So you wanna get into crypto huh? But for whatever reason you don’t want to use Binance…
Although Binance is probably the best crypto trading platform, there are a number of reasons you might prefer an alternative.
With regulators currently looking at Binance, an alternative is probably wise. And, it is also quite a technical platform for beginners. In fact, even if you’re an experienced crypto trader, a Binance alternative is always a good idea.
So, which alternative crypto exchange should you sign up for? These are in no particular order, but are our favourite options for buying and selling crypto.
There are a mixture of affiliate links and referral links in this article, just so you know. If you find our content useful, using these links means we get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
1. Kucoin
As far as fully featured crypto trading platforms go, Kucoin is a solid Binance alternative. In fact, we recommend using Kucoin as a secondary exchange anyway.
Why is Kucoin so good?
Like Binance, it has most of the major coins that you’ll want to trade. Kucoin is also well known for it’s ‘Kucoin gems’. These are crypto projects that have chosen Kucoin as their primary platform and are often tipped to be high performers (think 100x or 1000x) in their lifetime.
Oh and crucially, the fees are also nice and low – similar to Binance. If you use their KCS coin, the price is even lower.
We like Kucoin for it’s mix of ease of use, great selection of crypto projects, and user-friendly interface (UI).
Another pro for Kucoin is the trading bots, which we will look at in another article. You can also enjoy many of same benefits of Binance, such as staking, launchpad offers, margin trading and more.
One negative for Kucoin is the lack of a OCO (one cancels the other) option for trades. If you’re used to using this in Binance it can be annoying – but you can use other options like adding alerts on your trades.
2. Huobi Global
I’ve been using Huobi for a few months, and I mostly use it as a small savings platform. What that means is that I take coins that I have a small amount of (profit from earlier trades for example) and move them to Huobi for long term HODLing.
As a trading platform, it’s decent. It’s not quite the full featured alternative to Binance that experienced traders will be looking for, and it can be fiddly. But if you want to buy and sell crypto on a popular platform, Huobi is a good option.
It’s popular in Asia, so has a good trading volume.
There are also trading bots, although I’ve not used them yet.
I find that a few of the other exchanges on this list look the same as Huobi Global, implying a sort of ‘off the shelf’ crypto exchange platform. The benefit to that is that once you’ve sussed one, you can grab an extra one and know how it works.
3. FTX Pro
I’ll be honest, I installed FTX Pro and never used it. But, I do like it’s UX – maybe I’ll get stuck in soon.
I picked up FTX Pro because a buddy uses it and it has stock options. So if you’re looking for a Binance alternative that allows you to diversify beyond crypto, this is a solid option.
The UI is very slick and, compared to Binance, relatively straightforward.
There are also several order options, including trailing stop and take profit limit, which are missing from almost all of the other platforms on this list.
If you’re looking for a user-friendly alternative to Binance, and you like the idea of trading stocks or currency too, this might be your best option.
The downsides are that the amount of coins to trade is relatively limited.
4 Coinbase & Coinbase Pro
Although serious traders will steer clear of Coinbase, due to their high fees, they do have some benefits.
First of all, Coinbase is incredibly easy to use. Of all the crypto trading platforms, it’s the most user friendly by a mile.
If you’re looking for a Binance alternative though, that’ll be Coinbase Pro. This allows you to trade coin pairs using the USDC stablecoin. The fees are a little better on Coinbase Pro than the standard platform, but still high.
Coinbase also has a decent selection of coins to buy, and they also offer a nifty little ‘learn and earn’ system where you can pick up some free coins.
If you’re an absolute trading beginner and you just want to buy and hold some crypto, this is probably your best choice.
Sign up for Coinbase here (this is my personal referral link, we both receive $10 if you use this and deposit $100).
5. CoinSmart
Another relatively user-friendly platform is CoinSmart. A Canadian based crypto exchange, they offer a great selection of cryptocurrencies to get started with incuding major altcoins like Stellar Lumens, Litecoin and Cardano. The good thing here is that your choices aren’t overcomplicated – they have the headline cryptos which, if you’re getting started, can be the best way to get your head in the game.
It’s easy to signup and get started, and we like the easy to use UI. Very beginner friendly. But as an experienced trader, don’t let that put you off, there is lots of functionality here.
Their fees to deposit range from 0% to 6% for credit/debit cards. But their trading fees are pretty reasonable at 0.20% for a single trade, which we think is very reasonable (better than Coinbase anyway).
In short, if you’re new to ‘proper’ crypto trading but you don’t want too many complications, CoinSmart is a great option. Sign up for CoinSmart here.
6. CoinEx
In all honesty, I downloaded this platform because I wanted to buy a specific meme coin. However, it’s actually a decent trading platform with some good coins on it.
I mentioned how some of the crypto platforms look like they’re off the shelf, and look like each other? CoinEx and Huobi are remarkably similar in their layouts and UI.
The difference though is that CoinEx doesn’t have the bot trading option, and I thought Huobi had a few more coins.
However, CoinEx is just a little bit nicer to use. I liked the icons, the easy to find charts and the nice at a glance trading view.
Again, if you’re looking for a nice and easy to use alternative to Binance, this is a good option. Even for beginners, I’d say that CoinEx is worth a look.
Sign up for CoinEx here (this is my personal referral link, I earn a small commission if you sign up and despoit funds).
7. BitStamp
A favourite Binance alternative for our own Joe Black (this site’s resident pro-trader). He likes it for its ease of use, good layout, choice of coins and low fees.
BitStamp insists on 2fa for you to sign up and also requires a proof of address. As such I never completed signup (I don’t have any paper bills).
I’ve heard good things though.
8. eToro
Originally a CFD, FX and copy trading platform, eToro is great for general investing. If you want to trade oil, or get your Apple or Tesla shares, you can also do it here.
For crypto, it also has a reasonable selection of the big coins. There are currently 40 crypto pairs, so if you want a good selection of cryptocurrencies to trade, they’ve got your back.
And of course, it also has that copy trading option, which can be very useful when learning the ropes. There is also a great community, with a chat area to discuss your strategy with other traders.
The fees are not the lowest on this list, but they’re not the worst either.
If you want a good all-in-one trading platform, and one that is easy to use, sign up for eToro.
Which is the best alternative to Binance?
So, which is the best crypto trading platform for you?
It depends on your level of experience, your trading style and even, to a degree, your location.
We think that Kucoin is an essential crypto trading platform for anyone looking to take their investments seriously.
However, if you just want to buy and hold some of the biggest crypto coins, a platform like Coinbase, FTX Pro or CoinStamp will fit your needs perfectly.
Or if you want a trading platform with potential for growth, get Huobi, CoinEx or BitStamp.
Just so you know, this article contains affiliate links. What this means is we get a small commission when you sign up through the links on this site, at no extra cost to you!