If you’re looking for a safe and easy way to trade or buy cryptocurrencies, you’re on the right page. In this guide, we’ll present some of the best cryptocurrency apps that you can use to manage and trade your digital assets.
We will take a look at the top 6 apps to use, why we like them and what type of traders they are best for. We will also share some top tips for choosing a cryptocurrency app so that you can start trading with confidence.
Best Apps to Buy Cryptocurrency in 2024
Our team of crypto experts have created a list of the best apps you can use to purchase crypto assets, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. Our top picks are suitable for both beginners and experts, offer low fees and a great user experience. Here is an overview of the apps that made our list.
- Binance: The largest cryptocurrency exchange with a user-friendly crypto trading app. Binance offers low fees and great customer service.
- UniSwap: The best decentralized exchange app for buying cryptocurrencies without a third party.
- Interactive Brokers: The best crypto trading app for CFDs and advanced trading strategies.
- Coinbase: The overall best crypto app for beginners and advanced traders. Coinbase has a simple interface, a native crypto wallet and a minimum deposit of just $1.
- Revolut: The best banking app to buy crypto. Revolut Crypto is not available in the US but is a great option for investors who live in other parts of the world.
- eToro: The best crypto app for copy trading and smart portfolios that allow you to invest passively.
What Are Cryptocurrency Apps?
Cryptocurrency apps are mobile apps that you can use to buy, sell, trade, store and swap cryptocurrencies.
Just like most mobile apps, you can download crypto apps through your app store and access them as you wish on your phone.
Cryptocurrency apps allow users to manage their crypto trading on the go. This is ideal for both beginner and experienced investors as it allows you to monitor your investments around the clock and make adjustments to your portfolio as and when you need to.
Different Types of Cryptocurrency Apps Explained
Before we take a closer look at the top 6 cryptocurrency apps to use this year, it’s helpful to understand the different types of apps that are available. This will make it easy for you to find an app that suits your needs.
Crypto Exchange Apps
Cryptocurrency exchange apps are usually linked to a web-based crypto exchange such as Binance or Coinbase. These apps allow you to buy and sell cryptocurrencies using fiat or by swapping one coin for another.
There are two types of exchange: centralized or decentralized. The difference is that centralized exchanges accept fiat currencies but have stricter KYC procedures, meaning that you’ll have to enter your personal information – such as proving your address. On the other hand, decentralized crypto exchanges will help you exchange only cryptocurrencies, but they tend to be less user-friendly and less strict on KYC processes.
To buy with either, you’ll have to deposit the currency you wish to sell and find the one you’d like to purchase. Some exchanges are more oriented towards professional traders and include more trading options, which we suggest learning before opening a crypto exchange account. Then again, there are plenty of beginner-friendly exchanges that will help you buy Bitcoin or any other available cryptocurrencies in a couple of easy steps.
Mobile Banking Apps
Some mobile banking apps, such as Revolut and PayPal, provide access to cryptocurrencies.
These apps are typically used for managing fiat money with savings accounts, digital debit cards and payment options. Some mobile banking apps have started accepting crypto investing and payments to support diverse wealth management strategies.
This type of app is best suited for long-term investors and beginners who want to use cryptocurrency to diversify their personal finance strategy. Most of the time, these apps don’t provide complex trading tools for active trading (although, Revolut recently launched its flagship charting interface).
Crypto Brokers Apps
Online cryptocurrency brokers are somewhat different from crypto exchanges, as the broker acts like an intermediary offering various services. Unlike exchanges, where you need to deposit a currency you’d like to trade, brokers allow you to deposit collateral in crypto that’s not part of your trading pair. For instance, you can deposit Bitcoin as collateral while trading Ethereum with Litecoin.
Brokers are suitable for day traders, who may want to access advanced features such as leverage trading or cryptocurrency CFDs. Most of these apps provide access to multiple markets such as crypto, forex, stocks and commodities.
Cryptocurrency wallets
Some cryptocurrency apps are wallets, meaning they can store your digital funds safely and securely. Wallets cannot help you buy crypto — at least not all wallets. Some crypto wallets have a built-in crypto exchange, meaning you can purchase crypto from the same app where you store it. In fact, some of the most popular crypto exchange apps also offer a built-in or standalone wallet app for you to use.
Some popular wallet apps include MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet and eToro Money.
Cryptocurrency games
Another type of crypto app that you may come across is cryptocurrency games. These are a type of mobile game that rewards players with cryptocurrencies for completing missions and taking part in the ecosystem.
Cryptocurrency games are a fun way to earn cryptocurrency without putting too much money at risk. They are often blockchain-based and require you to connect a wallet to the platform in order to earn cryptos.
A Closer Look at The Best Crypto Apps in 2024
In the next section, we will take a closer look at why the above 6 apps made our list. We will cover what we liked about each app and who each option might be best for.
1. Binance: The Largest Cryptocurrency Exchange
Binance is currently one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchange platforms in the world. The app offers a wide array of other services besides trading, including a Binance Visa Card, staking, savings, Binance Smart Pool, crypto loans, and more.
It’s also one of the most comprehensive apps, offering an easy registration process and a user-friendly interface. Mind you, it might take some time to explore the platform, especially if you’re new to cryptocurrency trading. However, but for those seeking Binance alternatives, there are other platforms available that provide similar functionality and a competitive trading experience.
The Binance app is free to download and the exchange is known for offer very low trading fees. This is a great option for readers who are looking for a crypto exchange that can be used for buying, selling, staking, lending, and swapping cryptos.
2. Uniswap: The Best DeFi Crypto Trading App
Uniswap is also a cryptocurrency exchange, much like Binance, except it’s completely decentralized and features the automated market maker (AMM). It means you can also stake your coins and create crypto trading pools to make low-liquidity trading pairs easily tradeable. Unlike many crypto platforms, Uniswap is entirely decentralized and doesn’t require you to open an account or leave any sensitive data on the site.
UniSwap is one of the easiest crypto apps to use. Because it is decentralized, you do not need to provide any personal details to sign up. So, as soon as you download the app you can use it to buy crypto. This makes it a good option for people who are looking to buy or sell crypto quickly.
3. Interactive Brokers: Best app for trading crypto CFDs
Interactive Brokers is an online broker platform that lets you use brokerage services for all kinds of non-crypto currency assets. It’s one of the most popular brokers globally, and it has introduced crypto trading recently. Even though this feature is new, Interactive Brokers has already attracted plenty of crypto users.
This app is the best option for advanced traders who want to access cryptocurrency CFDs. These are a type of derivative that are suitable for day trading because they can be bought and sold quickly. Interactive Brokers also offers margin trading and a good range of charting tools and indicators that can be used to support an active trading strategy.
Although Interactive Brokers stood out as the best app, there are a number of other cryptocurrency CFD brokers that are available on desktop.
4. Coinbase: The overall best cryptocurrency app for beginners
Out of all of the apps that we reviewed, Coinbase stood out as the most user-friendly which makes it the best app for beginners.
Like Binance, Coinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange that can be used to buy, sell and swap cryptos. There are over 200 coins available on the exchange and it is possible to buy crypto for as little as $1.
The Coinbase app is simplistic and easy to navigate. What’s more, the exchange offers a native wallet app which can be used to store your crypto and connect to other decentralized finance applications.
Although the main app is catered to beginners, experienced traders can use CoinbasePro to access advanced trading features.
5. Revolut: The best mobile banking app for crypto
For beginners, one of the easiest ways to ease into crypto trading is to use a familiar mobile banking app that supports cryptocurrencies. Revolut is a top option to consider that offers access to over 175 different cryptocurrencies.
The mobile banking app makes it possible to handle all of your personal finances in one place. You can create savings account, access digital payment cards, invest in cryptocurrencies and invest in the stock market, all in one app.
Although the main app lacks advanced crypto trading features, Revolut recently launched its flagship trading product, RevolutX. This is more suitable for experienced traders and offers a good range of charting tools, indicators and APIs.
6. eToro: The best cryptocurrency app for passive trading
eToro is a popular cryptocurrency exchange that provides access to cryptocurrencies as well as stocks, commodities and ETFs. The app is most known for being the best provider of copy trading – a passive trading strategy that allows you to copy the trades of experts.
The eToro mobile app is easy to use and comes with excellent support features to help you at every stage of your journey. You can also download the native eToro Money wallet app to store your coins safely.
One of the main reasons that we like eToro is that it offers a free demo trading account that can be funded with up to $100,000. This allows you to practice trading without putting any money at risk.
Things to Consider When Using Cryptocurrency Apps
With so many crypto apps available, it is important to take the following things into considering before choosing one to use.
The Type of App:
First of all, you need to determine which type of crypto app you want to use before actually using it. Are you looking for a wallet/exchange/broker/etc.?
If you want to simply buy and sell crypto, an exchange is probably the best option for you (try choosing one that offers a native wallet).
On the other hand, if you’re looking to implement advanced trading strategies, look for a broker that supports CFD trading.
Available Cryptocurrencies:
Make sure that the crypto app accepts the cryptocurrencies you plan to buy/use. Apps such as Revolut offer a smaller selection than the likes of Binance. A wide selection of cryptocurrencies can make it easier to diversify your portfolio down the line.
If you’re using a crypto exchange app, you want to check whether it’s centralised or decentralised, as this can affect your trading experience.
Centralized exchanges require you to provide proof of ID before trading crypto. On the other hand, you can use a decentralized exchange to buy crypto anonymously.
Decentralized exchanges are a good option if you want to buy cryptocurrency quickly. However, these platforms come with less security measures than centralized options.
Trading Fees:
Almost all cryptocurrency apps charge some fees such as trading fees or network fees, especially exchanges and brokers. Make sure to check them before starting to use them.
You should be able to find a full rundown of fees that are charged on the app’s official website.
Available Trading Options:
It’s no secret that some apps have more trading options than others. However, beginners might find these complicated and prefer to go for something more simple.
Make sure that the app you choose provides all of the features that are needed to implement your desired trading strategy.
Reputation:
Before signing up for an app, read through user reviews and testimonials to make sure that it has a solid reputation. This is a great way to determine the legitimacy of a platform before putting any money at risk.
Final Thoughts
In 2024, it is possible to access most cryptocurrency products from your phone using a variety of cryptocurrency apps. In this guide, we have revealed the best crypto apps for buying, selling and storing cryptocurrency,
Our overall top pick is Coinbase because it offers an exchange, a wallet and crypto staking options which makes it suitable for a variety of different needs. The platform also offers Coinbase Pro for advanced traders who want to access complex tools.
Before signing up for an app, read through user reviews to make sure that it is a good option to consider. We also recommend looking for apps that offer demo accounts so that you can test out the application before putting any money at risk.
FAQs
Can I use cryptocurrency apps on both my mobile and desktop devices?
It depends. Most standalone crypto apps are built just for one OS, so if they are made exclusively for Windows, you won’t be able to use them on your Android or iOS device. However, some apps are browser-based and can be used across devices.
Can I use wallet apps to trade cryptocurrencies?
There are plenty of excellent crypto wallet apps out there, and some of them have a built-in feature that makes crypto swapping easy, so the answer is positive, as long as you use a wallet that has a trading feature. However, these also usually come with hefty trading fees.
Do I have to open an account to use cryptocurrency apps?
While many apps require becoming a registered member, there are many decentralized exchanges and wallets that you can use without registration, which helps maintain anonymity.
Which is the best cryptocurrency app to use?
Coinbase stands out as the best cryptocurrency app to use because it offers a good range of features, it easy to use and allows you to start trading from $1.
Which is the best app to earn cryptocurrency?
Staking apps, such as Coinbase and Binance, are the best apps to earn cryptocurrency. You can also earn cryptocurrency through play-to-earn crypto game apps such as CryptoKitties and Axie Infinity.