Coinbase
Coinbase is the world’s largest Bitcoin broker. They represent an easy and fast way for new users to purchase bitcoins. Coinbase supports customers in over 30 countries, including the United States, Europe (besides Germany), UK, Singapore, Canada, and Australia.
Customers in the above-mentioned countries can purchase bitcoins by credit card, debit card, bank transfer, SEPA transfer, and more.
PROS
- High liquidity and buying limits
- Easy way for newcomers to get bitcoins
- “Instant Buy” option available with credit card or debit card
CONS
- Purchases made with bank transfer can take up to 5 days to complete
- Coinbase may track how and where you spend your bitcoins
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BitPanda
BitPanda is a Bitcoin broker based in Austria.
They have high payment limits and low fees across their wide range of payment methods.
BitPanda offers customers the option to buy bitcoins with credit card, debit card, SOFORT, Skrill, NETELLER, giropay, eps, SEPA, and Online Bank Transfer.
Our guide will show you how to buy bitcoins with a credit card on BitPanda.
PROS
- Some of the lowest fees for buying bitcoins with credit/debit card
- Reliable and trusted broker
CONS
- Fees aren’t shown openly on the site but instead included in the buying price
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GDAX
Coinbase’s exchange, GDAX, is one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges in the United States. Users can fund their accounts via bank transfer, SEPA, or bank wire. GDAX offers good prices and low fees, but their confusing user interface may initially prove difficult to navigate.
PROS
- Some of the lowest fees available for US and EU customers
- Possible to buy bitcoins for 0% fees
CONS
- User interface is confusing for first time buyers
- Sending bitcoins directly from GDAX to any legally-questionable site may result in closure of your account
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Coinfloor
Coinfloor is based in the United Kingdom. They operate as both a Bitcoin exchange (Coinfloor Exchange) and broker referral service (Coinfloor Market). Coinfloor’s Exchange service accepts deposits in GBP, EUR, PLN and USD.
Customers can deposit to the Market via UK bank transfers and to the exchange via bank transfer, SEPA, or SWIFT.
PROS
- Trustworthy and regulated exchange
- Offers a sophisticated bitcoin storage service, Coinfloor Vaults
CONS
- Coinfloor Exchange has a high minimum deposit amount; must deposit at least 1,000 units of currency
- Coinfloor Market only accepts GBP bank transfers
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Kraken
Founded mid-2013, Kraken is the world’s largest Euro-denominated Bitcoin exchange, based on daily average trading volume. It supports deposits from US, European, Canadian, British, and Japanese customers. Deposits can be made via bank wire, SEPA, SWIFT, and bank deposit (Japan only).
PROS
- Well-financed and trusted exchange
- Very low 0.25% taker fee, falling to 0.1% with sufficient trading volume
- Very low maker fee, falling to 0% with sufficient trading volume
- Deep liquidity for large volume buyers in European markets ensures a price close to fair market rate
- Highly-rated for security
- Publishes proof of reserve audits
CONS
- User-interface makes it difficult for first time buyers
- Requires ID verification, so not private
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Safello
Safello is a Bitcoin exchange based in Sweden and fully-registered as a financial institution. It offers a wide range of payment methods – Swish, SEPA, SWIFT, Faster Payments, Bankgiro and iDEAL – to European residents.
PROS
- Available from 32 countries
- Offers a wide variety of payment methods
- Deep liquidity ensures prices near the fair market rate
- Support staff available every day from 8 AM to 10 PM
CONS
- Not a private way to buy since ID verification is required
- Support staff available during weekdays only, from 9 AM to 5 PM (UTC)
- Only Swish payments will confirm over weekends
- Fees aren’t clearly stated but included in your buying price
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Bity
Bity is a Bitcoin exchange and ATM operator, based in Switzerland. Their 5 ATMs allow for a quick first purchase and only require phone verification for an initial buy limit of 1,000 EUR or CHF. Their online service accepts wire transfers, SOFORT and online bank transfers.
PROS
- Easy to start buying bitcoins after mobile phone verification
- Payment limit of up to €100,000 annually after intensive verification
CONS
- ID verification is required for most purchases, so not a private way to buy
- Low annual limit of only €4,000 without intensive verification
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Cubits
Cubits is a Bitcoin exchange based in the United Kingdom. It allows users in almost every country besides the United States to purchase bitcoins, using a wide range of currencies and payment methods. The payment options include SEPA, SWIFT, credit cards, OKPAY, SOFORT, Skrill, Dotpay, and online bank transfer.
PROS
- Fair 0.9% trading fee
- Wide range of payment methods offered
- Support for 20 fiat currencies
- Super clean design makes the buying process easy
CONS
- Offers a wallet that should not be used to store bitcoins
- Requires ID verification, so not private
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Paymium
Paymium was the first European Bitcoin exchange, founded in 2011. It provides a EUR/BTC exchange service, and complies with all relevent European Regulations. Customers can purchase bitcoins via SEPA, wire transfer, or credit card.
PROS
- Established and trusted exchange
- Mobile app available
CONS
- ID verification required for amounts over €2,500, so not private
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Bitstamp
BitStamp is one of the world’s largest and most well-known Bitcoin exchanges. Deposits can be made through bank transfer, SEPA transfer, international bank wire, and now even credit cards.
PROS
- One of the longest-running Bitcoin exchanges
- Very low 0.25% fee, falling to 0.1% with sufficient trading volume
- Good range of deposit and withdrawal options
- Deep liquidity promotes a price close to fair market rate
- Offers wide range of altcoins
CONS
- Has been hacked before, users should not store funds on the exchange for any period of time
- High 8% fee on small credit card purchases, falling to 5% with sufficient trading volume
- Geared towards traders; slightly confusing for first time buyers
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Belgacoin
Belgacoin is a Bitcoin broker based in Belgium. They accept payments via SEPA or international bank transfer. The service requires no verification or even registration, so it’s both convenient and anonymous (although bank transfers by their nature are not anonymous).
PROS
- Perhaps the easiest and most private way to buy bitcoins in Europe
- Established and trusted brokerage that’s been around for a long time
- Private method; no registration or verification required
- Low 1% trading fee
- Simple website and purchase process
CONS
- Can take up to 1 business day for order to be processed after confirmation of deposit
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HappyCoins
Belgacoin is a Bitcoin broker based in Belgium. They accept payments via SEPA or international bank transfer. The service requires no verification or even registration, so it’s both convenient and anonymous (although bank transfers by their nature are not anonymous).
PROS
- Long-running and trusted exchange
- Wide range of payment options offered
- Occasional “HappyHour” 0% fee periods
- Quite private; only email and bank account number and name required
CONS
- Fees are not displayed publically; only included in price at checkout
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Bitsquare
BitSquare is a decentralized Bitcoin exchange. They facilitate trade by escrowing bitcoins of both buyer and seller, to promote the successful conclusion of trades. It offers high privacy and security, and never controls its users funds.
PROS
- The exchange never has control of your money
- Usually requires some bitcoin for escrow, so not an option for first-time buyers
- Works over TOR for increased privacy
- Very low 0.0008 BTC flat fee
CONS
- Currently low volume, so may be hard to purchase depending on buy amount or your location
- 1 bitcoin trade limit, no limit on number of trades
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Bitfinex
Hong Kong-based Bitfinex has long been one of the largest USD Bitcoin exchanges in the world. Bitfinex accounts may be funded by bank wire only, their fee on accepting such transfers is low at only 0.1%.
In August 2016, however, it was hacked and lost around 30% of its users funds. While Bitfinex can be helpful for buying large amounts of bitcoins, it is probably best to not use the exchange until it fully compensates affected users.
PROS
- Very low fees even for low volume buyers; 0.1% for market makers and 0.2% for market takers
- One of the best ways to buy large amounts of bitcoins
- Allows lending of fiat or bitcoin to margin traders at interest (but this is risky in light of the hack)
- Very deep liquidity promotes a price close to fair market rate
- Supports several altcoins
CONS
- Was recently hacked and has yet to fully compensate all users for their loss
- Geared towards traders; possibly quite confusing for first time buyers
- Single payment option
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