Finding the right crypto exchange in the United Kingdom can be hard. There are hundreds of trading platforms, but which cryptocurrency exchanges are best for the UK? For citizens of the United Kingdom, there are a few great options that clearly stand out from the competition. While there are fewer crypto exchanges available in the UK, you still have access to some of the best trading platforms in the world.
We have tested over 100 crypto exchanges and finalized a list of the top 10 cryptocurrency exchanges in the UK. We considered all the important things, such as security, trading fees, reliability, reserve data, and customer support.
While all of the options that we will present to you are top-notch crypto exchanges for traders from the United Kingdom, it is most important that you personally feel comfortable using them.
We highly recommend you sign up for the top exchanges and give them a try. And now, without any further ado, let’s get right into everything you need to know about the top crypto trading platforms in the UK.
The Best UK Crypto Exchanges in 2023
- Bitget – Overall best crypto exchange in the UK
- MEXC – Lowest fees and high leverage trading
- OKX – Low fee derivatives platform
- Binance – Biggest exchange (limited in the UK)
- Huobi – Great interest-earning exchange
- Kraken – Oldest crypto exchange
- Crypto.com – Very user-friendly app
- Coinbase – Expensive but beginner friendly
- eToro – Top choice for practicing
- CEX – Local UK exchange
1. Bitget
Bitget is the best crypto exchange in the UK. The platform was founded in 2018 and quickly became one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. It is now globally on rank 5 according to Coinmarketcap and has a daily trading volume of over $5 billion.
Security
The security of Bitget seems to be at the top of the game. The crypto exchange has never been hacked. Furthermore, Bitget provides full transparency with proof of reserves, which means that your funds are backed 1:1 on the exchange.
On top of that, Bitget has a security fund worth over $300 million for the case of hacks to back up the customers’ funds. Luckily, Bitget never had to make use of it and continues to grow its backup security fund.
Trading on Bitget
When it comes to trading fees, Bitget offers 0% spot trading, while the futures fees are 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker which is the industry standard. You can further reduce your trading fees based on your monthly trading volume.
Especially for active day traders, Bitget is an excellent choice due to its fast and reliable user interface. While other exchanges struggle with providing a smooth trading experience without lags or other network issues, Bitget focused on designing a flawless trading UI.
With 740 markets and over 500 available coins, it is safe to say that you will find what you are looking for on Bitget. While Bitget does have a large number of supported coins, Bitget still does its due diligence and carefully considers which projects to list.
FIAT Purchases
On Bitget you can also purchase cryptos directly with 12 different FIAT currencies, including GBP, USD, EUR, CAD, and more. You can simply buy cryptos with your credit card or via bank transfers. However, it is important to note that you must do your KYC verification before you are eligible for direct crypto purchases on Bitget. For trading on the spot and futures market, you do not need KYC verification though. You even have high withdrawal limits on Bitget without KYC verification.
Bitget Copy Trading
If you are looking for an exchange with copy trading, Bitget has you covered. We tested over 20 cryptocurrency copy trading platforms, and Bitget ended up on number 3. It is super simple to set up and once you find a reliable trader, you can make passive income. You can also make more passive income from earning and staking products on Bitget to let your capital work for you.
Customer Support
Lastly, the customer support on Bitget is outstanding. You get access to 24/7 live chat support where you can be connected to a representative within just a few minutes. The support staff is helpful and knowledgeable.
If you want to learn more about Bitget, you can read our full review here.
What we like about Bitget:
- Full proof of reserves and security fund
- FIAT purchases allowed
- Large amount of coins
- High leverage of 125x
- Low trading fees
- Great user interface
2. MEXC Global
MEXC is a close second choice for crypto traders from the United Kingdom. The tier 1 crypto exchange is serving over 100 countries with over 10 million users.
Security
MEXC Global has never been hacked and has a very good track record of keeping the platform up to date with the latest security measures. MEXC was even awarded the best crypto exchange in 2021 at the Singapore crypto conference. Unfortunately, MEXC does not have a security fund, which is the main reason we ranked it as number 2.
Just like Bitget, MEXC provides full proof of reserves, which means that your funds are kept 1:1 on the exchange and are not lent out to third parties.
Trading Experience
The trading fees of MEXC beat every competition. With 0% spot fees, you can easily buy and sell cryptos without losing a single penny to commissions. On the perpetual futures market, you can trade with leverage of up to 200x while enjoying 0% maker and 0.02% taker fees. This is every daytraders dream. While 200x leverage sounds good, we would not recommend using it if you are not an advanced trader. Leverage can be a double-edged sword.
Another thing where MEXC Global stands out is the number of supported coins on MEXC. With over 1600 cryptocurrencies on the spot market, you have a lot of opportunities to make money. This also means that you have to do a lot more research on what type of coin you are trading. More coins do not necessarily mean better, as the chance of launching scam coins also rises. We highly recommend you do thorough research before you start trading unknown cryptocurrencies on MEXC.
What really surprised us was the liquidity for major cryptocurrencies such as BTC and ETH on MEXC. The crypto exchange has some of the best liquidity in the whole crypto space, beating almost all the competition. Not even Binance, Bybit, and OKX had the same liquidity.
In terms of reliability, MEXC performs slightly better than Bitget and has a faster user interface. This is great, especially for high-frequency traders. The trading experience on MEXC is amazing, the UI feels very smooth and we did not notice any lags or other network issues.
FIAT Purchases
If you want to buy cryptos with FIAT directly from MEXC, you can do so with over 40 currencies, including GPB, USD, and EUR. Due to regulations, you must verify your KYC identity verification before you proceed with any credit card or bank transfer purchases on MEXC. However, you can still trade on MEXC without KYC and enjoy high withdrawal limits.
Customer Support
When testing the customer support, we noticed that MEXC offers a great 24/7 multilingual chat that can quickly resolve any queries and you can get everything sorted out in a couple of minutes which is great.
If you want to learn more about MEXC Global, you can read our full review here.
What we like about MEXC
- Lowest trading fees
- Leverage up to 200x
- Great UI
- High liquidity
3. OKX
OKX is a big and well-respected name in the crypto space with a great track record. It was launched in 2017 as “OKEx” and later rebranded as OKX and quickly rose to the top of the crypto space. Coinmarketcap ranks OKX as the #2 derivatives trading platform worldwide.
Security
Starting with security, OKX has a flawless track record just like Bitget and MEXC. The derivative trading platform has not experienced any hacks and the customers’ funds are safe. Furthermore, OKX provides full proof of reserves. This seems to become the new industry standard which we love to see. It offers the customers full transparency of where their funds are. On top of that, OKX has a security fund, called “Risk Shield”, of $700 million to back up their customers’ funds in case things go south.
Trading Experience
OKX gives you access to over 340 coins and over spot 750 trading pairs. This might not be the highest number of tradable assets, however, OKX puts its focus on only listing respected and legit projects on its website rather than the next quick hype. On the futures market, you can trade over 220 coins, including all major currencies such as BTC, ETH, ADA, and more.
If you want to buy cryptos with your credit card or bank account, you can do so on OKX after verifying your identity and finishing the KYC process. This usually just takes a few minutes. P2P trading for UK citizens is also supported.
On the spot fee, OKX has a 0.08% maker and 0.1% taker fee. This is slightly better than the average spot trading fee. On the futures market where you can trade with up to 125x leverage, OKX offers 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker fees. You can reduce your fees further based on your monthly trading volume.
The trading interface on the OKX futures platform is very smooth and ensures a great trading experience. It is very stable and we did not encounter any issues when testing the platform. The chart data seems reliable and OKX even offers time frames as low as 1 second.
If you are a total beginner when it comes to crypto trading, OKX has you covered with a free demo trading environment.
Customer Support
In the live chat support, you can request help all day long and even select the language. Unfortunately, there is no real person available but only an automated chatbot. You can use the chatbot to open tickets which will be replied to within 10 hours according to OKX.
4. Binance
While Binance is one of the biggest, and certainly also one of the best crypto exchanges in the world, unfortunately, it is heavily limited in the United Kingdom. Citizens from the UK can not experience the full power of Binance due to an anti-crypto stance of the government, thus it is only ranked number 4.
Security
Binance has been hacked in 2018, however, the users’ funds were never lost. Binance is still considered to be one of the most secure crypto trading platforms. Furthermore, Binance provides full proof of reserve data for full transparency and they have created the largest cryptocurrency security fund in the world called SAFU, worth over $1.1 billion.
Trading Experience
When it comes to trading on Binance, UK citizens are heavily limited due to local laws and regulations. You can trade over 350 assets on the Binance spot market as a UK citizen. Unfortunately, you are heavily limited when it comes to margin and leverage trading.
A special feature that only Binance has is the ability to not only trade BTC against USDT but also FIAT currencies. Binance even supports BTC/GBP. That means you can onramp your GBP and trade it directly against Bitcoin without having to convert any FIAT into stablecoins.
The only downside is that you can only do this on the spot market and the liquidity is not high. It is not suitable for active traders, however, it is a great feature for beginners. As of 2023, Binance is offering GBP trading on 14 major cryptocurrency pairs, such as ETH, BTC, ADA, SOL, etc.
The trading fees of Binance start at 0.1% on the spot market. However, Binance is offering 0% fee trading on BTC/TUSD.
On the futures market, the fees start at 0.02% maker and 0.04% taker which is an amazing fee structure and beats most of the competition. Furthermore, you can reduce your spot fees by 25% and futures fees by 10% if you are holding BNB.
The trading interface on Binance is one of the best in the crypto space, which might be a key reason for Binances’ massive success. It is simple to navigate and works very smoothly. The browser version is a little bit slower than other websites such as Bitget and MEXC, however, Binance offers a Windows and iOS desktop standalone application that runs perfectly fine without any issues.
FIAT Purchases
On Binance you can buy cryptos directly with a credit card or via bank transfer after finalizing your KYC verification. GBP is also supported which makes the process very simple and transparent for US citizens. We recommend Binance FIAT onramps via bank transfer, as you will only pay a flat fee of £1, no matter how much you are sending over.
Where Binance stands out are the staking and earning products.
Customer Support
Lastly, Binance customer support is amazing. You get access to 24/7 multilingual chat support. The support staff is quick, knowledgeable, and helpful and solves your queries quickly. Binance also has the most comprehensive FAQ and learn section that we have ever come across, which is definitely worth checking out.
5. Huobi
Huobi is a popular crypto exchange and became a top choice for UK investors in recent years. Crypto traders from the UK now make up almost 5% of the monthly traffic on Huobi. The platform was founded in 2013, making it one of the oldest and most reputable cryptocurrency exchanges. The platform also was never hacked which is a reason that many crypto traders trust them.
Security
Just like the other top 4 competitors, Huobi is fully committed to providing reserve data and transparently holds customers’ funds 1:1. Furthermore, Huobi launched a security fund in 2018. 20% of the trading fees are allocated to the security fund, which is now worth over 20.000 BTC ($400+ million).
Trading Experience
The average daily spot trading volume is $400 million as of 2023, making it an average exchange in terms of activity. Yet, the liquidity is great and when it comes to futures trading, Huobi has over $1.5 billion traded every single day
With over 600 different cryptos and over 800 trading pairs on the spot market, Huobi has a lot of coins to offer and you will surely not get bored.
If you want to buy cryptos directly on Huobi via credit card or bank transfer, you can do so in over 50 FIAT currencies, including GBP, USD, EUR, and more.
The fees of Huobis spot market are 0.2% for makers and takers, which is double the industry standard of 0.1%. However, on the futures market, you pay 0.02% maker and 0.04% taker fees, which are some of the best rates in the market.
If you are a derivatives trader, Huobi offers you up to 100x leverage on selected major cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, ADA, and more.
The trading interface on Huobi feels a little bit outdated and not as smooth as the competition. Either way, Huobi is a top-tier exchange with amazing service overall. And of course, Huobi offers great customer service with 24/7 customer live chat.
6. Kraken
Kraken was launched in 2011, making it even two years older than Huobi! The crypto exchange has never been hacked and seems to be one of the most secure crypto trading platforms for the UK. The proof of reserve data is also provided and Kraken backs up customers’ funds 1:1 in cold storage.
For FIAT onramps Kraken supports 7 currencies, including GBP, USD, and EUR. The FIAT onramps on Kraken have a £1 fee when using bank transfer which is a very good rate. Kraken also supports GBP FIAT withdrawals, which means you can send your profits back to your bank account.
Trading Experience
It is important to note that there is Kraken and Kraken Pro. Kraken is best for buying and holding cryptos, while Kraken Pro is best for trading.
The spot fees on Kraken Pro start at 0.16% maker and 0.26% taker fees which are more expensive than the average spot fee rate. On the futures market, you get to enjoy a rate of 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker fees which is slightly cheaper than the industry standard of 0.02%/0.06%. You can reduce your trading fees on Kraken Pro based on your monthly trading volume.
The trading interface of Kraken Pro (the trading platform) is a little different compared to other crypto trading platforms. Kraken did an amazing job designing a flawless trading interface that looks unique at the same time.
You can trade over 229 coins on the spot market and 110 coins on the futures market with up to 50x leverage on BTC, ETH, LTC, and SOL. Most other pairs on Kraken Pros futures market support 10-25x leverage.
7. Crypto.com
Crypto.com became a big player with their aggressive marketing during the bull run in 2021. Crypto traders from the UK are the second largest customer base on crypto.com, making up for almost 7% of the activities according to a similar web.
Security
Crypto.com claims to be one of the most regulated crypto trading platforms with the most security certifications, making it a safe choice for crypto traders from the UK.
Trading Experience
The exchange is a great choice for absolute beginners because it is fairly easy to navigate and does not have the most advanced features compared to the competition.
Rather than focusing on web trading, Crypto.com specializes in mobile trading. That means that most activities are done via the crypto.com mobile phone app. Yet, crypto.com offers a web trading function for serious traders. While the interface does its job, we think that it is inferior to the competition.
If you wish to purchase cryptos directly from crypto.com, you can do so via credit card with a fixed fee of 2.99%. This can be very pricey, especially when buying large sums of cryptos. We recommend sticking to purchases via bank transfer with exchanges such as Binance and Kraken for a fixed fee of 1 GBP.
On the spot market, you will enjoy fees slightly lower than the average. With 0.075% maker and taker fees, crypto.com does a great job providing a cheap spot trading experience.
The BTC and ETH futures trading fees on crypto.com are some of the lowest in the crypto space with 0% maker and 0.025% taker. The other futures trading pairs have a higher rate of 0.017% maker and 0.034% taker fees.
If you need customer support, you can reach out to the live chat in the bottom right corner. Unfortunately, crypto.com has slow customer support and takes on average 12 hours to reply to you. Though, one great feature is that you can select between multiple support languages, including English, French, Spanish, Turkish, and more.
We think that crypto.com is great for beginners or just buying and holding, but if you are seriously interested in trading cryptocurrencies, there are much better options for UK citizens.
8. Coinbase
Coinbase is probably one of the most reputable crypto exchanges in the world and has over 2 million users from the UK. Launched in 2012, making it the second oldest crypto exchange in our list of top crypto platforms for the UK. It was also the gate opener for many crypto traders due to the aggressive marketing of Coinbase, targeting newbies. With over 80 million users, $800 million in daily trading volume, and 3 supported FIAT currencies (GBP, USD, EUR), Coinbase is one of the top crypto exchanges in the world
Security
The exchange is super easy to use with an incredibly simple, yet effective user interface. Coinbase also has never been hacked and provides full proof of reserves, making it a relatively secure option.
If you want to onramp FIAT to purchase cryptos, you can do so via SWIFT with GBP. The fixed fee for GBP onramps is only £1 which is a great deal. Card payments on the other hand are really expensive with a fee of 3.99%.
Trading Experience
When it comes to trading, Coinbase has a similar structure to Kraken. There is Coinbase, which is great for buying and holding and then there is Coinbase Pro, which is best suited for trading.
With 243 available coins, Coinbase is on the lower end when it comes to variety. However, that also means that Coinbase is more careful when it comes to listing projects to protect its customers from scams.
For Coinbase, the fees vary depending on the coin you wish to exchange. As of 2023, Coinbase offers 0% fee exchanges for USDC pairs. Other pairs have fees of 0.5-1%.
The fees for Coinbase Pro Advanced Trade start at 0.4% maker and 0.6% taker fee, which is incredibly expensive. That’s why we do not recommend trading on Coinbase but just buying and holding instead, which is perfectly fine for beginners. Coinbase Pro offers leverage up to 3x.
Customer Support
The Coinbase support is unfortunately not the best. It can take up to 24 hours to receive a reply. There is a chatbot, however no live chat function with real humans.
While Coinbase is generally an expensive exchange, many users from all over the world – including the UK, accept the high fees in exchange for high regulations and compliance. It is also a great platform for new traders as it is designed with ease of use in mind and does not have advanced features which can be very confusing.
9. eToro
eToro was launched in 2007 as a traditional finance platform but expanded its supported assets to cryptocurrencies in 2015. Furthermore, eToro is highly regulated and focuses on European countries, making it a secure choice for crypto traders from the United Kingdom.
Etoro is another top choice, especially for beginners. It is one of the most user-friendly trading platforms. Also, you can not only trade cryptocurrencies on eToro, but also stocks, indices, forex, and CFDs making eToro an excellent choice for new traders from the UK to get their foot into the markets. However, we do not recommend eToro for advanced and experienced traders. Unfortunately, we could not find any proof of reserve data of eToro.
Copy Trading
Where eToro shines is the copy trading function, which is the main selling point in their marketing. You can select successful traders that you can follow. The process is completely automated and basically passive income, once you find a reliable copy trader.
The trading fees on eToro are some of the highest in the crypto space, if not the highest. With a fixed fee of 1%, you pay quite a bit of a markup. As eToro is one of the most regulated crypto platforms, many traders accept the high trading fees in exchange for the highest grade of security.
What we really like about eToro is their demo account where you can receive $100,000 worth of demo coins so you can practice and get a feeling for the market.
One big downside of trading on eToro is the fact that you can not withdraw any cryptos. That means everything that you trade or buy stays on eToro until you sell it. You can then of course withdraw your profits.
WARNING: We do not recommend active day trading on eToro but rather swing trading and buying and holding. The fees and spreads on eToro are simply too high for any type of day trading.
CEX – UK-Based Crypto Exchange
CEX is a fully regulated cryptocurrency trading platform based in the United Kingdom. So if you wish to work with a local crypto exchange, CEX is the way to go! With $4 million in daily trading volume, CEX is a rather calm crypto trading platform and not suitable for big players. However, CEX is a secure and reliable option for new traders that wish to test the waters before starting to actively trade.
Just like Coinbase, the basic platform CEX is different from the advanced platform CEX Exchange Plus.
On CEX you can trade over 70 cryptocurrencies with 0.15% maker and 0.25% taker fees on both platforms, CEX and CEX Exchange Plus. Based on your monthly trading volume, you can reduce your commissions. If you wish to trade with margin, you can do so with a ratio of up to 1:3 on BTC, BCH, and ETH. This is a lot lower, but considering the level of regulation and compliance CEX is committed to, 1:3 leverage is a good place to start with.
How To Choose The Right Crypto Exchange In The UK
There are two key factors to consider when choosing a cryptocurrency exchange in the UK. The first thing is security. How important is reserve data and regulation to you? The second thing is the trading features such as the number of coins, leverage, fees, and liquidity.
If you are planning to actively trade, then you should stick to exchanges such as Bitget and MEXC. These platforms specialized in high-frequency trading with a low spread, incredibly high liquidity, some of the lowest fees, and high leverage.
While these platforms are not regulated in many areas, they still are considered to be secure options and they are not restricted in the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, they provide full proof of reserves to make sure that your funds are always backed 1:1. These platforms also do not require KYC, so you can stay anonymous while trading.
If you are looking for the most secure platform, you must take a big hit in terms of pricing. Trading platforms such as eToro and Coinbase are heavily regulated, though charge fees up to 20 times higher than the competition. This makes day trading impossible, however, they are a popular choice for buying and holding.
We highly recommend you check out the impact of fees on your trading with our free trading simulator. A fee difference of even 0.01% will have a massive impact on your profitability.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you are happy with the exchange that you are trading on. Crypto traders from the UK have many places for their crypto activities and you will surely find what you are looking for. We recommend you give the exchanges a try that sounded most interesting to you.
FAQ
What is the most popular crypto exchange in the UK?
The most popular exchange in the UK is Binance. It is not just the most popular exchange in the UK but in the whole world.
Which UK crypto exchange has the lowest fees?
The lowest fees for UK crypto traders are on MEXC. With 0% spot fees and 0.02% futures fees, you will not find lower rates anywhere else.
Which crypto platforms are legal in the UK?
While none of the platforms in this list are illegal, some are more regulated than others. The most compliant crypto exchanges in the UK are CEX, Binance, and eToro.
What are the most reputable crypto exchanges in the UK?
The most reputable crypto exchanges in the UK are Binance and Kraken.
What is the best place to buy cryptos in the UK?
The best place for direct crypto payments via bank transfer is Binance with a fixed fee of only £1.
What is the best crypto app in the UK?
The best and most comprehensive crypto apps in the UK are Bitget, MEXC, and Binance. Other great options are Crypto.com and Coinbase, however, they lack significant features compared to the other crypto exchanges.
What is the most beginner-friendly crypto exchange in the UK?
The most beginner-friendly crypto exchange in the UK is Coinbase.
