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Crypto.com is the Singapore-based app famous for its stadium naming rights, its metal Visa card and its “Fortune favors the brave” ads. It sells more than 400 cryptocurrencies plus stocks and prediction markets. Our verdict: a heavily licensed, feature-packed app that works fine for buying bitcoin, but its pricing is a spread you only see at checkout, and its proof of reserves is years out of date. Most bitcoin beginners will do better elsewhere.
| Founded | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Based in | Singapore |
| Coins | 400+ cryptocurrencies, plus US stocks, ETFs and prediction markets |
| Fees | App buys are spread-based with fees shown only at checkout; ACH deposits free; Level Up subscription from $4.99/month removes trading fees up to $20,000/month; Exchange maker/taker advertised as low as 0.08%/0.18% |
| Custody | Custodial (1:1 reserves claimed); withdraw to whitelisted addresses; separate self-custody Crypto.com Onchain wallet app |
| Best for | People who want one app for crypto, stocks, a rewards card and staking, and do not mind spread-based pricing |
Compare Crypto.com side by side with other exchanges
What it is
The company started in Hong Kong in 2016 as Monaco, bought the crypto.com domain in 2018, and is now headquartered in Singapore under co-founder and CEO Kris Marszalek. Its US arm, Foris DAX, is based in Florida.
There are two products. The Crypto.com App is the consumer phone app where you buy and sell at a quoted price, stake coins, and manage the Visa card. The Crypto.com Exchange, opened to US users in January 2025, is an order-book platform for more advanced traders. There is also Crypto.com Onchain, a separate self-custody wallet app where you control your own keys.
Many of the app’s perks, from card cashback to fee discounts, depend on holding or locking up CRO, the company’s own token. As of 2026 the app is available in 49 states but not New York.
Fees
This is where Crypto.com is weakest for a beginner. As of 2026 its US pages say USD deposits are free and card buys carry “near-zero trading fees,” with a footnote that “other fees and spread may apply.” A spread is the markup between the price you pay and the market price. The app publishes no schedule for it or for the percentage charged on debit-card purchases; you see the total only in the order preview. Third-party reviews report card buys at roughly 3%, but we could not confirm that on an official page.
What is published, as of 2026:
- ACH deposits and withdrawals: free (withdrawal minimum $100).
- Level Up subscription: Plus at $4.99 a month removes trading fees on up to $20,000 a month; Pro at $29.99 covers $50,000. The spread still applies.
- Exchange: maker and taker fees advertised “as low as 0.08% / 0.18%,” with the entry tier shown only after login; holding CRO earns discounts.
- Bitcoin withdrawal: a fee set by the network, displayed in the app’s Fees & Limits screen, with a cap of 10 BTC a day.
Practical advice: fund by ACH, never by card, and compare the app’s quoted price against a public bitcoin chart before you confirm so you know what the spread is costing you.
Buying bitcoin step by step
- Download the Crypto.com App or create an account on the web, using your email.
- Verify your identity with a government ID and a selfie.
- Turn on two-factor authentication and set a passcode; also enable the 24-hour withdrawal lock for new addresses.
- Add dollars by ACH from the Fiat Wallet screen (free, minimum $1).
- Tap Buy, choose BTC, enter an amount, and check the preview. The quoted price includes the spread; the preview also lists any fee.
- Withdraw: add your wallet’s address to the whitelist (Crypto.com requires this), wait out the address lock, then send from the Transfer menu.
Security and trust
Incidents
In January 2022 attackers bypassed two-factor checks on 483 accounts and withdrew about $34 million in bitcoin and ether. Crypto.com reimbursed every affected customer and launched an account protection program covering up to $250,000 for qualifying users. In November 2022 the company admitted it had mistakenly sent about $400 million of ether to another exchange’s account instead of its own cold storage; the funds were returned.
Regulation
Crypto.com is registered with FinCEN, holds money-transmitter licences in around 28 US jurisdictions plus a New Hampshire trust charter, and owns a CFTC-regulated derivatives exchange (the former Nadex). It has no New York BitLicense. In Europe it received a MiCA licence in Malta in January 2025. The SEC sent it a warning notice in 2024; Crypto.com sued, then withdrew, and the SEC closed its investigation with no action in March 2025. Citadel Securities invested $400 million in July 2026.
Reserves and audits
The company states that customer crypto is held one-to-one in reserve and lists ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and PCI DSS certifications. But its only proof of reserves, a verifiable snapshot showing it holds what customers are owed, was done by the accounting firm Mazars as of December 7, 2022. Mazars stopped all crypto work that month and no newer attestation has been published as of 2026. Compare that with Kraken’s quarterly and River’s monthly reports.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Extensive licensing and security certifications, and a clean outcome with the SEC.
- Free ACH in and out, and a real self-custody companion app.
- Reimbursed all victims of its 2022 hack and added an account protection program.
Cons
- No published fee schedule for the app; the cost is a spread revealed only at checkout.
- Not available in New York.
- Proof of reserves is nearly four years old, and perks lean heavily on the company’s own CRO token.
Who it’s for
Crypto.com is for someone who wants one app for everything: hundreds of coins, a rewards card, stocks, and staking, and who is fine with spread-based pricing in exchange for convenience. If you just want to buy bitcoin at a known cost and move it to your own wallet, Kraken, River or Strike will each be clearer and, in most cases, cheaper.
Whatever you decide, do not leave a large balance on any exchange with a stale proof of reserves. This is education, not financial or tax advice.
Next
- How to buy bitcoin: the general process.
- Compare all the exchanges.
- Wallets and self-custody: holding your own keys.