Bitstamp Review and Comparison 2025

By Alexander Reed

Last Updated: Dec 11, 2024

Co-author

By Alex Benfield

bitstamp review

Bitstamp is one of the oldest and most respected cryptocurrency exchange platforms. It’s been in operation since 2011. In this post, I’ll review the Bitstamp crypto exchange, compare it to other leading exchanges, and describe our personal experience with it as well. By the end of this review, you should have all the information you need to know whether or not a Bitstamp account is right for you.

Key Features of our Bitstamp Review:

Here are some key takeaways on Bitstamp:

  • Bistamps Earn: Bitstamp offers an Earn program where you can stake your crypto and earn yield easily on the main Bitstamp platform
  • Huge Selection of Cryptocurrencies: Bitstamp offers well over 200 different cryptocurrencies for spot trading
  • Institutional Trading Branch: Bitstamp has an institutional arm perfect for family offices and small hedge funds looking for a solid crypto brokerage
  • Easy To Use Bitstamp App: Bitstamp offers a very easy to use crypto trading mobile app to help you trade on the go
  • Large Trading Volume: Bitstamp ranks in the top 20 by daily trading volume

Our Verdict

9.1/10

Visit Bitstamp

  • Newbie friendly – 8.9/10
  • Currency support – 9.5/10
  • User Experience – 8.6/10
  • Platform reliability – 8.5/10
  • Fees – 9.0/10
  • Country support – 9.5/10

Pros

  • Regulated Exchange
  • Competitive Low Trading Fees
  • Over 200+ Spot Cryptocurrency Supported
  • Strong Security

Cons

  • Doesn’t Offer Many Advanced Trading Tools
  • Full KYC

Bitstamp Review Summary

Bitstamp is an OG crypto exchange that was founded in 2011 and has been a leader in the space ever since. The exchange puts an emphasis on quality over quantity, supplying trading options for a limited amount of cryptocurrencies yet maintaining a positive user experience overall.

If you’re located inside the EU and are looking to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, or Bitcoin Cash, this is probably one of the best choices around.

That’s Bitstamp in a nutshell. If you want a more detailed review, keep on reading. Here’s what I’ll cover:

Bitstamp Overview

Bitstamp was founded in 2011 by Nejc Kodrič and Damijan Merlak in Slovenia. It was one of the first exchanges originally created to trade Bitcoin as a competitor to the then-popular Mt.Gox.

Later on, the exchange moved to the UK (2013) and then Luxembourg (2016). In late 2018 Bitstamp was acquired by NXMH, a Belgium-based company. Today, it has offices in the UK, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, USA, Singapore, and Slovenia.

The crypto exchange has historically been highly compliant with regulators. This includes being regulated by the Luxembourg Financial Regulator (CSSF) since 2016, acquiring the first Payment Institution license in the EU, and also an NYDFS BitLicense in 2019.

Bitstamp is best suited for intermediate cryptocurrency users who need to trade Bitcoin, altcoins, and fiat currencies. Bitstamp is one of the larger crypto exchanges around and offers plenty of trading volume for spot crypto trading. Advanced traders may be better suited with a different crypto exchange that offers more advanced trading tools like leverage, margin, or options. Bitstamp looks to offer users a low-fee way to trade crypto in large amounts.

The platform suffered hacks and stopped trading at times during 2014 and 2015, the latter of which saw 19,000 Bitcoins stolen.

Bitstamp Services

Instant Purchases

First off, Bitstamp enables users to easily onboard into crypto via instant purchases using a debit or credit card, or alternatively, ACH for making instant deposits (and using the trading platform to buy crypto with the deposited funds). This enables verified users to rapidly acquire their first cryptocurrency assets.

Bitstamp also claims that 95% of user funds are held in cold storage (offline) and are protected by the insurance coverage of their custodians, BitGo and Paragon.

Trading platform

Bitstamp has a simplistic trading interface for beginners, as well as a more advanced trading interface for advanced users called “Tradeview”.

The beginner-friendly platform removes is a minimalist design, displaying only a short-term line chart for pricing, as well as a buy/sell box.

On the other hand, Tradeview provides users with all of the necessary bells and whistles to cater to experienced traders. This includes real-time charts, order books, depth charts and four different order types: Market, limit, stop and instant orders. Users can also set up price alerts for all of their favorite assets.

Although the number of assets available to trade is smaller than many other major platforms, this appears to be because Bitstamp chooses quality over quantity – it is more particular over which assets it chooses to list.

Bitstamp Earn

Bitstamp Earn is the platform’s staking service, which makes it easier for proof-of-stake (PoS) asset holders to participate in their networks and earn a return. Instead of needing to set up staking themselves, Bitstamp Earn users can stake their coins at the click of a button, with no need for technical expertise or software/hardware requirements.

Currently, there are only a couple of assets available under this feature. However, Bitstamp plans to expand the service in the near future.

Over-the-Counter Services

A lesser-recognized feature of the Bitstamp platform is its over-the-counter (OTC) desk, which enables users to trade large amounts of crypto ($500,000 equivalent or more) more directly with a counterparty, instead of affecting order book liquidity. Users can request an OTC quote for large orders at any time.

Mobile App

Bitstamp also has a mobile trading app with all the functionality you would find on the desktop version. This is available for both iOS and Android devices.


Currencies and Payment Methods

Bitstamp works with Euros and US dollars for fiat currency options.

If you have a European bank account, you’ll find the service particularly useful because you can deposit money via SEPA and it will arrive relatively quick. Alternatively, you can use a regular wire transfer or instantly deposit US dollars using ACH. The minimum trade size is just 10 EUR/USD, making the platform easily accessible to any level of user.

You can also buy Bitcoins with a credit card through Bitstamp. However, this method will include 5% fee, not including possible additional fees from your CC issuer.

At the time of writing, Bitstamp offers trading for 75 different crypto assets, including (but not limited to):

  • Bitcoin (BTC)
  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Litecoin (LTC)
  • Ripple (XRP)
  • Cardano (ADA)
  • Polygon (MATIC)
  • Avalanche (AVAX)
  • Shiba Inu (SHIB)
  • Uniswap (UNI)
  • Chainlink (LINK)
  • Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

You can, of course, deposit any of the cryptocurrencies mentioned above to the exchange as well. As part of being a gateway to the Ripple network, Bitstamp also accepts BTCUSD IOUs (for a complete explanation of what IOUs are, watch our “What is Ripple” video).

If neither of the above options works out for you, Bitstamp also accepts AstroPay payments.

Bitstamp Fees

Deposits, withdrawals, and trading fees with Bitstamp are generally pretty cheap compared to most exchanges. The deposit fee for international wire transfers is just 0.05%, which is pretty low. Withdrawals using international wire are charged 0.1%. SEPA and ACH deposits are free, while ACH withdrawals are also free. SEPA withdrawals cost 3 EUR.

Trading fees vary, depending on your ‘buy and sell’ amounts. The highest trading fee is 0.5% for monthly volumes under $10,000, but fees can fall to as low as 0.10% if you’re lucky enough to be trading more than $10,000,000 in 30-day volume. Overall Bitstamp fees are fairly competitive with other major exchanges. 

Be wary of using your credit card, though; depositing via card for will cost you dearly. All credit and debit card deposits carry a whopping 5% fee.

Staking fees for ETH2 and ALGO are 15% of the total rewards earned via the platform’s staking nodes.

Deposits and withdrawals in Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum are free of charge. Bitstamp has their entire fee structure available on their site.

Supported Countries

Bitstamp supports the 27 EU countries and the following countries:

Switzerland, Norway, Monaco, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Andorra, Moldova, Gibraltar, Iceland, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Isle of Man, Faroe Islands, Åland Islands, San Marino, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Israel, South Africa, Chile, Kuwait, Cayman Islands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Peru, Madagascar, Mozambique, Dominican Republic, Curaçao, Dominica, Jordan, the Bahamas, Bahrain, French Polynesia, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Réunion, Jamaica, Paraguay, Brunei, New Caledonia, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Sint Maarten.

Bitstamp operates in the US as well under the subsidiary Bitstamp USA.

Customer Support and Reviews

Bitstamp claims to answer 99% of all email enquiries within 24 hours, as well as answer 80% of phone calls within 30 seconds. There’s also a decent FAQ page, which actually provides in-depth information that should answer most major questions.

Most negative reviews on the platform to date appear to be customers unhappy with “inactivity fees”, which Bitstamp has now scrapped. Other negative reviews complain about the rigorous know-your-customer (KYC) processes of the exchange, as well as some account suspensions related to verification processes. This is somewhat typical of more compliant exchanges, which draw a hard line on following KYC rules.

Aside from this, Bitstamp customer reviews generally commend the platform for quick and helpful customer service, as well as an overall pleasant trading experience.

Personally, we’ve been using Bitstamp for several years and have almost always received a timely response whenever we had an issue.

Bitstamp vs. Kraken

Kraken and Bitstamp are considered to be two pioneering exchanges due to their early entrance to the market. Both exchanges aren’t very user friendly in their interface and are suited for more experienced traders.

The exchanges are relatively similar when it comes to fees, however, Kraken supports a wider range of cryptocurrencies. While Kraken focuses more on features and functionality (e.g. futures and margin trading), Bitstamp tends to be more customer-focused.

Overall, if you’re looking for advanced trading features, I’d go with Kraken, but if you’re looking for a stable platform with better customer support I’d choose a Bitstamp account. Check out our complete Kraken review for more info.

Conclusion – Is Bitstamp Legit?

Bitstamp provides a solid exchange for cryptocurrency users looking for a reliable way to trade, or even just buy their first crypto coins. It’s been around long enough to establish a good reputation and knows how to offer a decent service – especially for large trade amounts.

It’s a convenient platform for those looking to work within the EU and you can feel safe in the knowledge that it will keep large amounts of funds secure. It also has excellent customer support, with a bunch of great reviews and quick turnaround times for one-on-one help. The only real downsides are a slight lack of variety in cryptocurrencies compared to industry giants, as well as somewhat high trading fees for small users. If that sounds okay with you then get started and create your own Bitstamp account today!

Bitstamp

9.1

Fees

9.0/10

Reputation

8.8/10

Security

9.0/10

Support

9.5/10

Pros

  • Great long term reputation
  • Low deposit and withdrawal fees
  • Great customer support

Cons

  • Less assets than other platforms
  • Intense verification process

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long do Bitstamp Withdrawals Take?



Is Bitstamp a Wallet or an Exchange?



How do I Deposit USD to Bitstamp?


Does Bitstamp Offer Margin Trading?


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Disclaimer

Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. You could lose all of your capital.

Alexander Reed
Alexander Reed
Editor

Having delved into futures trading in the past, my intrigue in financial, economic, and political affairs eventually led me to a striking realization: the current debt-based fiat system is fundamentally flawed. This revelation prompted me to explore alternative avenues, including... Read More

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