How to Buy Bitcoin

Buying bitcoin in 2026 takes about as long as opening a bank account online: you sign up, prove who you are, connect a bank, and place an order. The whole thing can be done in an afternoon, and you can start with $10.

This page walks through it from the beginning. It assumes you have read What Is Bitcoin? and know roughly what you are buying. It is education, not financial or tax advice.

Before you start

Only use money you can afford to lose. Bitcoin has survived for seventeen years, but it has also dropped by half or more several times along the way. Rent money, emergency savings, and borrowed money do not belong here.

Expect swings. A 10 percent move in a day is normal. If watching that would keep you up at night, buy less, or buy slowly over time rather than all at once.

You do not need a whole coin. One bitcoin divides into 100 million units called satoshis, or sats. Every exchange lets you buy a dollar amount, so “buy $25 of bitcoin” is a perfectly normal order.

The four ways to get bitcoin

1. An exchange

An exchange is a regulated company that lets you trade dollars for bitcoin and other coins, like a brokerage for crypto. Examples are Kraken, Coinbase, and Gemini. Pros: lowest fees, most payment options, insured dollar balances, easy to sell later. Cons: you must verify your identity, and until you withdraw, the exchange holds your coins.

2. A bitcoin-only app

Strike, River, and Swan sell bitcoin and nothing else. Pros: simpler screens, no temptation to buy random coins, and they are built around recurring buys and moving coins to your own wallet. Cons: fewer features for traders, and no ether or stablecoins if you later want them.

3. A bitcoin ATM

These are kiosks in gas stations and grocery stores that take cash and send bitcoin to a wallet address you show them. Pros: cash, fast, no bank needed. Cons: fees typically run 10 to 20 percent as of 2026, most still require ID above small amounts, and they are a favorite tool of scammers who talk victims into “paying a fine in bitcoin.” We do not recommend them except as a last resort.

4. Earn it or get paid in it

Some employers and freelance platforms will pay part of a salary in bitcoin, some apps pay bitcoin rewards on purchases (see our Lolli review), and you can simply ask a client to pay you in it. Pros: no purchase fees, and it forces you to learn wallets. Cons: it is still taxable income at the dollar value when received, and the amounts are usually small.

Step by step on an exchange

1. Choose an exchange. For most beginners in the US, that means Kraken, Coinbase, or Gemini for an all-purpose account, or Strike, River, or Swan if you only want bitcoin. The next section and our comparison page help you pick.
2. Sign up and verify your identity. Every US exchange must follow “know your customer” rules, or KYC: the same anti-money-laundering law banks follow. You will upload a driver’s license or passport, take a selfie, and give your Social Security number. Approval usually takes minutes, sometimes a day or two.
3. Add a payment method. A bank transfer (ACH) is usually free or nearly free but can take a few days to clear. A debit card is instant but often costs 2 to 4 percent. Wire transfers are fast and cheap for large amounts. Start with ACH unless you are in a hurry.
4. Buy. A market order buys right now at whatever the current price is; a limit order waits until the price hits a number you set. Beginners can use market orders. Most exchanges also offer recurring buys, a set amount every day, week, or month, which smooths out the price swings and removes the urge to time the market.
5. Decide where to keep it. Leaving bitcoin on the exchange is convenient, but if the exchange is hacked or goes bankrupt, you are a creditor waiting in line. Moving it to your own wallet, an app or small device that holds the keys to your coins, means only you can spend it, and only you can lose it. Read Wallets and Self-Custody before choosing.

Which exchange?

The exchanges below are available to US customers, verify identity, and let you withdraw bitcoin to your own wallet. They differ in fees, how many coins they sell, how simple the app is, and how long they have run without a serious incident. Pick the one that matches what you want to do, not the one with the biggest ad budget.

Read the full reviews and our side-by-side notes on the Bitcoin Exchanges Compared page.

If you would rather be pointed at two or three, our three-question wizard narrows the list to the exchanges that serve where you live.

Fees to watch for

The advertised trading fee is rarely the whole cost. Four charges add up, and the ones that are not labeled “fee” are often the largest.

Fee	What it is	Typical range
Trading fee	A percentage of each buy or sell, shown at checkout.	0% to about 1.5% depending on exchange and order type
Spread	The gap between the price you pay and the market price, hidden inside the quote. Simple “buy” buttons usually have wider spreads than the advanced trading screen.	Roughly 0.5% to 2%
Deposit and withdrawal fees	Charged for moving dollars in or out. ACH is usually free; cards and wires cost more.	Free to 4%
Network fee	Paid to Bitcoin miners when you withdraw coins to your own wallet. Set by network demand, not the exchange, though some exchanges add a markup.	Under a dollar to a few dollars

The simple test: note the market price on a site like CoinGecko, place a $100 buy, and see how much bitcoin you actually received. The difference is your true all-in cost.

After you buy

Lock down the account. Turn on two-factor authentication with an authenticator app rather than text messages, use a unique password, and be suspicious of any call, text, or email claiming to be your exchange. Nobody legitimate will ever ask you to move coins to a “safe wallet” for them. Keeping Your Bitcoin Safe covers the rest.

Know the tax rules. The IRS treats bitcoin as property. Buying and holding is not a taxable event, but selling, spending, or trading it for another coin is, and you owe tax on any gain. Exchanges now send tax forms to you and the IRS. Bitcoin and Taxes explains what to track.

Then leave it alone. The most common beginner mistake after buying is checking the price forty times a day and selling in a panic. Decide in advance how much you plan to hold and for how long, and let the plan do the work.

Next

• Bitcoin Exchanges Compared
• Wallets and Self-Custody
• Keeping Your Bitcoin Safe
• Avoiding Bitcoin Scams