Augea Cost Report
Augea Cost Report — April 2026
How much does it actually cost to buy crypto? This report compares estimated fees and spreads across 22 card-route and 27 bank-route exchanges, based on modeled fee data from first-party exchange fee schedules.
A snapshot of estimated crypto exchange fees as of April 2026. Based on modeled fee data for 22 card-route and 27 bank-route exchanges. BTC in the US used as baseline scenario. Actual costs vary by asset, country, and amount.
33 exchanges · 10 countries · 18 assets · Published April 2026
Card — lowest estimated cost
1.02%
Robinhood
Bank — lowest estimated cost
0.10%
River
Card vs bank avg gap
+2.41pp
convenience premium
Exchanges tracked
33
10 countries
Key findings
The cost spread across exchanges is wide
Buying BTC via card costs between an estimated 1.02% and 5.61% depending on the exchange — a 4.59 percentage point spread across 22 tracked exchanges.
Bank transfer is consistently cheaper than card
Across 22 tracked exchanges, card routes cost an estimated 2.41 percentage points more on average than bank transfer routes. The trade-off is speed: card purchases are typically instant, while bank transfers may take longer.
Card route — lowest estimated cost
Robinhood has the lowest estimated cost among card routes at 1.02% (fee + spread midpoint for BTC in the US).
Bank route — lowest estimated cost
River has the lowest estimated cost among bank transfer routes at 0.10% (fee + spread midpoint for BTC in the US).
Largest card-to-bank gap
Kraken has the largest card-to-bank cost gap at 5.29 percentage points (card: 5.61%, bank: 0.32%).
Card route costs — 22 exchanges
Estimated total cost (fee + spread) for buying BTC in the US via card. Sorted by midpoint estimate.
Bank transfer route costs — 27 exchanges
Estimated total cost (fee + spread) for buying BTC in the US via bank transfer. Sorted by midpoint estimate.
Card-to-bank cost gap
How much more card routes cost compared to bank transfer routes at each exchange. Larger gaps indicate a bigger convenience premium for card purchases.
Methodology
Cost estimates in this report are computed using Augea’s differentiation engine, which models trading fees and spread for each exchange based on first-party fee schedule documentation.
The baseline scenario is buying BTC in the United States. Country and asset multipliers apply when viewing other scenarios on Augea’s comparison pages.
Card routes include debit/credit card surcharges and instant-buy fees where applicable. Bank transfer routes reflect deposit-then-trade costs where deposit fees are typically free for ACH, SEPA, and equivalent local rails.
This report does not include withdrawal fees, network fees, or FX conversion costs. Actual costs may vary by amount, account tier, and market conditions.
Estimates, not quotes. All figures in this report are modeled estimates based on exchange fee schedules. They are not guaranteed prices. Actual costs may differ.
This report is not financial advice. Rankings reflect estimated cost, not endorsement. Augea does not hold funds, execute trades, or recommend specific exchanges.
Report generated April 9, 2026. Data reflects fee models as of publication date.
Cite this report
Augea Cost Report — April 2026
Source: augea.io/reports/monthly-cost-report
Scope: 22 card-route, 27 bank-route exchanges · BTC in US baseline
Data: Modeled from first-party exchange fee schedules · Estimates, not quotes