Cryptomate is a small service selling crypto to UK buyers for pounds, and it sends the coins straight to a wallet address you give it. It still works. The Cryptomate homepage offers Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP paid by online bank transfer, and carries a notice that on April 1, 2022 J&M Trading Limited transferred the business to UAB JM Trading, with the same management and services.
The limits are tight. Orders start at £50, unverified customers can spend up to £200 per order and verified ones up to £1,000. Orders are processed by hand during opening hours, and Cryptomate does not buy coins back, so selling needs another service. All fees are included in a price set at a variable percentage above market rate, per its FAQ.
Five of the six options below let you sell back to pounds; Exodus is a wallet. Crypto prices can fall fast, and coins held with an exchange are not covered like a bank deposit.
Prices below are as of November 8, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Price | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kraken | Low fees on the Pro screen, plus GBP withdrawals | Pro from 0.40% maker, 0.80% taker | Web, iOS, Android, desktop |
| Revolut | Buying crypto inside a UK current account app | 1.49% per trade on Standard | iOS, Android, web |
| Coinbase | A large exchange with many coins and a simple app | Fee plus spread in the preview | Web, iOS, Android |
| eToro | Crypto next to shares in one account | 1% to buy, 1% to sell | Web, iOS, Android |
| Uphold | Swapping between pounds, crypto and metals | Spread from 2.00% on BTC | Web, iOS, Android |
| Exodus | Buying into a wallet only you control | Free wallet; fees per purchase | Desktop, iOS, Android, Chrome |
Kraken
Kraken Pro is one of the cheapest ways on this list to turn pounds into bitcoin, as long as you skip the simple buy button. The entry tier there is 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, against a markup at Cryptomate that is not disclosed.
Unlike Cryptomate, Kraken lets you sell back to pounds and withdraw to your bank, and it lists far more coins than Cryptomate's three. You can still withdraw to your own wallet after each purchase if you prefer the Cryptomate habit of not leaving coins on an exchange.
Best for: Regular buyers who want low fees and the option to sell.
Pricing:
- Kraken Pro: 0.40% maker, 0.80% taker at the lowest tier
- Instant Buy: 1% (1.5% on custom orders) plus spread, or a flat fee of up to $2 on small orders
- Kraken+: no trading fees on up to $10,000 a month (USD); spreads apply
Watch out for:
- The simple Instant Buy screen adds a spread on top of its 1% fee, per the Kraken fee schedule, so a £50 buy there costs more than the same order on Pro.
Official site: Kraken. Our listing: Kraken.
Revolut
If you already bank with Revolut, crypto is a tab in the app you have. There is no bank transfer to wait for: you buy from your pound balance, and you can sell back to it the same way. Standard and Plus customers pay a flat 1.49% per trade from August 10, 2026; Premium and Metal pay 0.99%, and Ultra starts at 0.49%.
Revolut X, its separate exchange, charges 0% maker and 0.09% taker for anyone who wants an order book. You can withdraw coins to an outside wallet for £1 or £3 plus the network fee.
Best for: Revolut customers who buy small amounts from their pound balance.
Pricing:
- Standard and Plus: 1.49% per trade (from August 10, 2026)
- Premium and Metal: 0.99%; Ultra from 0.49%
- Revolut X: 0% maker, 0.09% taker
- External withdrawal: £1 or £3 plus network fee
Watch out for:
- Minimum fees bite on small orders: under £2 the fee is 50% of the trade, and £0.99 to £2.99 applies up to £200, per Revolut's crypto fee terms.
Official site: Revolut.
Coinbase
Coinbase is the large, listed exchange option. Its simple app shows the Coinbase fee and the spread separately in the order preview, which is more than Cryptomate tells you about its own markup.
Advanced Trade lives in the same account with maker and taker tiers. Coinbase One, the paid subscription, removes the Coinbase fee on trades up to a monthly cap and adds cover for losses from unauthorised account access.
Best for: Buyers who want many coins and a clear fee line before each order.
Pricing:
- Simple trades: Coinbase fee plus spread, both in the preview
- Advanced Trade: maker and taker tiers by 30-day volume
- Coinbase One: monthly subscription; price varies by country
Watch out for:
- Coinbase One's zero-fee trades still include the spread in the price, the Coinbase One page says, so the subscription does not mean buying at the market rate.
Official site: Coinbase.
eToro
eToro fits a reader who wants crypto as one part of a wider portfolio. The same account holds shares and ETFs, and crypto costs a flat 1% to buy and 1% to sell, a figure you know before you trade.
Pound withdrawals to your bank are free, while dollar withdrawals cost $5. CopyTrader lets you mirror another investor's portfolio from $200, which Cryptomate never tried to offer.
Best for: Investors who want crypto and shares side by side.
Pricing:
- Crypto: 1% to buy, 1% to sell
- Withdrawals: free in GBP and EUR, $5 in USD
- CopyTrader: $200 minimum to copy a trader
Watch out for:
- An inactivity fee of $10 a month starts after 12 months without a login, per eToro's fee page.
Official site: eToro.
Uphold
Uphold suits people who move between pounds, crypto, other currencies and precious metals. Any asset can be swapped for any other in one step, and like Cryptomate, the cost is folded into the price rather than shown as a fee line.
For UK trades up to $5,000, Uphold's service-fee page lists a spread of 2.00% to 2.20% on bitcoin and ether and 2.45% to 3.8% on smaller coins. Major currency swaps cost 0.20% to 0.30%. Our Uphold alternatives page compares it with cheaper exchanges.
Best for: Holders who switch often between crypto, pounds and metals.
Pricing:
- BTC and ETH: 2.00% to 2.20% spread
- Other coins: 2.45% to 3.8%
- Precious metals: 2.80% to 3.40%
Watch out for:
- In April 2026 Uphold agreed to pay over $5 million to New York customers who lost money in the CredEarn product it promoted, The Block reported.
Official site: Uphold.
Exodus
Cryptomate's appeal was that coins went straight to your own wallet. Exodus keeps that model and removes the manual order: it is a self-custody wallet for desktop, iOS, Android and Chrome where you buy by card, bank transfer, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
It covers 50+ networks, swaps between coins inside the app and works with Trezor hardware wallets. The fee for each purchase or swap is shown before you confirm.
Best for: Buyers who want coins in their own wallet, never on an exchange.
Pricing:
- Wallet: free to download
- Purchases and swaps: fee shown in the app per transaction
Watch out for:
- If you lose the recovery phrase, no one can restore the wallet; Exodus holds no account to reset.
- It is a wallet, not an exchange, so cashing out to a UK bank goes through a third-party provider or an exchange.
Official site: Exodus.
How to choose
| If you need | Pick |
|---|---|
| A full exchange with a Pro order book and GBP withdrawals | Kraken |
| Crypto in the app you bank with | Revolut |
| Many coins and fees shown before you buy | Coinbase |
| Crypto and shares in one account | eToro |
| Swaps between pounds, crypto and metals | Uphold |
| Coins sent straight to your own wallet | Exodus |
When to stay with Cryptomate
Cryptomate covers a one-off buy of £50 to £1,000 per order, sent to your own wallet, with no exchange account to open. It does not publish a company number, address or regulator in its FAQ, so buyers have little way to check who holds their money between payment and delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cryptomate still working?
Yes. Cryptomate still accepts orders for Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP paid by UK bank transfer. The business moved from J&M Trading Limited to UAB JM Trading on April 1, 2022, under the same management.
Can I sell crypto to Cryptomate?
No. Cryptomate only sells. To turn coins back into pounds, you need an exchange or app that buys, such as Kraken, Coinbase or Revolut.
How much does Cryptomate charge?
It does not show a separate fee. The price includes a variable markup above the market rate, so compare the final amount of coin you receive with an exchange quote for the same spend.
What is the cheapest way to buy bitcoin in the UK?
An order book with maker and taker fees usually beats a markup service. Revolut X at 0% maker and 0.09% taker and Kraken Pro at 0.40% maker are the lowest posted rates on this page; app buy buttons cost 1% or more.
