Uphold Review 2025

Eric Huffman

Verified by Tsvetomir Koychev

Last updated

May 14, 2025 07:19 EDT

20min read

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We created this extensive Uphold review to show you what makes this crypto broker stand out and what its biggest flaws are. We tested its services, features, user experience, and fee structure against the competition. Based on our research, Uphold is a solid platform for beginners that stands out with its one-step crypto swaps, built-in wallets, educational guides, and USD interest-earning opportunities.

You’ll also be able to diversify your portfolio via Uphold baskets – collections of cryptocurrencies grouped by themes or market sectors. However, if you’re a day trader, Uphold may be unsuitable since it charges higher fees than its rivals.

With that in mind, here’s all you need to know about Uphold and its “Anything-to-Anything” approach:

Pros

• Offers 300+ cryptocurrencies, fiat currencies, and commodities
• Fee-free interest account with 4.99% APY on USD balances
• Very smooth user interface and one-step token swaps
• Trustworthy security measures and assisted-custody token vault
• Useful educational guides for new crypto investors
• Connected to 30+ underlying exchanges to find you the best token prices and liquidity

Cons

• Costly fees for crypto token swaps
• Very limited technical charts and analysis tools
• Doesn’t support staking in the US

What is Uphold?

Uphold is a New York-based broker founded in 2015 that offers more than 300 assets, including cryptocurrencies, fiat currencies, and commodities. The exchange has more than 10 million users and serves US residents as well as residents of Europe, Canada, and more than 180 countries around the globe.

Uphold is a financial service provider and is regulated by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) in the US. The platform offers FDIC-insured deposit accounts, an assisted-custody crypto vault, and proven reserves to keep customers’ crypto safe.

You are able to have up to $2,500,000 ($250,000 per depositor, per insured bank for each account) Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance for deposits in your Atomic Brokerage account when those deposits are swept to all ten Program Banks in the Atomic Cash Sweep Program. Funds held in your Atomic Brokerage account are not FDIC-insured. Funds held in your Atomic Brokerage account solely for the purpose of accessing the Cash Sweep are also not protected by SIPC.

What Cryptocurrencies Are Available to Trade on Uphold?

Uphold offers more than 300 cryptocurrencies, including all major Layer-1 crypto tokens, stablecoins, Ethereum Layer-2 tokens, and DeFi tokens. It also has some of the best meme coins, including $DOGE, $SHIB, $PEPE, $WIF, $BONK, and $POPCAT.

Uphold prides itself on offering access to new tokens ahead of other major exchanges. The platform is connected to 28 other decentralized exchanges (DEXes), Layer-2 rollups, and other blockchain platforms to get early access to tokens.

One of the most interesting aspects of Uphold is that it allows one-step transactions between cryptocurrencies from different blockchains. For example, you can swap Bitcoin for Ethereum or Dogecoin for Ripple in a single trade—you don’t need to cash out to USD or a stablecoin first.

This makes the platform a lot simpler to use for anyone who just wants to buy specific tokens without worrying about bridges, cross-chain swaps, or other complexities. We’re not aware of any other brokers in the US that allow this type of one-step transaction.

Other Assets To Trade on Uphold

While Uphold primarily supports cryptocurrency trading, the platform also allows trading on 19 fiat currencies, including USD, GBP, EUR, JPY, and AUD. You can also trade 11 stablecoins, such as USDT, USDC, and DAI, 5 utility tokens, such as BAT, OXT, and VCO, as well as silver, platinum, and gold.

However, you should note that trading fees for fiat and commodities on Uphold are much higher than fees for similar trades using a dedicated forex or commodity broker:

Uphold Fees & Commissions

The biggest drawback we found to Uphold is that it has much higher trading fees than many centralized exchanges or unregulated DEXs. Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll pay to use Uphold.

Trading Fees

Uphold charges variable trading fees for different types of cryptocurrencies depending on market volatility. In general, you can expect to pay the following trading fees for popular tokens:

• Stablecoins: 0.2%
• BTC and ETH: 1.4%-1.6%
• Altcoins: 2.5%-2.95% (based on each altcoin’s liquidity)

You’ll also pay a commission of $0.99 for most trades under $500. However, this commission doesn’t apply to:

• Credit/debit card deposits
• Apple Pay or Google Pay deposits
• Debit card withdrawals
• Instant withdrawals to US bank accounts
• Trades with stablecoins
• Transactions with the Uphold Debit Card
• Transactions with Trailing Stop or Take Profit
• BAT transactions

Forex trades cost 0.25% and commodities trades will set you back 1.9%-2.95%.

All prices are quoted at mid-market rates, but you’ll pay the bid-ask spread when trading on Uphold. The exchange will automatically alert you if the spread is more than 4%.

The price you see before you trade is the price you’ll pay at execution. Unlike some competitors, Uphold doesn’t add hidden fees between “Preview Trade” and “Confirm Trade.”

Deposit and Withdrawal Fees

Uphold charges fees for some types of deposits, but many are free:

• Bank transfers: Free
• Debit cards: Free if making a USD deposit; 3.99% if making an instant crypto purchase
• Credit cards: 3.99%
• Wire transfers: Free if depositing $5,000 or more; $20 if depositing less than $5,000

The option to make a free debit card deposit is especially nice, since most US exchanges charge an instant buy fee (usually 3.5% or more) for these deposits.

When withdrawing from Uphold, fees depend on whether you are withdrawing fiat or crypto and what payment method you choose. Bank transfers are free, but take up to 3 business days to process. You can opt for an instant bank transfer or withdrawal to a debit card for a 1.75% fee.

When it comes to crypto withdrawals, the fees will depend on the network and cryptocurrency. For example, you’ll pay 0.000075 BTC for Bitcoin withdrawals and 0.0001 ETH for Ethereum withdrawals. You’ll also have to pay a fixed $0.99 fee if you withdraw your assets using the following blockchains:

• KAS
• DAG
• XDC
• BTG
• SGB
• FLR
• TRX
• SOLO
• CSPR
• COREUM
• KAS

Here’s a breakdown of all the fees you can expect to pay when using Uphold:

Is Uphold User-Friendly?

Uphold is extremely user-friendly. In fact, ease of use is one of the main advantages of Uphold over other centralized and decentralized crypto exchanges.

There are a few features that help Uphold’s user experience stand out:

• One-step crypto swaps: You can swap between any cryptocurrencies that Uphold offers in a single transaction, without worrying about bridges

• Secure crypto vault: Uphold offers a secure crypto vault with assisted custody. You get 2 keys, and Uphold can help you get back into your account if you lose one.
• Multi-chain wallet: If you prefer full self-custody, Uphold offers a Web3 wallet app called UpHODL. The Uphold wallet supports all tokens available on the exchange, as well as NFTs.
• Crypto educational guides: Uphold offers beginner-friendly crypto education guides to help you understand the market and how to safely store your crypto.

Uphold Mobile Experience

Uphold offers mobile apps for iOS (13.4 or later) and Android that offer full access to the exchange’s platform. You can easily deposit funds into your account, make trades, and monitor your balances. The app also includes access to the Uphold Vault, so you can easily store your crypto in an assisted-custody wallet without having to switch between apps.

The app is very intuitive and focuses on ease of use, leaving out more advanced features like technical charts and advanced order options. You can place limit orders with the Uphold app, but that’s about as complex as it gets. Overall, it’s a much simpler app compared to Coinbase or Binance, and feels more reminiscent of the slimmed-down user experience many traders are familiar with from the brokerage app Robinhood.

Both apps have a high rating on Google Play and App Store, 4.5 and 4.7, respectively. However, after testing them, we noticed that the Android app gets glitchy, especially during the sign-in process. The app also has way too many ads, which can be quite annoying.

Uphold Desktop Experience

Uphold doesn’t have a dedicated desktop app. If you want to conduct crypto trades on your PC, you’ll have to use its web platform.

After testing Uphold’s web platform, we came to the conclusion that it’s very similar to the mobile app. It has a user-friendly interface, and you can use it to make deposits and purchases, access your Vault, and monitor your portfolio. However, it lacks technical analysis tools and real-time alerts. On the other hand, you’ll get to use advanced features, such as recurring investments and limit orders.

Uphold Debit Card

Uphold offers a debit card, but it’s currently only available in the UK. The card enables users to spend any fiat currency from their Uphold account with no foreign transaction fees and no annual account fees.

However, you cannot use the card to spend cryptocurrencies—you must first convert them to fiat. Moreover, you’ll be able to spend up to £10,000 per day and conduct a maximum of 50 daily transactions. You’ll also have to pay fees for ATM withdrawals, which amount to £2.50 for national and £3.50 for foreign ATM withdrawals.

The card doesn’t offer crypto rewards or cashback, which makes it less attractive than crypto debit and credit cards from other crypto exchanges, such as Crypto.com.

Terms Apply. Non-Uphold fees may apply. Uphold Card is issued by Optimus Cards UK Limited, a principal member of Mastercard and authorised by the FCA.

Uphold Interest

One of our favorite things about Uphold is that you can earn interest on your USD balance. You’ll earn 2% APY on balances under $1,000 and 4.5% APY on all balances over that amount. There’s no maximum on how much you can earn and no lockup periods on your balance.

To qualify for interest, you must hold your USD balance in Uphold’s interest account, not in the main cryptocurrency trading platform. You can transfer funds back and forth instantly, but it’s not automatic.

The USD Interest Account is a brokerage account offered by Atomic Brokerage LLC, a member of FINRA/SIPC, for participation in the Atomic Brokerage Cash Sweep Program. Cash deposited in the account solely for the purpose of accessing the Cash Sweep Program is not protected by SIPC. For full details about the program, see the Terms & Conditions. Neither Atomic Brokerage nor any of its affiliates is a bank.

The interest account has no fees associated with it.

Balances of $1,000 or more earn 4.5% APY. Balances under $1,000 earn 2% APY. The rate is subject to change.

Uphold Trading Features & Resources

Uphold is light on trading features compared to other exchanges, but it does have a few handy tools to help you trade crypto effectively.

One-Step Token Swaps

One-step token swaps are an innovation unique to Uphold. You can convert any fiat or crypto supported by Uphold to any other asset supported on the platform in a single trade. That means you can go from ETH to LTC, BTC to gold, or USD to BONK in a single tap. There’s no need to purchase a stablecoin as an intermediary asset, and you don’t have to worry about bridges or cross-chain connections when swapping tokens across different blockchains.

Advanced Order Options

In addition to one-time market orders, Uphold supports stop-loss orders, take-profit orders, limit orders, and recurring buys. These are all easy to set up, and Uphold lets you choose the duration of your order from a few days to indefinite.

Uphold Wallets

Uphold supports three types of wallets – Uphold Wallet (full-custody wallet), Uphold Vault (assisted self-custody wallet), and UpHODL Wallet (self-custody Web3 wallet). The first option is suitable for beginners since they won’t have to take care of their private keys, while the other two options are suitable for advanced traders who want to have full control over their funds.

You can create the Uphold Vault, an assisted self-custody wallet, for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. However, you can also test it using a 30-day trial. Just remember to cancel the subscription to avoid getting charged. The Vault will give you access to 260+ assets. What’s more, you’ll control two private keys, the Vault key and the Backup key, and you’ll be able to transfer your funds from the Vault to your Uphold wallet.

The wallet that impressed us the most is the UpHODL Wallet, though. It lets you store and manage ERC-20 tokens, BTC, ETH, XRP, and NFTs, purchase crypto directly from the wallet, and access dApps. This is a self-custodial wallet, meaning you’ll have full control over your assets and private keys.

UpHODL wallet has a user-friendly design, and you can customize it to suit your trading style. In addition, you can connect it to Ledger hardware wallets. The wallet is also available as a mobile app for Android and iOS devices.

Uphold Baskets

Uphold baskets allow you to invest in pre-selected collections of cryptocurrencies. Each basket contains tokens related to a specific sector or theme. For example, you can buy the Big Three basket, which contains BTC, ETH, and XRP, the Metaverse Basket (containing SAND, MANA, IMX, AXS, and APE), the Meme basket (DOGE, SHIB, PEPE, FLOKI, WIF, and BONK), or the US Crypto Reserve basket (BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, and ADA). By investing in Uphold baskets, you’ll be able to spread your risk across multiple assets.

Uphold is not the only exchange that offers such tools. Crypto.com also lets you buy 18 pre-selected baskets. However, Uphold’s baskets are more diverse, which gives them a slight advantage.

Uphold baskets will not be automatically rebalanced. To sell the assets purchased via Uphold Baskets, you’ll have to create individual transactions for each asset.

Uphold Business Account

As its name suggests, Uphold’s business account is tailored to meet the needs of gig economy platforms, self-directed IRAs, and businesses that implement crypto transactions. Key advantages of Uphold business accounts include higher transaction limits, low-cost currency conversions, free storage of funds, and built-in compliance and fraud controls. You’ll also be able to automate your payments by integrating the Uphold API.

To create a business account, you need to register on the Uphold website and select the “Business” option when signing up. You’ll then be asked to present proof of identity, such as a passport, driver’s license, or ID card. You may also need to show the following:

• Legal entity name/DBA
• Legal entity type
• Legal entity registration number
• Registered address/mailing address
• Website
• Source of funds/wealth
• Business activity
• Account holder information/authorized signer information/trustee information

Staking

Uphold enables you to earn passive income by staking 20 coins, such as DOT, INJ, ATOM, NEAR, and ETH. Although the exchange doesn’t offer a large selection of staking tokens, this should be your go-to platform if you’re into Polkadot staking.

By staking Polkadot on Uphold, you’ll earn an APY of 12.90%. For comparison, OKX, an exchange that offers some of the highest APY yields in 2025, allows you to stake DOT for an APY of 10.33%.

On the downside, Uphold’s staking service is unavailable in Canada, Japan, Venezuela, Singapore, and four US states – New York, Texas, Louisiana, and Colorado. What’s more, you’ll have to pay a commission fee between 20% and 25% on your rewards.

Educational Guides

Uphold offers “beginner,” “intermediate,” and “advanced” crypto education courses for traders of different experience levels. The beginner course focuses on the basics of crypto and Bitcoin, while the advanced course dives into trading strategies, ICOs, staking, and more.

We took part in all three and were rather impressed, especially by the beginner and intermediate-level courses. The advanced one, on the other hand, won’t turn you into a pro trader, but it’ll give you a solid base.

Daily Market Update

Uphold offers a daily market update by email, and you don’t even have to be a customer of the exchange to get access to this market information. The updates provide an overview of what’s happening in the crypto market, from tokens making big moves to news and ICOs that could shake up price action.

Uphold Rewards

The rewards program will enable you to earn rewards by completing daily challenges, such as logging in, making a deposit, and completing a trade. The rewards may include getting a 24-hour early access to new tokens, earning up to 5.25% on USBC and 5% on RLUSD, and getting exclusive crypto insights.

To unlock the rewards, you’ll have to complete three challenges per month:

• Visit the Uphold app
• Deposit $50
• Complete a trade of $50

Uphold Safety & Security

Uphold holds a money transmitter license in 42 US states and is a financial service provider regulated by FinCen. It complies with all US anti-money laundering requirements and requires ID verification during sign-up. Funds on the main Uphold crypto trading platform aren’t SIPC-insured, but USD balances held in Uphold’s interest account are backed by FDIC insurance up to $2.5 million.

Uphold never lends out customers’ assets and has 100% reserves for all assets held on the platform. To prove this, the platform publishes information about its assets and liabilities online, and updates the information every 30 seconds.

The Uphold Vault is another way the exchange keeps users’ funds safe. When you store crypto in the vault, you get 3 keys—you hold 2 of them, and Uphold holds the 3rd. There are 2 keys required to get into your account, so only you have access.

But, if you lose one of your keys, Uphold can help you restore access to your crypto so it’s not lost forever. Uphold also has a number of cybersecurity protections. It is certified to the Service Organization Controls Type 2 (SOC 2) security standard, runs a 24/7 cybersecurity desk, and background checks all of its employees and vendors. The platform also has a bug bounty program and undergoes routine penetration testing.

Uphold Customer Support

Uphold has a detailed online knowledge base that covers everything from how to use the platform to fees to taxes and beyond. If you have more questions, you can contact Uphold by email. You can also submit a request or use the live chat feature. However, this option is available only if you have an account on Uphold. Uphold has a 4.4 rating on Trustpilot, based on more than 13,500 reviews.

We tested Uphold’s customer support to see how it performs. We were a bit disappointed with our testing results. Namely, the company typically responds within 1-2 business days to email inquiries. Moreover, some support agents provide generic replies, which aren’t always helpful. On a positive note, its support team usually resolves any issues related to your account or transactions in less than 24 hours.

How to Start Trading with Uphold

Ready to get started with Uphold? Here’s how to sign up and buy your first cryptocurrency.

Step 1: Create an Account. Visit Uphold and click “Get Started.” You’ll need to provide your email, create a password, and select your state of residence.

Step 2: Verify Your ID: Uphold follows anti-money laundering regulations, so all new customers must verify their identity. You’ll need to provide your full name, date of birth, address, Social Security number, and a photo of your driver’s license or passport.

Step 3: Deposit Funds: At the bottom of the Uphold dashboard, click “Anything to Anything” and then choose “Select source” > “My Cards” or “My Banks” > “+”. Add your card or bank information. Under ‘Select Destination,’ choose ‘My Account.’

Step 4: Buy Cryptocurrency: Click the “Anything to Anything” button again in the Uphold dashboard, and choose your account as your funding source. Then select the cryptocurrency you want to buy and the amount to purchase to complete your trade.

Conclusion: Is Uphold Legit?

As you can see from our Uphold review, this US-based crypto exchange offers one-step transactions between more than 300 popular coins. It’s extremely easy to use, and it provides handy resources like educational guides and assisted custody wallets, making it ideal for crypto beginners.

Uphold is also well-suited for institutional investors and businesses. The former can take advantage of the Uphold Ascent platform, which will connect them to 30+ CeFi, DeFi, and Layer2 blockchain venues, while the latter will be able to create business accounts. Uphold is regulated by FinCen, and it holds a SOC 2 Type 2 certification, which makes it a highly secure exchange. However, this platform charges high trading fees, which makes it less attractive for day traders and scalpers.

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Eric Huffman

Eric Huffman's background includes a decade plus in business management as well as personal finance industry experience in insurance and lending. A strong understanding of consumer finance combined with a consumer advocate stance brought Eric to the crypto industry, where he writes articles and guides aimed at making crypto easier to understand.

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