If you’re looking to trade crypto on a Mac, we’ve taken a look at the best cryptocurrency trading exchanges you can use in 2024.
The demands of cryptocurrency trading are very different from those served by stock trading or forex trading and require specialized digital currency exchanges to do it right.
Not all trading platforms offer crypto support either although most do nowadays.
In our research and testing, we found TradingView (Free) was the best crypto trading platform to use on a Mac as it not only has amazing charting tools but allows you to connect to multiple brokers.
TradingView is also by far the best platform for technical analysis of cryptos and allows you to get expert tips from some of the top crypto traders out there.
It also works on the latest versions of macOS including Apple Silicon Macs.
The right crypto platform for you though will depend to a large extent on whether you are a beginner or an expert with cryptos.
In these reviews, you’ll find a range of crypto exchanges and trading platforms for all abilities.
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Crypto Currency Platforms: Before You Sign-Up
- Never trade more than you can afford to lose – the most golden rule of all. Your capital is always at risk no matter which platform you choose.
- The trading of crypto currencies is considerably more difficult than traditional stocks due to their highly volatile nature. There’s a bigger risk of getting in above your head than trading traditional government issued currency known as fiat currencies.
- No digital currency exchange is 100% secure. Crypto exchanges can get hacked or suddenly close down leaving you with nothing. However, eToro now includes it’s own crypto wallet to protect your funds which is more convenient than using a third party wallet. You can check out our guide to the best bitcoin and crypto wallets for mac for some suggestions on how to store your currencies safely in cold or hot wallets.
- Technical analysis of cryptos is far more difficult than with foreign currencies or traditional stocks due to the volatility of the market. “Pump and Dump” is far more common with cryptos which are basically huge increases in currency values due to buying frenzies or huge “whale” traders followed by dramatic sell-offs. There’s not much you can do to anticipate these but we do recommend the excellent free TradingView which not only supports cryptocurrency tracking and analysis tools to help you spot trends sooner rather than later. You can even trade cryptos directly from TradingView nowadays by linking it to a broker like Gemini that supports cryptocurrencies too.
- Crypto trading is 24/7. In traditional types of trading, stock and forex exchanges are usually only open during business hours. Cryptocurrencies trade round the clock so don’t underestimate the toll this can take on your nerves and relationships as the temptation to keep checking your Mac or mobile all day (and night) long can be destructive.
- There is no regulatory framework governing the trading of cryptocurrencies. If you have any problems withdrawing funds or get into a dispute with an exchange, there’s usually very little you can do except wait for their support teams to resolve your issue.
- All crypto currency exchanges require you to verify your identification. This usually involves sending copies of your ID such as passport, utility bills and other proof of address. This is completely normal and to protect both you and the exchange against fraud.
- Note that cryptocurrency trading software is different from crypto tickers. There are several crypto tickers for Mac which can be used as desktop widgets to track the price of cryptos but don’t actually allow you to trade. If you need a crypto ticker, we recommend Coin Tick from the Mac App Store.
1. TradingView (Free)
We think TradingView is not only the best stock trading software out there but also the best crypto trading platform too thanks to to integration with the excellent Gemini crypto trading site.
TradingView is now far more than just the best technical analysis tool out there because it now integrates with broker platforms so that you can trade directly from it.
TradingView allows you to link your Gemini crypto trading account to provide a powerful combination of the best technical analysis tools out there and the best crypto trading platform.
Gemini is an ideal crypto platform for beginners because it makes crypto trading straightforward with a clean, clear interface that doesn’t overwhelm you.
For professionals, it also features ActiveTrader but the real power comes from integration with TradingView which also has a thriving community of both amateur and professional traders.
Unlike many crypto trading platforms, Gemini is also available in all 50 states in the USA with no restrictions.
Gemini also offers some of the lowest trading fees on the market of just 0.5% depending on which payment method you use.
Gemini has more than 50 crypto currencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum but also plenty of the most trades alt-coins.
Gemini even offers insurance of your digital assets in case its crypto exchange gets hacked.
If you want to trade traditional stocks, TradingView is also the best stock trading platform as it’s integrated with brokers such as Oanda and TradeStation that allows you to trade without leaving the platform.
It’s also the best crypto trading platform for India thanks to integration with Dhan.
Finally, TradingView also works on the latest versions of macOS including Ventura and the latest M1 Macs and M2 chip Macs.
To get started, you first need to sign-up for a free TradingView account and then sign-up for a free Gemini account.
You then simply need to link Gemini to TradingView to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Check our full TradingView review for more.
Pros:
- Best stock trading software out there for technical analysis
- Many features including charts and indicators available for FREE
- Integration with Gemini allows you to analyze and trade directly
- Active crypto trading community with advice and tips
- Gemini offers insurance against crypto exchange hacks
- Over 50 crypto currencies and alt coins
- Fund your Gemini account with FIAT currencies
- Both TradingView and Gemini are very easy to use
- Also integrated with other brokers for stock trading
Cons:
- Requires both a TradingView and Gemini account
2. eToro
Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more. Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS:1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Investing involves risk.
eToro is an incredibly user friendly crypto trading platform and can be used on any device including Macs and also has an excellent iOS app for iPad and iPhone.
eToro has been in the stock market trading game since 2007 and was one of the first platforms to embrace crypto currencies.
It’s also one of the few major stock trading platforms that now allows traders in the USA to trade cryptos.
Note that eToro USA does not support trading of CFDs yet – only real crypto assets are available.
Users in the USA can now sign-up for a $100,000 virtual portfolio and deposit real US dollars for trading. eToro is available in almost all US states although there are a few that are still awaiting approval.
At the moment you can trade most major cryptos on eToro including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, XRP and EOS.
This range is increasing all the time including the recent introduction of more obscure currencies such as Tezos (XTZ).
The great thing about eToro is that not only is it easy enough for literally anyone to use, it also now includes its own crypto wallet.
This means you don’t need to worry about the exchange getting hacked or downloading different wallets for different crypto currencies to keep them safe.
eToro also has a unique “copytrader” system which makes it easy to simply copy successful traders with no experience or effort needed on your part.
In the global version of eToro you can copy anyone in the world although the US version only allows you to copy traders in the US at the moment.
Apart from this, eToro is also just a fun place to hang out, talk to other traders and improve your knowledge of the crazy world of cryptos.
eToro also has a pretty good crypto trading mobile apps giving you a clear overview of your watchlist and allowing you to trade away from your computer.
If you’re in the USA, check out our eToro USA review for more.
You can sign-up for an eToro USA demo account to try it for yourself.
Users in the UK and other parts of the world can also check out our other eToro review.
Disclaimer: This content promotes virtual cryptocurrency investing within the EU (by eToro Europe Ltd. and eToro UK Ltd.) & USA (by eToro USA LLC); which is highly volatile, unregulated in most EU countries, no EU protections & not supervised by the EU regulatory framework. Investments are subject to market risk, including the loss of principal.
Pros:
- Extremely easy to use
- Available to users in the USA
- Huge choice of established and alt coins including Dogecoin
- Copy successful traders automatically
- Includes safe crypto wallet
- Trusted trading platform since 2007
- Free $100,000 virtual trading account
Cons:
- Not available in some US states
3. ProfitFarmers
ProfitFarmers is a semi auto copy-trading software service that allows users to follow trade-signals automatically.
ProfitFarmers was created by a team of professional traders with more than 25 years of experience in the trading business.
ProfitFarmers uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze the market, identify high-probability trade opportunities and then simply delivers the results to your dashboard for you to either copy or analyze further.
ProfitFarmers uses around 200 signals per month to analyze the crypto market and also provides lots of training videos and tutorials to help you become a better crypto trader.
There are also automated tools that allow you to execute trades and monitor them if you connect your Binance crypto trading account to Profit Farmers.
ProfitFarmers does not charge trading fees but there is a subscription fee of $399 per month for Profit Farmer Pro.
ProfitFarmers is available worldwide but each country has a limited number of slots available so you may have to wait for an invite if all slots are filled.
You can sign-up and try ProfitFarmers for free to test it for yourself.
Pros:
- Very easy to use
- Uses AI to automatically pick the best trades
- Connects to Binance accounts
Cons:
- Limited availability in some countries
- Only supports Binance for trading
- Expensive for Pro subscription
4. Crypto.com
Crypto.com has been around since 2018 and even has its own Crypto.com (CRO) coin. Crypto.com started as a crypto payment hub but is now a very slick and popular crypto trading exchange.
Crypto.com offers very low fees, fast withdrawals and allows you to trade over 60 cryptos. Unlike many platforms, it also allows you to earn a small amount of interest on your CRO coin holdings although this is only if you don’t touch them for 6 months or more.
Crypto.com works on desktop and on a mobile app. Once you’ve verified your identity, you can trade through the Crypto.com exchange or via its DeFi wallet.
The exchange offers lower maker/taker fees whereas the the DeFi wallet is a decentralized exchange that allows you to swap cryptocurrencies with other users.
You can also link your cryptos to a Crypto.com Visa card and get 0% credit for the first 30 days although this is only available in certain countries.
If you’re looking for a low fee crypto platform that allows you to exchange FIAT currencies quickly and want to earn interest on CRO, Cryptos.com is a good bet.
Pros:
- Quickly exchange FIAT currencies for cryptos.
- Trade via centralized exchange or DeFi wallet
- Slick interface and app
- Links to a Crypto.com VISA card
Cons:
- Interest only paid on long term holdings of CRO coin
- Limited customer service
5. Kraken
One of the main attractions of Kraken is that it supports allows you to exchange most major currencies for cryptos.
Kraken supports Euros, Dollars, Canadian Dollars, British Pound and Japanese Yen.
As a result, it’s the biggest cryptocurrency trading platform for those based in Europe. Kraken claims to be the leading Bitcoin exchange but this is only true in the respect that it’s the largest Euro to Bitcoin trading exchange by volume.
One thing we like about Kraken is that it’s integrated with TradingView which is one of the best technical analysis tools for stock trading.
Another is that Kraken uses SEPA transfers for withdrawals meaning you will get your money within about 2 days – considerably quicker than other crypto platforms which can take weeks.
What we also like is that Kraken charge just a few cents for withdrawals while most exchanges can charge commissions of $10 or more.
On the downside, Kraken’s identity authentication procedure can be very time-consuming and limits are placed on trades until verification is complete.
If you’re left hanging during this process or have your application declined, there’s also no phone support with Kraken.
You can sign-up for a free Kraken account here.
Pros:
- Wide fiat currency support
- Biggest trading volume by Euro to Bitcoin
- Fast withdrawals via SEPA transfers
Cons:
- Not very user-friendly
- Identity verification takes a while
- No phone support
6. Coinbase
Coinbase was one of the first crypto exchanges to get really big in the US and its popularity exploded during the Bitcoin craze.
Coinbase’s popularity is mainly because it’s so easy to use and makes it easy to link and transfer funds from your bank to your Coinbase account.
One of the unique attractions of Coinbase over other platforms is that funds stored in Coinbase are insured up to $250,000.
In the event of Coinbase’s exchange being hacked, you’re deposits are safe although Coinbase stores 98% of client funds offline anyway.
Coinbase has a solid reputation and has its own wallet for iPhone and Android which allows you to execute and monitor trades.
You can get a free Coinbase account now.
Pros:
- Well established and trusted
- One of the easiest to use crypto platforms
- Deposits are insured
- Supports scheduled crypto purchases
Cons:
- High fees if not using Coinbase Pro
- Not so many alt coins available
7. Bitfinex
Bitfinex is the busiest crypto platform out there in terms of volume with more trades than any other exchange. Bitfinex feels like a more polished version of Binance although with fewer cryptos and higher fees.
A unique feature in Bitfinex is support for margin trading with the ability to trade at 3.3x leverage via peer-to-peer margin funding.
Bitfinex offers probably the biggest range of order types of any crypto exchange.
Bitfinex allows you to set market or limit orders but we also like the fact you can set trailing stops or fill and kill orders as is common in stock trading.
There are also algorithmic orders possible including Iceberg orders, One Cancels Other (OCO), Post Only and Hidden Orders.
It also offers detailed reports and charts for technical analysis although performing technical analysis on cryptos in general isn’t as reliable as doing it for normal stocks.
There’s also a Bitfinex mobile app to trade anywhere.
Pros:
- Biggest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume
- Detailed charts and indicators
- Lots of order types
- Strong technical analysis features and reports
- Excellent mobile app
Cons:
- Lots of fees including for deposits
- Not easy for newbies
8. Binance
Binance is your best bet for crypto-to-crypto trading. If a cryptocurrency exists, chances are it’s traded on Binance first. Binance has a huge selection of cryptocurrencies and massive trading volume.
Binance is aimed more at those with some experience of cryptos and so if you’re new to crypto trading, it will feel quite intimidating.
Binance is popular among the blockchain community due to the huge range of cryptos offered and low trading fees. One thing we really like on Binance is that you can set market and limit orders so that you can buy or sell cryptos automatically as soon as a certain price is reached.
The other great thing for Mac users is that Binance is the only reputable cryptocurrency platform that has a dedicated cryptocurrency app for Mac desktops. The app is basically just an interface for the web app but for those that like to use a desktop app instead of a browser, it’s a big plus.
Binance isn’t an ideal place to start crypto trading but it doesn’t take long to work out how to use it and the enormous range of cryptos make it a powerful crypto trading platform.
Pros:
- Hundreds of cryptocurrencies
- Best for crypto-to-crypto trading
- Market and limit order support
- Mac desktop client
Cons:
- Complicated for beginners
- Can’t be linked to your bank account
9. IQ Option
Not Available In The USA, UK, Belgium or Czech Republic
What we like about IQ Option is that not only does it have an excellent Mac desktop app but it’s a very slick and well organized platform to trade cryptocurrencies on macOS.
Disclaimer: 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money when trading CFDs
IQ Option finds the perfect balance between feeling professional but also being extremely easy to use and intuitive.
IQ Option has been in the trading game since 2013 and now allows you to trade a multitude of crypto currencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Ethereum, Dogecoin and many more.
IQ Option is fully licensed and regulated with a large monthly trading volume.
It has over 7 million traders all over Europe and is widely respected as one of the best trading platforms for all types of assets.
IQ Option can be accessed online via your browser but the Mac desktop client is faster and more convenient.
The interface on IQ Option is clean and logical providing time-history data and important technical indicators.
At the moment, IQ Option allows you to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, EOS, Tron, Dash, Ethereum Classic, ZCash, Qtum and OmiseGo.
New crytpo currencies will be added depending on their market trading volume and demand.
You can also Short Sell digital assets so that you can benefit from sudden or sharp market movements.
IQ Option withdrawal times are extremely fast taking on average just one day.
Note that IQ Option isn’t available in the USA, UK, Belgium or Czech Republic.
You can open a open a $10,000 demo account to test it out first.
Disclaimer: 76% of retail CFD accounts lose money when trading CFDs
You can read the full IQ Option review for more.
Pros:
- Excellent Mac desktop app
- Understandable for novice traders
- Clean, straightforward interface
- Lots of crypto currencies to trade
- Fast withdrawal times
- Free $10,000 virtual trading account
Cons:
- Not available in the USA, UK or Canada
10. Vestinda
Vestinda is a relative newcomer to crypto-trading but has a fresh, modern template based approach that makes it easy for beginners to cryptos to use.
Vestinda is most popular as a crypto trading platform although it can also be used for Forex, Stocks, Indices, ETFs and Commodities too.
Vestinda can be connected to the Binance, Kraken and Ploniex crypto trading platforms so that you can trade directly from the app.
Vestinda is designed to automatically generate and back-test trading strategies for cryptos. It is designed to “set and forget” meaning once you’ve set it up, there’s no need to keep logging-in to check on how your cryptos are doing.
It will simply send you emails or alerts when trades have closed or certain price thresholds have been met.
Vestinda offers a choice of traditional trading strategy templates that it will apply to your cryptos. These include common strategies like Golden Cross, Breakout and Moving Momentum Trend templates.
If you find that one template isn’t working so well for crypto trading, you can simply switch in a few clicks.
Alternatively, you can create your own customized crypto trading strategy based on a few simple questions about your risk appetite, investment time scale and other factors.
There’s also a useful crypto Portfolio overview where you can see exactly how much you have invested in different cryptos with the percentage profit and loss.
Vestinda is generally very easy to setup and use with lots of useful trading resources, video and tutorials to get you started in trading cryptos.
You can try a 14 day free trial of the Vestinda Pro plan and pricing starts at $5 per month for the Explorer plan.
Pros:
- Connected to major crypto exchanges
- Easy to use for those new to crypto trading
- Clean, easy to use interface
- Lots of crypto currencies supported
- Lots of templates to start trading automatically
Cons:
- Only supports three crypto exchanges at the moment
- No trading community
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