Methodology

Principle

We rate providers against fixed, public criteria. Every rating can be traced back to this page.

Commissions count for 0 % of the rating. Whether a provider has an affiliate programme does not change its position. Providers without one are listed just the same, only without an affiliate link.

The six criteria

Each provider gets 0 to 10 points per criterion. The overall score is the weighted sum. It is always calculated automatically, never set by hand.

Real costs: how we calculate them

Many comparisons only show the trading fee. Yet a large part of the cost is often hidden in the spread: the difference between the price you buy at and the price you sell at. So we always calculate a full round trip, buying and selling:

Cost = amount × (2 × trading fee + spread) + deposit fee + withdrawal fee

We measure spreads ourselves by comparing a provider’s buy and sell prices with a reference price and averaging several measurements. Every measurement is dated. Where we use figures from studies, we name the source.

Licences and regions

EU region: we only show providers authorised as crypto-asset service providers under the EU’s MiCA regulation. We check their status in the official register of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and link to the entry.

Global region: for people outside the EU and EEA, we show providers that, according to their own terms, are allowed in the respective country.

Visitors from the EU never see affiliate links to providers without an EU licence, not even in the Global region. If we can’t determine your location, we treat the visit as coming from the EU.

How the exchange finder works

1. Hard filters: providers drop out if they are not allowed in your country or lack something that matters to you, such as savings plans or withdrawals to your own wallet.
2. Adjusted weights: we start from the weights above. The criterion that matters most to you counts double. For beginners usability counts more, for experienced traders costs do.
3. Matching purpose: if a provider fits what you want to do (such as “savings plan” or “many altcoins”), it gets a small bonus.
4. Result: we show you the three best matches and explain why. Whether a provider pays a commission plays no part in the order.

What is not part of the rating

• the size of a commission, or whether there is an affiliate programme at all
• paid placements (which, if they ever exist, are clearly marked “Sponsored” and kept apart from rankings)
• price movements of individual coins
• personal preferences unrelated to the criteria

Keeping it current

Every provider page shows when we last checked it. We review fees, spreads and licences at least every three months, and straight away when we learn of a change. Every value in our database has a source and a check date. If we don’t know a value, it says “not available”. We don’t guess.

Limits

Our ratings are reasoned assessments based on the criteria above, not guarantees. We don’t audit providers’ finances or systems from the inside. Fees can change at any time, and the provider’s current terms always apply.

Found a mistake?

If you spot a wrong or outdated value, write to the address in the imprint. We publish corrections with a date.

Methodology version 1.0, in effect since 5 October 2026. When we change criteria or weights, we raise the version number and describe the change here.