The Best Crypto Exchanges Of April 2022

Know the best crypto exchanges of April 2022; More and more people, from financial institutions to general investors, are interested

Best Crypto Exchanges

Know the best crypto exchanges of April 2022; More and more people, from financial institutions to general investors, are interested in cryptocurrencies. To participate in the promotion, you need a cryptocurrency exchange account to buy and sell digital currencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin.

To help you choose the right account for your needs, here are the top platforms for determining the best cryptocurrency exchanges available today. We recently did a research study and found that publicly-listed Coinbase is the dominant player among centralized cryptocurrency exchanges in the US, with a 76.2% market share as of March 2023. In contrast, Binance.US has only captured 8.3% of the US market.

The best crypto exchanges of April 2022

Binance.US

Overall best crypto exchange since May 2021

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.1%/0.1%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 50+

Coinbase

Best crypto exchange for beginners- since May 2021

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 1.99%*/1.99%*
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 100+

Binance.US

The best crypto exchange for crypto enthusiasts – since May 2021

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.1%/0.1%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 50+

Best of the rest

Kraken

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.16%/0.26%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 90+

Crypto.com

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.40%/0.40%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 170+

Gemini

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.25%/0.35% *
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 40+

KuCoin

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.1%/0.1%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 400+

Bitstamp

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.5%/0.5%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 40+

Bittrex

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.75%/0.75%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 350+

bitFlyer

  • Fees (Maker/Taker): 0.1%/0.1%
  • Cryptocurrencies Available for Trade: 10+

What is a crypto exchange? How does it work?

The cryptocurrency exchange is a market where you can buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin. 

A cryptocurrency exchange works like any other trading platform you may be familiar with. They provide an account that allows you to create different types of orders to buy, sell and guess in the crypto market.

Some cryptocurrency exchanges support advanced trading features such as margin accounts and futures trading, although they are less commonly available to US-based users. 

Others have features like cryptocurrency staking or cryptocurrency lending that allow you to earn interest on your cryptocurrency holdings. Finally, the best exchanges offer educational offers to keep you up to date on all things cryptocurrency.

Different types of crypto exchanges

There are two categories of cryptocurrency exchanges: centralized exchanges and decentralized exchanges. Each category comes with its advantages and disadvantages.

Centralized exchange

Organizations Manage Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchange (CEX) Centralized Exchange makes it easier for users to start cryptocurrency trading by allowing them to exchange fiat currencies such as Dollar, Directly to cryptocurrency. As a result, the majority of cryptocurrency transactions take place on centralized exchanges.

Some crypto enthusiasts oppose centralized exchange because it goes against the decentralized spirit of cryptocurrencies. So, to make matters worse, in the eyes of some crypto users, a company or organization may require users to follow the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules. For example, to combat money laundering and fraud, all users need to identify themselves, just as they would when applying for a bank account.

There is another concern with centralized exchanges: hacking. With a CEX, the exchange keeps the cryptocurrency traded on its platform – at least for the short term, while trades are taking place – increasing the risk of hackers stealing assets.

Centralized cryptocurrency exchanges have increased security in recent years to address this risk. Among other strategies, they now store most of their clients’ assets offline and take out insurance policies to cover cryptocurrency losses in case of hackers.

If you like the convenience of centralized exchanges, you can reduce the risk by transferring the cipher to another hot or cold storage wallet. 

Decentralized crypto exchange

The Decentralized Cryptocurrency Exchange (DEX) decentralizes responsibility for facilitating and validating cryptocurrency transactions. Anyone who is willing to join the DEX network can authenticate transactions in the same way that crypto blockchains work. This increases accountability and transparency, allowing the exchange to continue to function regardless of the state of the company that created it.

The problem is that decentralized exchanges are much less user-friendly, not just from an interface point of view but also in currency conversion. Decentralized exchanges, for example, do not always allow users to deposit dollars and exchange them for cryptocurrencies. That means you must already have crypto or use a centralized exchange to get crypto you use in a DEX.

You will likely also engage in direct peer-to-peer negotiations. This means that it can take longer for you to find someone willing to buy what you are selling, and if liquidity is low, you may have to accept price concessions to quickly buy or sell a low-volume cryptocurrency.

Global exchanges

There are about 600 cryptocurrency exchanges around the world that invite investors to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets. However, the cost, quality, and safety are very different.

Crypto exchange fees

You pay two fees when buying and selling cryptocurrencies: trading fees and withdrawal fees.

Trading fees

Transaction fees can be charged as a fixed percentage of the amount of cryptocurrency you buy or sell. Alternatively, the exchange can distinguish between manufacturer and taker orders and charge different percentages accordingly.

At a basic level, makers are orders that add liquidity to an exchange, meaning they don’t fulfill standing orders. Meanwhile, borrowers remove liquidity from an exchange by completing orders awaiting a trade. Depending on the exchange, the manufacturer’s fees are usually a little lower than the borrower’s fees, although this is not always the case.

While ideally, you should trade at the lowest cost, focusing too much on the ins and outs of maker and buyer fees can be counterproductive. You cannot choose whether to process your order as a manufacturer or as a buyer. Instead, you’d better consider the total fees and rebates for trading a certain amount each month or holding the exchange’s native cryptocurrency.

Important: Some crypto investing apps claim to charge no fees, but this is not entirely true. Instead of charging you directly, they charge you the spread – the difference between the exchange rates they buy and sell cryptocurrencies. Spreads can and are usually much more expensive than paying a percentage of transaction fees.

Withdrawal fees

So, many exchanges charge fees to withdraw coins from their platform. If you prefer to move your cryptocurrency to a secure third-party wallet or another exchange, this can be a problem. In addition, withdrawal fees often vary by cryptocurrency.

If you plan to withdraw your cryptocurrency from an exchange, you should choose a platform that allows certain fee-free withdrawals, such as Gemini.

Other taxes

Borrowing money incurs additional fees if you are engaged in more advanced trading strategies, such as margin trading. Beginner-friendly exchanges like Coinbase and Gemini offer quick-buy features that charge higher fees. Therefore, you can avoid them by learning how to buy and sell on the trading platform of the exchange.

If you make purchases with a credit or debit card, you may incur additional fees for the exchange and your card issuer. Therefore, it is best to buy cryptocurrencies by cash or bank transfer.

How to choose a crypto exchange

So, when choosing the best cryptocurrency exchange for your needs, consider in addition to fees, security, trading volume, educational resources, and whether the exchange lists the cryptocurrencies you want to buy.

Safety

As cryptocurrency has become more popular and valuable, it has become a big target for hackers. Major exchanges like Binance and KuCoin were hacked, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in losses. While exchanges usually refund those whose coins are stolen, no one wants to be in that position in the first place.

Risk can be minimized by distributing cryptocurrency purchases across multiple exchanges. Alternatively, you can make it a habit to move your crypto wallet from the exchange’s default wallet to your own secure “cold” wallet. These are storage options that aren’t connected to the internet, making them nearly impossible to hack – although you’ll need to carefully record your password, or you could lose access to your encryption forever.

Available coins

Carefully consider the cryptocurrencies available on your particular exchange. For example, using a crypto exchange that trades only a few coins may be perfectly fine. On the other hand, if you are a crypto junkie, you might want to access all 600+ available on Gate.io.

Volume of business

Coin availability alone is not enough if no trades are going on. Ideally, make sure you have enough trading volume in your target currencies to ensure liquidity, so you can easily trade your currencies and dollars.

Low-volume markets can cost you in sales. If there is not much volume and you place an order, this is called slippage. As a result, you may buy at a higher price or sell at a lower price than you would like.

So, if you are an advanced cryptocurrency trader, you may want to make sure your preferred exchange offers the types of trading – such as limit orders, which you can avoid slippage by setting a hard price – and the margin you want. Keep in mind that trading types involving the latter are still evolving in the US, so offerings from different exchanges may vary over time.

Educational resources

If you’re just starting out with cryptocurrencies, you’re looking for an easy-to-use platform with a wealth of educational resources and also to help you understand this complex and rapidly evolving market.

Accessibility

Finally, don’t assume your country or even state has scholarships because you can visit their website. Many state and federal governments are still considering how they want to treat cryptocurrencies legally and fiscally.