How TrueCost calculates the cost of a transaction
We price every exchange on the same transaction: same amount, same currency, same coin, same payment method and the same withdrawal network. The result is the difference between the money you put in and the market value of the crypto that arrives in your wallet.
The formula
How spread is estimated
We read each exchange's public order book and measure what a market buy of your size would pay above the mid price, including depth for larger orders. For "simple buy" products we compare the quoted price with the mid price at the same moment.
Withdrawal and network fees
Exchanges charge a flat withdrawal fee per coin and network, which usually covers the blockchain fee. We show it per network and flag the minimum withdrawal when your purchase would fall below it.
Currency conversion
When an exchange does not accept your local currency, your bank or card converts it first. The demo assumes a 1.5% markup; the live site will use the actual rate for each payment route.
Regions and account tiers
Fees and products differ by country and by the legal entity serving you. An exchange that does not serve your country is excluded rather than ranked. Choosing a higher account tier changes the trading fee only.
Incomplete data
A missing fee is never treated as zero. If any cost layer for an exchange is unknown for your scenario, that exchange is listed separately under "Not ranked" and the missing item is named.
Sources and verification
Each value stores its official source URL, the date it was collected and the date a person last verified it. Data older than 14 days is marked as stale. Every change is kept in the exchange's fee history.
Affiliate links and independence
TrueCost is funded by affiliate commissions from some exchanges. Commissions never affect the ranking order, which is computed only from cost. Affiliate links are labelled, and any sponsored placement is shown apart from the ranked results.