Best Crypto Exchange USA: Which Are the Top 3

Whether you want to trade or invest in cryptos you need a crypto exchange platform. Like other digital assets, crypto assets are extremely exposed to cyber security risks. This makes it imperative to seek the best crypto exchange platform to safeguard your crypto assets.

In this guide, I will walk you through the top 3 best cryptocurrency exchanges in the United States.

Canadians can check my review of the best Canadian crypto exchanges.

The top 3 best cryptocurrency exchanges in the US

With hundreds of cryptocurrency exchanges dotting the crypto industry, choosing the best crypto exchange for your trades and investments can be hard. This is especially the case if you are a new crypto investor.

To make it easier for you, the following is a list of the top 3 best cryptocurrency exchange platforms in the US to choose from:

1. Coinbase

Coinbase crypto exchange platform
Coinbase crypto exchange platform

No doubt Coinbase leads the top crypto exchanges in the United States. Of all our top picks, Coinbase has the best tools and features that cater to the needs of both crypto traders and crypto investors.

Products and services

The following are products and services offered by Coinbase to its customers:

Supported digital currencies

Coinbase account supports the following digital currencies:

Market performance metrics

As of the time of writing, Coinbase has the following market performance metrics:

Features

The following key features describe the Coinbase crypto exchange platform:

(i) Platform design and tools

Coinbase boasts the following platform design features and tools:

(ii) Fee structure

Fundamentally, the Coinbase fee structure favors makers. Thus, a maker pays less than a taker. The maker fees range from 0.00% to 0.40% while the taker fees range from 0.05% to 0.60%

Nonetheless, these fees are subject to graduating scale. This means that the fee that you ultimately pay depends on your tier and amount of transaction.

Apart from that, Coinbase Commerce charges a 1% transaction fee for transacting in listed cryptos. If you transact in cryptos that are not listed, a higher transaction fee will be charged depending on the cryptocurrency being transacted.

(iii) Funding options

Coinbase avails the following funding options to its users:

(iv) Withdrawal options

You can use the following withdrawal methods to get your funds out of Coinbase:

(v) Security measures

In addition to physical security features, Coinbase does offer FDIC-insured deposit protection to customer assets.

Perks and benefits

Coinbase provides the following perks and benefits:

Pros

Coinbase users enjoy the following key advantages:

Cons

Despite its top position, Coinbase has some drawbacks. The main drawbacks of the Coinbase crypto exchange are:

2. Crypto.com

Crypto.com exchange platform
Crypto.com exchange platform

Among the fastest-rising cryptocurrency exchange platforms in the crypto industry is Crypto.com. This platform has one of the widest selections of crypto assets to trade in.

Products and services

You can enjoy the following products and services on the Crypto.com platform:

Supported digital currencies

Crypto.com supports the following digital currencies:

Market performance metrics

As of the time of writing, Crypto.com has the following market performance metrics:

Features

The following key features are descriptive of Crypto.com’s trading platform:

(i) Platform design and tools

The Crypto.com platform has the following design features and tools:

(ii) Fee structure

Two primary factors that determine how much fees to pay on Crypto.com are:

Those crypto traders without CRO staking plus less than $250,000 trading volume are subject to transaction fees of 0.075%. Further, crypto traders without CRO staking but have higher monthly volumes (above $250,000) are subject to 0.05% transaction fees or lower depending on the trade volume.

On the other hand, traders with CRO staking of at least 1,000 CRO and up to $250,000 monthly volume of trade can pay a discounted rate of 0.0720. The higher the staking and trade volume, the lower the transaction fee. High-volume makers with a sizeable CRO staking can pay as low as a 0% fee.

Nonetheless, additional per-trade fees are chargeable depending on the type of trade.  

(iii) Funding options

You can fund your Crypto.com transactions via the following means:

(iv) Withdrawal options

The best way to withdraw your money is via the USD wallet. From your USD wallet, you can withdraw using:

(v) Security measures

In addition to inherent security features, Crypto.com provides offline cold storage for crypto assets. Further, it undertakes $250,000 in FDIC insurance on customer assets in U.S. dollars.

Perks and benefits

Crypto.com presents the following perks and benefits to its users:

Pros

Crypto.com users get to enjoy the following advantages:

Cons

Despite Crypto.com’s impressive features and products, it has the following drawbacks:

3. Kraken

Kraken crypto exchange platform
Kraken crypto exchange platform

Those who demand high-security cryptocurrency exchange platforms will find Kraken a safer place for their crypto assets.

Products and services

The following are the main types of products and services provided by the Kraken exchange platform:

Supported digital currencies

Kraken supports the following digital currencies:

Market performance metrics

As of the time of writing, Kraken has the following market performance metrics:

Features

Kraken crypto exchange platform boasts the following key features:

(i) Platform design and tools

The following are Kraken’s major platform design features and tools:

(ii) Fee structure

Kraken charges both a marker fee and a taker fee. Collectively, these result in higher fees for trading on the platform.

Utilizing the Instant Buy feature attracts a $0.25 + 3.75% fee. The same fee applies to purchases via a card and digital wallet. Bank transfers via ACH attract a much lower fee, equivalent to 0.5%.

Purchases of stablecoins attract a 1.5% fee. However, buying the same via Instant Buy using the USD attracts A 0.9% fee.

Cryptocurrency deposits are free of charge. However, fiat currency deposits attract extra charges depending on the type of fiat digital currency being deposited. Similarly, fiat currency withdrawals also attract extra charges depending on the particular type of fiat digital currency being withdrawn.

(iii) Funding and withdrawal options

Kraken provides the following funding and withdrawal methods:

(iv) Security measures

Security-wise, Kraken ranks among the best cryptocurrency exchanges in the crypto industry. This is because it has never encountered any successful security breaches due to its advanced and stringent security measures.

For security purposes, Kraken holds 95% of digital assets on its platform in an offline cold storage facility and supports various types of cold wallets. This makes it a good crypto platform for risk-averse investors.

Kraken complies with FinCEN, FINTRAC, FCA, AUSTRAC, and FSA requirements.

Perks and benefits

Kraken avails the following perks and benefits to its clientele:

Pros

Kraken exchange has the following pros:

Cons

Kraken has the following cons:

Other crypto exchanges worth mentioning

While the following do not feature among the top performers in terms of market performance metrics, they can be reliable alternatives in case none of the 3 best US crypto exchanges fits your requirements:

Why several international mega giants aren’t on the list?

Due to the extremely stringent and hostile regulatory climate, several crypto giants including Binance, Bittrex, Kucoin, and others have either pulled out or are unwilling to offer cryptocurrency trading services in the US.  

Thus, the top 3 best exchanges in the US market may not hold similar positions in the global market. Only Coinbase may appear among the top 5 best crypto trading platforms globally.

For this reason, we have a short list of crypto exchanges. Hence, before choosing a crypto platform, ensure it fully complies with the US regulatory requirements. Nonetheless, this is a tall order given that Coinbase and Kraken are facing legal issues from the SEC.

The compliance requirements include: