Crypto exchanges 2026: independent safety and fee ranking
We compare crypto exchanges only on verifiable facts from their official pages and regulator registers: whether a licence or registration with a financial regulator is stated, whether the exchange publishes proof of reserves, keeps customer funds in cold storage, supports hardware security keys, discloses insurance or a user protection fund, and what its base spot trading fees are. Safety carries the most weight — 40% of the Score. Every fact links to its source and shows the date we checked it. This is not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy crypto: cryptoassets are highly volatile, you can lose all the money you put in, and deposit protection schemes usually do not cover them. We do not rate or recommend margin trading, futures or other leveraged products. Availability depends on your country — check that the exchange is allowed where you live. Paid placements never change the Score.
| # | Company | Who it serves | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gate | 83 | Yes | Yes | 0.1% | Yes | Proof of reserves Cold storage Security keys Protection fund |
| 2 | OKX | 73 | Yes | Yes | 0.1% | Yes | Proof of reserves Cold storage Security keys |
| 3 | KuCoin | 70 | Yes | Yes | 0.1% | Yes | Proof of reserves |
| 4 | Kraken | 69 | Yes | Yes | 0.8% | Yes | Proof of reserves Cold storage Security keys |
| 5 | Binance | 66 | Yes | Yes | 0.1% | No | Proof of reserves Security keys Protection fund |
| 6 | Crypto.com | 62 | Yes | Yes | 0.8% | Yes | Proof of reserves Cold storage Security keys |
| 7 | Bitpanda | 62 | Yes | Not verified | 0.2% | Yes | Cold storage |
| 8 | Gemini | 53 | Yes | Not verified | 1.2% | Yes | Cold storage Security keys |
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Yes
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 0.1%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- Yes
Pros
- Low base spot trading fee
- Licensed under EU MiCA (ESMA register) or by New York's NYDFS
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- Publishes proof of reserves
Details Visit site ↗ 90% backed by facts
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Yes
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 0.1%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- Yes
Pros
- Low base spot trading fee
- Licensed under EU MiCA (ESMA register) or by New York's NYDFS
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- Publishes proof of reserves
Details Visit site ↗ 81% backed by facts
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Yes
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 0.1%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- Yes
Pros
- Low base spot trading fee
- Licensed under EU MiCA (ESMA register) or by New York's NYDFS
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- Publishes proof of reserves
Details Visit site ↗ 77% backed by facts
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Yes
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 0.8%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- Yes
Pros
- Licensed under EU MiCA (ESMA register) or by New York's NYDFS
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- Publishes proof of reserves
- A licence or registration with a financial regulator is stated on the site or in a register
Details Visit site ↗ 91% backed by facts
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Yes
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 0.1%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- No
Pros
- Low base spot trading fee
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- Publishes proof of reserves
- A licence or registration with a financial regulator is stated on the site or in a register
Cons
- Not in the EU MiCA register or the NYDFS list
Details Visit site ↗ 86% backed by facts
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Yes
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 0.8%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- Yes
Pros
- Licensed under EU MiCA (ESMA register) or by New York's NYDFS
- Highly rated by App Store users
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- Publishes proof of reserves
Details Visit site ↗ 77% backed by facts
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Not verified
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 0.2%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- Yes
Pros
- Licensed under EU MiCA (ESMA register) or by New York's NYDFS
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- A licence or registration with a financial regulator is stated on the site or in a register
- Keeps customer funds in cold (offline) storage
Details Visit site ↗ 72% backed by facts
-
- Financial regulator licence
- Yes
- Proof of reserves
- Not verified
- Taker fee (spot, base tier)
- 1.2%
- EU MiCA or New York licence
- Yes
Pros
- Licensed under EU MiCA (ESMA register) or by New York's NYDFS
- Highly rated by App Store users
- Wide choice of cryptoassets
- The company or its group publishes audited financial statements
Cons
- High base spot trading fee
Details Visit site ↗ 82% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Bitfinex (53% backed by facts)
- Bitget (66% backed by facts)
- Bitstamp (38% backed by facts)
- Bitvavo (28% backed by facts)
- Bybit (23% backed by facts)
- Coinbase (42% backed by facts)
- Uphold (52% backed by facts)
How we calculate the Score
40%
Safety and protection of funds
A licence or registration with a financial regulator stated on the official site or in a regulator register (for example a MiCA CASP licence in the EU, NYDFS BitLicense, FCA registration, FINTRAC MSB), published proof of reserves, customer funds held in cold (offline) storage, support for hardware security keys or passkeys for login and 2FA, and disclosed insurance or a user protection fund. The licence carries the most weight.
25%
Fees
Spot taker and maker fees for the base tier — no trading volume, no exchange-token discount — from the official fee schedule. Taker: 0% scores 100, 1.2% or more scores 0; maker: 0% scores 100, 0.6% or more scores 0. Spreads on simple buy, deposit and withdrawal fees are not included — check the final price before you trade. If the exchange charges a single rate with no maker/taker split, that rate counts for both.
15%
Choice of assets and currencies
How many cryptoassets the exchange says it offers (logarithmic, full score from 1,000) and how many fiat currencies it supports for deposits and trading (logarithmic, full score from 50). More coins is not automatically better: lesser-known tokens carry higher risk.
10%
User reputation
App Store rating (United States; if the exchange's app is not listed there, the United Kingdom, otherwise the exchange's home market). 3★ scores 0, 5★ scores 100; few ratings lower the score (full weight from 1,000,000 ratings).
10%
Transparency
Company age (10+ years scores in full) and financial disclosure: the company or its parent group is listed on a stock exchange, or the exchange publishes audited financial statements.
How to choose a crypto exchange
Check the licence for your country
Find the licences page on the exchange's site and verify the number in the regulator's register. Make sure the exchange may serve residents of your country, or your account may be frozen.
Turn on a security key or authenticator app
SMS codes are easy to intercept. Use a hardware key, a passkey or an authenticator app, enable a withdrawal address whitelist, and never store your exchange password in notes.
Look at the full cost of a trade
Besides taker and maker fees there are spreads on simple buy, card deposit fees and withdrawal fees. Compare the final amount you receive.
Don't keep more on an exchange than you need
An exchange is not a bank. For long-term holding many people use their own wallet, but then keeping the keys safe is entirely on you. Only invest money you can afford to lose.
Beware of scams
Don't trust promises of guaranteed returns, "account managers" in messengers or fake apps. Download the app only via the link on the official site and never share codes or your seed phrase.
Frequently asked questions
Which crypto exchange is the safest?
The exchange at the top has the highest Score under our open methodology, where safety carries 40% of the weight. But no exchange is risk-free: keep on an exchange only what you need for trading, and check that the exchange is allowed in your country.
What is proof of reserves?
It is a publication showing that the exchange holds assets at least equal to customer balances: usually a Merkle tree that lets each customer verify their balance is included, plus a report from a third-party auditor. Proof of reserves is not a full audit: it does not always show the exchange's liabilities.
How do I check a crypto exchange's licence?
Look it up in the regulator's public register: in the EU, the MiCA register of crypto-asset service providers (ESMA) and national regulators' registers; in the UK, the FCA register; in the US, NMLS Consumer Access and the FinCEN MSB register; in New York, the NYDFS list; in Canada, the FINTRAC MSB register. A licence in one country does not mean the exchange may serve customers in yours.
Is money on a crypto exchange protected like a bank deposit?
Usually not. Deposit guarantee schemes generally do not cover cryptoassets. Some exchanges disclose theft insurance or their own protection fund — check the terms and limits on the exchange's site. We only mark what the exchange itself discloses.
How do you rank crypto exchanges?
On facts from the exchanges' official pages and regulator registers — each with a link and check date — combined by a fixed, public formula. We do not rate returns, price forecasts, futures or leveraged products. The ranking is reproducible and cannot be bought.