Uphold Alternatives for Buying Crypto, Metals and Currencies

Uphold is a multi-asset app for buying and holding crypto, precious metals and fiat currencies, and it is still operating. Its main cost is the spread, the gap between the price you pay and the market price. The Uphold service fees page for its European entity, updated October 27, 2026, lists typical spreads on trades up to $5,000 in the US, UK and Europe: 2.00% to 2.20% on BTC and ETH, 2.45% to 3.8% on altcoins, 2.80% to 3.40% on precious metals and 0.20% to 0.30% on major currencies. USD stablecoins trade at 0% up to $20,000 a month. Staking commissions are 35% on Boosted Staking and 50% on Flexible.

Trust is the other reason people look around. On April 29, 2026, Uphold settled with the New York Attorney General and agreed to pay more than $5 million to customers who lost money in CredEarn, a yield product run by Cred that Uphold promoted from January 2019 to October 2020, as The Block reported. Uphold admitted the factual findings but not liability, and its CEO called the characterization "profoundly inaccurate".

The six picks below are regulated exchanges and apps plus one self-custody wallet. Availability differs by country, so check that a service is open where you live before you move money. This page compares fees and features; it is not investment advice, and crypto can lose most of its value quickly.

Prices below are as of November 6, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.

Quick comparison

Kraken

For anyone paying Uphold's 2% spread on bitcoin, Kraken is the most direct fee cut. Its fee schedule lists Instant Buy at 1%, or a flat fee of up to $2 on small trades, plus a spread. Kraken Pro, the order-book side of the same account, starts at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker and falls with volume.

Kraken+ goes further, with zero trading fees on up to $10,000 of monthly volume, though spreads and card fees still apply. Like Uphold, Kraken holds fiat and crypto in one account; it does not offer Uphold's precious metals in the same way.

Best for: Uphold users who trade bitcoin or ether often and want to see a maker and taker fee instead of a spread.

Pricing:

• Instant Buy/Sell: 1% (1.5% for custom orders), or a flat fee up to $2 on small trades, plus spread
• Kraken Pro lowest tier: 0.40% maker, 0.80% taker
• Kraken+: zero trading fees on up to $10,000 a month; spreads and card fees still apply

Watch out for:

• Funding limits depend on where you live and your verification level; a standard verified individual gets $100,000 a day and $500,000 a month in cash deposits.
• Instant Buy can cost more than Pro on the same trade, so new users who stay on the simple screen pay extra.

Official site: Kraken. Our listing: Kraken.

Coinbase

Coinbase is the large US-listed exchange most Uphold users already know. The basic app works much like Uphold's: you pick an asset, see a quote and confirm. Advanced Trade adds an order book with maker and taker fees for people who want limit orders.

Coinbase One is the subscription. Its Coinbase One page lists zero Coinbase trading fees up to a cap Coinbase can change, up to $1M reimbursement for losses from unauthorized access, priority support and better staking rates. The waiver does not cover Advanced Trade.

Best for: US readers who want a familiar app with broad state coverage and an optional order book.

Pricing:

• Simple trades: a Coinbase fee plus a spread, both shown in the order preview
• Coinbase One: subscription price not published; zero Coinbase fees up to a cap and up to $1M cover for unauthorized-access losses; spread still applies
• Advanced Trade: separate maker and taker tiers

Watch out for:

• The Coinbase One footnote says a spread is still included in the price, so "zero fees" does not mean a market-price trade.

Official site: Coinbase.

Revolut

Uphold's pitch was money and crypto in one place. Revolut does the same from the banking side: a multi-currency account and card, with crypto trading inside the app and a separate exchange, Revolut X, for lower fees.

The Revolut crypto fees page for Revolut Ltd lists a flat 1.49% on Standard and Plus from August 10, 2026, and 0.99% on Premium and Metal, with no separate spread fee added. On Revolut X the maker fee is 0% and the taker fee 0.09%. Withdrawing crypto to your own wallet costs £1 or £3 plus the network fee. Our Skrill alternatives page compares Revolut's card and currency fees.

Best for: UK and EU readers who used Uphold for currency and crypto and want both in a regular money app.

Pricing:

• Standard and Plus: 1.49% per crypto trade, with minimum fees from £0.99 to £2.99 on trades up to £200
• Premium and Metal: 0.99%; Ultra from 0.49%
• Revolut X: 0% maker, 0.09% taker
• External crypto withdrawal: £1 or £3 service fee plus network fee

Watch out for:

• Trades under £2 carry a minimum fee of 50% of the trade on every plan.
• Standard accounts pay a 1% fair usage fee on stablecoin exchanges over £1,000.

Official site: Revolut.

Gemini

Gemini is a US exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, with a simple buy screen and an ActiveTrader order book. Uphold users who want limit orders on a US-regulated venue can trade there without learning a pro platform from scratch.

Fees drop sharply with volume. The ActiveTrader fee schedule starts at 0.600% maker and 1.200% taker for accounts with under $10K in volume or balance, and reaches 0.000% maker and 0.020% taker above $250M in 30-day volume.

Best for: Larger US traders who will reach Gemini's lower volume tiers.

Pricing:

• ActiveTrader entry tier (under $10K): 0.600% maker, 1.200% taker
• Top tier ($250M+ in 30-day volume): 0.000% maker, 0.020% taker
• Mobile and web convenience fees: not listed on the ActiveTrader schedule

Watch out for:

• A 1.20% taker fee at the entry tier is not much cheaper than Uphold's spread for a small account.

Official site: Gemini.

eToro

eToro is a broker that mixes crypto with stocks, ETFs and copy trading, which suits Uphold users who liked having several asset types in one account. Its fees page lists a flat 1% to buy or sell crypto, about half of Uphold's typical bitcoin spread.

Stock trades cost $1 or $2 per open and close, depending on country and exchange. GBP and EUR accounts withdraw to outside accounts for free; USD accounts pay $5 per withdrawal with a $30 minimum.

Best for: Readers who want crypto next to shares in the same app.

Pricing:

• Crypto: 1% on each buy and sell
• Stocks: $1 or $2 per open and close
• Withdrawals: free from GBP and EUR accounts; $5 from USD accounts, $30 minimum
• Inactivity: $10 a month after 12 months with no login

Watch out for:

• Currency conversion fees have no fixed rate and vary by location, payment method and Club level.
• Copy trading and CFDs carry their own risks; past results of a copied trader say little about the future.

Official site: eToro.

Exodus

Exodus answers a different worry: if a company should hold your coins at all. It is a wallet you install, where you keep the recovery phrase, so balances do not sit on a platform's books the way CredEarn deposits sat with Cred.

The Exodus homepage lists desktop, Android and iOS apps and a Chrome extension, 50+ networks, a built-in swap and Trezor hardware wallet support. You can buy with a card, bank account, Apple Pay or Google Pay through the app.

Best for: Readers who buy on an exchange and want to move coins to their own wallet afterwards.

Pricing:

• Wallet: free to download
• Swaps and in-app purchases: fees shown in the app; no rate on the homepage

Watch out for:

• Lose the recovery phrase and no support team can restore your funds.
• Exodus is not an exchange for fiat; to cash out to a bank you still need an exchange or broker.

Official site: Exodus.

How to choose

When to stay with Uphold

Uphold still makes sense if you use its precious metals or move between currencies and crypto in a single trade, which few of these picks offer together. USD stablecoins at 0% up to $20,000 a month are also useful for parking dollars. If you mostly buy bitcoin or ether in small amounts, though, the 2% to 2.2% spread is the line on your bill to compare. For peer-to-peer buying without a platform account, see our LocalBitcoins alternatives.

Frequently asked questions