Head to head
Compare
Comparisons with the method stated up front: what was measured, on what date, from which source, and who each option is actually wrong for. No affiliate ranking dressed as research, and no use of the word "best" without a stated basis for it. Where we cannot measure something we say so rather than scoring it anyway.
- 1story in this section
- 15 Aug 2026most recent
- Labelledpaid placements carry a disclosure
What this section covers
Exchanges and access
Fees as actually charged, withdrawal limits, registrations held, and the outage and incident record - the things that decide whether you can get your money out.
Finance and Business NewsCustody and wallets
What each option protects against, what it does not, and what happens when you lose the device. Security compared against a threat, not against a feature list.
Blockchain NewsFunds and instruments
Spot funds against futures funds against holding the asset: fee drag, tracking, tax treatment and what each one exposes you to that the others do not.
Market NewsWhere our coverage sits
Editorial stories by section, counted live from this site. Paid placements are excluded - they are not reporting, and the masthead carries their number.
Latest reporting
An ETF share is a claim on bitcoin held by a named custodian, not the coin itself — and CoinDesk's own custodian list for four major funds contradicts a CoinShares executive's claim that issuers are 'all using one custodian.'…
The basics, in plain English
How do you decide what "better" means?
Each page names its measure before it compares anything - lowest total cost on a stated trade size, or fastest withdrawal, or fewest counterparties. Change the measure and the winner changes, which is why the measure is stated first.
Are these affiliate rankings?
No. Nothing on this site is ranked by what it pays. Paid placements are labelled Sponsored, sit in their own section and carry nofollow on every outbound link - and they are never comparisons.
Why does every page say who an option is wrong for?
Because a comparison with a single winner is almost always hiding the reader whose situation it does not fit. Naming that reader is more useful than a score.
How current are the figures?
Every number carries the date it was checked. Fees and limits move; a comparison without dates is a comparison you cannot verify.
