The largest crypto exchange by volume: the deepest bitcoin liquidity anywhere, the lowest headline spot fee of any major platform, and quarterly proof of reserves, under a settled US case and an independent monitor.
One of the oldest bitcoin exchanges, now owned by Robinhood and powering its UK and institutional crypto rails.
Bitstamp rates higher on our rubric: 4.3 against 4.2 for Binance.
Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.
| Fact | Binance | Bitstamp |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.2 | 4.3 (favoured on this row) |
| Published fees | From 0.1% spot, maker and taker | Maker-taker, falls with volume |
| Maker fee | 0.1% at the base tier, falling with 30-day volume and BNB holdings | Not published |
| Taker fee | 0.1% at the base tier, falling with 30-day volume and BNB holdings | Not published |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | No | No |
| Payment rails supported | 42 | 3 |
| Countries ranked in | 181 | 31 |
| Ranks first in | 100 | 0 |
| Countries shared | 29 | 29 |
| Security record | 10 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-06-25 | 12 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-02-06 |
| Founded | 2017 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Not stated | Luxembourg |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-12 | 2026-08-12 |
Each country guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
| Country | Status | Binance ranks | Bitstamp ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Belgium | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Bulgaria | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Croatia | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Cyprus | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Czech Republic | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Denmark | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Estonia | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Finland | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| France | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Germany | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Greece | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Hungary | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Iceland | Legal | #6 | #5 | Best exchanges there |
| Ireland | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Italy | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Latvia | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Liechtenstein | Legal | #6 | #5 | |
| Lithuania | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Luxembourg | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Malta | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Norway | Legal | #6 | #5 | Best exchanges there |
| Poland | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Portugal | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Romania | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Slovakia | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Slovenia | Legal | #7 | #6 | |
| Spain | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
| Sweden | Legal | #7 | #6 | Best exchanges there |
Dated events from each review, newest first: breaches, enforcement actions, licences, audits and proof-of-reserves publications. Every exchange ranked here carries one.
Failed to obtain a MiCA licence and stopped serving EU clients
Abu Dhabi regulator licensed the main Binance.com platform
Pricing failure forced liquidations, 283 million dollars repaid
Virtual asset service provider registration in the British Virgin Islands
Major payment institution licence granted by the Monetary Authority of Singapore
French appeal court holds Bitstamp Europe liable for serving France without AMF registration
Bitstamp rates higher on our rubric: 4.3 against 4.2 for Binance. The rating weighs published fees, security record and local payment support; the table above sets each beside the other so you can check the score against the facts.
Binance: From 0.1% spot, maker and taker. Bitstamp: Maker-taker, falls with volume. Those are each platform's published headline rates; card purchases and instant-buy widgets cost more than the order book on both, and each review carries the full schedule.
Both are ranked in our guides for 29 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus. Binance is ranked in 181 countries in all and Bitstamp in 31; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
Binance carries 2 incidents among 10 dated events, the latest on 2025-10-10: Pricing failure forced liquidations, 283 million dollars repaid. Bitstamp carries 2 incidents among 12 dated events, the latest on 2015-01-04: 18,866 BTC drained from the hot wallet, worth 5.26 million dollars, customers repaid in full. Both reviews list every event with its source.
Binance: required; identity verification is mandatory for all users; there is no unverified tier.. Bitstamp: required; identity verification is required before depositing or trading..
The full reviews: Binance and Bitstamp, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
Every other head-to-head Binance or Bitstamp appears in.
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden