How we score crypto exchanges
Five inputs give every US exchange a score out of 10. For each input we keep a number or a yes/no plus its source. The same data then always gives the same score.
Five inputs and their weights
- Fees, 30%: what a $1,000 buy by bank transfer costs, as published. Lower is better, and a spread the exchange doesn't publish takes a point off. Without a published number, the score is 2.
- Availability, 20%: how many states it serves among the 50 and DC, and how many payment options you get (PayPal, Apple Pay, debit card, wire, bank transfer).
- Security, 20%: a licence or trust charter in New York issued by NYDFS, FinCEN money services business registration, published proof of reserves, plus two-factor sign-in.
- We weigh products at 15%: the count of coins you can trade, plus staking and futures for customers in the US. We also check recurring buys and a platform for order book trading.
- App ratings, 15%: we take the App Store rating and the Google Play rating, average them, then double the result to a 10-point scale.
Today's scores
Each input sits on a 0 to 10 scale, and the score is a weighted average.
| Exchange | Score | Fees | Availability | Security | Products | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 8.3 | 7.5 | 9.1 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 9.1 |
 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 9.8 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 9.0 |
| Binance.US | 7.1 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 6.4 | 8.4 |
 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 8.7 |
 | 6.8 | 9.0 | 7.6 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 8.6 |
 | 6.4 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 4.4 | 8.8 |
| Coinbase | 6.3 | 2.0 | 9.3 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 9.0 |
| River | 5.3 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 9.8 |
 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 9.4 |
| Cash App | 4.6 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 9.5 |
 | 3.8 | 0.0 | 8.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 |
 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 9.2 |
Things that never change a score
- An exchange can't buy its score or its spot in a list.
- Some exchanges pay us a commission. We don't count it as an input.
- A changed fact on an exchange's own page means we update that fact, and the score follows.