Choosing the right Exchange to trade bitcoins and altcoins is key in beginning your journey in becoming an investor or trader. You want to make sure that your personal information is kept confidential and that your assets are held in the safest way possible. You also want to trade on your time with no setbacks to ensure you don't miss any opportunity that comes your way!
The Exchanges I've listed below are all reputable companies that support normal trading and margin trading. I will include their features for you to decide which exchange to choose from. Most of the platforms below also require the least amount of personal information required to set up an account, especially compare to your typical stock exchange broker. For anybody who's concerned about limits, exchanges like Kraken have tier levels where you can raise your limits up to buying $100k+ a month worth of coins by providing additional information. Most also have apps to for mobile trading or to simply monitor your trades.
Tips & Advice
A definite recommendation I can give you is the Exchange Platform Kraken. Their customer service is super helpful and responsive, and the site's interface is simple and easy to navigate. They have a bunch of visuals, like the order book which makes trading easy for me. The fees per trade lessen the more you trade. I also use Poloniex, although you can only trade with assets you already have. You can't buy coins with USD so you'll have to go somewhere else. That's why I also use Kraken.
Unlike most exchanges, Poloniex also has a "troll box", which is a chat box full of traders like yourself sharing ideas, opinions, etc. Be careful what others say, however. Trade on your own terms. It's common for people to hype you up on some coin, telling you to go short or long only for their benefit and screw you over, leaving you emotionally drained. Trading naturally is an emotional event. Be sure to trade with discipline and a solid strategy.
Coinbase
Coinbase is probably the most well-known Bitcoin exchange service as of today. In 2012, Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam founded the company. Coinbase allows to you to exchange bitcoin and ethereum supporting many popular payment methods like a debit card, credit card, and PayPal. You can also directly link your bank account if you wish.
Why might I choose this exchange?
Coinbase features simplicity and support payment methods that allow just about anybody to buy bitcoins securely and fast. Their app is easy to navigate and your funds are covered up to $250,000 USD by FDIC.
Founded: 2012
Exchange type: Broker
Payment methods available: Debit card, Credit card, PayPal, Bank account
Countries supported: Global or Worldwide
Paxful
The Paxful exchange platform is unique because it allows for peer-to-peer transfers. The company was co-founded by Artur Schaback and Ray Youssef in 2014. The goal here was to exchange bitcoins easier for everyone. The payment methods are super diverse from cash deposits to amazon gift cards, etc.
Why might I choose this exchange?
You can develop relationships over time with trustworthy people. You get to choose the price when selling your bitcoins and pick from 300+ payment methods.
Open since: 2014
Exchange type: Peer to Peer Exchange Platform
Payment methods available: More than 300+ ways to pay for bitcoin, Check Here
Countries supported: Global or Worldwide
Kraken
Kraken is both a broker and an exchange platform for traders. The company was founded in 2011 in San Francisco, California. The payment method is limited to bank wires only, but they make up for it by the huge trading limits. At their top verification tier level, you can deposit and withdrawal as much as $500,000 dollars monthly! Customer service is great. I can actually speak of it since I'm a tier 4 level and had to speak frequently with Kraken's representatives. They were patient and responsive the whole way.
Why might I choose this exchange?
If you are a serious trader or someone who's looking to trade large amounts of volume, Kraken can cover your needs. This exchange has the highest trading limits by far up to $500,000 dollars.
Open since: 2011
Exchange type: Broker & Trading Platform
Payment methods available: Bank Wire
Countries supported: Global or Worldwide
Localbitcoins
This company is basically another version of Paxful. It was founded in 2012, in Finland. You can choose from a huge list of payment methods and from many currencies. Make sure that with Localbitcoins and Paxful that you choose a reputable person to trade with. That's the con with this type of platform. If you don't know what you're doing you could easily get scammed. On the good side, I've traded thousands of dollars with this site and had a pleasant experience. The escrow service is a great security service, which freezes the funds until both sides contribute.
Why might I choose this exchange?
You can develop relationships over time with trustworthy people. You get to choose the price when selling your bitcoins and pick from just about any payment method possible. Just be careful with scammers!
Open since: 2012
Exchange type: Peer to Peer Exchange Platform
Payment methods available: Just about any payment method you can think of!
Countries supported: Global or Worldwide
Coinmama
Coinmama is probably the most unique exchange. Not only can you buy bitcoins with a debit card or cash, this exchange allows the same for ethereum! Their goal is to make the process of buying bitcoins as short as possible. The site is very easy to navigate. It's more suited for newer people in the bitcoin industry. Coinmama also accepts all currencies to buy bitcoins from them.
Why might I choose this exchange?
You can buy bitcoins and ethereum with a credit card, debit card, or cash in your local currency, no matter where you are. This exchange delivers as one of the fastest ways to buy coins with the most convenient methods to pay.
Open since: 2013
Exchange type: Broker
Payment methods available: Credit card, Debit card, Cash
Countries supported: Global or Worldwide