This is the general-purpose ranking: the exchange you would open if you had to pick one account and use it for everything.
Security and reputation carry the heaviest weights here, because the difference between a 0.10% and a 0.05% fee is worth a few dollars a month and the difference between a solvent and an insolvent venue is worth everything you hold on it.
| Exchange | Score | Spot taker | Futures taker | Best for | Open account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1BinanceThe deepest order books in crypto, with the widest product range. | 8.5 | 0.075%after discount | 0.05% | altcoins, futures | Open account |
2KrakenThe security-first veteran, and the safest on-ramp for large fiat amounts. | 8.4 | 0.8% | 0.05% | beginners, security | Open account |
3OKXA trading platform and a self-custody wallet in one product. | 8.4 | 0.1% | 0.05% | futures, defi | Open account |
4BybitA derivatives-first exchange that grew into a full-service platform. | 8.3 | 0.1% | 0.055% | futures, copy-trading | Open account |
5CoinbaseThe most regulated, most beginner-friendly and most expensive way in. | 8.2 | 1.2% | 0.05% | beginners, usa | Open account |
6BitgetThe copy-trading specialist with a large protection fund. | 7.9 | 0.1% | 0.06% | copy-trading, altcoins | Open account |
7MEXCThe cheapest fees and the longest listing tail, with the trade-offs that implies. | 7.5 | 0.05% | 0.02% | low-fees, altcoins | Open account |
8KuCoinThe altcoin exchange that grew up, slowly. | 7.4 | 0.08%after discount | 0.06% | altcoins, low-fees | Open account |
Top of this ranking
The deepest order books in crypto, with the widest product range.
The security-first veteran, and the safest on-ramp for large fiat amounts.
A trading platform and a self-custody wallet in one product.
The exchange that scores highest on our weighted model is shown first in the table above; the ranking recalculates whenever a sub-score changes. For most people the practical answer depends on their country, because availability removes more options than quality does.
Holding on an exchange means trusting that exchange with custody. For amounts you would be unhappy to lose, self-custody in a hardware wallet removes that risk. Exchanges are for trading and for on-ramping fiat.
Sub-scores are reviewed at least quarterly and immediately after any material event — a fee change, a security incident, or a change in country availability.
Other rankings
Guides
A practical filter for picking an exchange: availability first, then custody, then cost — in that order.
Maker and taker fees, spreads, funding rates and withdrawal costs — what each one actually takes out of your account.
The signup, verification and first-deposit process end to end, including the security steps to take before you fund the account.
Tools and reference
Security and reputation inputs, side by side
Maker/taker, spread, slippage, proof of reserves and more