Crypto Exchange Comparison Switzerland, Germany and Austria: the Best Providers in the 2025 Test

If you want to buy cryptocurrencies in Switzerland, Germany or Austria, a suitable crypto exchange is essential. Especially in the cryptocurrency sector, it is necessary to have a trustworthy and secure trading environment. After all, you entrust your money to a crypto exchange – even if it is only for the time of purchase. In addition, there are many other aspects that are important when comparing the best crypto exchanges. These are, above all, the trading fees, the selection of available coins and the user-friendliness.

The Best Crypto Exchanges in Comparison: Overview

In the following sections you will find more detailed data on the respective provider. We will discuss the companies behind the crypto platform, the offer and the trading fees. We will also give you information on how you can deposit with the respective provider.

Bitvavo

Bitvavo is a Dutch crypto exchange based in Amsterdam. Since its foundation in 2018, Bitvavo has positioned itself as one of the largest European exchanges on the market. The Bitvavo fees are volume-dependent and amount to 0.03 to 0.25 percent of the invested amount. This makes Bitvavo one of the cheapest providers for the average crypto investor.

It is primarily a crypto exchange that you can use as an advanced investor – including order books and various order types. For beginners, however, Bitvavo is also available in a very clear broker design without any additional fees.

With more than 180 cryptocurrencies, investors will find not only the best-known cryptocurrencies but also numerous smaller altcoins that could have high potential. However, we rate the numerous deposit methods as particularly positive at Bitvavo. In addition to Sepa transfer, the crypto exchange supports other payment methods such as PayPal, Giropay or Sofortüberweisung.

Your cryptocurrencies at Bitvavo are protected by additional insurance up to a value of 100,000 euros per user. With staking, you can also earn money passively with cryptocurrencies.

Plus500

Although Plus500 is a CFD broker, we can also recommend this trading platform when it comes to speculating on the performance of a cryptocurrency. In contrast to a crypto exchange, you trade (leveraged) derivatives at Plus500. This means that your investments fluctuate even more in value, but you can also speculate on falling prices and thus work with cryptocurrencies in bearish market phases.

When you invest in cryptocurrencies with Plus500, you do not own the coins. Instead, you only participate in the performance through CFDs. For some people, this can be an advantage because they don’t have to worry about keeping the cryptocurrency safe.

At Plus500, in addition to the best-known cryptocurrencies, entire crypto indices can also be traded as CFDs. In addition, Plus500 supports all common deposit methods such as PayPal (not for customers in Switzerland) or credit card. Plus500 does not charge a commission, the spread is very variable. In our Plus500 Review, we have gone into more detail about the CFD broker.

Bitpanda

The Austrian crypto trading platform Bitpanda was founded in 2014. This makes Bitpanda one of the oldest crypto exchanges or brokers from the DACH region.

Bitpanda can also impress with many different payment methods. You can invest in over 200 cryptocurrencies with credit card, Giropay or Sofortüberweisung. Only PayPal is not supported by the better-known payment methods.

The positive thing is that Bitpanda is available in two versions: a broker and an exchange version (Bitpanda Pro). Bitpanda Pro is aimed at experienced investors and impresses with a very favorable volume-dependent fee model from 0.15 percent of the invested amount. Beginners pay a spread of 1.49 to 2.49 percent per cryptocurrency in the broker version Bitpanda.

In our crypto exchange comparison, Bitpanda impresses above all with a clear user interface, a well-thought-out combination between Bitpanda and Bitpanda Pro and other assets such as fractional shares (as derivatives) and precious metals. You can also stake your cryptocurrencies and receive a debit card with the Bitpanda Visa Card. Savings plans are also possible from 25 euros per execution. The only drawback remains the high spread. You can find more information in our Bitpanda Test.

OKX

OKX is a crypto exchange founded in 2017 and based in the Seychelles. It is a few months older than Binance and has therefore already survived two bear markets – a real quality feature for crypto exchanges. In our OKX Test, the trading platform was able to convince us with numerous functions and a clear user interface.

Because in addition to the spot market, you can also trade with futures and options. However, beginners in particular should first get used to the trading platform with the OKX demo account before using such risky trading options. Also interesting: OKX is the only provider in our crypto exchange comparison to offer copy trading. The OKX offer is completed by an NFT marketplace and a non-custodial wallet.

The fees are comparatively low. Investors can buy cryptocurrencies at OKX from a trading fee of 0.09 percent.

XTB

XTB is an online broker that mainly offers CFDs, but also has real securities such as shares in its portfolio. Founded in 2002, the broker has been known for some years, especially through advertising with football icon José Mourinho. The company is based in Poland.

One disadvantage: XTB does not offer real cryptocurrencies. So you can only participate in the performance of digital currencies using CFDs. For beginners who don’t want to worry about custody but still want to invest in cryptocurrencies, this could still be an advantage. However, investors should first test the 30-day demo account of XTB, especially with CFDs.

Coinbase

Coinbase was founded in the USA in 2012, making it one of the world’s oldest still active crypto exchanges. At Coinbase you can trade more than 100 cryptocurrencies and also increase them via staking. Additional functions are crypto savings plans, an NFT marketplace and the Coinbase Debit Card.

The fees in the beginner-friendly version are quite high at around 1.49 percent plus 0.50 spread. For purchases via credit card, even 3.99 percent of the invested amount is charged. Trading via “Coinbade Advanced” is significantly cheaper with 0.40 to 0.60 percent trading fees.

In our Coinbase experiences we have gone into detail about the properties of the crypto exchange.

Binance

Although Binance was only founded in 2017, the platform is already the largest crypto exchange in the world – measured by trading volume. Coinbase is still just ahead of Binance in terms of user numbers.

With fees from 0.10 percent of the invested amount, Binance is also very cheap for the average crypto investor. With increasing trading volume, the fees also decrease further. Binance is also the most extensive crypto exchange in our comparison in terms of functions. In addition to staking, many other functions such as savings plans, lending, an NFT marketplace, a Binance debit card and futures and options are available.

Users from Switzerland can now use Binance in German. This has a positive effect on the rating of the crypto exchange in our comparison. You can get a deeper insight in our Binance experience report.

Kraken

Like Coinbase, Kraken is a crypto exchange from the USA and, with its foundation in 2012, one of the oldest exchanges in the world. It is one of the safest crypto exchanges ever and was one of the pioneers of a detailed and transparent proof-of-reserves procedure.

The fees for regular trading with cryptocurrencies start at 0.26 or 0.16 percent. For the Instant Buy function via credit card, however, you pay quite high fees with 3.75 percent plus 0.25 CHF. Therefore, Kraken is particularly suitable for crypto/crypto trading pairs and for deposits via Sepa transfer. Negative: Kraken is not available in German and is therefore much more difficult to understand for many beginners.

What is a Crypto Exchange?

A crypto exchange is a trading platform that brings together buyers and sellers of cryptocurrencies. You buy coins from other users and negotiate a price with them. You do not come into direct contact with them, but place orders in an order book. The price is determined by the simple principle of supply and demand.

With a crypto broker, on the other hand, you do not trade with other users. Instead, the broker offers you the cryptocurrency at a price. You do not see different orders in an order book, but only a buy and sell price. As a rule, the broker takes care of the custody of your coins. With a crypto exchange, on the other hand, you can dispose of the coins yourself and should therefore send them to your own wallet.

Crypto Exchange Comparison: What You should Pay Attention To

After we have presented you with what we believe are the best crypto exchanges, we will give you a deeper insight into how we have rated the platforms. You can also see at a glance what is important in a crypto exchange and make the choice of the right trading platform based on your own preferences.

Fees

The best crypto exchanges have low fees – that should be self-explanatory. Therefore, the fees play an important role in our crypto exchange comparison. In addition to the simple trading fees, it is also about deposit and withdrawal fees. In addition, the costs of a crypto exchange should be broken down transparently and be easy to understand.

Trading Offer

Ideally, the trading offer should include more than just Bitcoin, Ethereum and a few altcoins, so that the trading platform plays a serious role in our crypto exchange comparison. Nevertheless, this position does not play the most important role in our crypto exchange comparison. Whether a crypto exchange offers 10 or 100 cryptocurrencies may be a difference. Whether the platform has 400 or 600 cryptocurrencies in its trading offer, on the other hand, is less important.

User Interface

The crypto exchange should be easy to understand for beginners. At the same time, advanced crypto investors should also be able to find all the important functions quickly and clearly. The multitude of functions for experienced users should by no means end in a confusing layout. This also applies to the associated app, if there should be one. This should clearly bundle the most important functions of the crypto exchange.

Deposit Methods

The more payment methods a crypto exchange offers, the more users it appeals to. In addition, the payment methods offered provide information about whether an immediate investment with Swiss francs, euros or US dollars is even possible.

Extras

While crypto exchanges used to be limited to trading cryptocurrencies, they now offer many additional functions: staking, NFT marketplaces or a crypto credit card are common examples. A crypto savings plan is also desired by more and more long-term investors.

Safety

The past in the crypto sector has shown that the security of a crypto exchange should play the most important role when it comes to choosing an exchange. In our crypto exchange comparison, we have therefore checked whether there have been any hacks in the past or not.

Also important are the licenses in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, but also the reputation itself is an important factor. In addition, proof-of-reserves procedures and external audits are also an advantage.

Important: Regardless of how secure a crypto exchange is, you should ideally store your coins on a hardware wallet. For example, the Ledger Nano S Plus is an option.

The Cheapest Crypto Exchange

Determining the cheapest crypto exchange is not that easy, as it always depends on which cryptocurrency it is and how high your monthly trading volume is. In addition, the answer differs depending on whether you want to buy cryptocurrencies with bank transfer, PayPal or credit card.

Those who usually deposit via Sepa transfer should find the lowest fees at Binance. Because there you pay a maximum of 0.10 percent. However, as soon as it comes to depositing via credit card or PayPal, Plus500 is often the cheapest crypto platform due to the low spread and free deposits. If you want to combine low trading fees with many payment methods, the Dutch crypto exchange Bitvavo is a very good solution.

The Safest Crypto Exchange

We currently consider Kraken to be the safest crypto exchange internationally. However, this mainly refers to the technical security aspects. As far as regulation is concerned, the two crypto platforms Bitpanda and Coinbase are clearly ahead of the other providers. Above all, Bitpanda is safer than unregulated trading platforms due to its headquarters in Austria and the recently obtained crypto custody license from Bafin in Germany.

Conclusion: this Crypto Exchange Recommends CoinPro

Which crypto exchange is best for you depends on what requirements you place on the trading platform. In our opinion, the crypto exchange Bitvavo is suitable for all types of crypto investors. The fees are low, there are two different types of user interfaces, so that beginners and advanced investors can find their way around. The Bitvavo app also impresses in the crypto exchange comparison.

However, if you prefer a crypto savings plan, Bitpanda is currently the best choice in our crypto exchange comparison. Beginners and traders who do not want to worry about the custody of the coins and who are mainly interested in the price development of cryptocurrencies will find a suitable trading platform in Plus500.