Testing Methodology

Current status: v1, documentation stage. This page describes the hands-on testing process we intend to run on every exchange we recommend. As of today, our exchange data comes from published, verifiable sources (see Sources) rather than from our own live sign-up, deposit, and withdrawal tests. We are documenting the process now so it is transparent before it goes live, and we will update this page — and mark each review accordingly — as soon as hands-on testing starts on a given exchange.

What "tested" will mean here

When we say an exchange has been tested, we mean a member of our team will have gone through the process a new user would: creating an account, completing KYC (or noting that it is not required), making a real deposit with a common payment method, placing a small trade, and withdrawing funds back out. We will record what happened at each step, including any friction or fees that were not obvious from the exchange's own documentation.

What we will check

• Sign-up and KYC flow: how long it takes, what documents are required
• Deposit: available methods, actual fees charged, processing time
• Trading: interface clarity, fee accuracy versus the published schedule
• Withdrawal: processing time, any unexpected limits or fees
• Support: response time and quality for a real question

What we will not claim

We will not describe a step we have not actually performed. Until a specific exchange has gone through this process, our review will rely on published sources and will not claim first-hand testing for it. Any review page that references hands-on testing will show the date the test was performed.