Methodology
How we score crypto platforms
Every number on this site is produced by the process below. If a score can't be explained by this page, it doesn't get published.
1. Scoring categories and weights
Each platform receives a 0–10 score in seven categories. The weighted average produces the overall score:
| Category | Weight | What we assess |
|---|---|---|
| Security | 20% | 2FA options, passkeys, cold-storage practices, insurance disclosures, withdrawal protections, incident history and response. |
| Fees | 20% | Maker/taker schedules, spreads on instant buys, deposit and withdrawal fees, fee transparency. |
| Ease of use | 15% | Onboarding friction, interface clarity, time-to-first-trade, quality of education. |
| Trading features | 15% | Order types, charting, APIs, derivatives access (noting their added risk), liquidity. |
| Asset selection | 10% | Breadth of listings, stablecoin support, listing standards. |
| Customer support | 10% | Channels available, hours, responsiveness in our tests, help-center quality. |
| Additional services | 10% | Wallets, cards, subscriptions, retirement products, institutional services. |
Formula: Overall = 0.20·Security + 0.20·Fees + 0.15·Ease + 0.15·Trading + 0.10·Assets + 0.10·Support + 0.10·Extras, rounded to one decimal place.
2. How category scores are produced
- Hands-on testing: reviewers open and fund real accounts, complete verification, place trades and contact support.
- Document review: official pricing pages, terms of service, security disclosures and regulatory registers are read in full.
- Rubrics: each category has a written rubric (e.g., app-based 2FA available = baseline; passkeys + whitelisting + delay controls = higher band) so two reviewers reach similar scores independently.
- Dual review: a second editor re-scores each category; differences above 0.5 points trigger a discussion and re-test.
3. Data verification and refresh
- Every factual claim links to a primary source in our internal source log; the public source list appears on the comparison page.
- Fee and feature data is re-verified at least quarterly and whenever a platform announces changes.
- Each page displays a "last updated" date reflecting the most recent full review.
- Found an error? Tell us — corrections are published per our editorial policy.
4. What scores are not
- Scores are not investment advice and not a prediction that any platform or asset will perform well.
- A high score does not mean a platform is right for you; suitability depends on your goals, jurisdiction and risk tolerance.
- Scores never reflect commercial relationships. Affiliate partnerships are disclosed and firewalled from the ratings team — see the affiliate disclosure.
Data note: Fees, limits and features change frequently. Figures on this page are illustrative, were last reviewed on the date shown, and must be verified on each platform's official website before relying on them.