Bybit offer
$40 bonuses
Current direct route: 10% fee discount + $40 bonus path with no extra guide click required.
Last updated
Trade Shortlist
Shortlist first. Decide faster.
First exchange, without the fake complexity
Choose your first crypto exchange or the fastest route to buy Bitcoin, XRP, Solana, DOGE, or SHIB
Built for people opening their first account, not their 50th. Start with first-account picks, beginner-app routes, or coin-specific pages when you already know what you want to buy first. Skip the bloated comparison loop and get to one workable exchange faster.
Built from real exchange experience
Mercy Park built this shortlist from $10M+ across arbitrage and futures cycles — with a beginner bias toward easier first accounts, not fee-table cosplay.
- • Your first exchange should be easy to finish today.
- • Multiple exchange accounts beat blind loyalty later.
- • Always verify KYC, region, and official fees before funding.
First exchange picker
Tell us what you want to buy first.
Homepage finder
Answer 3 quick questions.Get 1 first-exchange pick, 1 backup, and the next route to open.
This is built for people choosing their first crypto exchange, not their 50th.
Quick progress
You’ll get: 1 main pick + 1 backup + 1 route to open
0/3 answered
1. What do you want to buy first?
2. What matters most right now?
3. What sounds more like you?
Best first-buy routes right now
Fastest starting pages for first-time buyers
Start with the first-account page, the easiest-start page, or one coin route when the coin is already clear.
First account
Best first crypto exchange to open
Open this first if the real job is finishing one beginner-safe signup without reopening ten tabs or pretending to be advanced on day one.
First buy
Where to buy Bitcoin
Open the Bitcoin route when the real question is simply where to make the first BTC buy with the least confusion.
Coin route
Where to buy XRP
Open the XRP route when you already know the coin and want the shortest path between mainstream trust and broader access.
Already know the exchange?
Open the official route with the fewest sensible clicks
If the exchange name is already clear, use the direct route here instead of bouncing through extra helper pages. Keep guides and comparisons as backups, not required clicks.
Current signup offers
All 6 guides currently include a 10% fee discount.
These two bonus routes deserve the quickest look.
Bitget offer
$250 bonuses
Current direct route: 10% fee discount + $250 bonus path without needing a separate guide click first.
Binance
Large all-round platform
OKX
Futures-focused shortlist
Bybit
Active trader choice
Gate
Broader exchange exploration
Bitget
Copy-trading interest
MEXC
Altcoin-first discovery
Know the coin already?
Search the exact coin route before you compare anything broad
This is the fastest surface for "where to buy Bitcoin", "where to buy XRP", "where to buy Solana", and the rest of the first-buy queries we actually want to win.
Coin finder
Find the coin route in one search
Search by coin name or ticker, then jump straight into the route instead of scanning the whole grid.
Search or tap a ticker above, or jump down to the full coin grid below.
See all 15 ↓Most useful starting pages right now
Start with the route that already matches the question
These are the pages most likely to help when the question is about easiest starts, beginner apps, low fees, or a specific coin you already want to buy.
Hot route
Best first crypto exchange
Use the first-account page when the real question is which exchange to open first before you worry about every edge case.
Open first-exchange picks
Hot route
Easiest crypto exchange to start with
Use the easy-start page when the real need is less confusion first, then narrow only if a more specific app or first-account route is clearly needed.
Open easy-start picks
Hot route
Best crypto app for beginners
Use the beginner-app page when the app experience is the real filter, not a generic exchange roundup.
Open beginner-app picks
Hot route
Where to buy Bitcoin
Use the Bitcoin route when you want the clean mainstream answer first, not a giant exchange debate.
Open Bitcoin route
Hot route
Where to buy XRP
Use the XRP route when you want the fastest exchange path for one coin, not a broad exchange explainer.
Open XRP route
Hot route
Where to buy Solana
Use the Solana route when you want one clear first-buy answer before you fall into a broader exchange rabbit hole.
Open Solana route
Hot route
Where to buy Dogecoin
Use the Dogecoin route when you want one obvious DOGE answer and one clean backup instead of a full exchange rabbit hole.
Open Dogecoin route
Hot route
Where to buy Shiba Inu
Use the SHIB route when you want the shortest meme-coin path between broader access and the mainstream benchmark.
Open Shiba Inu route
Trading Guides
Use practical guides before you open a signup path
Start with fee decisions, futures mechanics, or exchange playbooks when you need more context before comparing or signing up.
Fee & Capital Optimization
Best place to startBest place to start if costs are shaping the decision. These guides cover fee discounts, transfer choices, and capital efficiency so you can narrow the shortlist before opening exchange or signup pages.
See fee guides
Futures & Market Mechanics
Use this when funding, liquidation, slippage, and execution matter before you commit to a futures venue. The guides help you understand the mechanics first, then narrow to a cleaner shortlist.
See futures guides
Exchange-Specific Playbooks
Open these when one or two exchanges are already in mind. The guides focus on practical comparisons and signup paths so you can move from shortlist to action with less browsing.
See exchange playbooks
Exchange reviews
Compare the core shortlist before you sign up
Binance
Often shortlisted by users who want one large exchange for spot trading, futures, and a broad set of crypto tools.
Good fit if you want
- Users comparing top-tier global platforms
- Traders who want spot and futures on one large exchange
OKX
Often compared by users who want a major exchange with a stronger futures and active-trading focus.
Good fit if you want
- Active traders narrowing a shortlist of major exchanges
- Users focused on futures or trading-focused tools
Bybit
Often considered by users who want an exchange geared more toward active trading and futures-style workflows.
Good fit if you want
- Active traders comparing major platforms
- Users who care about futures-style workflows
Gate
Often checked by users building a broader, less-mainstream shortlist beyond only the biggest exchange brands.
Good fit if you want
- Users exploring beyond only the biggest exchange brands
- People building a broader, less-mainstream shortlist
Bitget
Often shortlisted by users interested in copy trading or a more focused alternative to the biggest exchange brands.
Good fit if you want
- Users interested in copy-trading-related features
- People who want a more focused shortlist beyond only the biggest names
MEXC
Often compared by users prioritizing altcoin discovery, broader coin access, and deeper long-tail coin search.
Good fit if you want
- Users prioritizing broader coin access
- People searching deeper into long-tail coin availability
More paths
Still deciding? Explore these next
Keep these as backup routes if you still want one more comparison or shortlist page.
Popular comparison pages
Binance vs OKX: Which Exchange Is Better for Fees and Futures?
OKX vs Bybit: Which Exchange Is Better for Lower Fees and Futures?
MEXC vs Bybit: Better for Altcoin Access or Trading Workflow?
MEXC vs OKX: Better for Broader Access or Lower Fees?
Binance vs Bitget: Better for Beginners or a Cleaner First Route?
Popular shortlist pages
Why beginners can trust this shortlist
Real exchange use, then cleaner first-account decisions
The goal is not to sound smart. The goal is to get first-time buyers to one workable exchange decision faster, with fewer fake assumptions and less generic comparison sludge.
$10M+ real exchange experience
Shortlists are shaped by real arbitrage and futures cycles across multiple exchanges, not copied fee tables or recycled AI summaries.
Easy first. Advanced later.
The first exchange should be easy to finish, fund, and use again — not the most theoretically perfect app on paper.
Official terms still matter
Country eligibility, KYC, fees, and product availability should still be verified on the official exchange pages before you deposit.