Beginner Guide
Beginner's Guide to Buying ETH Safely
The safest, easiest ways to buy Ethereum, how to avoid common scams, and what to do the moment you own your first ETH.
The Directory
The other half of the property: a curated, regularly-verified directory of where to actually buy, swap, stake, and bridge ETH. Categorized, filterable, no affiliate nonsense.
Centralized Exchanges (CEX)
Where to buy ETH with fiat (USD, EUR, etc.) using a regulated exchange.
Coinbase
Largest US-regulated exchange. Easy fiat onramp, public company (NASDAQ: COIN), strong security record. Wide token selection.
Kraken
Established US/EU exchange since 2011. Strong security and compliance track record. Pro-trading features and good fiat access.
Binance
Largest exchange globally by volume. Massive token selection, deep liquidity. Availability and product set varies by jurisdiction.
Gemini
US exchange, NYDFS-regulated, strong security focus. Founded by the Winklevoss twins. Clean UX, lower-volume but reliable.
Bitstamp
One of the oldest crypto exchanges (founded 2011). EU-headquartered, fully regulated, focus on security and reliability.
Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs)
Where to swap ETH and ERC-20 tokens directly on-chain — no account, no custody.
Uniswap
The original and largest DEX by volume. AMM design, deep liquidity, available on Ethereum mainnet and major L2s. Token: UNI.
Curve Finance
Specialized AMM for stablecoins and pegged assets (stETH/ETH, etc.). Lowest slippage for like-asset swaps. Token: CRV.
Balancer
Multi-asset weighted pools. More flexible than a 50/50 AMM. Used heavily for index-style swaps and liquidity provision. Token: BAL.
SushiSwap
Community-governed multichain DEX. Available on many L2s and alt-L1s. Smaller volume than Uniswap but solid coverage. Token: SUSHI.
Maverick Protocol
Capital-efficient AMM with directional liquidity. Newer DEX optimized for active LP strategies. Token: MAV.
DEX Aggregators
Find the best swap price across all DEXs in one transaction. Often beat any single DEX on price.
1inch
Largest DEX aggregator by volume. Splits orders across multiple DEXs to get the best price. Multichain. Token: 1INCH.
Matcha (0x)
Clean, easy-to-use aggregator built on the 0x protocol. Excellent UX for casual traders. Broad chain coverage.
ParaSwap
Multichain DEX aggregator with strong routing. Often competitive with 1inch on price. Token: PSP.
CoW Swap
Aggregator using batch auctions and MEV protection. Solvers compete to fill your order. Token: COW.
Fiat Onramps
Convert credit card / bank transfer to ETH directly into your wallet. No central exchange account required.
MoonPay
Card-to-crypto onramp integrated into hundreds of wallets and dApps. Wide payment method support. Higher fees but maximum convenience.
Ramp Network
Card and bank-transfer onramp with strong EU support (SEPA, Open Banking). Often lower fees than card-only competitors.
Transak
Onramp supporting many payment methods including Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer. Wide geographic coverage.
Coinbase Onramp
Coinbase-powered onramp that any wallet or dApp can integrate. Uses your existing Coinbase account for funding — minimal extra KYC.
L2 Bridges
Move ETH between Ethereum mainnet and Layer 2 networks (Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, etc.) where transactions are cheaper.
Arbitrum Bridge
Official bridge for Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova. Slow withdrawals (~7 days from L2 → L1) by design for security. Native ETH support.
Optimism Gateway
Official bridge for Optimism. Same security model as Arbitrum (slow exits, fast deposits). Required for canonical OP token transfers.
Base Bridge
Official bridge for Coinbase's Base L2. Fast deposits, slow withdrawals. Heavily integrated with Coinbase's app for easy access.
Across Protocol
Fast intent-based bridge — relayers front the funds for near-instant transfers. Often best UX for L2-to-L2 movement. Token: ACX.
Hop Protocol
L2-to-L2 transfer protocol. Move tokens between Optimism, Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, etc. without going back to mainnet. Token: HOP.
Liquid Staking
Earn ETH staking yield while keeping your stake liquid via a tokenized representation (stETH, rETH, cbETH, etc.).
Lido
Largest liquid staking protocol by far. Stake any amount, receive stETH which rebases with rewards. Wide DeFi integration. Token: LDO.
Rocket Pool
Most decentralized liquid staking option. Anyone can run a node with 8 ETH + collateral. Receive rETH. Token: RPL.
Coinbase cbETH
Coinbase's wrapped staked ETH. Stake on Coinbase, receive cbETH usable across DeFi. Easiest path for existing Coinbase users.
Frax Ether
Two-token model: frxETH (ETH-pegged) and sfrxETH (yield-bearing). Higher yield than Lido in many conditions. Token: FXS.
SSV Network
Distributed Validator Technology (DVT) for ETH staking. Splits each validator across multiple independent node operators for fault tolerance and decentralization. Used as infrastructure by several liquid staking protocols. Token: SSV.
OTC Desks
Over-the-counter trading for large sizes (typically $250K+) with minimal market impact. Institutional and high-net-worth.
Cumberland
DRW Trading's crypto OTC desk. Institutional-only. Deep liquidity for large block trades. Long track record.
FalconX
Prime broker for institutional crypto. OTC trading, lending, derivatives. Heavy compliance, larger client minimums.
Wintermute OTC
OTC arm of Wintermute, one of the largest crypto market makers globally. Tight spreads, large size capacity.
No-KYC / Crypto-to-Crypto Swaps
Swap one crypto for another without creating an account. Only useful if you already hold some crypto. Use responsibly and follow your jurisdiction's tax rules.
ChangeNOW
Long-running no-account swap service. Wide coin coverage, fixed-rate or floating options. Operates in most jurisdictions.
Changelly
Established swap service since 2015. Integrated into many wallets (Trust, Atomic, Exodus). Good for in-wallet swaps.
SimpleSwap
Simple swap interface, no account required. Wide coin selection, available globally with some regional restrictions.