Independent comparison
Buy Bitcoin
Before building your first position, you'll choose a way to acquire bitcoin. Here are the most relevant providers from our “Buy Bitcoin” section, compared side by side.
Our pick
21bitcoin
- Headquarters
- Salzburg, Austria (also offices in Vienna and Munich)
- Founded
- 2021, platform launched April 2022 (Daniel Winklhammer & Dominik Seibold)
- Regulation
- FMA-regulated (Austria); full MiCAR CASP license since Nov 27, 2025, valid EU-wide
- Users
- over 100,000 customers, over €500m trading volume (as of 2025)
- Founders
- Daniel Winklhammer (CEO) and Dominik Seibold (CTO)
- Current leadership
- Daniel Winklhammer (CEO) and Dominik Seibold (CTO), both still leading operations
- Investors
- Volksbank Raiffeisenbank Bayern Mitte eG (strategic investor since 2023, ~25% stake); ~€2.25m raised across two funding rounds
Strengths
- Full MiCAR license since late 2025, so regulated and audited EU-wide
- Bank investor (Volksbank) as an added trust signal
- Very beginner-friendly, buy in a few clicks with automatic wallet transfer
- Bitcoin-only focus rather than a multi-coin offering
Weaknesses
- Young company (since 2021), shorter track record than established exchanges
- Only available as an app, no web interface
- Primarily geared toward the DACH region
Best for: Beginners and savings-plan users in the DACH region looking for a regulated, Bitcoin-only app with automatic wallet transfer.
Using this link gets you a 0.2% fee reduction on instant and savings-plan purchases at 21bitcoin.
Recent news about this provider
27.11.2025
21bitcoin becomes the first pure Bitcoin platform in Austria to receive the FMA's full MiCAR CASP license (Trending Topics)
Kraken
- Headquarters
- Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA since 2025 (previously San Francisco)
- Founded
- 2011 by Jesse Powell, Thanh Luu and Michael Gronager
- Regulation
- Regulated including in the US (FinCEN), UK (FCA), Australia (AUSTRAC) and Cyprus (CySEC); since March 2026 the first US digital asset bank with a Fed master account (Kansas City Fed)
- Users
- over 15 million users in more than 190 countries
- Founders
- Jesse Powell, Thanh Luu and Michael Gronager
- Current leadership
- since October 2024 co-CEOs Dave Ripley and Arjun Sethi, with Jesse Powell as chairman
- Investors
- including Jane Street, DRW, Tribe Capital, Citadel Securities (a $200m strategic investment); most recently $800m raised at a $20bn valuation (November 2025)
Strengths
- One of the oldest, most established exchanges worldwide (since 2011)
- Broad regulation across many jurisdictions, first as a US bank with Fed access
- Very well capitalized with well-known institutional investors
- Extensive 24/7 support incl. live chat
Weaknesses
- 2025/2026 extortion attempts over allegedly leaked customer data (Kraken says no system breach, about 0.02% of accounts affected)
- Geared more toward advanced users
- Standard fee around 1% plus spread
- Planned IPO currently on hold
Best for: More experienced users and anyone looking for an internationally established, strongly regulated, well-capitalized exchange with a broad offering.
By using this link, you support our website and help us keep creating high-quality content.
Recent news about this provider
Coinfinity
- Headquarters
- Graz, Austria
- Founded
- 2014, Austria's oldest Bitcoin broker (motto “Bringing Bitcoin to the People”)
- Regulation
- FMA-regulated; obtained its MiCAR CASP license in late 2025, the second Austrian Bitcoin-only provider after 21bitcoin
- Users
- around 100,000 customers, roughly €500m annual trading volume, strong growth in recent years
- Founders
- Max Tertinegg (co-founder & CEO)
- Current leadership
- Max Tertinegg still leading as CEO
- Investors
- including Volksbank Raiffeisenbank Bayern Mitte as an investor
Strengths
- Austria's oldest Bitcoin broker with a long track record (since 2014)
- MiCAR-licensed and FMA-regulated
- Bitcoin-only focus rather than a multi-coin offering
- Strong customer growth in recent years
Weaknesses
- Significantly smaller than major international exchanges
- Less international name recognition outside the DACH region
- Fewer payment options than large multi-coin exchanges
Best for: Users in the DACH region who prefer a long-established, specialized, regulated Austrian Bitcoin broker.
By using this link, you support our website and help us keep creating high-quality content.
Recent news about this provider
Binance
- Headquarters
- no fixed headquarters (decentralized structure); a major hub in Abu Dhabi, UAE, with Binance.US operating separately in the US
- Founded
- 2017 by Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Yi He
- Regulation
- Following the 2023 DOJ settlement, stepped-up compliance requirements including an independent external monitor; the company states it invests around $300m annually in compliance
- Users
- over 280 million users worldwide (as of mid-2025), the largest exchange by trading volume
- Founders
- Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Yi He
- Current leadership
- Richard Teng as CEO (since 2023), Yi He as co-CEO; CZ remains majority shareholder and was pardoned by President Trump in October 2025
- Investors
- MGX (Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund) invested $2bn in March 2025, the largest single institutional investment in Binance to date
Strengths
- By far the largest user base and liquidity worldwide
- Significantly strengthened compliance since 2023, with an independent monitor
- Very wide selection of coins and products
- Major institutional investors (including MGX) provide a strong capital base
Weaknesses
- 2023 guilty plea by Binance and CZ with a $4.3bn fine for anti-money-laundering and sanctions violations remains part of the company's history
- No fixed headquarters complicates regulatory classification
- Founder CZ remains publicly controversial despite his 2025 pardon
Best for: Experienced traders who want maximum liquidity and coin selection and are aware of and accept the company's history.
By using this link, you support our website and help us keep creating high-quality content.
Recent news about this provider
23.10.2025
US President Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao two years after his guilty plea (Fortune)
12.03.2025
Abu Dhabi's sovereign fund MGX invests $2bn in Binance, the largest institutional investment in the company's history (CoinDesk)
21.11.2023
Binance and CZ plead guilty in US federal court and pay a $4.3bn fine over anti-money-laundering and sanctions violations (US Department of Justice)
Coinbase
- Headquarters
- no traditional headquarters (remote-first since 2021); legally based in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, with a major new San Francisco office underway
- Founded
- June 1, 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam
- Regulation
- registered with FinCEN in the US, listed on Nasdaq (2021 direct listing, ticker COIN); regulated in the EU via Coinbase Europe Limited (Ireland)
- Users
- over 100 million verified users worldwide
- Founders
- Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam
- Current leadership
- Brian Armstrong still CEO since founding in 2012
- Investors
- including Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator (2012 seed round); publicly listed since April 2021
Strengths
- Listed on Nasdaq with strict SEC reporting duties and transparency
- One of the largest, longest-established exchanges worldwide (since 2012)
- Broad regulatory registration in both the US and the EU
- Well-known institutional investors since its earliest days
Weaknesses
- May 2025: bribed external support staff stole data from about 69,000 customers, with estimated damages of up to $400m
- November 2025: fined €21.5m by the Central Bank of Ireland over €176bn in unmonitored transactions
- February 2026: a further, smaller insider incident (about 30 users)
Best for: Users who prefer a publicly listed, long-established, globally known exchange with strict reporting duties and who are aware of its recent security and regulatory incidents.
By using this link, you support our website and help us keep creating high-quality content.
Recent news about this provider
Ledger - Live
Strengths
- Purchase flows directly into your own Ledger wallet
- Wide range of payment methods depending on country
- Well-known, established brand with a large user base
Weaknesses
- Fees usually higher than dedicated crypto exchanges
- Limited payment options in some countries
- Full functionality requires owning Ledger hardware
By using this link, you support our website and help us keep creating high-quality content.
Related Articles
Buy & Sell
Buying Bitcoin: Direct Purchase vs. Indirect Investments Compared
"Buying Bitcoin" sounds like a single decision, but it's actually the outcome of several different questions. Do you want to own and store bitcoin yourself, or…
Buy & Sell
5 Mistakes You Can Make With Your Bitcoin Investment
Buying Bitcoin takes a few minutes, handling it correctly takes a bit longer. Most costly mistakes in a Bitcoin investment don't happen at the moment of…
Buy & Sell
Financial freedom through Bitcoin, possible?
Definition of financial freedom What financial freedom means for each individual, depends on their individual goals and vision. In principle, we mean the…
Buy & Sell
Bitcoin - Investment Strategy - When is the best time to buy Bitcoin?
Investment Strategy (Amount, Regularity, Liquidity) Before making a purchase decision, it is advisable to consider how much capital you want to exchange into…