Alternatives
Celsius scores 4.5. These are live products this desk would open next — each with a full review, not a leftover affiliate tile.
| Celsius |  Exodus |  Coinbase |  Kraken |  Crypto.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | 4.5 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.2 |
| HQ | New Jersey | Omaha | San Francisco | San Francisco | Singapore |
| Monthly | — | Free wallet | Free to hold | Maker-taker | Card tiers gated by CRO stake (terms change — verify) |
| Protection | None. ‘Earn’ was an unsecured loan to Celsius. | Self-custody — you are the bank. No scheme. | Not FDIC on crypto. USD cash may sit at partner | Crypto not insured. Cash may be at partner banks | Crypto not insured. Card is a spend product on a |
| Card | none | none | visa | none | visa |
| Users | Bankrupt | 4M+ | 100M+ | 13M+ | 80M+ |
#1 alternative
Pretty self-custody wallet with built-in swap.
4.5
Omaha · 4M+ · Public (EXOD)
A wallet. If you lose the seed, this register cannot help you.
Best for: People moving off an exchange who still want a designed app.
#2 alternative
The public US crypto exchange with a retail app people keep.
4.4
San Francisco · 100M+ · Public (COIN)
The conservative CEX pick in this register. Kraken for the same job with a different culture; Binance for depth with a different risk.
Best for: US and UK retail who want the most licensed large exchange, not the cheapest.
#3 alternative
The exchange that kept proving it could survive everyone else’s collapse.
4.4
San Francisco · 13M+ · Private
The grown-up alternative to Coinbase. Still not a bank.
Best for: Traders who want a US-rooted CEX that is not Coinbase.
#4 alternative
The stadium-named crypto app: exchange, card, and a metal hierarchy.
4.4
Singapore · 80M+ · Private · large strategic rounds
A crypto card with a marketing budget. Score the current stake table, not the 2021 one. RedotPay is often simpler for pure USDT spend.
Best for: Users who want a metal crypto card and will read the stake terms twice.
#5 alternative
Derivatives-native exchange with a retail app and a card experiment.
4.5
Dubai · 50M+ · Private
A trading venue. Do not park life savings here because the app is pretty.
Best for: Derivatives traders outside restricted markets.
#6 alternative
The liquidity monster. Product depth with a regulatory scar tissue.
4.5
Global / remote · 200M+ · Private
Score the venue, not the Twitter. For a conservative register pick, this is not it. For liquidity, it still is.
Best for: Experienced traders outside the US who want depth and accept entity risk.
Celsius is scored 4.5. Weaknesses on this desk: Everything. Alternatives above are scored independently, not paid placements.
Coverage is per product. Open the country desk and the individual review — a UK bank licence does not travel, and an EMI is not FSCS.
Use Compare on any card, up to four products, then open the compare desk.
