Final Verdict
As more firms allow their clients to add alternative assets like Bitcoin to their IRAs, understanding which ones offer the best expertise, security, and support can be tricky. In the end, companies with deep expertise in managing both traditional and digital assets are the ones who can future-proof their clients’ retirements.
As the first and largest cryptocurrency IRA company, Bitcoin IRA takes our top spot as the best overall due to its easy account setup, 24/7 real-time trading, and advanced security features.
Coin IRA is our pick for the best investor experience with its free, downloadable “Cryptocurrency IRA Guide,” access to specialized cryptocurrency consultants, and choice of three secure digital asset storage options.
In terms of pricing, iTrustCapital wins for the best rates and fees with a simple 1% transaction fee and low monthly service fee of just $29.05, while BitIRA aced the best for security category with multi-encryption encoding for transactions and offsite storage in nuclear bunkers protected by armed guards.
Equity Trust brought nearly 40 years of experience in SDIRAs, seamlessly blending traditional and digital assets with no transaction fees, making it our choice as the best for self-directed investments.
Finally, we picked Regal Assets for the best variety of cryptocurrency supported since it allows its clients to invest in any popular cryptocurrency they desire as well as precious metals to create diverse and secure portfolios.
Compare Providers
| Company | Why We Chose It |
Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin IRA | Best Overall | Full-service Bitcoin IRA provider offering 24/7 trading |
| Coin IRA | Best Investor Experience | Cryptocurrency consultants and multiple storage options |
| iTrustCapital | Best Rates and Fees | $29.95 monthly service fee and 1% per transaction |
| BitIRA | Best for Security | Guarded offline storage and full insurance coverage |
| Equity Trust | Best for Self-Directed Investments | 38 years’ experience in self-directed IRAs |
| Regal Assets | Best Variety of Cryptocurrency Supported | Supports investing using all popular cryptocurrencies |
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Bitcoin IRAs Work?
A Bitcoin IRA allows individuals to diversify their IRAs with investments in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Because the IRS considers Bitcoin property, taxing them like stocks and bonds, account holders need a custodian to manage their IRA.
Bitcoin IRA firms also allow account holders to freely trade cryptocurrency on their platforms and offer either secure online or offsite storage for their clients’ digital assets.
How Should I Choose a Bitcoin IRA Company?
Security and fees are two of the most important criteria for choosing a Bitcoin IRA company. Since cryptocurrency isn’t backed by any fiat currency, investors who have their accounts hacked risk losing everything. As a result, many firms store digital assets in physical vaults to protect accounts from cyberattacks and also insure investments up to a certain dollar value.
Fees are also a big consideration, since many firms charge high trading and administrative fees based on the size of accounts, as well as storage fees, potentially cutting into the profitability of investments. It’s also important to choose a company with dedicated experience in managing IRAs and not just cryptocurrencies.
Are All Bitcoin IRA Companies Safe?
Some would say that the uncertainty of cryptocurrency in general makes Bitcoin IRAs inherently risky. Those willing to accept the risk must find firms with the technology and infrastructure to manage transactions securely and protect their digital assets.
To this end, firms that offer multiple layers of transaction encoding and security features, a variety of cryptocurrency choices for investing, and offline cold storage provide the most security available for their clients.
What Are the Benefits of Bitcoin IRAs?
The main advantage of Bitcoin IRAs is that they add diversification to retirement portfolios to both mitigate risk and maximize potential returns. Investors who diversify their IRAs with precious metals due to their relative market stability are now looking to cryptocurrencies for the same reason. Including digital currencies in some types of retirement accounts can also help investors avoid heavy capital gains taxes.
How We Chose the Best Bitcoin IRA Companies
We looked at nearly a dozen Bitcoin IRAs for this review. Our first consideration was to find companies with both deep experience in managing IRAs as well as alternative assets like cryptocurrencies.
Security was also a major consideration. Since Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency isn’t backed by any bank or hard assets, a cyber hacker could potentially wipe out an entire Bitcoin IRA. For that reason, we made sure to choose companies that provided state-of-the-art security features and high insurance coverage for their digital assets.
Finally, we included companies with low or reasonable fees since managing a Bitcoin IRA can be potentially much more expensive than managing most traditional retirement accounts.