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With the ever-growing interest in cryptocurrencies and especially Bitcoin the options we have today to buy Bitcoin are great and many. And maybe it can even be a bit overwhelming to decide where to buy Bitcoins from?

If you are wondering where can I buy Bitcoins from? Or how you can buy Bitcoins easily?

When I started investing in Bitcoin a few years ago I found it pretty confusing at first. Everything from how you buy it, to how a transaction and wallet worked.

So I’ve been in your shoes. And this is me trying to help you navigate the BTC space and purchase it more easily.

If you are looking primarily to buy Bitcoin as an investment, either for the long-term or the short-term then this article will be the perfect guide to get you started!

My 8 top picks for where and how to buy Bitcoins

Today you have several options to use for buying Bitcoin. But they are not all the same type. You have for example more traditional cryptocurrency exchanges.

Other options that you have available is to buy Bitcoins from a platform that facilitates instant-buy alternatives. This makes it super-easy for people to buy Bitcoins in just a few clicks.

Buy Bitcoins from a cryptocurrency exchange Buy Bitcoins from an instant-buy platform Buy Bitcoins from a peer-to-peer marketplace

Buy Bitcoin from a cryptocurrency exchange

Top three crypto exchanges to buy Bitcoin from

These are our recommended options for buying Bitcoin at using one of the many popular online cryptocurrency exchanges. There are many more options, but these picks often top the lists amongst crypto investors.

Read on to learn even more about why they are on this top list.

A cryptocurrency exchange traditionally is a website or app where retail investors, i.e. normal people like you and me meet up to buy and sell cryptocurrencies to each other. Here I want to sell some or all of my Bitcoins and you are looking to buy some.

When it comes to cryptocurrency exchange you are blessed with plenty of options. What I usually do when I want to buy Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency from an exchange is that I go to a site like Coinmarketcap.com or Go CryptoMarket to check what crypto exchanges trade the cryptocurrency that I want to buy.

Now when it comes to buying Bitcoin I have lots of options available to me. Bitcoin is the most traded cryptocurrency in the world. But I use Go CryptoMarket to compare prices and trading volume at the exchanges.

And then you could make use of an exchange that has a cheaper price for Bitcoin!

What are your best options to buy Bitcoin from cryptocurrency exchanges?

So with the information above in mind, these are some of our top recommended exchanges based on:

Trading volume

Prices

But also added security features and the ease of using the platform itself

1 ) Binance – Buy Bitcoin from this exchange

Pros One of the world’s most popular exchanges

One of the world’s most popular exchanges Have one of the best selections of cryptos (BTC, LTC, XRP, ETH, etc)

Have one of the best selections of cryptos (BTC, LTC, XRP, ETH, etc) Great trading liquidity and volume

Great trading liquidity and volume Lots of payment options (card purchases, bank transfer)

Lots of payment options (card purchases, bank transfer) Very safe exchange with a user reimbursement fund

Very safe exchange with a user reimbursement fund Cheap trading fees, with additional BNB discounts Cons Reports of Binance wallets being offline for long times, delaying withdrawals

Reports of Binance wallets being offline for long times, delaying withdrawals They have been hacked before (but reimbursed the users)

They have been hacked before (but reimbursed the users) Their customer support has had some complaints in the past

Binance is one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. And this has much to do with their high trading volume. The number of available cryptocurrencies. But also for their work on creating a secure platform for their users.

Unfortunately, cryptocurrency exchanges have been strongly affected by hacks in recent years. So what Binance has done is take a strong stance against this. And work hard on creating a secure platform with few chances available for hackers to exploit.

And in the unlikely case of a hack, they have also launched a fund that will reimburse users in the case of a hack. This fund is known as the SAFU fund.

To get started with Binance click here

But if you are not a member of Binance head over www.binance.com and click on ‘Register‘ in the top menu. And continue with the registration process to get an account setup.

Learn more about how to get started with Binance here

And our extended guide to buying, trading and selling cryptos on Binance

2 ) Kraken – Buy Bitcoin from this exchange

Pros The oldest Bitcoin exchange in the world

The oldest Bitcoin exchange in the world Cheap trading fees (0.16% maker fee and 0.26% taker fee and downwards)

Cheap trading fees (0.16% maker fee and 0.26% taker fee and downwards) Cheap deposit and withdrawal fees

Cheap deposit and withdrawal fees Very trusted and secure

Very trusted and secure Decent amount of cryptocurrencies and liquidity Cons No card purchases available

No card purchases available Better now with the new website, but not as beginner-friendly as Coinbase

Another very popular option for where to buy Bitcoins from is the U.S based cryptocurrency exchange, Kraken. This exchange is from the U.S and it has been around since 2011. But it formally opened its doors to cryptocurrency traders in 2013.

So it is one of the oldest Bitcoin exchanges around. And that is for good reasons. They have worked hard on creating an easy-to-use platform for buyers and sellers to use.

The exchange also is one of the most secure cryptocurrency exchanges that you can use today. Their CEO Jesse Powell was inspired by the Mt. Gox events. And he wanted to create an exchange that was secure enough to protect its users from similar events. Learn more about Mt. Gox here.

Click on this link to register at Kraken.

To get started with Kraken if you don’t have an account simply head over to Kraken’s website and click either on the ‘Create an account’ button in the top menu.

Learn more about how to get started with Kraken here

3 ) OKEx – Buy Bitcoin from this exchange

Pros Good selection of cryptos

Good selection of cryptos Decent fees (0.100% fee & 0.150% taker fee downwards)

Decent fees (0.100% fee & 0.150% taker fee downwards) Has fiat (card purchases) + crypto

Has fiat (card purchases) + crypto Fairly easy to use Cons Problems with fake trading volume

Problems with fake trading volume Reports of issues with its support

Reports of issues with its support Not as good liquidity as Binance and others

Last on this list of recommended cryptocurrency exchanges is OKEx. This is an exchange that I think deserves to get mentioned.

OKEx has been around in the crypto space since 2017 and they have like Binance quickly established themselves as a serious and trustworthy exchange.

OKEx is part of the OK Group and the investment company OK Group Capital. They also run the crypto exchange OK Coin.

What OK Group has managed to do is create several successful blockchain and cryptocurrency companies. Which shows that they are doing something right. And with OKEx it comes down to their focus on adding new coins, providing good liquidty / trading volume, and this all presented in a nice package.

With a website that is easy to use.

To get started with OKEx head over to www.okex.com and click on ‘Sign up‘ in the menu to create a new account.

Learn more about how to get started with OKEx here

Buy Bitcoin from an instant-buy platform

Another popular option for where to buy Bitcoins from is using a site or platform that facilitates instant-buy transactions for their users.

This option has grown to become very popular. And that for obvious reasons. With the speed of innovation in eCommerce and shopping today, people expect the buying experience of Bitcoin to be of similar quality.

Here below we will list some of the most popular websites/platforms that people use today to buy Bitcoins instantly. Note that these services usually have slightly higher fees for the quick-buy features.

What are your best options to buy Bitcoin from an instant-buy platform?

The three top-recommended options that we picked for this broker or instant-buy platforms are:

1 ) Coinbase – Buy Bitcoin instantly here

Pros It is very easy to use and beginner-friendly

It is very easy to use and beginner-friendly It is available in most countries in the world

It is available in most countries in the world They have many different payment methods available (credit card, debit card, bank transfer, PayPal)

They have many different payment methods available (credit card, debit card, bank transfer, PayPal) It is one of the most secure cryptocurrency brokers in the world and used and trusted by millions

It is one of the most secure cryptocurrency brokers in the world and used and trusted by millions High liquidity limits Cons High fees when buying with a card

High fees when buying with a card They take out a spread and have less positive conversion rates

They take out a spread and have less positive conversion rates They can give away your information to national tax agencies

They can give away your information to national tax agencies Have had issues with its customer support in the past

The go-to option for a big chunk of retail the current crypto investors but also institutional investors is Coinbase. Coinbase is used by millions. And it is one of the most used platforms for where to buy Bitcoins today.

And the reason why so many people use and trust Coinbase is because of how easy their services are to use.

And that especially comes through when we are thinking about buying and selling cryptocurrencies. I have used their instant-buying feature plenty of times before when I wanted to get in quickly.

Because buying Bitcoin at Coinbase is a lightning-fast and very smooth buying-experience.

To get started with Coinbase head over to www.coinbase.com (click on this link to get $10 worth of BTC for free) and click on the ‘Get started’ button to create a new account. Or ‘Sign in’ to login if you already have an account with Coinbase.

To learn more about how to get started with Coinbase check out this guide.

2 ) Changelly – Buy Bitcoin instantly here

Pros It is very easy to use and beginner-friendly

It is very easy to use and beginner-friendly Quick transfer and purchase of cryptos

Quick transfer and purchase of cryptos Has both bank transfer + card purchases available

Has both bank transfer + card purchases available Good selection of cryptos Cons A bit high fees

A bit high fees Has had issues with withholding funds, and issues concerning Monero funds

Has had issues with withholding funds, and issues concerning Monero funds Questionable support

Another easy-to-use option for buying Bitcoin easily is via Changelly. Here you can either trade another cryptocurrency for Bitcoin via their website. Or you can buy some Bitcoins instantly using their brokerage service.

For both the instant-buy feature and the cryptocurrency swap feature, Changelly has a good selection of cryptos available. And of course, Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency amongst its users.

To buy Bitcoin from Changelly simply head over to www.changelly.com and click on the button where it says ‘Buy crypto with a bank card‘. Here you can then instantly buy Bitcoin using either your credit card or debit card.

To use Changelly to buy Bitcoin you simply select the cryptocurrency from the list in the drop-down menu – Bitcoin. And then you enter the wallet address where you want to send your Bitcoins to after you have bought them.

3 ) Bitpanda – Buy Bitcoin instantly here

Pros of a p2p marketplace Most payment options available by all sites (cash, bank transfer, card payment, vouchers, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Swish, etc)

Most payment options available by all sites (cash, bank transfer, card payment, vouchers, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Swish, etc) Trusted by lots of users

Trusted by lots of users Escrow service

Escrow service Opportunity to buy anonymously Cons of a p2p marketplace Limited amount of cryptos available

Limited amount of cryptos available Can be pricier than at exchanges

Can be pricier than at exchanges Not as beginner-friendly as others (Coinbase for example)

And lastly this is one of my new favourites, and a very popular site where people buy Bitcoins from, namely Bitpanda.

Bitpanda is only available for Europeans. So for those of you lucky to be able to use this service can feel comfortable knowing that you can use a service that is easy to use, safe and with a good selection of cryptos, fiat currencies to use (GBP, EUR, CHF or even USD).

Bitpanda also has a wide range of payment methods available too. Such as bank cards (credit card and debit card), Skrill, Neteller, Sofort, bank transfer and many more.

To get started with Bitpanda head over to www.bitpanda.com and click on ‘Get started’ to create a new account with them. And when you have registered with Bitpanda the option to buy Bitcoin and plenty of other cryptos becomes available.

Buy Bitcoin from a peer-to-peer marketplace

Pros Lots of payment methods available (bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller, card purchases, Sofort, iDEal, etc)

Lots of payment methods available (bank transfer, Skrill, Neteller, card purchases, Sofort, iDEal, etc) Fair amount of cryptocurrencies available, not as good as Binance

Fair amount of cryptocurrencies available, not as good as Binance Easy to use and beginner-friendly

Easy to use and beginner-friendly The option to store your cryptos there Cons Only available for EU users

Only available for EU users Can be a bit more expensive with the fees

Can be a bit more expensive with the fees Lots of ID verification and steps to go through

Lastly, we also wanted to mention that you could buy Bitcoins directly from other people via so called p2p marketplaces. There are few of them around, but most popular are LocalBitcoins and LocalCryptos.

They work in the same way. Head over to their sites, find a willing seller and agree on terms for price and payment methods (PayPal, bank transfer, cash, etc).

And then you pay following the agreed terms and the seller sends the Bitcoins to your Bitcoin wallet address.

If it is a bank transfer, PayPal or similar there are escrow also in place. To help protect you and your funds.

The benefits of using a p2p marketplace is that you could with LocalCryptos at least stay anonymous, and the additional payment methods you could use. PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, bank transfer, cash, there are tons of payment methods available.

So if you rather use one of those sites, then we recommend either of the two biggest ones which are:

1 ) LocalBitcoins

The original Bitcoin p2p marketplace. And probably still the biggest around. Trusted by millions and one of the pioneers. You can buy Bitcoin with almost any payment method available.

You can’t buy Bitcoin without an ID here.

2 ) LocalCryptos

A site for both BTC and ETH – recommended and trusted by millions. You could buy Bitcoins anonymously at LocalCryptos. You can buy Bitcoin and Ether with almost any payment method available.

Conclusion

I hope that this guide covered a broad range of options for where to buy Bitcoins from.

And depending on what is important for you when buying Bitcoin we would recommend using either a cryptocurrency exchange or one these instant-buy platforms.

We ourselves here at Go CryptoWise use them both interchangeably. It depends on the situation. Is it more important to buy Bitcoins quickly? Or can I wait a few days to save some money on fees?

If you are looking for other ways of buying Bitcoin I also have a guide for buying Bitcoin with PayPal. And I would also recommend our guide for beginners to learn more about investing smartly with Bitcoin.

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