOW | Swap service | Built into the quoted rate | Check terms | No single fee percentage published |
| SimpleSwap | Swap service | All-in rate, may start from 0.2% | Check terms | Loyalty discounts of 5% to 20% |
| Wirex | Crypto card and accounts | Plan and fee pages differ | Check app | Confirm pricing in the app |
| Nexo | Wealth and credit | Not applicable (yield and credit) | Returned in 2026 via a regulated partner | Left the US in 2022 and 2023 |
| PrimeXBT | Derivatives, CFDs | Not read | Not accepted | High leverage, outside EU and UK rules |
| PU Prime | CFD broker | Not read | Not accepted | CFDs are banned for US retail traders |
🏦 Exchanges for spot trading
These thirteen are centralized exchanges: the company holds your assets on its platform and matches your orders. Most also offer derivatives or other products, which are riskier.
Coinbase is a US exchange with a simple buy-and-sell app and a separate Advanced interface for order books. It publishes its fees in a help center and, according to a Coinbase blog post, changed its fee structure to vary by market and volume. The entry-level spot rates in that post are 0.50% maker and 0.90% taker for the United States, 0.25% and 0.50% for the EU and UK, and 0.09% and 0.10% for Brazil, India and other markets. The same post says Advanced tiers start at $10,000 of qualifying volume. We could not open Coinbase's own fee table, so check the fee tier view in your account before you trade.
✅ Pros
- Available to US customers and widely used
- Published fee tiers and a separate Advanced interface
- A mix of simple and advanced tools in one account
❌ Cons
- Entry-tier fees are higher than several competitors
- The simple app adds a spread on top of the fee
- Fee schedules have changed more than once
Open your account fee view before you place a first order
☑️ Visit Coinbase
Kraken is a long-running US exchange with a standard app and a Pro interface. Its fee page lists Tier 1 (the entry tier) at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, falling to 0% maker at higher tiers, and a separate schedule for some lower-liquidity pairs where makers can earn a rebate. Kraken has also moved to tiers that consider what you hold as well as what you trade, with accounts placed automatically. Futures and margin are separate products with their own risks and regional limits.
✅ Pros
- Published, tiered fee schedule
- A long-established US exchange
- Separate Pro interface for active traders
❌ Cons
- Entry-tier taker fee of 0.80% is high
- Derivatives and margin availability varies by region
- Fee tiers changed in 2026
Check the tier you land on and the withdrawal fees
☑️ Visit Kraken
Binance is the best-known global exchange. Older Binance material lists a 0.1% base spot fee for regular users with a 25% discount when fees are paid in BNB, though we could not read the current global fee table. Binance.US is a separate company with its own schedule: it charges 0% maker and 0.02% taker on most pairs, according to its fee page. Be aware of the legal history: on November 21, 2023 the US Department of Justice announced that Binance and its founder pleaded guilty to federal charges and that Binance would pay $4.3 billion, with an independent monitor. Binance.US is the separate service for US customers; read the terms of the global site for your own country before you register.
✅ Pros
- Very large selection of coins
- Low base spot fee
- Binance.US is a separate option for US customers
❌ Cons
- Guilty plea and $4.3 billion settlement with US authorities in 2023
- Global-site availability depends on your country
- Complex interface for beginners
Read the terms for your region before you register
☑️ Visit Binance
Bybit is best known for derivatives but offers spot trading. Its help center lists 0.1% maker and 0.1% taker for non-VIP users on all spot pairs, with a higher 0.2% for its Adventure Zone pairs, and says rates vary with your VIP level and region. The fee is taken from the asset you receive. Margin and futures use leverage and can lose more than your deposit. Availability depends on your country, so check the platform's current restricted-country list.
✅ Pros
- Published flat spot fee for regular users
- Large derivatives market
- Fee schedule explained in a help article
❌ Cons
- Leveraged products carry high risk
- Not available everywhere
- Rates vary by region and VIP tier
OKX is a large global exchange. Its global fee framework lists the Regular tier at 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker for its main spot pair groups, higher (0.10% and 0.15%) for special-rule pairs, and 0% on zero-fee pairs. An OKX help article for EEA users shows a higher Regular schedule of 0.20% maker and 0.35% taker for accounts without a derivatives account, so your account setup changes the fee. On February 24, 2025, the Justice Department's Southern District of New York announced that OKX pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and agreed to pay more than $504 million.
✅ Pros
- Low published Regular-tier spot fee in the global framework
- Spot, derivatives and wallet in one app
- Regional fee schedules are published
❌ Cons
- Guilty plea over US anti-money-laundering rules in 2025
- Fees differ by region and account setup
- Advanced tools can overwhelm beginners
Confirm the service is available where you live before you sign up
☑️ Visit OKX
KuCoin lists many smaller coins. Its Level 0 spot fee is 0.10% maker and 0.10% taker, with a 20% discount if you pay fees in KCS, according to older KuCoin pages (an April 30, 2026 announcement changed fees for VIP8 to VIP12 only). On January 27, 2025 the Justice Department announced that the KuCoin operator pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and agreed to pay more than $297 million, and said KuCoin would exit the US market for at least two years. Prosecutors said KuCoin did not require customers to provide identifying information until at least July 2023.
✅ Pros
- Large altcoin selection
- Published Level 0 fee with a KCS discount
- Mobile and web apps
❌ Cons
- US guilty plea in 2025
- Exited the US market
- Smaller coins carry higher risk and thinner liquidity
Read the user agreement and restricted-country list first
☑️ Visit KuCoin
Gate lists a very large number of trading pairs. Its user agreement lists the United States among restricted locations for Gate.com, and says the list can change without notice; US customers are directed to a separate Gate US service with its own licenses and state limits. We could not read Gate's current fee page, so no fee is quoted. Read the restricted-locations help page before registering.
✅ Pros
- A very large number of pairs
- Staking and other services
- Regional sites exist
❌ Cons
- Gate.com does not accept US persons
- Restricted-location rules change without notice
- Fees were not confirmed for this update
MEXC lists many new and small coins and is known for early listings. Its user agreement says it does not provide services or accept registrations from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and other listed countries, and that the list can change at any time. We could not read MEXC's current fee page, so no fee is quoted. New tokens often have thin liquidity and can fall fast.
✅ Pros
- Early access to new listings
- Wide altcoin selection
- Published user agreement with a restricted-country list
❌ Cons
- The United States is a restricted jurisdiction
- New tokens are volatile and thinly traded
- Fees were not confirmed for this update
Read the user agreement for your country
☑️ Visit MEXC
BingX offers spot, perpetual futures and a copy-trading feature. Its disclaimer and customer agreement list the United States among jurisdictions it does not serve, and a support page says Visa and Mastercard card payments are not supported for users in the United States. We could not read BingX's current fee page, so no fee is quoted. Copy trading means you follow another trader's positions and carries the same losses as any leveraged trading.
✅ Pros
- Spot, futures and copy trading in one app
- Published restricted-jurisdiction list
- Mobile-first design
❌ Cons
- The United States is a restricted jurisdiction
- Leverage and copy trading carry high risk
- Fees were not confirmed for this update
Read the disclaimer and customer agreement first
☑️ Visit BingX
Gemini is a New York-based exchange with a simple app and an ActiveTrader interface. Its fee pages disagree by region and page: one regional ActiveTrader schedule lists 0.20% maker and 0.40% taker at the entry tier (falling to 0% maker at very high volume), while the main ActiveTrader page lists 0.60% maker and 1.20% taker at its entry tier, and stablecoin pairs have their own low rate. Check the schedule that applies to your account, since the simple app can also add a spread.
✅ Pros
- US-based and focused on compliance
- Published ActiveTrader schedule
- Simple interface
❌ Cons
- Entry fees are higher than some rivals
- Fee pages differ by region
- A narrower coin list than global exchanges
Bitstamp is one of the older exchanges. Robinhood completed its $200 million acquisition in early June 2025, and the exchange now runs as Bitstamp by Robinhood. Its site lists regional legal entities (for example in Luxembourg and the UK) and says services depend on where you live. We could not read its fee schedule for this update, so no fee is quoted.
✅ Pros
- One of the longest-running exchanges
- Regulated legal entities in several regions
- Clean, simple interface
❌ Cons
- Fees were not confirmed for this update
- Services and entities vary by country
- Fewer coins than the largest exchanges
Read the fee schedule before you fund an account
☑️ Visit Bitstamp
Crypto.com combines an app, an exchange and a payment card. Its announcement of a fee cut says spot fees start at 0.075%, but we could not confirm the base-tier maker and taker figures: an older Fees and Limits page shows much higher numbers (0.25% maker and 0.50% taker at Level 1) and a VIP page lists VIP 1 at 0.065% maker and 0.10% taker. Card rewards and benefits depend on staking its CRO token, which adds its own price risk. Availability depends on your country.
✅ Pros
- Spot fees announced from 0.075%
- App, exchange and card in one ecosystem
- VIP tiers with low published fees
❌ Cons
- Base-tier fee table was not confirmed
- Rewards tied to holding its own token
- Features vary by country
Confirm card and exchange availability for your country
☑️ Visit Crypto.com
CEX.IO started as a Bitcoin mining pool and became an exchange. A comparison site lists its lowest spot tier at about 0.25% (we could not read the official fee page), and the company's own pages say card purchases cost 0.49% to 4.99% plus a service charge depending on size and currency. Its support pages say margin trading and Earn are not available to US customers, and that CEX.IO Pay is available only in some US states, so US availability varies by product and state.
✅ Pros
- Long operating history
- Several funding methods including cards
- Spot trading offered to US users
❌ Cons
- Card purchases carry high fees
- Margin and Earn are not available in the US
- The spot fee was not confirmed from the official page
🔄 Swap services
A swap service converts one coin to another at a quoted rate, often without a trading account. The fee is usually built into the rate, so compare the amount you receive, not a stated percentage.
Changelly says its floating-rate swaps carry a 0.25% service fee plus the blockchain's network fee, while fixed-rate swaps include a dynamic fee inside the quoted rate. Selling crypto for fiat costs more, with a minimum fee of 3.95% per its fee page. It says it rarely asks for KYC, but verification can be triggered by its risk system and can delay a swap. Fee and terms pages we found were several years old, so check the live quote before you confirm.
✅ Pros
- Quick crypto-to-crypto swaps
- Choice of fixed or floating rate
- A stated floating-rate service fee
❌ Cons
- Fiat sales carry a high minimum fee
- KYC can be triggered and delay a swap
- The fixed-rate fee is not a stated percentage
Check both the fixed and the floating amount you would receive
☑️ Visit Changelly
ChangeNOW says all fees are included in the rate you see and that you can choose a fixed or a floating rate. It does not publish a single fee percentage for ordinary swaps, and independent comparisons describe the cost as a spread that varies with liquidity. Because the cost is hidden in the rate, compare the amount you would receive on two services before you send funds.
✅ Pros
- No registration needed for basic swaps
- Fixed and floating options
- All fees included in the quoted rate
❌ Cons
- No single published fee percentage
- Spread can be wider on thin coins
- Floating rates can move before you receive funds
SimpleSwap quotes one all-in rate for crypto-to-crypto swaps and says the fee depends on the pair, volatility and liquidity, starting from about 0.2% for some assets. Fiat-to-crypto offers can start from about 0.5% and may include provider and payment costs. Its loyalty program gives fee discounts of 5% (Bronze) to 20% (Platinum), though the qualifying rules have been described differently in different pages, so check your account.
✅ Pros
- All-in rate with no separate trading fee line
- Loyalty discounts on the service fee
- Large number of supported coins
❌ Cons
- The fee is not a stated percentage
- Loyalty terms differ between pages
- Some transactions can be delayed
💳 Card and wealth platforms
Wirex offers a crypto-backed debit card and multi-currency accounts. Its help pages describe plan tiers and card benefits, but the sources we found disagree: older pages list monthly plan fees, while newer pages describe portfolio-based tiers and no subscription fee. Delivery and ATM fees vary by country, and the UK ATM allowance is 200 GBP a month free, then 2%. Confirm the plan price and your country's availability in the app before you sign up.
✅ Pros
- Crypto-backed card and multi-currency accounts
- Published fee tables by region
- Free card issuance in the fee table read
❌ Cons
- Plan and fee pages disagree
- ATM fees apply beyond free limits
- Identity verification is required
Nexo offers crypto-backed credit lines, interest-earning accounts and a card. It phased out its US products in 2022 after talks with regulators stalled, and in January 2023 it settled with the SEC and state regulators over its earn product. It announced a return to the United States in April 2025 and said it relaunched its flagship Yield, Exchange, Loyalty and Credit Lines products in the US in February 2026 through a regulated partner (Bakkt). Yield and loans carry credit and market risk: if collateral falls, you can be liquidated.
✅ Pros
- Credit lines secured by crypto
- Interest-earning accounts
- A US presence through a regulated partner
❌ Cons
- Past US enforcement action
- Loans can be liquidated if collateral falls
- Available products vary by country
📈 Derivatives and CFD platforms
These two are built around leverage. Leverage multiplies both gains and losses, and many retail traders lose money on leveraged products. They do not accept US customers.
PrimeXBT offers crypto futures, CFDs and margin trading across crypto, forex, commodities and indices. Its terms say it does not accept US residents, its regulation page says its services are provided by different entities depending on the client's jurisdiction, and it says it operates outside the EU and UK regulatory frameworks. High leverage can wipe out a deposit quickly. We could not read its current fee page, so no fee is quoted.
✅ Pros
- Crypto, forex and commodities in one account
- Published restricted-jurisdiction list
- Charting tools
❌ Cons
- US residents are not accepted
- High leverage and CFDs are high risk
- Fees were not confirmed for this update
Read the risk disclosure before you deposit
☑️ Visit PrimeXBT
PU Prime is a CFD broker (not an exchange) operating through several licensed entities, including an FSC Mauritius dealer and an FSA Seychelles dealer; which one you contract with depends on your country. Its help center says it does not accept residents of the United States and several other countries, and notes that retail CFDs are banned for US retail traders. PU Prime's own educational pages say 70% to 80% of retail CFD accounts lose money, a figure we could not trace to a regulator's disclosure.
✅ Pros
- Multi-asset CFDs in one account
- Several regulated entities
- Copy-trading option
❌ Cons
- US residents are not accepted
- Leveraged CFDs lose money for most retail traders
- Licence strength varies by entity
Read the risk disclosure before you deposit
☑️ Visit PU Prime
🛡️ How to compare platforms safely
- Check that it is legal where you live. Several exchanges above do not accept US customers. Using a VPN to get around a restriction can breach the terms and put your funds at risk.
- Look for licences and legal history. Find the legal entity that serves your country, check the regulator's register, and read any enforcement actions. Three of the exchanges above have pleaded guilty to US charges since 2023.
- Count the total cost. Add the trading fee, the spread, deposit and withdrawal fees and any conversion costs. A 0.1% fee on one platform can cost more than a higher fee on another once the spread is added.
- Protect the account. Use a unique password, an authenticator app instead of SMS, and a withdrawal address allow list where offered. Never share a seed phrase or install software a stranger sends you.
- Do not leave funds you are not trading on an exchange. Exchanges can be hacked, frozen or shut down, as Bittrex's wind-down in 2023 showed. Withdrawals can also be delayed during stress.
- Avoid leverage until you understand it. Futures, margin and CFDs can lose more than you deposit.
Final word
Do not choose by fee alone. Whether a platform may legally serve you, who regulates it and what happens if it fails matter more than a fraction of a percent. The platforms with the clearest US licensing and published fee schedules (for example Coinbase, Kraken and Gemini) may suit US residents, while several global exchanges are not open to them. Whatever you choose, treat crypto as a high-risk asset and never invest money you cannot afford to lose.
❓ Frequently asked questions
❓ Which crypto exchange has the lowest fees?
❓ Which exchanges are available to US residents?
❓ Is it safe to keep crypto on an exchange?
❓ What is the difference between maker and taker fees?
❓ Are crypto swap services cheaper than exchanges?
❓ Should I use leverage or CFDs?
❓ Why were Bittrex and Intellectia.AI removed from the list?
If you want to earn online with other skills instead of trading, read how to make money online with AI, which also lists the scams to avoid. Trading is not a reliable income source.
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🛍️ How to start an online store
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