Methodology

What we compare

For every exchange in a market edition we document the same set of criteria, in the same order, so pages are comparable:

1. Availability — whether the platform accepts residents of the country and under which legal entity.
2. Licensing and regulation — whether that entity appears on the local regulator’s public register, and the reference number if one exists.
3. Products — spot trading, and whether derivatives (futures, margin), staking or earn products are offered to residents.
4. Fiat currencies — which local and foreign currencies can be deposited and withdrawn.
5. Deposit and withdrawal methods — bank transfer, instant EFT, card, cash and crypto rails, with their fees and limits.
6. Trading fees — published maker and taker percentages for the entry tier, plus notes on tiering.
7. KYC — the identity documents and checks required to open and fund an account.
8. Beginner suitability — an editorial judgement based only on the verified facts above (simple local on-ramp, clear fee schedule, local-language support).

Where the data comes from

We use primary sources only for factual fields: the exchange’s own fee schedule, terms of service, help centre and supported-countries pages; the regulator’s public register; and government or central-bank publications. Every page lists its sources with the date we accessed them.

We do not use third-party review sites, forum posts, press releases or the exchange’s marketing claims as evidence for a factual field.

What “verified” means

A field is marked verified only when we have read the relevant official page and recorded its URL and access date. Fields we have not checked are shown as unknown. A whole profile is verified when every core field is verified, partially verified when some are, and data under review when none are. We never fill a gap with an estimate, a number from memory or a figure from another site.

Hands-on testing

Unless a page explicitly cites a primary-research source, we have not opened an account, deposited money, withdrawn money or contacted support on that platform. Pages without such evidence are labelled overviews, guides, comparisons or data profiles — not reviews.

How affiliate relationships are handled

Some exchanges pay a commission when a visitor signs up through a tracked link. Where that applies, the link is clearly marked and a short disclosure sits next to it; the full policy is in our affiliate disclosure.

Commissions do not influence rankings, ordering, wording or which platforms are included. Our lists and tools order platforms by verification status, confirmed availability and then alphabetically. Platforms without any affiliate agreement appear in the same lists on the same terms, and a platform with an agreement can still be marked unavailable, restricted or not recommended for beginners.

How “best” lists are built

When a page uses the word “best”, it states the selection criteria at the top, orders platforms by those criteria only, shows the date of the data, and includes platforms with which we have no commercial relationship.

How often data is re-verified

Each verified field carries a verification date. Profiles are scheduled for re-verification at least every six months; fee and licensing fields are re-checked sooner when a platform announces a change. Data older than the schedule is flagged “needs re-verification” on the page and the affiliate link, if any, is switched off until the check is complete.

How errors are handled

If you find a mistake, use the contact page and include the page URL and a link to the official source. We re-verify against the source, correct the page, update the “last verified” date and, for material errors, add a correction note. Our editorial policy describes this in more detail.

Limitations

Platform terms change without notice, regional availability can depend on the specific entity and product, and regulators update registers on their own schedule. Treat every figure here as a starting point to confirm with the provider, not as a quote.