How To Trade Crypto: Spot vs Futures
| Platform | Best For | Demographic | Review | Referral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | Spot, Futures, Staking | Asia, Turkey, EU, Brazil | Read | Signup |
| Kraken | Spot, Futures, Pro | Germany, UK, US, Pro Traders | Read | Signup |
| Bitget | Futures, Copy Trading | Asia, EU, Germany, Korea | Read | Signup |
| BingX | Social Trading, Futures | India, EE, Turkey, UAE | Read | Signup |
| ByBit | Leverage, Copy Trading | Russia, Korea, Brazil | Read | Signup |
| MEXC | No-KYC, Altcoins, Futures | Asia, Brazil, India, Turkey | Read | Signup |
| Coinbase | Spot, Staking | US, Germany, UK, France | Read | Signup |
| Bitpanda | Spot, Stocks, ETFs | Germany, Austria, EU | Read | Signup |
See reviews for more region-specific advice. Most links above include signup bonuses and promo codes for your country.
Spot Trading: Dos & Don'ts
Do:
- Use top-reviewed, regulated exchanges (Binance, Kraken, Coinbase)
- Enable 2FA and strong password/authentication
- Diversify your assets & track profit/loss
- Withdraw regularly - don't leave funds on exchanges
- Research every token and project before buying
Don't:
- Don't buy meme/altcoins without checking contract and liquidity
- Don't trust cold DMs from 'admin/support' without verifying
- Don't get greedy—avoid FOMO buying/news hype
- Don't ever share seed phrases or wallet recovery info
Futures Trading: Dos & Don'ts
Do:
- Practice with testnet/demo accounts first (Bitget, BingX, Binance Futures)
- Use stop-loss and take-profit orders every trade
- Start small-never risk more than 5% portfolio per position
- Choose platforms with deep liquidity and market integrity (Kraken Pro, ByBit)
- Keep records for taxes-especially in EU/US
Don't:
- Don't use high leverage unless you're a professional
- Don't revenge trade after losses-review your trades, pause, learn
- Don't borrow to speculate-manage risk conservatively
Maximizing Safety & Profits
- Always test withdrawal and deposit limits with a small amount first
- Use hardware wallets for longer-term crypto storage
- Track exchanges for scam or hack warnings-see Scam Reports
- Follow local rules-tax reporting matters (see Licensed Exchanges)
- If you care about privacy, see No-KYC Exchanges