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Best Ethereum Exchange Reviews & Comparison

By: Ofir Beigel | Last updated: 1/28/24

Ethereum has rapidly become one of the largest cryptocurrencies, second only to Bitcoin. Today, many decentralized applications run on Ethereum, with many exchanges focusing on Ether in their currency pairs.

In this article, I will go over the different Ethereum exchanges available and list the various things you need to consider before choosing an exchange.

Ethereum Exchange Guide Summary

In order to buy or sell Ethereum, you’ll need to find an exchange that supports Ethereum trading. Luckily, most do. When choosing an Ethereum exchange, it’s important to differentiate between 3 different types of exchanges: brokers, trading platforms, and P2P marketplaces.

Here are my top 4 picks for the best Ethereum exchange by category:

CEX.IO
CEXIO Logo
Type:
Broker & Trading platform
Overall rating:
eToro
Etoro Logo
Type:
Trading platform
Overall rating:
Coinmama
Type:
Broker
Overall rating:
LocalCoinSwap
Type:
P2P platform
Overall rating:

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76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

CFDs are not available to US customers.

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If you want a detailed explanation of the different types of exchanges and to read summarized reviews of the various exchanges, keep on reading. Here’s what I’ll cover:

  1. How Do I Buy Ethereum?
  2. Ethereum Exchange Types
  3. How to Choose an Exchange
  4. Best Ethereum Brokers
  5. Best Ethereum Trading Platforms
  6. Best Ethereum P2P Marketplaces
  7. Conclusion

1. How Do I Buy Ethereum?

In order to buy Ethereum, you’ll need to:

  1. Find an Ethereum exchange or broker like CEX.IO or Coinmama
  2. Open an account
  3. Deposit funds or send another cryptocurrency into the exchange
  4. Exchange your funds or trade your crypto for Ethereum
  5. Withdraw the Ethereum to your own wallet (optional but highly recommended)

2. Ethereum Exchange Types

Before you choose an Ethereum exchange, getting familiar with the different exchange types out there is important.

Trading platforms

Connect buyers and sellers automatically through an online website. The buyer states the requested price, and the platform finds a seller that meets the bid. No direct communication is done between the buyer and seller. Trading platforms are usually the cheapest option when it comes to fees, but they are also much more complicated than other options.

Examples of trading platforms are Binance, Coinbase Advanced Trade, and Kraken.

Brokers

A website that sells you Ethereum directly for a premium. Brokers are usually the easiest way to buy Ethereum but are also usually more expensive.

An example of a broker is Coinmama.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplaces

Websites that connect buyers and sellers directly so they can negotiate on a price. While these sites usually allow for a wider array of options (payment methods, supported countries, etc.), they also hold a large amount of risk since you’re buying from an anonymous individual. Prices can also differ significantly, as they are set by the sellers.

An example of a P2P marketplace is LocalCoinSwap.


3. How to Choose an Ethereum Exchange

When examining an exchange, you should take into account several factors:

  • FeesWhat deposit, withdrawal, and transaction fees does the exchange collect?
  • Countries supportedIs the exchange supported in your country?
  • Payment methods acceptedDoes the exchange accept credit/debit cards, wire transfers, or even PayPal?
  • Exchange reputationHow long has the exchange been around? Is it transparent about its business? What is the public perception of it?
  • Level of verification neededIs there a long verification process, or can you buy Ethereum right away?
  • Reliable supportHow responsive is the exchange’s support? Can you chat with them in real time or only email them?

Keep in mind that no exchange is perfect. Usually, an exchange excels in one field and lags behind in another.


4. Best Ethereum Brokers

CEX.IO

CEX.IO is a FinCEN-registered Bitcoin and Ethereum broker that also provides a complete trading platform. The exchange accepts credit/debit cards, wire transfers, Swift, ACH, Faster Payments, Epay, Skrill, Advcash, and SEPA transfers if you live in the Eurozone. The site has a very easy-to-use and intuitive interface that allows you to buy ETH relatively quickly. If you feel comfortable using the site’s trading platform instead of the brokerage service, you can save a lot in fees.

You can read my full CEX.IO review here.

Coinmama

Coinmama has been around since 2013 and supplies a brokerage service to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a variety of other cryptocurrencies. The exchange will buy or sell Ethereum directly at a premium. They also put an emphasis on quality customer support. Coinmama accepts credit and debit cards, Apple/Google Pay, Skrill, wire transfers, SWIFT, and SEPA transfers for Ethereum purchases. If you have the option to pay via SEPA, you’ll decrease fees dramatically.

You can read my full Coinmama review here.

Coinbase

Coinbase is one of the most popular methods for buying Ethereum. The exchange is one of the oldest around and has been active since 2012. Coinbase supports 100+ different countries including the US, Canada, UK, and New Zealand. Payment methods on Coinbase vary depending on your country of residence. For US residents, Coinbase accepts payment via ACH, debit card, wire transfer, and Apple/Google Pay – as well as being one of the few exchanges that accept PayPal.

Coinbase can act as a broker through its direct and easy buying service, or you can use the Coinbase Advanced Trade exchange if you’re a more experienced user.

You can read my full Coinbase review here.

Bitpanda

Bitpanda is a cryptocurrency broker that originally specialized in buying and selling Ethereum within the Eurozone but has now started expanding, starting with the UAE. Founded in late 2014, the company has grown to become one of the more popular options to purchase cryptocurrency around Europe. It offers many payment options and delivers coins to your wallet quickly and securely.

You can read my full Bitpanda review here.


5. Best Ethereum Trading Platforms

eToro

eToro is a platform that allows the trading of several cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, Ripple (XRP), Bitcoin Cash, and more. It is very well-suited for people who are looking to make money from changes in Ethereum’s price (not available for US users) but not so much for people who actually want to hold their Ether in their own wallet.

The reason for that is that withdrawing your coins to your private wallet involves sending it first to your eToro wallet, which may take up to 3 days.

You can read my full eToro review here.

Important:

Keep in mind that cryptocurrencies can widely fluctuate in price and are not appropriate for all investors. Trading cryptocurrencies is not supervised by any EU regulatory framework. So keep in mind that your capital is at risk. US users – CFDs are not available for US users. US users can only trade (long) real assets without leverage.

Bitstamp

Bitstamp added the Ethereum trading pair in late 2017. The exchange has been around since 2011 and is among the oldest and most respectable. The platform supplies two main options for buying Ethereum – the trading platform and a brokerage service. The trading platform is cheaper but harder to use for inexperienced users, while the brokerage service is a more expensive “one-click” solution.

You can read my full Bitstamp review here.

Binance

Binance is a crypto-to-crypto and fiat-to-crypto trading platform that also supplies a brokerage service for buying cryptos with fiat currency. This means that you can either use your bank card or a bank deposit to buy Ethereum or deposit any other supported cryptocurrency and exchange it for Ethereum. The fees for using the brokerage service are, of course, much higher than the 1% transaction fee the trading platform charges.

You can read my full Binance review here.

Changelly

Changelly was established in 2016 and quickly attracted tens of thousands of users. The exchange allows you to trade one cryptocurrency for the other. If you own Bitcoin, you can almost instantly trade it for Ethereum.

From personal experience, it takes around 30 minutes to get a coin traded from one type to another, and the interface is very clean and intuitive. However, you may not want to use the exchange to buy Ethereum with fiat currency since the fees are extremely high at around 5%.

You can read my full Changelly review here.


6. Best Ethereum P2P Marketplaces

LocalCoinSwap

LocalCoinSwap is a marketplace where buyers and sellers connect directly. When you use LocalCoinSwap, you’re dealing with an actual person, which means that the seller’s credibility is another thing to watch out for.

As for fees, sellers will usually charge a premium since they’re taking a big risk of buyer chargebacks. The upside is that you will usually get your bitcoins faster.

You can read my full LocalCoinSwap review here.

Paxful

Paxful is one of the most popular P2P crypto marketplaces, supporting individual buyers and sellers with a massive range of payment methods. Users can offer anything from cash to debit or credit cards, bank transfers, and even gift cards. They accept PayPal as well.

Similar to LocalCoinSwap, users should be aware of the risks associated with individual sellers and do their due diligence before transacting with users on the platform.

You can read my full Paxful review here.

Binance P2P

Whilst also being an established crypto exchange, Binance also offers a P2P marketplace similar to LocalCoinSwap. Binance P2P supports many payment methods, including bank transfer, cash in-person, and other digital payment methods.


7. Conclusion

Ever since Ethereum cemented its position as the second-largest cryptocurrency, almost every crypto broker, exchange, or P2P platform offers the token.

When choosing an exchange, the main thing is to ensure your country and preferred payment method are supported. For beginners, it’s better to use brokerage services (like Coinmama) and pay a bit of a premium, while more advanced users should trade on trading platforms (like CEX.IO or Kraken) and save on fees.

If you have additional comments or questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

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9 comments on “Ethereum Exchanges”

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  1. Hey there! Thank you for your article. It is very detailed review of best exchanges. But, IMO you’re missing something. I recommend you adding Swapzone to the list too. They are non-custodial exchange aggregators with instant services and 300+ coins onboard

    1. Hi Saurav,

      Well, adding Swapzone would detract from the usefulness of our own curated list but thanks for the suggestion.

  2. Hey!!! Team. I have gone through the entire article which looks quite interesting. Here, you have clearly explained about the top ethereum exchange platform for traders in 2020. Thanks! for sharing this article with us. Keep up the good work. Are you a crypto enthusiast, planning to launch your crypto exchange platform for your crypto trading business? Check Osiz Technologies.

  3. Most of these exchanges mentioned here have fake trading volume, don’t know if I should be happy or sad my alt ledu isn’t listed on it.

    1. Hi Dembie,

      Well, I don’t know where you got that information but I would question it. We usually see fake volume from small exchanges in countries where regulation of crypto exchanges is lax. For example, we saw a lot of fake volume from China before authorities there cracked down on it, and recently in South Korea the executives of an exchange were charged with fraud for faking volume.

      I think it’s fairly unlikely that the large and established exchanges listed here would risk their reputation by faking volume.

      1. Agree with you
        The main thing is to approach the choice of the exchange
        I stopped at CoinsBank
        They organize and blockchain conferences, and there you can find partners and investors of your projects.
        Recommend

    2. There are a lot of platforms to exchange cryptocurrency at the present time. I’m staying with coinsbank. Working with them. Fast transactions, easy exchange place. I’m just waiting for your card.
      **link removed**

  4. I did not see in the review a changenow.io, in my opinion, this is one of the best services. There are no limits and registration, it is very convenient, besides, if you compare the reviews of truspilot, changenow has a higher rating compared to exchanges from this list.

    1. Hi Gary,

      Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve never used changenow.io so can’t directly comment on it. Looks to be an option worth investigating!

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