If you’re interested in buying cryptocurrency, you need to open an account with a crypto exchange. There are around 500 examples to choose from, and Forbes Advisor combed through the leading crypto exchanges to determine the best crypto exchange for both new and experienced investors.

Our Methodology

We performed an in-depth assessment of the features and options offered by nearly 25 cryptocurrency exchanges, crypto trading apps and brokerage platforms that offer crypto trading options.

The trading fees reflected for each brokerage or crypto exchange are the trading fees for the lowest volume of trade, using the most basic version of the platform.

The data addressed 10 key variables to assess the quality of each platform:

Basic Trading Features. Key metrics included the number of cryptocurrencies available to trade, the number of fiat currencies accepted, the exchange’s overall liquidity and trading fees.

Advanced Trading Features. We looked at the availability of complex trading features like advanced order types and volume discounts for frequent trading.

Margin Trading. An assessment of margin trading rates, if applicable.

Platform Availability. While some of the best crypto exchanges are available everywhere, others have widely varying degrees of accessibility to different features by country and by U.S. state.

Customer Service. Available types of customer support.

Educational Resources. We evaluated the educational content offered by each platform.

Crypto Rewards Credit Card. A few platforms offer crypto rewards credit cards.

Security and Storage. Types of storage options, security and insurance available, plus an assessment of any large-scale hacks of each exchange over its lifetime.

Staking and Rewards. Some platforms allow users to stake selected cryptos and earn interest payments.

Crypto Lending. Some crypto exchanges allow users to lend out their cryptocurrency.

These ten variables benchmark features and options across the crypto exchanges and brokerages we surveyed.

For each ranking, the sum of weighted values across all or some of these key factors was calculated to award each brokerage or exchange its overall rank. Margin trading, platform lending and advanced trading were not considered for choosing the best crypto exchanges for beginners.