For traders outside the US, UK and EEA, MEXC is our top pick among Uphold alternatives, because Uphold's own published rate card charges 2.55% to 3.10% on altcoin trades while MEXC charges 0.05% as aFor traders outside the US, UK and EEA, MEXC is our top pick among Uphold alternatives, because Uphold's own published rate card charges 2.55% to 3.10% on altcoin trades while MEXC charges 0.05% as a
Best Uphold Alternatives: Uphold Just Stopped Taking New Accounts in 100+ Countries
For traders outside the US, UK and EEA, MEXC is our top pick among Uphold alternatives, because Uphold's own published rate card charges 2.55% to 3.10% on altcoin trades while MEXC charges 0.05% as a taker and 0% as a maker.
On a $1,000 round trip that is $51.00 against $1.00.
Key takeaways
- MEXC is our top pick among Uphold alternatives for traders outside the US, UK and EEA, on published trading cost.
- Uphold's rate card dated 1 July 2026 charges 2.55% to 3.10% on altcoins, against 0.05% for a MEXC taker.
- On $500,000 of altcoin volume in a year that is $12,750 against $250.
- Uphold stopped accepting new accounts in around 100 locations, including the entire EU and EEA, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Nigeria.
- Uphold still wins on precious metals, 20-plus fiat currencies and the US equities service it launched in July 2026.
- MEXC does not serve the US, the UK or the EEA, and appears on ESMA's non-compliant entities register.
The best Uphold alternative on cost, and by how much
Uphold does not charge a commission line.
It quotes you one all-in price, you accept it, and the trade is done in a single tap.
That design is the reason so many people like the platform, and it is also the reason the cost is easy to miss.
Uphold does show the all-in price before you confirm, but the cost arrives as a worse exchange rate rather than a separate line you can compare against another platform.
Uphold does publish the number, and on its rate card dated 1 July 2026 that number is 2.55% to 3.10% on altcoins.
MEXC charges 0.05% as a taker and 0% as a maker on spot.
So if you trade altcoins with any regularity and you live outside the US, UK and EEA, MEXC is our top pick in this comparison, because it changes your arithmetic rather than your interface.
What the difference looks like in money
An Uphold user buying $1,000 of a mid-cap token pays $25.50 at the low end of the published altcoin band before the price has moved at all.
Selling that position later costs the same again.
Because the cost is quoted as a price rather than a percentage, most people never convert it into the $51.00 it actually is.
How MEXC handles the same trade
MEXC runs an order book with a posted maker and taker schedule instead of a quoted all-in price.
Spot trading is 0.0000% for makers and 0.0500% for takers, and the taker rate drops to 0.0400% when fees are paid with MX.
You see the rate before you trade, and you can see the order book you are trading against.
The official numbers, side by side
Platform | Entry-tier published rate | Cost to buy and sell $1,000 of an altcoin |
Uphold | 2.55% spread, each side | $51.00 |
Kraken Pro | 0.80% taker, each side | $16.00 |
OKX | 0.10% taker, each side | $2.00 |
MEXC | 0.05% taker, each side | $1.00 |
Data verified as of 2 September 2026 against each platform's official fee schedule. Entry-tier rates, applied to both sides of the round trip.
What that adds up to over a year
Take a trader who turns over $500,000 of altcoins across a year, which is roughly $42,000 a month.
At Uphold's published 2.55% that costs $12,750.
At MEXC's 0.05% taker rate it costs $250.
The gap is $12,500, and it is the difference between a fee schedule and a business model.
What this calculation includes, and what it does not
Uphold quotes an all-in price, so its published spread is the entire trading cost of the transaction.
Order-book venues including MEXC, OKX and Kraken Pro charge the posted maker or taker rate on top of whatever bid-ask spread and slippage the market gives you at that moment.
That extra cost is real, it varies by pair and order size, and it is not in the figures above.
We have left it out because it cannot be published in advance by anyone.
It also does not close a gap this wide, since a 2.50 percentage point difference would require slippage on a liquid pair that simply does not occur at retail size.
Our fuller breakdown of how platforms structure trading costs is in our crypto exchange fee comparison.
What Uphold's rate card actually says
Uphold's service fees page carries a rate card dated 1 July 2026, and it is explicitly scoped to customers in the US, UK and Europe.
The card covers crypto, stablecoins, currencies and metals, and predates the US equities service Uphold launched three weeks later.
Asset class | Published spread, one side of a trade |
Most stablecoins | Under 0.25% |
Major market FX | 0.30% |
BTC and ETH | 1.8% to 1.95% |
Altcoins | 2.55% to 3.10% |
Precious metals | 2.35% to 3.40% |
Data verified as of 2 September 2026 against Uphold's published service fees page.
Three further charges sit outside that table and are rarely mentioned anywhere.
- A $0.99 fee applies to trades worth less than $500, with stablecoin trades and card transactions among the listed exceptions.
- Crypto withdrawals carry a flat $0.99 on every network except BTC, XRP and HBAR, on top of the network fee.
- Staking commission runs 20% to 25% on boosted staking and 50% on flexible staking.
Uphold also states that when you trade between two asset types, the higher of the two rates applies, so converting an altcoin into a stablecoin is charged at the altcoin rate.
Credit where it is due
Uphold publishes a numeric rate card, and most platforms built on the same quote-and-accept model do not.
Kraken's own fee page says its instant buy price includes a spread that varies, and that Kraken may keep any excess spread from a transaction.
Bitpanda's fee help article explains that a premium is built into the quoted price, without publishing what that premium is.
So the problem with Uphold is not that the cost is hidden.
The problem is the size of it once you convert the percentage into money.
Before anything else, check whether you can open an account
This is the step most comparison articles skip, and for this topic it decides the answer.
Uphold's own help centre, updated 22 July 2026, splits its restrictions into two tiers.
The first tier receives no service at all, and it runs to 33 locations including Canada, New York State, Russia, Lebanon, Cambodia and Fiji.
The second tier is far larger and blocks new account creation while leaving existing customers with limited access.
That second list now covers every EU and EEA state, along with Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana and Morocco.
Uphold adds that existing customers in any listed location may find their access limited and may be asked to close the account.
If you are reading this from Mexico City, Lagos, Jakarta or Ho Chi Minh City, the practical question is not whether to leave Uphold.
It is which platform will actually take your registration.
A note for UK readers
Uphold does still accept UK customers, and the UK is one of its core markets.
What the disclosure at the foot of Uphold's own fee page says is worth reading before you assume that means regulated protection.
Uphold Europe Limited is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 938277 for anti-money-laundering purposes only.
Its cryptoasset services are unregulated and are not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the FCA's consumer protection rules.
Fiat balances are e-money issued by Optimus Cards UK Limited, with Uphold acting as its agent, and e-money is not a deposit and earns no interest.
That is a normal structure for a UK crypto firm rather than a red flag, but it means the protections most people assume apply to a regulated financial account do not apply here.
Where MEXC cannot help you
MEXC does not serve residents of the United States or the United Kingdom.
MEXC also does not serve the EEA, and it is listed on the European Securities and Markets Authority's register of non-compliant entities following a decision by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets dated 16 September 2025.
You can check that register yourself on ESMA's MiCA register page.
MEXC is also not registered with Japan's Financial Services Agency, and readers in Japan should treat it accordingly.
For those markets, the licensed alternatives below are the honest answer and the rest of this article should be read as background rather than a recommendation.
Uphold alternatives compared: fees, assets and licensing
Platform | Trading cost model | Beyond spot crypto | Fiat rails | Regulatory footprint | Where it fits |
MEXC | Posted order book rates: 0.0000% maker and 0.0500% taker on spot, 0.0400% taker with MX | Futures at 0.000% to 0.040% maker and 0.000% to 0.100% taker | Third-party on-ramps, no EUR or GBP bank rails | No US, UK or EEA service. Listed on ESMA's non-compliant entities register | Cost-sensitive altcoin traders outside the red-line markets |
Kraken | Instant buy at 1% plus a spread. Kraken Pro spot from 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker | Futures from 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker. Perps at 0.25% to open and 0.25% to close | Bank rails in ten major fiat currencies | MiCA authorised in Ireland, passported across 30 EEA states | Readers who need a licensed venue and will use the Pro interface |
Coinbase | Retail fee varies by payment method, plus a spread Coinbase does not publish. Advanced uses posted maker and taker tiers | Spot and derivatives, availability varies by region | Broad bank and card coverage in supported markets | MiCA authorised in Luxembourg. US listed company | Beginners who value familiarity over cost |
Bitpanda | Premium built into the quoted price and not published as a number. Fusion exchange scales down to 0.02% | Stocks, ETFs and physically stored precious metals in the same account | Free SEPA deposits and withdrawals in EUR | MiCA authorised in Austria, passported across 30 EEA states | The closest replacement for Uphold's multi-asset account |
OKX | Posted order book rates: 0.0800% maker and 0.1000% taker on spot | Futures at 0.0200% maker and 0.0500% taker | Regional coverage varies | MiCA authorised through its EU entity | Traders who want derivatives and a licensed EU route |
Uphold (reference) | All-in quoted price: 1.8% to 1.95% on BTC and ETH, 2.55% to 3.10% on altcoins | Precious metals, cross-asset swaps, and 4,000 plus US stocks and ETFs for US customers since July 2026. No futures | 27 fiat currencies as ledger balances, plus bank rails in supported markets | MiCAR application under review in Portugal per Uphold's own notice, EEA service restricted since 1 July 2026 | Users who want one-tap multi-asset simplicity and accept the cost |
Data verified as of 2 September 2026 against each platform's official fee schedule, help centre and terms, and against ESMA's MiCA registers. Entry-tier rates shown.
The 5 best Uphold alternatives, one by one
MEXC
Benefits.
- Spot maker fees are 0%, and the taker rate of 0.05% is the lowest published headline rate in this comparison.
- The listing pipeline is fast and broad, which matters if the tokens you trade are not on the majors.
- Futures pricing runs from 0.000% to 0.040% for makers and 0.000% to 0.100% for takers.
Limitations.
- No service in the US, the UK or the EEA, and a listing on ESMA's non-compliant entities register.
- No native EUR or GBP bank rails, so fiat entry runs through third parties.
- No precious metals and no equities, so it does not replace Uphold's multi-asset account.
Our security and asset protection overview covers custody arrangements in detail.
Kraken
Benefits.
- Deposits and withdrawals in ten major fiat currencies, including USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD and BRL.
- Commission-free trading in more than 11,000 US stocks and ETFs, against the 4,000 that Uphold launched in July 2026.
Limitations.
- The entry tier on Kraken Pro is 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, which is high for a posted rate.
- The simple app charges 1% plus a spread that Kraken says may vary and from which it may retain any excess.
- Getting to competitive pricing means using Kraken Pro and either trading volume or holding assets on the platform.
We compare the two platforms directly in our MEXC versus Kraken breakdown.
Coinbase
Benefits.
- A US listed parent company with public financial reporting, which is a disclosure standard no private exchange matches.
- The Advanced interface uses posted maker and taker tiers rather than a quoted price.
Limitations.
- The retail interface adds a spread that Coinbase does not publish, so the total cost cannot be calculated in advance.
- Retail fees vary by payment method, which makes like-for-like comparison harder than it should be.
- The listed asset count is narrower than the altcoin-focused venues in this table.
Bitpanda
Benefits.
- The only alternative here that puts crypto, stocks, ETFs and physically stored precious metals in one account, which is the same combination Uphold now offers US customers.
- MiCA authorisation in Austria passported across 30 EEA states, confirmed on ESMA's register on 9 April 2025.
- SEPA deposits and withdrawals in EUR are free, and Bitpanda charges nothing to hold or store metals.
Limitations.
- The broker interface builds a premium into the quoted price and its fee help article does not publish the number.
- Reaching competitive pricing requires moving to the separate Fusion interface, where rates scale down to 0.02%.
- Coverage is centred on Europe, so it does not help readers in Latin America or Southeast Asia.
OKX
Benefits.
- Posted spot rates of 0.0800% maker and 0.1000% taker with no separate retail spread layer.
- Futures at 0.0200% maker and 0.0500% taker for regular users.
- A MiCA authorised EU entity, which gives European readers a licensed route to an order book.
Limitations.
- Spot fees are double MEXC's taker rate at the entry tier.
- Fee tiers move on 30-day volume or token holdings, so casual traders stay at the base rate.
- US access runs through a separate, more limited entity.
Where Uphold still wins
Four things about Uphold are genuinely hard to replace, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
The first is the multi-asset account itself.
Gold, silver, platinum and palladium sit alongside crypto and fiat in one balance, and the anything-to-anything model converts between them in one step without a stablecoin leg in the middle.
Since July 2026 US customers can also hold more than 4,000 US stocks and ETFs in the same account, with no Uphold commission on cash-to-stock trades and fractional positions from $5.
Equities are executed by Uphold Securities, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC, and a crypto-funded purchase converts to dollars before the stock order is placed.
Bitpanda is the only alternative in this comparison that comes close, and it is Europe-only.
The second is the fiat surface area.
Uphold supports 27 national currencies as tradable ledger balances, which is more than any order-book exchange here offers.
For someone whose income and spending sit in a currency that most crypto exchanges ignore, that is not a small feature.
The third is reserve transparency.
Uphold publishes assets and liabilities in near real time through Reserveledger and Reservechain, and it holds SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS certifications.
Real-time public reserve reporting remains rare, and Uphold has been doing it for years.
The MEXC View
This article is published by MEXC, and it recommends MEXC, so the method behind that recommendation should be visible rather than assumed.
We compared platforms on published rates only.
Every figure here comes from a rate card, fee schedule or regulator register that anyone can open and check, and where a platform declines to publish a number we said so instead of estimating one.
That rule is why Coinbase and Bitpanda appear in the comparison table without a headline percentage, and it is also why we credited Uphold for publishing a rate card that two of its closest competitors do not.
The rule cuts against us in one place worth naming.
MEXC's 0.05% taker rate is a posted number, but the total cost of an order-book trade also includes bid-ask spread and slippage that nobody can publish in advance.
Uphold's all-in quote already contains that component.
We think the gap survives that adjustment comfortably at retail size, and we would rather state the caveat than let a reader discover it later.
The other thing we will not do is pretend geography away.
MEXC cannot serve the US, the UK or the EEA, and it sits on a European regulator's non-compliant entities register.
For readers in those markets the useful answer is a licensed platform that is not ours, and that is what this article says.
Is Uphold leaving Europe? The MiCA situation, stated plainly
Uphold's European business runs through Uphold Digital Assets Europe, Unipessoal, Lda., a Portuguese company registered in Braga.
A notice on Uphold's EEA user agreement states that its regulator has told it the MiCAR application remains under active review.
The same notice says temporary service restrictions were introduced as the MiCA transition period ended on 1 July 2026, that assets remain secure, and that customers can withdraw at any time.
The EU and EEA also appear on Uphold's no-new-accounts list, which is the operational form of the same situation.
Authorisation status can change, and the register maintained by ESMA is where to check it rather than any third-party article, including this one.
MEXC is not an alternative for readers in this region, for the reasons set out above.
EEA readers who need a licensed venue should look at the platforms in this comparison that appear on ESMA's authorised register.
The 2026 New York settlement
On 29 April 2026 the New York Attorney General announced a settlement of more than $5 million with Uphold HQ, Inc.
The matter concerned Uphold's promotion of CredEarn, a yield product operated by the third-party firm Cred LLC, between January 2019 and October 2020.
Cred filed for bankruptcy in November 2020, and the Attorney General's office found that customers had been shown a savings-style presentation of a product funded by high-risk lending.
Under the Assurance of Discontinuance, Uphold agreed to pay harmed investors, improve its third-party due diligence and register as a broker with the office.
The announcement is published on the New York Attorney General's website.
Uphold responded the following day, rejecting the characterisation of its conduct, noting that the settlement contains no admission of liability, and stating that the US Department of Justice identified Uphold as a victim in its criminal case against Cred executives, per Uphold's statement of 30 April 2026.
Reporting on both positions is available from The Block.
Who should pick what
Choose MEXC if you trade altcoins regularly and live outside the US, UK and EEA.
The published cost difference against Uphold is roughly fifty times on a round trip, and that gap compounds with every trade you make.
Registration takes a few minutes, and our KYC guide covers what verification actually requires.
Choose Bitpanda if the metals in your Uphold account are the reason you opened it, and you are in Europe.
Choose Kraken if you need a licensed venue in the US or the EEA and are willing to use the Pro interface to get a competitive rate.
Choose Coinbase if familiarity matters more than cost and you want a publicly listed counterparty.
Stay on Uphold if you value the one-tap cross-asset swap above everything else, you trade rarely, and you have read the rate card.
There is nothing wrong with paying for convenience once you know the price of it.
How to move your crypto off Uphold in 3 steps
Step 1. Check which tier your asset sits in.
Uphold's terms state that only assets listed as Tier 3 on its transparency page can be withdrawn on-chain.
A Tier 4 holding has to be converted into a Tier 3 asset first, and that conversion is charged at the higher of the two applicable rates.
Step 2. Match the network exactly.
Copy the deposit address from your destination account rather than typing it, and confirm the network matches on both sides.
If the destination shows a memo or tag field, send it, because a transfer arriving without one usually needs manual recovery.
Step 3. Send a test amount first.
Move a small amount, confirm it credits, then send the remainder in a single transfer to pay the withdrawal fee once.
Uphold charges a flat $0.99 per crypto withdrawal on every network except BTC, XRP and HBAR, plus the network fee.
Frequently asked questions
Is Uphold shutting down?
No.
Uphold continues to operate, though it restricted EEA services from 1 July 2026 and has stopped accepting new accounts in more than 100 locations.
Why can I not deposit on Uphold in Europe?
Uphold says its Portuguese entity's MiCAR application remains under review and that temporary service restrictions were introduced when the MiCA transition period ended on 1 July 2026.
Withdrawals remain available.
How much does Uphold charge to trade altcoins?
Uphold's rate card dated 1 July 2026 lists 2.55% to 3.10% on altcoins, charged as a spread inside the quoted price.
A $0.99 fee also applies to most trades under $500.
Is Uphold cheaper than a maker and taker exchange?
No, not on published rates.
Uphold's 2.55% altcoin spread compares with 0.05% for a MEXC taker and 0.10% for an OKX taker at entry tier.
What is the best Uphold alternative for multi-asset trading?
Bitpanda, which holds crypto, stocks, ETFs and physically stored metals in one MiCA-authorised account.
It is available in Europe rather than globally.
Can I use MEXC in the US, the UK or the EU?
No.
MEXC does not serve residents of the United States, the United Kingdom or the EEA, and it appears on ESMA's register of non-compliant entities.
Does Uphold charge a fee to withdraw crypto?
Yes.
Uphold charges a flat $0.99 on all crypto networks except BTC, XRP and HBAR, in addition to the blockchain network fee.
How do I move my crypto off Uphold?
Convert any Tier 4 holding into a Tier 3 asset, match the network on both sides, then send a test amount before moving the rest.
Our withdrawal walkthrough shows the same process from the receiving side.
Risk and compliance disclosure
Trading cryptocurrency carries substantial risk, and you can lose the entire value of your position.
Futures and leveraged products amplify both gains and losses and are not suitable for most people.
Every fee, rate and restriction in this article was taken from official sources on 2 September 2026, and all of them can change without notice.
Confirm current terms on the relevant platform before you move funds.
Availability is decided by your country of residence, and nothing here is an offer of services in any jurisdiction where a platform is not permitted to operate.
This article is published by MEXC and is not independent financial advice.
Market Opportunity
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This article is provided by Sarah Chen for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets involve significant risk. Please conduct independent research or consult a qualified professional before making any investment decisions. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of MEXC or its affiliates.
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