Ways to get Bitcoin: an overview

You can get Bitcoin through an app, on an exchange, from a bank or broker, from another person, at an ATM or as payment. A lot of choice? We’ll sort it for you: by cost, effort and whether you end up owning real bitcoin.

Three questions before you choose

1. Real bitcoin or just the price? You can send real bitcoin and keep them yourself. A security only tracks the price.
2. Who holds the keys? If your bitcoin sit with the provider, all you have is a claim against it. Only once you withdraw them to your own wallet do you control them yourself – that’s self-custodyGlossarySelf-custodyYou hold the private keys to your bitcoin yourself – in your own wallet rather than with a provider. Nobody can freeze your bitcoin. But nobody can help you if you lose your seed phrase and keys.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 1 – Understanding custody →In the glossary →×, with full responsibility.
3. What does it cost in total? Besides the fee shown, count the mark-up in the price (spreadGlossarySpread (bid-ask spread)The difference between the buy and sell price. With many apps, the spread is the real fee – it just doesn’t appear as a separate item on your statement.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →×), payment fees and the cost of withdrawing.

You can spot the mark-up by comparing the purchase price with the current market price:

The six routes at a glance

Route	How it works	Advantages	Disadvantages	Suits you if …
Bitcoin app	Buy at a displayed fixed price, often via a savings plan too	Very simple, often only Bitcoin on offer	Instant buys often 1–1.5%, sometimes a mark-up in the price	… you want to buy simply and regularly.
Crypto exchange	Order book between buyers and sellers, usually with a simple app as well	Cheap in the order book, limit orders possible	More complex, many other crypto assets	… you want to save on costs and are willing to learn.
Bank, neobroker, ETP	Buy in your usual banking or investing app, sometimes only as a security	Familiar setting, everything in one place	Withdrawal often not possible, costs in the spread	… exposure to the price in your securities account is enough for you.
Peer-to-peer	Buy directly from a person, usually via a platform with a deposit or escrow	More privacy, sometimes without ID	Time-consuming, risk of fraud, mark-ups	… you have experience and value privacy highly.
ATM	Pay in cash, receive bitcoin at your address	Cash possible	Expensive, often misused for scams	… hardly ever as a way to start.
Earning	Accept bitcoin as wages, fees or payment for things you sell	No purchase needed	Only a supplement, relevant for tax	… you’re self-employed or sell something.

Bitcoin apps

A Bitcoin appGlossaryBitcoin appA smartphone app you can use to buy, save and often also store bitcoin. The key difference: some apps hold the bitcoin for you, others give you your own keys from the start.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →× is the most convenient start: register, verify your identity, transfer euros, buy. Many of these apps only offer Bitcoin.

The costs are usually a percentage fee, and some apps are considerably cheaper for savings plansTermSavings plan (Bitcoin savings plan)Automatically buying bitcoin at fixed intervals with a fixed amount, for example $50 a month.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 4 – Setting up a savings plan →In the glossary →AdLicensed providers with a paid linkProviders from our comparison21bitcoinBitcoin app · MiCA (FMA, Austria)No paid link for your country · Profile →RelaiBitcoin app · MiCA (AMF, France)No paid link for your country · Profile →BISONExchange · MiCA (BaFin, Germany)No paid link for your country · Profile →All 11 compared – including non-partners →*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →18+ · Crypto assets are highly volatile; you could lose all your money. No deposit protection.×. Take 21bitcoinProvider · Bitcoin app21bitcoinBitcoin-only app from Austria: Auto-Invest savings plan from €10, 0% purchase fee from day 8.Licence: MiCA (FMA, Austria) · reviewed Sept 2026Costs: Instant buy 1.49%, selling 1.49%, Auto-Invest savings plan from day 8: 0% (as of Sept 2026)On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →Our profile →Official website ↗× (as of September 2026): instant buys 1.49%, savings plans from €10 and a 0% fee from day 8, withdrawals to your own wallet a flat 1,000 sats.^[3] The app has been authorised under MiCA by Austria’s Financial Market Authority (FMA) since 27 November 2025.^[2]

Crypto exchanges

A crypto exchangeGlossaryExchange (crypto exchange)A trading platform where buyers and sellers trade bitcoin with each other via an order book. The price results from supply and demand; fees usually follow the maker-taker model.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →× brings buyers and sellers together through an order book. Most offer two interfaces: a simple app with a fixed price and a pro view with the order book. The cost difference is large: at KrakenProvider · ExchangeKrakenLarge crypto exchange with an EU licence from Ireland: simple in-app buying or an order book, withdrawals via Lightning too.Licence: MiCA (Central Bank of Ireland) · reviewed Sept 2026Costs: App 1% plus spread; Kraken Pro 0.40% maker / 0.80% taker (as of Sept 2026)On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →Our profile →AdVisit Kraken* (paid link, opens in a new window)on kraken.com*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →18+ · Crypto assets are highly volatile; you could lose all your money. No deposit protection.×, buying in the app costs 1% plus spread, while in Kraken Pro the entry tier charges 0.40% (maker) or 0.80% (taker) (as of September 2026).^[4]

BISONProvider · ExchangeBISONCrypto app from the Boerse Stuttgart Group: no trading fee, but a spread – withdrawals to your own wallet: €0 fee (as of 09/2026).Licence: MiCA (BaFin, Germany) · reviewed Sept 2026Costs: no trading fee, average Bitcoin spread 1.25% per buy or sell (as of Sept 2026)On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →Our profile →Official website ↗×, the crypto app of the Boerse Stuttgart Group, works differently: no trading fee, but a spread averaging 1.25% on each Bitcoin buy or sell. There is no fee for withdrawing to your own wallet (as of September 2026).^[5] Which model is cheaper for your amount is worked out in Understanding fees.

Most exchangesTermExchange (crypto exchange)A trading platform where buyers and sellers trade bitcoin with each other via an order book.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →AdLicensed providers with a paid linkProviders from our comparisonKrakenExchange · MiCA (Central Bank of Ireland)Visit Kraken* (paid link, opens in a new window)BitvavoExchange · MiCA (AFM, Netherlands)Visit Bitvavo* (paid link, opens in a new window)CoinbaseExchange · MiCA (CSSF, Luxembourg)Visit Coinbase* (paid link, opens in a new window)All 7 compared – including non-partners →*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →18+ · Crypto assets are highly volatile; you could lose all your money. No deposit protection.× trade many other crypto assets alongside Bitcoin. That doesn’t count against them, as long as they’re authorised and offer real bitcoin with withdrawals. What you buy is your decision – we only explain Bitcoin (here’s why).

BI

BISON

Crypto app from the Boerse Stuttgart Group: no trading fee, but a spread – withdrawals to your own wallet: €0 fee (as of 09/2026).

Multiple crypto assets MiCA licence (BaFin, Germany): custody 01/2025, trading (EUWAX AG) 04/2025 Germany, Austria, Switzerland; other EEA citizens on their own initiative

Good for Beginners who prefer a provider from the German stock-exchange world · Savers who want to move their bitcoin to their own wallet without a withdrawal fee

Profile & details

We have no partnership with BISON for your country – this link is neutral.Official website ↗

KR

Kraken

Large crypto exchange with an EU licence from Ireland: simple in-app buying or an order book, withdrawals via Lightning too.

Multiple crypto assets MiCA licence (Central Bank of Ireland), 06/2025 EU/EEA, Switzerland, UK and others

Good for Buyers who want to start with the app and switch to the cheaper order book later · Bitcoiners who want to withdraw to their own wallet via Lightning · Users who prefer a large, long-established provider

Profile & details

AdVisit Kraken* (paid link, opens in a new window)on kraken.com

*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →

18+ · Crypto assets are highly volatile; you could lose all your money. No deposit protection.

More apps and exchanges – partners and non-partners alike – are in the provider overview; our methodology explains how we assess them.

Banks, neobrokers and ETPs

Banks and brokers offer Bitcoin too. ESMA’s register lists, for example, Trade Republic, DekaBank (of the German savings banks, the Sparkassen) and DZ BANK (of the German cooperative banks).^[2] Your own bank can tell you whether it offers Bitcoin yet. Check two things first:

• Withdrawal: not every brokerGlossaryBroker (crypto broker)A provider that sells you bitcoin or buys it from you at a displayed price, instead of letting you trade in the order book yourself. The costs usually come from the spread, a fee or both.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →× allows it. At Scalable Capital you hold exchange-traded crypto ETPs rather than coins, and a direct withdrawal to a private wallet isn’t possible (as of September 2026).^[6] Trade Republic has offered withdrawals since November 2025, at launch for the network fee only.^[7]
• Costs: often there’s no fee shown and the price is in the spread. So compare the purchase price with the market price.

Bitcoin ETPsGlossaryETP (Exchange Traded Product)Umbrella term for exchange-traded securities such as ETFs, ETCs and ETNs. With a Bitcoin ETP, you hold a security that tracks the price – but no bitcoin keys of your own.In the glossary →× are a special case: securities you buy in your securities account like a share. There are no Bitcoin ETFs in the EU, because funds under the EU’s UCITS rules must be broadly diversified. ETPs are exchange-traded debt securities instead, usually backed by real bitcoin. Their ongoing costs range from 0.05% to 2.00% a year, depending on the product (as of September 2026).^[8] You take on issuer risk and hold no keys of your own – more in Bitcoin ETPs in your securities account.

Peer-to-peer, ATMs and earning

Peer-to-peer

With peer-to-peer tradingGlossaryP2P trading (peer-to-peer trading)Buying or selling bitcoin directly between private individuals, often via software that locks the bitcoin in an escrow address until the payment arrives. More privacy, but more effort and scam risks of its own.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 2 – Spotting scams →In the glossary →×, you buy directly from another person. Bisq, for example, runs without a central operator and without identity checks; both sides put down a security deposit.^[9] It’s not ideal for a first purchase: it’s harder to use, and the bank payment invites fraud, such as reversed transfers. More in Peer-to-peer & Bitcoin without KYC and in the profiles of Bisq and Hodl Hodl (not advertising partners).

Bitcoin ATMs

A Bitcoin ATMGlossaryBitcoin ATM (crypto ATM)A machine where you exchange cash for bitcoin. In Germany, the operator needs a licence; BaFin, the German financial regulator, seized unlicensed machines in 2024. Scammers deliberately push victims to pay in at such machines.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 2 – Spotting scams →In the glossary →× exchanges cash for bitcoin. In Germany the operator needs authorisation; on 20 August 2024, BaFin, Germany’s financial regulator, seized 13 machines operated without a licence.^[10] ATMs are also a favourite tool of scammers: in the USA alone, the FBI recorded 13,460 complaints about them in 2025, with losses of $389 million.^[11] Costs and legal position: Bitcoin ATMs & cash.

Earning Bitcoin

You can also receive bitcoin as wages, as fees, as payment for things you sell or as tips via Lightning. That’s no tax loophole: in Germany, wages and fees paid in bitcoin are income, just as they would be in euros.^[12],[13] This is general information, not tax advice. More in Earning Bitcoin instead of buying it.

Before your first purchase

The MiCA transitional period ended across the EU on 1 July 2026: anyone providing crypto-asset services now needs authorisation. Providers without it may not take on new EU clients and must wind down their EU business.^[1] So check your provider in ESMA’s register – Choosing the right provider shows how. Outside the EU, check with your national regulator instead.

Quick check