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Leading options · 14 ranked of 28 assessed

Simple Buy

Simple-buy apps evaluated across all-in cost, withdrawal to self-custody, availability and onboarding friction, and custody posture.

Ranked here: simple-buy apps for a one-off purchase of bitcoin or a major coin with money from a bank account or card. Not ranked here: products with no route to a wallet you control, exchange accounts, embedded fiat-in rails, cash-out services and bank accounts with a crypto tab other than Bitpanda's buy app, and card programmes.

#1 of 14published ranking
Strike
86ChainChoice Score
Why it leads
Strike is 22 points ahead of Coinbase (Simple Buy), mainly because it scores higher on its all in cost and its withdrawal.
Show the arithmetic
Ahead of Coinbase (Simple Buy) on all in cost (+12.0 points) and withdrawal (+6.5 points)
Cost
$8.90 your cost/yr · Your monthly volume: $1k · How do you buy?: One-time
Reviewed Next review by Published Methodology v2026.11.1
How this page is reviewed

Reviewed means every product ranked on this page was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.

Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.

How we review · Review calendar · Corrections log · How we make money

No provider can pay for a position in this table. The code that computes this order cannot read which links carry a referral code, and every build proves it. Every score below rebuilds from the published criteria.Ranking v2026.11.1 · 4 criteria · 14 products · same inputs, same order

How we review · 14 ranked of 28 assessed · 4 criteria · 0 sponsor weight

How we review
14ranked
28assessed
4criteria
0sponsor weight
Recommendation first, comparison only if needed.
Reviewed and rechecked on the current cycle.
Commercial relationships disclosed before clickout.
Personal comparison

What simple buy cost you

Your inputs update the cost column. The independent ranking stays fixed.

Instant-buy spread on what you buy: on one purchase, or for a year of purchases or of trading. Fixed purchase fees and deposit fees are not published as fields yet, so they are excluded, as are network gas and any withdrawal fee. This is the spread the provider states, applied to your amount; where it states a range, this is its low end and your cost can be higher. We have not measured it.

RankProviderBest fitScoreYour cost
1
StrikeBitcoin-only app that quantifies its sp...Top ranked
Access — 9/10Trade-off: One cost sits outside the advertised tier: an uncapped spread with an explicit volati...
86score
your cost/yr
Check availability for your country

Strike · strike.me. Provider links appear once we know which country you are browsing from: ChainChoice links to providers only where it serves in full.

Commission: This provider pays ChainChoice nothing for this link. Disclosure

Crypto products are high risk. Check the provider is authorised where you live before you deposit.

2
Coinbase (Simple Buy)The default first buy in the US — and t...
Access — 9/10Trade-off: Unquotable pre-trade cost combined with disclosed price discrimination.
64score
-Not published
Check availability for your country

Coinbase (Simple Buy) · help.coinbase.com. Provider links appear once we know which country you are browsing from: ChainChoice links to providers only where it serves in full.

Commission: This provider pays ChainChoice nothing for this link. Disclosure

Crypto products are high risk. Check the provider is authorised where you live before you deposit.

3
BISONBörse Stuttgart Group's app for Germany...
Withdrawal to self-custody — 9/10Trade-off: The 1.25% is an average, not a cap: BISON's cost page says the spread "may fluctuate...
44score
your cost/yr
Check availability for your country

BISON · bisonapp.com. Provider links appear once we know which country you are browsing from: ChainChoice links to providers only where it serves in full.

Commission: This provider pays ChainChoice nothing for this link. Disclosure

Crypto products are high risk. Check the provider is authorised where you live before you deposit.

4
RelaiSwiss/EU bitcoin app that never custodi...
Withdrawal — 10/10Trade-off: An unquantified, uncapped spread sits on top of the 1.00% fee, and the 3.0% card surc...
43score
your cost/yr
Check availability for your country

Relai · relai.app. Provider links appear once we know which country you are browsing from: ChainChoice links to providers only where it serves in full.

Commission: This provider pays ChainChoice nothing for this link. Disclosure

Crypto products are high risk. Check the provider is authorised where you live before you deposit.

5
FinstAmsterdam broker app authorised as a Mi...
All-in cost of the purchase — 9/10Trade-off: Getting the coins out costs more than the buy: every crypto withdrawal pays the netwo...
41score
Lowest at your inputs
Check availability for your country

Finst · finst.com. Provider links appear once we know which country you are browsing from: ChainChoice links to providers only where it serves in full.

Commission: This provider pays ChainChoice nothing for this link. Disclosure

Crypto products are high risk. Check the provider is authorised where you live before you deposit.

Same score, not joint · ordered by weighted total (41.30 against 39.20)
6
Trade RepublicEU broker app with a €1 fee per crypto...
Access — 7/10Trade-off: No spread is published. The €1 fee is a floor: the price you pay is the execution ven...
41score
-Not published
Check availability for your country

Trade Republic · traderepublic.com. Provider links appear once we know which country you are browsing from: ChainChoice links to providers only where it serves in full.

Commission: This provider pays ChainChoice nothing for this link. Disclosure

Crypto products are high risk. Check the provider is authorised where you live before you deposit.

8 more assessed and ranked below — none of them hidden for commercial reasons.
Ranking blindCommercial terms excludedDated primary sources

Ranked on 4 published criteria weighted 32/26/22/20, which set goal alignment — 30 of the 86 points. The rest: regional access 20, evidence depth 18 (constant here), ease of use 10, institutional trust 8. Profile match is shown in breakdowns but carries no weight.

How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
  • Custody failure: whoever holds the assets loses or withholds them.
    Scored by Custody & regulatory posture · 20% (Strike 6/10, Coinbase (Simple Buy) 4/10, BISON 7/10)
  • Exit failure: you cannot get out at par, on time, or with what is yours.
    Scored by Withdrawal to self-custody · 26% (Strike 8/10, Coinbase (Simple Buy) 4/10, BISON 9/10)
Not assessed by this ranking: Control failure, Liveness failure, Insolvency failure, Regulatory failure, Execution failure, Information failure. A high place says nothing about these; the Methodology tab says what each means.
Also scored, as cost, quality or a summary of several families: All-in cost of the purchase (32%), Availability & onboarding friction (22%).
Audit
Infrastructure
Methodology
2026.11.1
published 10 November 2026
Providers tracked
860+
across 121 categories
Last verified
3 November 2026
newest dated pricing or sentiment read
Named on the roster
2 people
managing directors · 6 automated processes
Decision guide

What matters most before choosing in this category

Weighted on all-in cost of the purchase (32), withdrawal to self-custody (26), availability & onboarding friction (22), and custody & regulatory posture (20). The heaviest is all-in cost of the purchase: Fee plus embedded spread plus payment surcharge — the number the buyer actually pays.

How much are you buying, and do you want it to leave for a wallet you control?
Which payment methods and regions must the simple-buy app support cleanly?
Which payment method will you use — card, bank transfer, or an instant rail?
Current engine lead

The #1 overall and the scoring weights

StrikeData checked Nov 2026
Bitcoin-only app that quantifies its spread — a 0.22% target on top of a 0.89% entry fee.

Bitcoin-only app that quantifies its spread — a 0.22% target on top of a 0.89% entry fee. Strongest on availability & onboarding friction (9/10): Strike states it is available to individuals and businesses in 98 countries, including all 50 US states, the United Kingdom and most of the European Economic Area. Weakest on custody & regulatory posture (6/10): Strike holds customer bitcoin itself in full reserve, most of it in multi-signature cold-storage vaults, under a New York virtual currency licence and, in Europe, a Maltese MiCA authorisation. Published price: Strike US help centre, "What are the trading fees?" (strike.me/us/en/support/what-are-the-trading-fees/), read 3 November 2026.

Best forAccess — 9/10
Main tradeoffOne cost sits outside the advertised tier: an uncapped spread with an explicit volatility carve-out.
Verify before signupStrike US help centre, "What are the trading fees?" (strike.me/us/en/support/what-are-the-trading-fees/), read 3 November 2026. US personal tiers on monthly trade volume: "≤$4,999.99 0.89%", "$5,000 - $49,999.99 0.79%", "$50,000 - $499,999.99 0.69%", "$500,000 - $4,999,999.99 0.59%", "$5,000,000 - $14,999,999.99 0.39%", "≥$15,000,000 0.25%". "You start each month at the tier where you ended last month"; "You reset to the first tier after a calendar month with no trades." "Personal accounts pay zero fees on recurring purchases after the first week", and "there are no fees for getting your paycheck via direct deposit and converting up to $20,000 per month into bitcoin". Spread: "Strike targets an all-in spread of 0.22%"; "The actual spread on any given purchase or sale may be higher or lower", and "The spread can widen significantly during periods of high market volatility". Europe has its own EUR schedule on Strike's EU help centre (strike.me/eu/en/support/what-are-the-trading-fees/), read 2026-11-03: "≤ 49.999,99 € 0,89%", "50.000 - 499.999,99 € 0,79%", "500.000 - 4.999.999,99 € 0,69%", "5.000.000 - 14.999.999,99 € 0,59%", "≥ 15.000.000 € 0,49%". Automatic bitcoin withdrawals (strike.me/us/en/support/how-do-i-withdraw-bitcoin/): "Strike broadcasts the transaction within 24 hours of reaching the threshold, with no fees".
Weighted criteria
All-in cost of the purchase32%
Withdrawal to self-custody26%
Availability & onboarding friction22%
Custody & regulatory posture20%
Methodology

How this category is reviewed

Reviewed on all-in cost of the purchase, withdrawal to self-custody, availability & onboarding friction, and custody & regulatory posture.

The order on this page is the published ranking for this category. Every criterion, weight and source behind it is on the methodology page.
Frequently asked

Questions people ask before choosing fiat simple buy

What is a fiat simple-buy app in crypto?
An app whose whole job is turning your card or bank transfer into crypto in a few taps, without the order books, charts and account tiers of a full exchange. The convenience is real and so is its price: these apps are usually paid through a spread folded into the quoted rate rather than a stated fee, which is why this page scores the all-in cost of the purchase rather than the advertised commission. The second thing to check is whether you can withdraw what you bought to your own wallet at all — several cannot.
When do I need an simple-buy app instead of an exchange?
When buying is the only thing you want to do, and the funding method matters more than the venue. If your bank blocks card payments to exchanges, if you want the purchase to land straight in a wallet you already use, or if you buy small amounts occasionally and will never place an order, a simple-buy app is the shorter path. Choose an exchange instead when you will trade repeatedly, hold a balance, or care about the difference between a 1.5% spread and a 0.2% taker fee — at any regular volume that gap dwarfs the convenience.
What matters most when choosing a crypto simple-buy app?
The all-in cost you actually pay, and whether the asset can be withdrawn. Fee plus embedded spread plus payment surcharge is the real number, and a venue that will sell you an asset but not let it leave is a different product from one that will.
Reviewed28 October 2026Method4 criteriaCategorysimple_buy
Not financial advice · For informational purposes only · Always do your own research