A card-friendly exchange licensed across most of the US, but currently closed to deposits and trading in Europe.
US bitcoin-only brokerage with zero-fee recurring buys, phone support and full proof of reserves.
River rates higher on our rubric: 4.6 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 | CEX.IO | River |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.0 | 4.6 (favoured on this row) |
| Published fees | Maker-taker; card costs more | Free recurring, 1.2% one-off |
| Maker fee | Not published | Not published |
| Taker fee | Not published | Not published |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | No | Yes |
| Payment rails supported | 6 | 2 |
| Countries ranked in | 146 | 1 |
| Ranks first in | 0 | 0 |
| Countries shared | 1 | 1 |
| Security record | 6 dated events, 1 incident, latest 2026-08-27 | 9 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-08-26 |
| Founded | 2013 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | San Francisco, California, US |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-27 | 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 | CEX.IO ranks | River ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Legal | #8 | #4 |
Dated events from each review, newest first: breaches, enforcement actions, licences, audits and proof-of-reserves publications. Every exchange ranked here carries one.
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
Licensed in more than 40 US jurisdictions under NMLS 1906809, but not New York
August proof of reserves shows 31,581 BTC held against 31,407 BTC owed
A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days
River rates higher on our rubric: 4.6 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.
CEX.IO: Maker-taker; card costs more. River: Free recurring, 1.2% one-off. 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 States. CEX.IO is ranked in 146 countries in all and River in 1; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
CEX.IO carries 1 incident among 6 dated events, the latest on 2026-08-27: Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open. River carries 2 incidents among 9 dated events, the latest on 2026-05-03: A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days. Both reviews list every event with its source.
CEX.IO: required; identity verification is required before purchasing.. River: required.
The full reviews: CEX.IO and River, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
Every other head-to-head CEX.IO or River appears in.
United States