AdminThis page is a collection of recommended cryptocurrency tools, services and resources that we personally use(d). Think of it as the ultimate guide to getting started with crypto.
Disclaimer: Please always do your own research. While we do our best to vet the resources we link to, as these resources are all 3rd parties, we cannot vouch for their continued accuracy, quality or integrity. If something looks or feels off, trust your gut and continue to do your research rather than blindly trust the resource in question. If you use the links to the service we provide, we may receive a commission (this doesn’t increase the cost to you, in fact sometimes it even gives you an additional discount for using our referral links, and of course this is greatly appreciated by us).
Cryptocurrency Exchanges
Coinbase
Countries
Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom and most European countries.
Insurance
“Coinbase prioritizes the security of our customer’s funds, all digital currency that Coinbase holds online is insured. If Coinbase were to suffer a breach of its online storage, the insurance policy would pay out to cover any customer funds lost as a result.”
Compliance
“Coinbase, Inc., the company which operates Coinbase and Coinbase Pro in the US, is licensed to engage in money transmission in most US jurisdictions.”
“Coinbase is also registered as a Money Services Business with FinCEN.”
Fiat or Crypto Deposits
Coinbase allows for both fiat and crypto deposits.
Coins Available
Currently there’s about 29 different cryptocurrencies available on Coinbase, including BTC and ETH, but also various other alternate coins. Cryptocurrencies are regularly being added to Coinbase to check back frequently.
Pros/Cons (Verdict)
In our opinion, Coinbase is a very easy, simple and safe way to get started with cryptocurrencies and would be our #1 recommendation for most beginners. They seem to be the most reputable cryptocurrency exchange available today, fully regulated and compliant, insured against hacks and theft and make it easy to buy your first cryptocurrencies without any tech knowledge.
The downside of Coinbase are slightly higher fees, as well as the limited number of cryptocurrencies available for trading.
If you’re more of an advanced user or trader where you do a lot of buying and selling, as well as the need for a large variety of cryptocurrencies, there are other options available to you that may be more favorable.
However, if you’re just starting out or you just want to buy your first Bitcoin and a few ETH and want to do that in the easiest, low-tech, safest way as possible, we recommend Coinbase as our exchange of choice.
Click Here To Create Your Coinbase Account (using our referral link gets you $10 added to your account)
Binance
Countries
Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United States (Binance.US), the United Kingdom and most European countries.
Insurance
“Binance.US is delighted to announce that as of October 18, 2019, USD deposits are eligible for FDIC insurance coverage. All USD deposits are held in pooled custodial accounts at multiple banks that are insured by the FDIC. The pooled custodial accounts are maintained in a manner that provides access to pass-through FDIC insurance coverage up to the depositor coverage limit, which is currently $250,000.”
Compliance
Binance is one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges available and has been around since 2017. The seem to aim to be compliant, but as they have branches in dozens of countries around the world, it’s not possible to list all the various laws and licenses related to Binance compliance.
Fiat or Crypto Deposits
Depending on your country, Binance may accept both fiat and crypto deposits. In certain cases Binance may only accept crypto deposits, but they’ve been rapidly expanding to be able to accept fiat currency deposits in dozens of countries.
Coins Available
Binance has one of the largest selections of popular cryptocurrencies available for trading, which makes it perfect for beginners as well as more advanced trading.
Pros/Cons (Verdict)
In our opinion, Binance is an excellent cryptocurrency exchange for trading and for purchasing altcoins on. Fees are acceptable, customer support is excellent (live chat often available), the interface is easy to use and so far we have not experienced any problems with deposits or withdrawals in over 2 years of using them.
The downside of Binance could potentially be that due to their size and expansion (and the fact that cryptocurrencies are a completely new industry with which laws are still catching up), they may not be 100% compliant, even though they strive to be. This isn’t a big deal in our opinion, yet it is wise to exercise caution and keep control over your cryptocurrency by storing it on a wallet that you own the private keys to (i.e. don’t keep crypto on exchanges long-term).
For the rest, Binance is our go-to exchange for trading and altcoin purchases and we highly recommend signing up.
Click Here To Create Your Binance Account (Get 5% commission kickback when signing up through our referral link)
Liquid
Countries
“Liquid supports all countries except the United States and those present on the FATF high risk list.“
Insurance
It does not seem like Liquid exchange currently provides insurance to users at this point.
Compliance
“We are pro-regulation and we work with regulators. It is always the highest priority and we have to take the necessary measures, the necessary resources to comply and work with regulators”.
Fiat or Crypto Deposits
Depending on your country, Liquid may accept both fiat and crypto deposits.
Coins Available
“We support more than 100 cryptocurrencies and a number of fiat currencies on Liquid.”
Pros/Cons (Verdict)
In our opinion, Liquid is a very professional cryptocurrency exchange. It has a large selection of cryptocurrencies, a good interface and platform for trading and excellent support.
The downside of Liquid is that it’s currently not open to the United States, hopefully that will change in future.
Click Here To Create Your Free Account On Liquid.
Kraken
Countries
Kraken supports most countries including the United States, with a few exceptions.
Insurance
While Kraken does not officially claim to provide insurance to users, here’s what they say: “we take great care to protect the assets of our clients from loss. We were founded in July 2011 and have been operating since May 2013. We’re now one of the oldest, largest, and most trusted cryptocurrency exchanges.”.
Compliance
“We comply with legal and regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions where we operate. Kraken is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with:
- FinCEN in USA — registration number 31000136371793.
- FINTRAC in Canada — registration number M19343731.
Kraken Futures (CryptoFacilities) is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK’s primary financial regulatory body. Reference number 757895.”
Fiat or Crypto Deposits
Kraken allows for both fiat and cryptocurrency deposits.
Coins Available
Kraken currently supports Bitcoin and over 30 different cryptocurrencies.
Pros/Cons (Verdict)
In our opinion, Kraken is a professional, reputable exchange that has been operating for almost a decade now.
The downside to Kraken is perhaps a limited variety of cryptocurrencies.
Click here to create a free account on Kraken
Gemini
Countries
“The Gemini platform is available to customers in a total of 49 U.S. states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.”
Insurance
“We are excited to announce that we have launched Nakamoto, Ltd. (Nakamoto), a captive insurance company licensed by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) to insure Gemini Custody™. Nakamoto — the world’s first captive to insure crypto custody — allows us to increase our insurance capacity beyond the coverage currently available in the commercial insurance market. This insurance solution gives Gemini Custody™ $200 million in insurance coverage — the largest limit of insurance coverage purchased by any crypto custodian in the world.“
Compliance
“In 2018, Gemini engaged with Big Four auditor Deloitte & Touche LLP (Deloitte) to execute a SOC 2® — SOC for Service Organizations Type 1 examination. After months of preparation and an in-depth external review, we are pleased to announce that Gemini has successfully completed its SOC 2 Type 1 examination. This makes Gemini the world’s first cryptocurrency exchange and custodian to demonstrate this level of security compliance in protecting customer data and funds.“
Fiat or Crypto Deposits
Gemini exchange allows for both fiat and cryptocurrency deposits
Coins Available
Currently there are more than 18 different cryptocurrencies available on the Gemini platform.
Pros/Cons (Verdict)
In our opinion, Gemini is probably the most safe, secure and compliant cryptocurrency on the market today.
The downside of Gemini is the limited countries they currently serve, as well as the limited selection of cryptocurrencies they currently offer.
If you’re looking for a safe and compliant way to buy Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies, Gemini is an excellent platform to help you do so.
Click here to open your free Gemini account.
Bitstamp
Countries
“Apart from the 28 EU member states, Bitstamp also supports close to 50 different countries outside of the EU. (Including the United States). “
Insurance
“The security of our customers’ funds is always our highest priority at Bitstamp. With BitGo Custody, Bitstamp’s assets will be secured on 100% cold storage technology in bank-grade class III vaults and protected by BitGo’s $100 million (USD) insurance policy.”
Compliance
“Our business model and our Services facilitate the buying, selling and trading of Virtual Assets and other Digital Assets and their use to purchase goods in an unregulated, international open payment system. The Services we provide are currently unregulated within the UK.” That being said, Bitstamp is one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges in existence and has been around since 2011.
Fiat or Crypto Deposits
Bitstamp accepts both fiat and cryptocurrency deposits.
Coins Available
Bistamp currently only supports 5 coins (BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH and XRP).
Pros/Cons (Verdict)
In our opinion, Bitstamp is a very professional and reputable exchange.
The downside is the limited number of crypocurrencies that they have available on their platform.
Click here to open your free Bitstamp account
Coinspot
Countries
Australia
Insurance
It does not seem like Coinspot has insurance for user funds. However, “CoinSpot maintains industry best-practice by securing a vast majority of assets in highly secure offline locations.”
Compliance
“In order to achieve the ISO 27001 standard as mandated by the International Organisation for Standardisation, CoinSpot was required to complete an external audit undertaken by SCI Qual International (an accredited JAS-ANZ certification body).The certification process requires an in-depth investigation and ongoing audits of Information Security Management processes and practices. This includes processes relating to the management of; digital asset storage, information relating to employees, contractors, suppliers, clients, products, processes, and intellectual property. These stringent policies are designed to eliminate unauthorised access, use, destruction, modification or closure of the organisations information management systems.”
Fiat or Crypto Deposits
Coinspot accepts both fiat and cryptocurrency deposits.
Coins Available
Coinspot currently supports dozens of cryptocurrencies.
Pros/Cons (Verdict)
In our opinion, Coinspot is a reputable and professional exchange.
The downside is that it seems to be limited to Australian users only, and fees can be higher than other exchanges.
Click here to open a free Coinspot account.
Charts & Technical Analysis
Tradingview
Tradingview is our preferred charting platform of choice. It’s easy to use, very comprehensive in terms of tools and data, and allows for not just cryptocurrency charts but also Forex, Commodities, Stocks and more.
Click here to create your free Tradingview account
Investopedia
Investopedia is a free resource with a lot of good beginner information about investing and technical analysis.
Click here to visit Investopedia.com
Babypips
While aimed at Forex trading, Babypips is a really good free educational website to learn about technical analysis.
Click here to visit Babypips.com
News & Research Tools
BRAVE internet browser
The BRAVE browser is in our opinion an absolute must for everyone using the internet these days. It looks and feels exactly like the Google Chrome browser you’re probably used to, but it does not track you. It’s much more private so your data is much more secure. It also seems to have a built-in ad blocker, so you’ll see far fewer ads than you normally would.
Additionally, it can even be faster than other browsers, and… you also have the option of earning cryptocurrencies just by using the web as you normally do (if you choose to see BRAVE ads).
It’s completely free to download and install and takes about 10 minutes to setup. It’s also available as an app for your smartphone.
Click here to download the BRAVE internet browser
Our own news channel on Discord (FREE)
We have a free public Discord server where we provide daily updates on important cryptocurrency news events and important information. This is one of the easiest ways to stay informed as we do a lot of the research and heavy lifting and share it in a logical and easy-to-digest manner.
Click here to join the IC Discord server
Twitter
As with many social media sites these days, Twitter can be both an interesting place to find more information about cryptocurrencies, but it can also be a place full of shilling, negativity and trolls.
Here are a few Twitter accounts in the crypto space we think are worth following:
@100trillionusd
@Rhythymtrader
@czbinance
@brian_armstrong
@novogratz
@rookiexbt
@paddystash
@byzgeneral
@apompliano
Reddit
Reddit can be an additional source of good information about cryptocurrencies, but be warned that there is a lot of shilling happening there too. Be careful to carefully research what you find because there is plenty of fake news and manipulated information on Reddit too.
The general cryptocurrency subreddit is a good place to start:
https://reddit.com/r/cryptocurrency
But each cryptocurrency project tends to have their own subreddit too. A quick Google search for “project name/token + reddit” should reveal the individual subreddit.
Youtube
Some of the Youtube channels we have found to be helpful and informative for cryptocurrency information without much BS and shilling are:
Chico Crypto
Max Wright (Contrarian Dude)
The Crypto Vigilante
Recommended Newsletters
The Dollar Vigilante
Run by Jeff Berwick and his very competent and knowledgeable team, The Dollar Vigilante is a premium newsletter focused on helping people “survive and prosper during the coming dollar collapse”.
This is a bi-monthly publication that contains insights, tips and suggestions into protecting your assets, as well as various investment recommendations mostly into stocks and precious metals.
For about $20 a month, this is in our opinion an absolute necessity to have at your disposal. Information is power and we highly recommend TDV.
Click here to learn more & sign up to The Dollar Vigilante