Uphold Review: Trading Fees, Pros, and Cons Unveiled!

Jack Moreau
Mar 2023
8 min read
Fact checked

Introduction: Are you tired of sifting through the sea of cryptocurrency exchanges, unsure of which one to trust? Look no further than our unbiased review of Uphold. We dive deep into the platform's features, security, and customer service to provide a comprehensive assessment. Discover whether Uphold's values of transparency and accessibility make it the right exchange for you. Keep reading to learn more.

Uphold

pros & cons

Pros

Great UX & beginner friendly
+300 cryptocurrencies
Free USD, EUR, GBP deposits
Free USD, EUR, GBP withdrawals

Cons

0.9 - 1.2% spread fees
Limited product offering

Uphold

vs alternatives

Uphold
eToro
OKX
Founded
2013
2007
2017
Users
10M
30M
20M
Cryptos
+300
+80
350
Spot Fees
0.9-1.2%
1%
0.1%
KYC
Yes
Yes
No
Countries N/A
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands
Canada, India, Indonesia, New Zealand
US
Best for
Beginner Crypto Investors
Crypto, Stocks, ETFs
Spot & Futures trading
Rating

Uphold Exchange

Uphold is a London-based cryptocurrency exchange platform that offers its services across 184 countries. Uphold is licensed by both FinCEN and FCA which makes the platform available to American and British users. In terms of restricted countries, Uphold's does currently not allow users from countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The platform boasts a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate making it ideal for beginner traders. Uphold offers over 300 cryptocurrencies making it a perfect choice for traders looking to invest in BTC, ETH, SOL, DOT, ADA, ATOM and a bunch of other tokens and coins.

Uphold Website
Uphold Website

Uphold has over ten million users and five million Android downloads. Uphold has a stellar rating of 4.7 stars based on 40,000 reviews indicating that its users are satisfied with its beginner friendly UX. Uphold also offers over 100% proof of reserves

Uphold App
Uphold App

Uphold Signup & KYC

Uphold is a cryptocurrency exchange that requires KYC verification for its users. The signup process is straightforward and only takes a minute to complete. You just need to enter your email, password, country of residence, and citizenship to get started. Once you've registered, you'll need to complete the KYC verification process. The KYC verification process can be done as quickly as in a few hours but can take up to 24 hours to process.

Uphold signup process
Uphold signup process

Once you've completed KYC verification, you'll be able to access all of Uphold's features including buying and selling cryptocurrencies with fiat currencies. Uphold's interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Uphold Products & Services

Uphold is a platform that focuses on offering a few services but doing so well. Uphold is a cryptocurrency and digital asset exchange that allows users to buy, sell, and hold a variety of cryptocurrencies and traditional currencies, as well as trade other assets like stocks, precious metals, and commodities.

What really sets Uphold apart from its competitors is the simplicity of its interface. It is a great platform for beginners who wish to do basic things such as buying (recurring purchases are available) and staking.

Uphold also support for 15 stablecoins including BUSD, DAI, FRAX, GUSD, USDC, USDT, and more. This is great for users who want to avoid the volatility of traditional cryptocurrencies and park their assets in a more stable environment. Uphold also offers staking on 32 cryptocurrencies such as ATOM, MINA, DOT, FLR and AUDIO.

Uphold staking services
Uphold staking services

Another great feature of Uphold is its support for repeat purchases. This allows users to set up automatic purchases of their favorite cryptocurrencies at regular intervals, making it easier to invest in crypto over time. Overall, Uphold is a great platform for beginners who want a simple and easy-to-use interface for trading and staking their favourite cryptocurrencies.

Uphold

products vs alternatives

Uphold
eToro
OKX
Spot
Yes
Yes
Yes
Futures
-
-
Yes
Leverage
-
-
125X
Copy trade
-
Yes
-
Lend & Borrow
-
-
Yes
Staking
Yes
-
Yes
NFTs
-
Yes
Yes

Uphold Trading Fees

When it. comes to trading fees, Uphold charges a $0.99 USD fee for cryptocurrency transactions under $100 and a spread of 0.9-1.8% for trades above that. The spread in the US, EU, and UK is closer to 0.9%-1.2%. While this may seem like a high fee compared to other exchanges, it's important to note that Uphold offers a unique feature: the ability to trade cryptocurrencies alongside traditional financial assets like stocks, ETFs, and commodities.

When compared to other exchanges, Uphold's fees fall somewhere in the middle. Binance, one of the largest crypto exchanges charges a maker and taker fee of 0.10% for spot trading. While fees are an important factor to consider when choosing a crypto exchange, it's also important to consider other factors like security, user experience, and the variety of cryptocurrencies offered. Uphold's unique feature of allowing traders to trade both crypto and traditional financial assets may be worth the slightly higher fee for some traders.

Uphold

fees vs alternatives

Uphold
eToro
OKX
Spot fee (mkr)
0.9-1.2%
1%
0.08%
Spot fee (tkr)
0.9-1.2%
1%
0.10%
Futures (mkr)
-
-
0.02%
Futures (tkr)
-
-
0.05%

Uphold Deposit Methods

Uphold currently supports deposits with three fiat currencies which are USD, EUR, and GBP. Users can make deposits using their debit/credit cards, bank transfers, SEPA transfers, and Faster Payments (FSP).

One of the standout features of Uphold is that all fiat bank transfers are free of charge. However, Uphold does charge a 3.99% deposit fee with credit cards and a 2.49% deposit fee with debit cards, so users should keep this in mind when choosing their deposit method.

Compared to other platforms, Uphold offers a good range of deposit options and supports multiple fiat currencies. However, some users may find the deposit fees for credit and debit cards to be higher than other platforms.

Uphold Withdrawal Methods

Uphold offers a variety of fiat withdrawal methods including bank transfers (ACH/Wire), SEPA, and Faster Payments (FSP). Fiat withdrawals are completely free on Uphold making it a great option for those who want to avoid high withdrawal fees.

Uphold

security vs alternatives

Uphold
eToro
OKX
Hacked
No
No
No
Proof of reserves
Yes
-
Yes
Licenses
FinCEN (US), FCA (UK)
CySEC (Cyprus), FCA (UK), FINRA & SEC (US)
VA in Dubai

Uphold

Great UX & beginner friendly

+300 cryptocurrencies

Free USD, EUR, GBP deposits

Free USD, EUR, GBP withdrawals

Uphold
Author
Jack Moreau
Jack is a crypto writer and reviewer who has been active in the space since he caught the crypto bug in 2017. With a passion for trying out new shiny things, Jack is always eager to try the latest cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets or DeFi applications.

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