Simple-buy apps evaluated across all-in cost, withdrawal to self-custody, availability and onboarding friction, and custody posture.
Strike
#1 of 9 · published ranking
Strike
86ChainChoice Score
4199
Why it leads
22 points ahead of Coinbase (Simple Buy): +12.0 pts all in cost, +6.5 pts withdrawal
Cost
Not priced· No published rate on this basis
No provider can pay for a position in this table. The code that computes this order cannot read which links earn us a commission, and every build proves it. Every score below rebuilds from the published criteria.Ranking 2026.08 · 4 criteria · 9 products · same inputs, same order
Personal comparison
What simple buy cost you
Your inputs update the cost column. The independent ranking stays fixed.
Instant-buy spread on your volume for a year. Excludes network gas and any withdrawal fee.
RankProviderBest fitScoreYour cost
1
StrikeStrikeBitcoin-only app that quantifies its sp...Top ranked
Bitcoin-only app that quantifies its spread — a 0.22% target on a 0.89% entry feeTrade-off: One cost sits outside the advertised tier: an uncapped spread with an explicit volati...
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
COCoinbase (Simple Buy)The default first buy in the US — and t...
The default first buy in the US — and the only flow in this pool whose price…Trade-off: Unquotable pre-trade cost combined with disclosed price discrimination.
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
RLRelaiSwiss/EU bitcoin app that never custodi...
Swiss/EU bitcoin app that never custodies — coins land in your own wallet — but…Trade-off: An unquantified, uncapped spread sits on top of the 1.00% fee, and the 3.0% card surc...
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
BIBitpandaEU broker-style simple buy at a 0.99% f...
EU broker-style simple buy at a 0.99% fee on bitcoin with free SEPA —…Trade-off: Bitpanda sets the quote and charges the premium against its own quote with no indepen...
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 (38.80 against 38.30)
5
RIRiverUS bitcoin-only brokerage that itemises...
US bitcoin-only brokerage that itemises its spread on the order screen and…Trade-off: Single-jurisdiction concentration (US only) and a 1.00% flat fee that only becomes co...
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 (38.30 against 34.20)
6
PayPal CryptoPayPal CryptoBuy button inside a wallet hundreds of...
Buy button inside a wallet hundreds of millions already have — published fee…Trade-off: A spread PayPal estimates at 1.00% but does not calculate per transaction makes the p...
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 more assessed and ranked below — none of them hidden for commercial reasons.
Ranking blindCommercial terms excludedDated primary sourcesCrypto products are high risk. Check the provider is authorised where you live before you deposit.
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, ease of use 10, institutional trust 8. Profile match is shown in breakdowns but carries no weight.
Audit
Infrastructure
Methodology
2026.09.15
published 2026-09-16
Providers tracked
980+
across 119 categories
Last verified
2026-09-14
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.
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 editor lead
Expert review and scoring weights
Strike
StrikeData checked Sep 2026
Bitcoin-only app that quantifies its spread — a 0.22% target on top of a 0.89% entry fee.
Strike still does the rare thing — putting a NUMBER on the spread (0.22% target) rather than an adjective, as River also does. The eight-tier table starting at 0.99% that this row carried from 2026-08-03 is not what Strike publishes: its own FAQ, read again 14 September 2026, lists six US tiers on monthly volume, from 0.89% under $5,000 to 0.25% above $15,000,000. Entry all-in is about 1.11% (0.89% plus the 0.22% target), below River's about 1.25%. One cost sits outside the advertised tier: an uncapped spread with an explicit volatility carve-out — 'The spread can widen significantly during periods of high market volatility'. The self-custody exit has a free route: 'Strike does not charge an on-chain send fee for the Flexible delivery time.'
Best forBitcoin-only app that quantifies its spread — a 0.22% target on a 0.89% entry fee
Main tradeoffOne cost sits outside the advertised tier: an uncapped spread with an explicit volatility carve-out.
Verify before signupIndividuals resident in all 50 US states, DC and Puerto Rico ('Buying, selling, and holding bitcoin is supported everywhere'); over 95 countries globally. Zap Solutions, Inc. serves the US. Zap (Strike) Europe Limited, licensed by the Malta Financial Services Authority as a MiCA CASP, serves eligible European countries and the UK, but 'Strike is not authorised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority'. E4 S.A. de C.V. serves all other countries. Loans, the line of credit, bill pay and Send Globally are limited to select states and territories; the buy flow is not. Bitcoin-only.
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.
Not financial advice · For informational purposes only · Always do your own research
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