How do we rate cryptocurrency exchanges?

To help you find the best crypto exchange, our team analysed the fees, features, user experience and security for each FCA-registered cryptocurrency exchange we’ve reviewed on our site.

We use this analysis to create our expert Finder score. Exchanges that score well across the board are eligible to be included in our “best for” picks. These reflect the stand-out features of the exchanges.

Finder’s expert scores

You’ll find our expert scores on our banking pages. We rate bank accounts using a system of 1 to 5 blue stars.

★★★★★ – Excellent

★★★★★ – Good

★★★★★ – Average

★★★★★ – Subpar

★★★★★ – Poor

What factors do we take into account?

We rate the exchanges on 6 key factors:

1. Fees. We look at what fees an exchange charges for deposits and withdrawals, as well as its maker and taker fees, and whether there are any additional fees for inactivity on the account.
2. Choice of crypto. Exchanges usually deal in both cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies. We look at the number of altcoins on offer and how many different fiat currencies you can trade with.
3. Tools, resources and features. Exchanges typically have trading tools, educational resources and additional features in order to bring extra value to their services. The larger, more established exchanges tend to offer services like recurring buys or bundles.
4. Account types. This is all about the different services on offer. Whether an exchange has a pro trading function or offers a wallet to store your cryptoassets.
5. User experience. What is the app like? Does it have good reviews? How can you contact customer service? All of these contribute towards a negative or positive experience using an exchange.
6. Safety & security. What security features does the app have? Is the exchange FCA-registered? Does it have any additional insurance to reimburse you if there is a hack?

How we decide which features are most important

Using and comparing crypto exchanges and then sharing our findings is what we do.

Each factor in our scoring is weighted. We asked consumers what matters to them when choosing a cryptocurrency exchange, and took this into account when deciding how to weight our scores.

How do we choose our “best” exchanges?

Our “best fors” are displayed across our crypto content and feature those exchanges that have scored well across the board, have stand-out features and are among partner brands we work with.