Introduction

Slowly and steadily, Bitcoin and altcoins are getting attention from more investors all around the world.

And why not? These cryptocurrencies are time and again proving themselves to be a safe haven against government’s inflationary policies.

That’s why some people are even securing cryptocurrencies as their retirement funds, while some are doing pure speculation with short-term trading (i.e. buy low, sell high).

And let’s not forget about those who are just starting off by looking around to find the answer to questions like:

Where do I buy such currencies?
What are the best cryptocurrency exchanges?

But before we talk about the best exchanges out there, I need to tell you that it’s not too late to get invested in cryptocurrencies. At the time of this writing, the Bitcoin and altcoin market is at an all-time high, with a market cap of $166 billion. I believe we will cross the $250 billion mark later this year.

So now that you know you should invest, here’s where you need to go to do that.

Update: Due to high users demand and to focus on current user base, many exchanges have shut down new registrations. I will update this note when they start accepting new registrations. For now here are some of the top exchanges accepting new registrations:

Binance: They have resumed limited user registrations which will be open for a few hours every day and for the limited number of users. Try your luck!

Gate.io: Many new cryptos can be found here. Unique approach and something you should signup for in 2018. Also offers mobile app just like KuCoin and Binance.

YoBit: Low cap coin heaven

Bitmex: One of the whales of Cryptocurrency exchange. You can do margin trading, if that’s your thing.

Changelly: Instantly convert any cryptocurrency to any of your choice. Great for instant conversion.

UpCoin: Yet to launch but they are offering $500 worth trading fees to those who join in their pre-launch time. (Just signup and claim your $500 for now)

Here is a consolidated list of best cryptocurrency exchanges

Binance – Offers mobile app and probably the fastest growing exchange. If you need to pick only one, this is the best and nr. 1 in 2018.

Create your free account here: https://www.binance.com/?ref=11603782
Remember to click "register" to create your account.

Gate.io: Many new cryptos can be found here. Unique approach and something you should signup for in 2018. Also offers mobile app just like KuCoin and Binance.

Changelly: Perfect for quick crypto exchange. Easy to use and great for beginners.

Bittrex: Another high quality exchange with a lot of coins.

Bitfinex: Offers mobile app and a popular exchange. You can also lend crypto here to earn interest.

Bitmex: One of the whales of Cryptocurrency exchange. You can do margin trading, if that’s your thing.

KuCoin: Another Cryptocurrency exchange.

Cryptopia: Many undervalued cryptos can be found here.

For Acquiting Cryptocurrencies:

If you live in a country where its not easy to get Bitcoin, you can use any of these three websites. All three of them offers to buy Bitcoin using credit/debit card.

CEX: My favorite (New registrations are disabled at this moment)
Changelly: Reliable
CoinMama: Old but gold
Note: This list is starting from easy to use exchanges and moving towards some of the advanced exchanges.

7 Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges for Trading Cryptocurrency

1.Binance

Register a free account here: https://www.binance.com/?ref=11603782

Binance is a rapidly growing exchange that concluded its ICO a few months back.

Though it is based out of China, it doesn’t serve its native country but is open to almost all countries around the world.

Since its ICO to till date, it has grown tremendously and is now placed in top 10 cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. It now has more than 140 altcoins listed on it which are only increasing as the days are passing.

Binance being a centralized exchange has taken a unique take to expand its business and also provides a decent discount for day traders if they use BNB coins. BNB is Binance Coin which is the native currency of this platform.

Read: Binance Cryptocurrency: A Unique And Rapidly Growing Crypto Exchange

Binance’s fee structure is also unique. To start with they have 0.1% standard trading fee which is already quite less than other peers. You can even reduce your fee further if you pay your trading fee in BNB according to the below-shown structure.

To get started with Binance you need to register using your email ID and the process is quite simple & fast. Moreover, you get 1 QTUM coin as a kind gesture for registration which is limited to 10,000 QTUM coins on first come first basis. Binance is one of the few exchanges that offers mobile app for iOS and Android. Being using it for a while, I find it too easy to trade cryptocurrency while on the move. You can watch this video to learn how to use their mobile app.

They also have aggressive plans like multi-lingual support, mobile apps for both iOS and Android users, Binance Angel Program, and the Community Coin Per Month etc for more adoption of their platform.

Register free account on Binance

2.Gate.io

Gate is a promising cryptocurrency exchange that offers all major coins. They also have a mobile app which is functional and let you trade cryptocurrencies on the move. Also, they are running a promo where they are offering 10% discount on trading fees.

Gate.io offers multiple trading pair such as BTC Market, ETH Market, USDT Market, QTUM market. The mobile app is decent for trading on the move. You can also deposit or withdraw funds using mobile app.

3.KuCoin

KuCoin is another easy and hassle-free cryptocurrency exchange. KuCoin offers many popular and unique coin such as DragonChain, $KCS and many others. Just like Binance, they offer a fully functional mobile app for Android and iOS.

To get started with KuCoin, you can deposit any crypto of your choice ex: BTC and start trading. Personally, I have been using KuCoin since last quarter of 2017 and they are getting popular day by day.

4.Changelly

Changelly is one of the easiest ways to get ahold of various cryptocurrencies.

Changelly is a product of the mining pool, MinerGate, which has a proven track record of consistently good products being put out into the crypto-space.

One of the best things about Changelly is that you don’t need to go through any lengthy verification or registration process. You just log in with your email ID (or any email ID) and start exchanging!

Currently, it supports more than 35 cryptocurrencies along with fiat pairs such as USD/EUR. It is one of the best and easiest to use exchanges out there. If you want to know more, check out Harsh’s review on Changelly.

When you use Changelly to exchange cryptocurrency, Changelly bots connect in real time to some of the best and busiest cryptocurrency exchanges in the market to get you the best price.

Usually, when using Changelly, a crypto-to-crypto exchange takes 5 to 30 minutes.

They charge a commission fee of 0.5% on each trade, which I think is minimal in exchange for the volatility and risk that they bear on behalf of their users. In addition to the commission, a miner’s fee is also paid by the user and is deducted directly from their crypto balance.

But all you need in order to buy from Changelly is a VISA/MasterCard (credit/debit card) or any Changelly-supported cryptocurrency and a wallet where you want to receive your new coins.

The procedure is very simple.

Head toward CoinSutra’s Cryptocurrency Exchange – Changelly, and follow the steps given in this guide.

Note: Though this guide shows how to buy Ripple in exchange for BTC, the process is exactly the same to buy any other Changelly-supported cryptocurrency.

And if you want to buy cryptos using a VISA/MasterCard, then here is their official step-by-step guide on doing that. (Even though this guide is for buying BTC using a VISA/MasterCard, the process is the same for buying any other Changelly-supported cryptocurrency.)

Check out Changelly

5.Bittrex

Bittrex is a US-based cryptocurrency exchange that provides you the option to trade more than 190 cryptocurrencies at a time. They are well-regulated and compliant with all of the current US rules, so crypto users need not worry about the safety of their funds.

Bittrex handles one of the largest BTC trading volumes out of all the exchanges in the world.

Here, the users (buyers/sellers) decide the rates in which they want to trade, and Bittrex charges them a small service fee for providing this platform (0.25%).

To get started with Bittrex, you need to register and log in through your email ID, but to withdraw funds, you need to do a KYC by submitting your ID documents and phone number, as well as enabling two-factor authentication for higher limits.

But one good thing about Bittrex is the account verification happens quite fast.

Bittrex supports two types of accounts:

Basic Account – withdrawal funds worth up to 3 BTC/day.
Advanced Account – withdrawal funds worth up to 100 BTC/day.
Bittrex is a “crypto-only” exchange, meaning it doesn’t allow you to deposit fiat currencies such as USD, EUR, GBP, etc.

They provide access to advanced trading tools like candlestick charts and crosshairs, but the user interface is quite clean and intuitive, so newbies should have no problems.

You can visit Bittrex and open a Bittrex account by following this official step by step guide here.

Check out Bittrex

6.Poloniex

Founded by Tristan D’Agosta, Poloniex has been operational since January 2014 and is undoubtedly one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

It is based out of the United States and offers +100 cryptocurrencies to its users to trade.

When you talk about trade volumes, nothing beats Poloniex. In 2017, Poloniex had the highest volume for ETH because it supports an independent Ethereum market as well as a BTC market.

Poloniex

It is a crypto-only exchange, but you can start trading easily by depositing USDT (Tether dollars).

Poloniex also has zoomable candlestick charts for 5-minutes, 15-minutes, 30-minutes, 2-hours, 4-hours, and 1-day, along with a stop-limit feature for advanced cryptocurrency traders.

Poloniex charges a fee of 0.15% to 0.25% on all trades depending upon whether you are a maker or a taker.

Poloniex Fees

So if you are looking to trade a variety of altcoins, then you should give Poloniex a shot.

To get started with Poloniex, follow this official guide.

Remember: As soon as you sign up for Poloniex using your email, do make sure to enable two-factor authentication!

Check out Poloniex

7.Bitfinex

Bitfinex is another one of the largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges out there.

Based out of Hong Kong and operational since 2014, it gives its users the option to trade the following 13 cryptocurrencies in exchange of USD or BTC:

Bitcoin
Bcash
Dash
Ethereum
Zcash
Monero
Litecoin
Ethereum Classic
OmiseGO
EOS
IOTA
Santiment
Ripple
Unlike Bittrex and Poloniex, you can trade using USD (with a wire fee of at least $20). Also, users will need to pay a trade fee which varies from 0.1% to 0.8% (details here).

Also, whenever you withdrawal or deposit anything, you are charged a certain fee:

Bitfinex Fees

On Bitfinex, if you are a pro-trader, you will find advanced trading tools such as limit orders, stop orders, trailing stop, fill or kill, TWAP, and others, along with different market charts.

To get started on Bitfinex, you need to register, verify your ID, and authenticate yourself. It typically takes 15-20 business days after submitting valid ID proof before you’re accepted into the platform.

Update: on 12th January 2018 Bitfinex opened the registration but put a limit of 10000 USD or equivalent cryptos to be deposited for the account to be fully functional.

And whenever you get bored with the web version or want to trade on-the-go, you can use Bitfinex’s Android and iOS mobile apps.

Check out Bitfinex

Bonus. Cryptopia

Cryptopia is another popular cryptocurrency exchange that supports buying/selling more than 400 altcoins.

They have aggressively grown to this stature and have the record of listing many cheap coins.

By cheap I don’t mean that those coins are fake or scam but yeah they do list those coins that you will not find on other popular exchange.

Thier this approach makes it possible for so many cryptocurrencies to acquire good liquidity for themselves.

It is a centralized exchange based out of NewZealand that allows you to buy/sell cryptos in almost any part of the world.

Getting started here is quite easy & simple. You just need to register yourself using your email ID with a strong password. Always two-factor authentication is recommended when you are using centralized exchanges.

Their fee structure is not fixed that keeps an eye while trading because they do show the fee in a tiny little corner and have not other hidden fees apart from the shown one.

Check Cryptopia Now

The Best Crypto Exchanges
Using the above cryptocurrency exchanges will allow you to buy almost all of the cryptos you could ever want to buy. However, there are a few more cryptocurrency exchanges that you should have an account with, as there are a few coins that are only available there.

Some of those exchanges are:

Gate.io
YoBit
CoinExchange
I will update this post as I find other trustable and feature-rich cryptocurrency exchanges. For now, you can consider joining our Telegram channel to stay updated with all the latest info.

I hope these insights help you in choosing the best cryptocurrency exchange for you to use.

But one word of caution:

Don’t use these exchanges as a wallet to HODL your cryptos.
If you are storing cryptocurrencies on these exchanges for a few hours or even a few days for the sake of trading, then it’s probably OK. Otherwise, this is a bad practice.

Large-scale hacks like Mt. Gox can happen at any time. I would strongly recommend you to use the Ledger Nano S or a wallet like Exodus, where you can store a lot of different cryptos and control your private keys.

Donations:

Ethereum: 0x514cb58a4054944e90720f10826bf3c247ff6de8

Bitcoin: 1HGdu8ChST5qFs3TtDkhiKcPXAWbHJH1sZ