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ActivTrades review

Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

ActivTrades is a low cost exchange for traders who care more about the trading fee than the coin list. Taker and maker fees both sit at 0%, which puts it at rank 1 of 118 brands on taker fee against a site median of 0.2%.

Key facts

Best for
Traders who want fees of 0% on both sides, a short coin list and a firm founded in 2001.
Taker fee
0%↗
Coins listed
9↗
Fiat deposit methods
Card, Bank↗
Maker fee
0%↗
Derivatives
Yes↗
Exchange type
Cex↗
Founded
2001↗
Features
Custodial
Official website
activtrades.com

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 5 sources

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Taker fee of 0% and maker fee of 0% mean no commission on either side of the book.
  • Taker fee of 0% ranks 1 of 118 brands, well under the 0.2% exchange median.
  • Founded in 2001, so the brand has been in the market far longer than most of the 848 brands tracked here.
  • Custodial custody, so the exchange holds the coins, and funding runs by card and bank.

Cons

  • Only 9 coins are listed, against an exchange median of 74.5 and from 650 at Bitpanda.
  • Funding is limited to card and bank, a shorter set of routes than most exchanges in this ranking accept.
  • Custodial custody means your coins sit with the exchange, which is the minority model at 13.1% of exchanges.
  • Taker fee of 0% applies alongside a maker fee of 0%, so the low cost is not limited to one side of the trade.
ActivTrades

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Scored 9.7 / 10 by HodlCue.

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Who it suits

  • Active traders who place many orders and want the trading fee kept at 0%.
  • Long standing clients who value a brand founded in 2001 over a long coin list.
  • Derivatives users, since the exchange does offer derivatives.

Who should look elsewhere

  • Anyone chasing breadth, because 9 coins is a short list next to Bitpanda at from 650.
  • Users who prefer holding their own keys, since custody here is custodial.
  • People who want a simple buy and sell only service with no derivatives, such as Bitpanda.

What you can hold and do

ActivTrades lists 9 coins, which sits below the 74.5 coin median for exchanges and far below the 392 upper quartile, so the list here is about major assets rather than long tail tokens. The exchange does offer derivatives, and 100% of the derivatives exchanges in the 81 brand list carry them too, so that side of the platform is not unusual. Funding runs by card and bank, covering card and bank transfer. Bank transfer is the route most exchanges in this ranking support, at 91.8%, and card funding is close to the 53.1% norm. Custody is custodial, so the coins are held by the exchange rather than by you, which is the arrangement at the majority of exchanges here. Netting it out, this is a focused platform for trading a core set of coins, with derivatives available and funding kept to the mainstream methods.

Fees

The headline cost is the taker fee of 0%, and the maker fee is 0% as well, so there is no commission charged on either side of a trade. That places ActivTrades at rank 1 of 118 brands ranked on taker fee, and it matches the lowest taker fee on the site at 0%. For scale, the site taker fee median is 0.2% and the exchange ranking median is 0.2%, with the upper quartile sitting at 0.5%. The derivatives ranking is cheaper still at a 0.1% median, so the 0% here is a genuinely low number rather than an average one. Against the named alternatives, bunq charges a taker fee of 0.25% to 1.99% and Bit2Me charges 0.6%, both well above the 0% and 0% charged here. The cost of holding an account therefore comes down to the trading fee itself.

How ActivTrades compares

Where ActivTrades is available

Available
Argentina, Belgium, United Kingdom

Countries from its affiliate programme

Frequently asked questions

What does ActivTrades charge to trade?+

The taker fee is 0% and the maker fee is 0%, so the same number applies on both sides of a trade. That puts ActivTrades at rank 1 of 118 brands on taker fee, against a site median of 0.2%.

How many coins can I buy on ActivTrades?+

The exchange lists 9 coins, a short list compared with the 74.5 median across exchanges. Bitpanda lists from 650, so ActivTrades suits traders focused on major assets rather than long tail tokens.

How do I fund an ActivTrades account?+

Funding runs by card and bank, which covers card and bank transfer. Bank transfer is the most common method in this ranking at 91.8%, and card is close to the 53.1% norm, so both listed routes are mainstream options.

Does ActivTrades offer derivatives?+

Yes, the exchange offers derivatives. Around 100% of the derivatives exchanges listed carry them, so this is a normal feature for that corner of the market rather than a differentiator on its own.

Who holds my coins on ActivTrades?+

Custody is custodial, so the exchange holds the coins rather than you holding the keys yourself. That matches the majority of exchanges, at 78.8%, while self custody exchanges sit at 13.1% of the list.

How long has ActivTrades been running?+

The brand was founded in 2001, which is a long history next to the 848 brands tracked here. Age does not tell you about custody or licensing, so treat it as background on the operator rather than a safety signal.

Is ActivTrades a custodial exchange?+

Yes, it is a custodial exchange. Deposits are taken by card and bank into an account the exchange controls, and coins held on the platform are custodied by the exchange rather than by a self custody wallet.

How does the cost compare with bunq and Bit2Me?+

ActivTrades charges a taker fee of 0% and a maker fee of 0%. bunq charges 0.25% to 1.99% per trade and Bit2Me charges 0.6%, so on trading cost alone ActivTrades is the cheapest of the three named here.

Sources

Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Regulators.

ActivTrades

ActivTrades

Traders who want fees of 0% on both sides, a short coin list and a firm founded in 2001.

9.7/10Visit