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Modulis 1 · First steps
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CEX comparison — where else you can buy crypto

Video · 3 min.
Other crypto shops

Matt's ad said about 1.5%, but he paid almost 15% on a €10 purchase (an example with a €1.49 minimum fee). We compare exchanges like milk in a supermarket: fee, license, withdrawal cost and who it suits. Simple vs Pro mode can differ several times over. Plus EU changes (Binance, USDT) and how to build a plan B in 15 minutes.

Narrated, with light music
The full lesson with numbers and rules is below.
Watch on YouTube

In the previous lesson we covered Nexo. But it's not the only exchange out there. Here we'll compare the most popular exchanges that accept euros and work well for users in Lithuania and the wider EU.

A simple analogy

Exchanges are like stores. They all sell similar products, but each has its own prices, service, and rules. You pick the one that suits you best.

Main exchange comparison

ExchangeFeesSEPACardBest for
Nexo0.5–1.5%Free1.5–3.5%Beginners
Kraken0.25–0.40%Free3.75%Experienced users, businesses
Bitvavo0.01–0.25%Free—Cheapest buying in the EU
Coinbase0.50–1.5%Free3.99%All of the EU (Advanced mode)
Crypto.com0.075–0.40%Free2.99%Card users
Revolut (app)Min. fee or % ⚠️Built-inBuilt-inAlready have Revolut
Revolut X0% / 0.09%Built-in—Cheap buying inside Revolut

Each exchange in more detail

Nexo Nexo

Pros:

Cons:

Fees:

OperationCost
SEPA deposit€0
Purchase~0.5–1.5%
Withdrawal (1x/month)0

Best for: beginners who want simplicity.

Kraken Kraken

Pros:

Cons:

Fees:

OperationCost
SEPA deposit€0
Purchase (simple)0.9–1.5%
Purchase (Kraken Pro)0.25–0.40%
SOL withdrawal~0.01 SOL
Important: use Kraken Pro!

Kraken has two modes. In the simple mode, fees run up to 1.5%. In Pro mode, they start at 0.25% (and drop further with trading volume). Always use Kraken Pro — it's the same site, just cheaper!

Best for: experienced users, large amounts, business (UAB) accounts.

Bitvavo (where Binance used to be)

Binance no longer operates in the EU — 2026-07-01

Until 2026 this slot belonged to Binance. Since 2026-07-01 Binance no longer provides crypto-asset services in the European Union — on 2026-06-24 it withdrew its MiCA licence application and then blocked new registrations, fiat and crypto deposits, spot orders and Earn for EEA residents. Binance does not appear in the ESMA register of MiCA crypto-asset service providers (CASPs).

In practice, an EU resident can no longer register or buy there — only withdraw and sell via Convert. Every older instruction about SEPA deposits to Binance is therefore no longer executable.

Data as of 2026-09-05; regulation changes — before opening an account on any exchange, check it in the ESMA CASP register.

The cheapest licensed alternative in the EU for larger amounts is Bitvavo (Netherlands, AFM licence). Second on cost: Revolut X (0% maker / 0.09% taker).

Pros:

Cons:

Fees (2026-09; check the official fee page, these change):

OperationCost
SEPA deposit€0
Purchase (maker)0.00–0.15%
Purchase (taker)0.01–0.25%
SOL withdrawalVaries by network

Best for: larger amounts, when the fee is what matters most.

Coinbase

Pros:

Cons:

Fees:

OperationCost
SEPA deposit€0
Purchase (simple)~1.5%
Purchase (Advanced)0.05–0.60%

Best for: every EU user — since 2025-06 Coinbase holds a MiCA crypto-asset service provider (CASP) licence from Luxembourg's CSSF, valid across all 27 EU member states. The one condition: use the Coinbase Advanced interface (0.05–0.60%) rather than the simple one (up to 1.5%) — the gap is several times over.

Crypto.com

Pros:

Cons:

Fees:

OperationCost
SEPA deposit€0
Purchase (App)0.40%
Purchase (Exchange)0.075–0.40%

Best for: anyone who wants a crypto card for everyday use.

Revolut / Revolut X

Who actually provides Revolut's crypto service

This matters, because two separate legal entities operate inside Revolut.

Crypto in the EEA is provided by Revolut Digital Assets (Europe) Ltd — a Cyprus company holding a CySEC-issued MiCA crypto-asset service provider (CASP) licence.

Banking is provided by a different entity with its own licence.

The practical consequence: the euros in your account are covered by deposit protection, while the crypto in the same app is not. That is not a Revolut quirk — it is the rule on every platform.

Revolut gives you two ways to buy crypto, and they differ in cost by more than tenfold: the app (simple, expensive) and Revolut X — a separate exchange for people who already know their way around (less convenient, far cheaper).

Pros:

Cons:

Fees:

OperationCost
SEPA depositBuilt-in (€0)
Purchase in the appThe greater of two: a percentage or a minimum fee
Purchase via Revolut X0% maker / 0.09% taker
SOL withdrawal€1 + network fee
ETH, BTC withdrawal€3 + network fee
Why buying from €1 is a trap

Technically Revolut lets you buy for a couple of euros. But because it charges the greater of the two — percentage or minimum fee — the minimum always wins on small purchases.

Example with a hypothetical €1.49 minimum: a €10 purchase costs €1.49. That is almost 15%, not one and a half percent. That same €1.49 on a €200 purchase is about 0.75%.

The lesson is not “don’t buy small” but don’t buy small and often in the app. Either buy less frequently in larger amounts, or use Revolut X.

Always check current pricing with Revolut — these numbers change, and from 2026-08-10 tiered pricing is being removed for the Standard plan.

Best for: anyone who already has a Revolut account. For buying, prefer Revolut X over the app unless the amount is large or convenience beats cost.

USDT is no longer available through EU platforms

If you were planning on USDT as your stablecoin, an EU-licensed platform simply won't give it to you. Tether did not file a MiCA e-money token application, so Revolut, Kraken, Coinbase and Crypto.com delisted it for EEA customers. Revolut's timeline: buying stopped 2026-07-06, deposits 2026-07-30, and any balance left after 2026-08-31 was converted automatically.

You can still hold USDT in your own wallet and swap it on a DEX (Jupiter, Orca) — the restriction applies to what licensed EU providers may offer, not to the asset itself.

The default stablecoin in the EU is USDC, or EURC for a euro position.

If you do not have an account yet, you can open one here:

Affiliate link

This is an affiliate link. It costs you nothing extra, but the platform pays a commission. That helps keep the school free.

Revolutad — note that Revolut operates through different entities by region, so the crypto features and pricing described above apply to the EEA.

What should you pick? Quick summary

Your situationWhich exchange to pick
Beginner from LithuaniaNexo
Experienced, large amountsBitvavo or Revolut X
Business (UAB)Kraken
Want a large, EU-licensed platformCoinbase (Advanced)
Want a crypto cardCrypto.com
Already have Revolut + want DeFiRevolut / Revolut X

Exchange hygiene — 5 skills you'll master

A centralized exchange holds your crypto on your behalf — so a few simple habits are what turn you into someone who manages risk, instead of worrying about it:

  • Funds sit on the exchange → after buying, you move larger amounts to your own wallet (you'll do this in later lessons)
  • Someone tries to log into your account → you enable 2FA with Google Authenticator (not SMS) — logging in without your phone becomes impossible
  • One password leaks → you use a different password for every exchange, so one breach doesn't unlock everything
  • A fake (phishing) site → you type the address by hand and check it before logging in — after a few times you'll spot a fake site in a second

Every risk has a fix. You don't fear it — you learn to manage it.

A multi-exchange strategy

Experienced users often use several exchanges:

  1. Nexo — for everyday purchases, simple use
  2. Bitvavo — for large amounts, thanks to low fees
  3. Kraken — for a business (UAB) account

Once you have several exchanges, you're no longer dependent on just one — if one has issues or changes its rules, you simply switch to an alternative without losing momentum.

Next step

You've picked an exchange and bought SOL or ETH. Next step — creating a crypto wallet. If you bought SOL — the next lesson covers Jupiter Wallet. If ETH — MetaMask.

Quick check
Which exchange is recommended for a UAB (business) account?
Practice task
0 / 5
Build your plan B — compare two exchanges

Experienced users always keep a backup exchange. This exploration task takes about 15 minutes — nothing to buy, just facts to compare.

Only visit official exchange websites — type the address by hand, not through promotional links. This is an exploration task; there's nothing to buy.

This is learning, not investing — use only small amounts you treat as tuition.

You just compared two exchanges' real fees and built a plan B — most people stick to one exchange and never check whether they're overpaying.

Nexo — buying with eurosJupiter Wallet — your Solana wallet
Mark as read

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Solana address

CUj6wYQLSBxidzm7Lqtkxbw2d8Sv2H2tbJELyAjR756M

Solana network only

Send SOL or SPL tokens (e.g. USDC) only on the Solana network. Sending from an exchange over a different network loses the funds permanently — nobody can recover them.

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