How to Buy Bitcoin | Buy BTC in 4 steps (April 2025)

A top exchange in the United States, Uphold is an experienced and extremely innovative trading platform that should be able to meet your needs for trading across a number of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC). Beyond the ease of use and innovative features within the trading platform, what stands out about Uphold is the credibility it has gained in the industry.

Uphold offers an extremely intuitive trading experience on both desktop and mobile apps. The trading view is completely customizable with the assets that you trade the most and is very easy to navigate while providing a modern feel on both desktop and mobile. It is a very popular and suitable choice, particularly for new traders.

Besides being visibly appealing, the Uphold trading platform allows you to place your trades with great ease. With just a couple of clicks, you can make trades directly from your deposit method without even having to wait for funds to clear your account. This one-step ordering is another innovation from a company that prides itself on the usability of its platform. Uphold also provides the ability to execute limit orders.

Germany & Netherlands residents are prohibited.

Read our Uphold Review or visit Uphold.

Uphold Disclaimer: Terms Apply. Cryptoassets are highly volatile. Your capital is at risk. 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.

Coinbase (COIN +1.33%), established in 2012, is a leading platform for buying, selling, and managing over 250 cryptocurrencies. As a Nasdaq-listed company, Coinbase offers users transparency and trust. The platform supports advanced trading tools, zero trading fees for Coinbase One members, and rewards programs that allow users to earn up to $400. With $226 billion traded quarterly, Coinbase is a major player in the global crypto market.

Coinbase operates in over 100 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States (excluding Hawaii). With top-tier security, cold storage, and educational tools, it’s a trusted platform for both beginners and advanced traders. Accessible, secure, and user-friendly, Coinbase is a global leader in crypto management.

Read our Coinbase Review or visit Coinbase.

Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the most trusted names in the cryptocurrency industry. It has over 13,000,000 users and over $207 billion in quarterly trading volume.

From humble beginnings, Kraken now offers over 400 digital assets, including Bitcoin (BTC). For more sophisticated investors, Kraken also offers futures and margin trading.

Kraken has continued to evolve its platform and commitment to the industry by being one of the first exchanges to offer buying opportunities on new tokens.

Kraken provides trading access in over 190 countries, including Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States (excluding New York and Washington state).

Read our Kraken Review or visit Kraken.

Binance is one of the world’s largest and most well-known cryptocurrency exchanges. The benefits of purchasing Bitcoin (BTC) here are lower fees than competing exchanges and increased liquidity, enabling you to buy and sell quickly to take advantage of market-moving news.

Use Discount Code: EE59L0QP for 10% cashback on all trading fees.

This exchange is best for investors residing in Australia, Singapore, the UK, and internationally. Canadian and USA residents are prohibited.

Read our Binance Review or visit Binance.

Established in 2013, Gate.io has grown into a reputable trading platform.  While it is not the most popular exchange, it provides users with an easy-to-use interface for beginners while maintaining robust and advanced charts for various skill levels – including technical traders. The exchange boasts many altcoins, including Bitcoin (BTC), and is often the first exchange to add new tokens. Notably, Gate.io maintains a strong stance against any type of market manipulation.

This exchange currently accepts Australian & UK residents.

USA & Canada residents are prohibited.

Read our Gate.io Review or visit Gate.io.

KuCoin is a well-known name in the industry and one of the most competitive when it comes to fees and trading costs. The exchange has grown exponentially from its early days of offering only crypto-to-crypto trading. It now offers a varied range of services, including a P2P exchange capability and purchasing with credit or debit cards.

KuCoin currently offers Bitcoin (BTC) cryptocurrency trading and over 300 other popular tokens. It is often the first to offer buying opportunities for new tokens.

USA Residents are Prohibited.

Read our KuCoin Review or visit KuCoin.

7. iTrustCapital– USA Only: IRA Product

iTrustCapital – While US investors have historically only had access to stocks and bonds within their retirement accounts, a new industry has emerged under the name Bitcoin IRA or a Crypto IRA. These are self-directed IRA platforms that allow clients to invest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets while still keeping the tax benefits and flexibility of their retirement accounts. These platforms allow for both Traditional IRA accounts and Roth IRA accounts, which are specifically designed for long-term investments.

Visit iTrustCapital or learn What is a Bitcoin IRA?

What is Bitcoin (BTC)?

Bitcoin is a decentralized network that allows for the transfer of value between parties.  It does this through the use of a secure network comprised of ‘miners,’ which host nodes (computers that store copies of the BTC ledger).

As a digital asset, participation in the Bitcoin network simply requires access to an internet connection.  The asset itself can be used as either a means of payment or a store of value.

How Does Bitcoin (BTC) Work?

Bitcoin works by utilizing a ‘Proof-of-work’ protocol.  This structuring sees miners in the Bitcoin network vie for a reward of Bitcoin, which is released every 10 minutes.  During this 10-minute increment, miners validate transactions completed between network participants.  These transactions are then recorded on a data block.  Blocks are permanently recorded in sequential order, linked similarly to a chain.  The nature of this process led to the technology being dubbed ‘blockchain’.

Due to the popularity and growth of the network, mining Bitcoin has largely become unprofitable for the average person due to computational requirements.  While mining was possible on a laptop early in Bitcoin’s lifecycle, today, miners are typically large companies operating massive outfits with thousands of specialized machinery.

Projected Developments?

Growth surrounding Bitcoin is a controversial subject.  It is widely believed that, in the long run, Bitcoin will not exist in the manner it does today; Bitcoin will either ‘boom’ or ‘bust’.

Much of the growth expected to occur revolves around the idea that Bitcoin will replace gold as the ‘go-to’ store of value.  With the current capabilities of the Bitcoin network, this is a real possibility.  If treated as a store of value, less priority will be placed on transaction speed and cost – reducing the impact of current network limitations.

Aside from becoming a store of value, second-layer solutions, such as the Lightning Network, hold the potential to transform Bitcoin into a legitimate candidate for micro-transactions and everyday spending.  Development of the lightning network has made leaps and bounds in the past two years, with various companies dedicating themselves to its maturation.

A best-case scenario would see a fully developed lightning network implemented, providing speed, security, and cost savings.  In this scenario, not only would micro-transactions be possible, but the inherent traits of Bitcoin would also allow it to act as a store of value.

Underlying Ideology of Bitcoin (BTC)?

While many cryptocurrencies have lofty goals, few are founded on a strong ideology; Bitcoin is one of these few.

With Satoshi Nakamoto being anonymous, his/her intentions remain unknown to an extent.  What is clear is that the goal of Bitcoin was to provide a means for an inclusive, secure, stable, means of value transfer.  Most importantly, this would be free of government manipulation.

These attributes, built into Bitcoin, are largely believed to be due to past examples of fraud, manipulation, and self-serving decisions made continuously by participants in the traditional banking system.

If successful, Bitcoin would provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hit the ‘reset’ button on the world stores of wealth. It would provide the unbanked the opportunity to gain access to modern services.  It would bring democracy to finance.

Acceptance and Controversies?

Of the cryptocurrencies created to date, all pale in comparison to Bitcoin regarding adoption.  While much of this is due to a first-movers advantage, Bitcoin has established itself as the industry leader simply through its inherent traits (decentralization, disinflationary, censorship-resistant, etc.)

While mainstream adoption has yet to occur, signs of this have been increasingly apparent in recent years.  An asset that was once a fringe technology is now a household name, with a growing number of ways to buy and spend.

On an institutional level, Bitcoin has seen a string of successes and failures over the past few years.  Over time, the network has persevered, though, and now boasts products like spot-BTC ETFs, futures trading, and more.

Throughout the lifecycle of Bitcoin, there have been various squabbles among developers (SegWit, etc.), and controversies that plagued Bitcoin.  The two most commonly recurring controversies surrounding the digital asset are,

• Illicit activity – A perception that criminals utilize BTC, with the asset supporting black market activity
• Power consumption – Growth of the network, and reliance on proof-of-work, have resulted in increasing power consumption by computers powering the network.

These arguments have begun to abate, however, as studies have shown only a tiny percentage of transaction on the network can be linked to illicit activity, and the networks power consumption is being put to use in monetizing stranded energy and methane flares, greatly helping the environment in the process.

Regulation of Bitcoin (BTC)?

Due to its decentralized nature and lack of central authority, Bitcoin is not viewed as a security in most of the world.

While BTC may not be viewed as a security, there are discrepancies around the world surrounding classification.  Is it a currency? Is it a commodity? Is it a collectible? Etc.

Regarding North America, Bitcoin is widely treated as a commodity.  This assessment has been underscored on various occasions with figureheads of agencies like the SEC stating as much.

Who made Bitcoin (BTC)?

Bitcoin might have the most interesting origin story of all.  This is due to a shroud of mystery surrounding its founder – Satoshi Nakamoto.

The mystery surrounding Satoshi is that no one knows who he/she/they are.  Furthermore, as Satoshi’s identity is unknown, this person may not even be alive today.

What is known is that wallets associated with Satoshi contain nearly 1 million BTC, with the vast majority remaining untouched since their creation.

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