One of the oldest bitcoin exchanges, now owned by Robinhood and powering its UK and institutional crypto rails.
A card-friendly exchange licensed across most of the US, but currently closed to deposits and trading in Europe.
Bitstamp rates higher on our rubric: 4.3 against 4.0 for CEX.IO.
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 | Bitstamp | CEX.IO |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.3 (favoured on this row) | 4.0 |
| Published fees | Maker-taker, falls with volume | Maker-taker; card costs more |
| Maker fee | Not published | Not published |
| Taker fee | Not published | Not published |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | No | No |
| Payment rails supported | 3 | 6 |
| Countries ranked in | 31 | 146 |
| Ranks first in | 0 | 0 |
| Countries shared | 1 | 1 |
| Security record | 12 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-02-06 | 6 dated events, 1 incident, latest 2026-08-27 |
| Founded | 2011 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Luxembourg | London, United Kingdom |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-12 | 2026-08-27 |
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 | Bitstamp ranks | CEX.IO ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Legal | #4 | #3 | 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.
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
Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open
Money transmitter licences in 38 states and DC under NMLS 1804170
UK entity registered with the FCA under the money laundering rules
Bitstamp rates higher on our rubric: 4.3 against 4.0 for CEX.IO. 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.
Bitstamp: Maker-taker, falls with volume. CEX.IO: Maker-taker; card costs more. 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 United Kingdom. Bitstamp is ranked in 31 countries in all and CEX.IO in 146; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
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. CEX.IO carries 1 incident among 6 dated events, the latest on 2026-08-27: Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open. Both reviews list every event with its source.
Bitstamp: required; identity verification is required before depositing or trading.. CEX.IO: required; identity verification is required before purchasing..
The full reviews: Bitstamp and CEX.IO, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
Every other head-to-head Bitstamp or CEX.IO appears in.
United Kingdom