Methodology
How we rate exchanges, source data, and handle affiliate relationships. Full transparency on our process.
Exchange Ratings
Each exchange is evaluated across five dimensions on a scale of 1 to 5. Ratings are based on publicly available data, direct testing, and community-reported experiences.
A composite score derived from the four dimensions below. Weighted average, with fees and security carrying higher weight than UX and support.
Maker/taker spot fees, withdrawal fees, and any hidden costs. We favor exchanges with transparent fee schedules and volume-based discounts.
History of security incidents, insurance funds, cold storage practices, 2FA enforcement, regulatory compliance, and proof-of-reserves audits.
Mobile app quality, web platform responsiveness, onboarding friction, availability of advanced order types, and API documentation quality.
Response time benchmarks, availability of live chat, quality of help documentation, and community-reported support experiences.
Trust Score
The Trust Score displayed on exchange pages is sourced directly from CoinGecko and ranges from 1 to 10. It is calculated by CoinGecko based on four factors:
- Liquidity — order book depth and bid-ask spread quality.
- Order book depth — consistency of volume relative to reported figures.
- API coverage — whether the exchange exposes public order book and trade APIs.
- Web traffic — Alexa/SimilarWeb ranking as a proxy for legitimate user activity.
We display this score without modification. For full details on CoinGecko's Trust Score algorithm, see their public documentation.
Data Freshness
Different pages use different cache intervals depending on how time-sensitive the data is.
| Context | Update frequency |
|---|---|
| Homepage ticker and market stats bar | 60 seconds |
| Coin detail page (prices, volume, market cap) | 5 minutes |
| Exchange list and trust scores | 1 hour |
| Historical volume (7d / 30d / 365d) | 1 hour |
| DEX volume from DefiLlama | 1 hour |
| Funding rates screener | 60 seconds |
Volume Data
24-hour trading volume is fetched from the live CoinGecko markets API and reflects the most recent available figure. 7-day, 30-day, and 365-day historical volumes are derived from CoinGecko's historical market chart API and cached for one hour to stay within API rate limits.
Exchange volume reported by CoinGecko is denominated in BTC and converted to USD using the live BTC/USD price at time of fetch. This means the USD equivalent may vary slightly between page loads even when the underlying BTC volume is unchanged.
DEX volume figures come from DefiLlama and represent on-chain swap volume aggregated across supported chains. DEX and CEX volume are shown separately and are not added together.
Affiliate Disclosure
2Bitcoins maintains affiliate partnerships with a small number of exchanges. When a user registers on a partner exchange through a link on this site, we may earn a referral commission. This has no cost to the user.
| Exchange | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Coinbase | Referral commission on new sign-ups. |
| Kraken | Referral commission on new sign-ups. |
| Binance | Referral commission on new sign-ups. |
How affiliate status does NOT affect ratings: Exchange rankings are sorted by CoinGecko trust score rank, not by affiliate status. Our star ratings and written reviews are determined before any affiliate agreement is considered. Affiliate exchanges receive no preferential placement, higher scores, or favorable editorial treatment.