Bitstamp, founded in 2011, is one of the oldest crypto exchanges offering reliability and functionality for individual investors and institutions. Novice crypto traders benefit from the exchange's user-friendly interface and low fees. However, U.S.-based crypto pros don't have access to Bistamp's staking or lending services.
Robinhood Investing, one of the market's most well-known crypto trading platforms, announced plans to acquire Bitstamp. The deal is expected to close sometime in 2025.
Business Insider's personal finance team reviewed and compared Bitstamp to the best cryptocurrency exchanges. We found it a solid exchange for beginners and institutions, but its advanced trading features are limited for U.S.-based investors.
Pros and Cons
Bitstamp Pros
- $0 minimum to open an account
- Pro and institutional services are available
- 24/7 customer support
- Cold wallet storage
Bitstamp Cons
- Only 35+ crypto assets are available for U.S.-based investors
- Staking and lending are not available to U.S., UK, Canada, Singapore, or Japan residents
Open an Account
$0 ($10 minimum to start investing)
0-0.4% trading fee
Pros
Cons
Bitstamp is a decent global cryptocurrency exchange for active retail investors to trade popular assets like bitcoin, ether, and dogecoin. However, the platform's crypto selection is limited compared to competitor sites and some of the best features (like staking rewards and crypto-lending) isn't available to US residents.
Bitstamp- If someone refers you, you can earn a $20 cash bonus when you place a trade of $100 or more
Compare Bitstamp
Overview
Bitstamp offers a simple way for both individual and institutional crypto traders to buy and trade big-name cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum alongside dozens of crypto assets. Whether you are more of a mobile or online trader, Bitstamp has you covered by focusing on ease of use and functionality.
Beginner crypto traders — or crypto explorers, as Bitstamp calls them — can use the Bitstamp exchange to learn the crypto landscape and start trading 100+ crypto assets. Beginners also have access to the Bitstamp Learn Center to read detailed guides and tutorials on crypto trading basics, blockchain technology, web3, and Bitstamp tutorials.
Sophisticated crypto traders can use Bitstamp Pro for access to professional trading tools, real-time charting capabilities, and advanced order types. However, U.S.-based investors can't access Bitstamp's staking or lending services. The inability to earn rewards on your crypto is a big drawback for crypto pros and makes Bitstamp Pro less attractive.
Crypto investors looking to stake should check out competitors like Coinbase and Crypto.com.
Beyond retail crypto traders, Bitstamp also caters to bigger players like family offices, brokers, online-only banks, and hedge funds with its institutional fiat-to-crypto services. You can team up with Bitstamp's tech and business experts to develop your own crypto solutions, get reliable trade execution, and leading API connectivity.
With Bitstamp, you are limited to crypto. If you are interested in investing beyond crypto, consider one of the best stock trading apps instead or in combination with Bitstamp.
Bitstamp's dedicated customer support team is available to assist 24/7 via phone or email.
Bitstamp's mobile app has a rating of 4.8/5 on the Apple Store and 4.6/5 on Google Play.
Ways to Invest
Bitstamp is unique because investors don't buy crypto assets from the exchange itself. Instead, Bitstamp essentially facilitates trading between you and other customers (peer-to-peer trading). This means you're always buying assets from one customer or selling your assets to another.
Bitstamp Mobile App
Bitstamp's mobile app provides a convenient and simplified approach to navigating the crypto market. Depending on your location, certain coins and tokens may not be available.
Here's what you get with Bitstamp's Basic and Pro modes:
Basic Mode
Bitstamp Basic Mode caters to beginners and casual investors with its streamlined and intuitive interface, no-nonsense Learning Center, and the ability to instantly withdraw crypto funds. Instant trade execution and real-time data streams are made available through institutional-grade Nasdaq technology.
Bitstamps lets you trade over 35 crypto coins on its app, including major players like bitcoin, and the trading fee can be as low as 0.01%. It's a good fit for small trades since its order minimum is only $10. Plus, Bitstamp makes it easy to buy crypto since you can use a debit card, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or regular bank transfer.
Pro Mode
With Bitstamp Pro Mode, advanced crypto investors can access the full functionality of the Bitstamp exchange through the mobile app, including real-time charts, order books, portfolio management tools, and analytical tools.
Bitstamp offers four order types for potential gains from short-term price fluctuations, including:
- Market orders
- Limit orders
- Stop limit orders
- Trailing stop orders
Bitstamp Pro
Outside Pro Mode on the Bitstamp mobile app, the Pro exchange is available online for those who prefer a comprehensive trading setup and dashboard.
The Bitstamp Pro platform is best for crypto investors who need a more professional setup and easy access to advanced trading and charting capabilities. The Pro interface includes multiple application programming interfaces (APIs) — including FIX, HTTP, and Websocket APIs — that give you efficient and stable access to the crypto market.
Bitstamp Pro also includes BitGo-sponsored institutional-grade storage for your assets. BitGo is a third-party regulated custodian and a financial service provider for digital assets. Bitstamp Pro additionally provides users access to an account manager if they need to place high-volume trades.
Institutional Services
Bitstamp offers crypto services for several institutional clients, including brokers, fintech companies, NEO banks, hedge funds, banks, proprietary traders, aggregators, and family offices.
The platform lists four key components of its institutional services:
- Enterprise-level access to crypto markets: Bitstamp gives institutional traders access to a platform built with Nasdaq technology. The app also offers efficient order execution, real-time data, and FIX, HTTP, and Websocket APIs.
- Advanced security: Bitstamp says it uses profressional-grade storage to secure assets. It also utilizes withdrawal access whitelisting and cold-wallet and crime insurance to prevent fraud.
- Mature crypto approach: The company attributes this to its time in the crypto business. Bitstamp focuses on transparency, reliability, and customer protection, according to its website.
- Non-stop availability: You'll have access to 24/7 customer service, account manager support, and expert support for custom solutions.
Bitstamp's Crypto-as-a-Service also lets you integrate crypto exchange services (e.g., buy and sell transactions) with your business platform(s).
Fees
Bitstamp requires a $0 minimum to open an account, but the minimum order size is $10.
Bitstamp has a fairly transparent fee structure. It's a tiered system based on an investor's 30-day trading volume. Maker fees range from 0.30% (for a trading volume below $10,000) to 0% (for a trading volume of over a billion). Similarly, taker fees range from 0.40% to 0.03%. Generally, the more an investor trades in that 30-day window, the lower the maker/taker fees.
Instant purchases incur an instant service fee of 4%. Additional fees may apply to transfers and internal transactions.
Trustworthiness
Bitstamp has institutional-grade security protocols to protect accounts, assets, and personal information. Security measures include data encryption, transaction configurations, and whitelisting. Bitstamp also holds 95% of its assets offline.
Additionally, Bitstamp complies with fiduciary standards, which means that Bitstamp will always put the best interests of its clients before its own.
Bitstamp USA Inc. has an F rating from the Better Business Bureau. The BBB rates businesses from A+ to F, reflecting the bureau's opinion of how well a company interacts with its customers. An F rating is the lowest possible score a company can receive.
The reason listed for the low rating is multiple complaints filed against the business, with some remaining unresolved.
Bitstamp has been free of major public lawsuits, scandals, or hacks since 2015.
Alternatives
Let's see how Bitstamp compares to similar platforms.
Coinbase
$1
0.50% spread for buy/sell transactions; transaction fee from $0.99 to $2.99; up to 0.60% for Coinbase Pro and Coinbase Advanced Trade
Pros
Cons
Coinbase is one of the best investment platforms for crypto trading, staking rewards, and crypto storage. The crypto exchange offering nearly 250 coins and tokens and is great for active real investors who can utilize Coinbase's services, account options, and investment tools.
Coinbase- Promotion: Get $5 of bitcoin when you join Coinbase; earn up to $200 when you set up a new account and make your first purchase
- Features: Coinbase Earn rewards, Coinbase Pro advanced account, user-controlled storage, stablecoins, staking, and institutional trading tools.
- App store rating: 4.7 iOS/ 4.1 Android; Coinbase Pro: 4.7 iOS/ 4.1 Android
- Awards: Named Best Prime Broker in Hedgeweek's annual European Digital Assets Awards
Coinbase is one of the top cryptocurrency exchanges for experienced investors looking for easy access to trading and storing multiple coins and tokens. It has a $1 minimum requirement. Coinbase is similar to Bitstamp in offering charting tools, beginner-friendly strategies, and a Pro version of the platform.
Coinbase is the stronger platform overall as it offers multiple account options (including IRAs and custodial accounts), 200+ cryptocurrencies, access to trade on margin, an NFT marketplace, and industry-leading trading tools. Coinbase is the best crypto exchange for staking and lending services, as U.S.-based investors don't have access to those services with Bitstamp.
Moreover, Coinbase users can earn up to 4% back in crypto on purchases with the Coinbase Visa debit card. Bitstamp does not offer its users a card.
If you're more interested in trading crypto with other platform consumers, Bitstamp is best due to its peer-to-peer trading services. Bitstamp is also more streamlined, so beginners may have an easier time navigating the platform.
Kraken
Kraken is another popular crypto exchange platform that offers hundreds of cryptocurrencies and various trading services for individuals and institutions.
Both exchanges offer educational resources, but Kraken offers a larger content catalog, including webinars, blog posts, and its Crypto 101 video series. Kraken is also an industry leader in security. Overall, Kraken provides more features than Bitstamp, including account management services, one-on-one consultations for institutions, and over-the-counter (OTC) trading.
In most cases, Kraken is the stronger platform. However, institutional investors interested in Bitstamp's APIs and fiat-crypto institutional-level services may prefer Bitstamp's offerings.
Why You Should Trust Us
We examined Bitstamp using Business Insider's rating methodology for investing platforms to compare and examine account types, pricing, investment options, and overall customer experience when reviewing investing platforms. Platforms are given a rating between 1 to 5.
Business Insider's Overall Bitstamp Rating
| Feature | Insider rating (out of 5) |
| Customer support | 3.00 |
| Ethics | 4.00 |
| Access | 4.50 |
| Security | 4.50 |
| Fees | 4.00 |
| Investment selection | 2.50 |
| Overall score | 3.70 |
FAQs
Is Bitstamp a safe exchange?
Bitstamp is considered a safe exchange. As one of the oldest crypto exchanges, it has a decent reputation for security and hasn't been subject to a large-scale hack since 2015. Most of Bitstamp's assets are held offline in cold storage, which protects users against potential online hacks.
What are the fees on Bitstamp?
Bitstamp's fees are competitive and vary based on your 30-day trading volume. The higher your trading volume, the lower your fees. Bitstamp does not charge fees for account maintenance or management. You can find its detailed fee schedule on the website.
Does Bitstamp offer margin trading or staking?
Bitstamp does not offer margin trading, and staking is unavailable to traders in the U.S., UK, Canada, Singapore, or Japan. If you're interested in those services, you should consider a different crypto exchange.
