Where to buy Ethereum (ETH)

The two platforms, honestly compared

Ethereum is the deepest crypto market in Europe, and both major Dutch platforms handle it well. The deciding factors are fee structure and what you plan to do with the ETH afterwards — including staking.

• Bitvavo — 400+ assets, volume-tiered fees, free deposits, and ETH staking via Bitvavo Earn. A strong choice if you already use the platform for other coins.
• Finst — flat 0.15%, no added spread, flexible ETH staking with no lock-up. The cheaper default for most retail buyers.

What buying ETH actually costs

Both charge nothing for EUR deposits and EUR withdrawals. The trading fee is where they part ways: Finst’s flat 0.15% beats Bitvavo’s 0.25% base taker fee for typical purchases, while Bitvavo’s tiers win at serious volume. On withdrawals, Bitvavo passes on only the Ethereum network fee; Finst adds a €2.50 flat baseline. Since ETH network fees are usually modest, that baseline is what actually moves the comparison for regular withdrawers.

Worked example — a €1,000 ETH purchase:

• Finst: €1,000 × 0.15% = €1.50 in fees, no added spread.
• Bitvavo: €1,000 × 0.25% = €2.50 at the base taker tier.

Withdraw once: the Ethereum network fee (often €1–3, higher during congestion) on Bitvavo, or that plus €2.50 on Finst.

How to buy Ethereum step by step

1. Create an account on Bitvavo or Finst and complete ID verification.
2. Deposit EUR — free SEPA or iDEAL on both (Bitvavo adds Bancontact, Apple Pay and cards).
3. Place your order — market for instant execution at the current price, or a limit order at your price.
4. Decide whether you want ETH yield — both exchanges offer custodial staking in their earn products (see below).
5. Withdraw to your wallet — Ethereum addresses start with 0x. Send a small test amount first; ETH network fees are higher than most chains, so batch your withdrawals rather than moving small amounts repeatedly.

The network-choice reality

ETH withdrawals on Bitvavo and Finst run on the Ethereum mainnet — there is no chain-selection trap on these two platforms. But if you ever move ETH to an exchange or service that accepts deposits on multiple networks (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base), always pick Ethereum mainnet for ETH itself. Sending on the wrong network is the single most common ETH deposit failure.

If you plan to use Ethereum DeFi, note that wallet transactions (approvals, swaps) also cost gas — a separate cost from the exchange’s fee, and one that varies with network congestion. There is no way around it on Ethereum; it is the price of the network’s security.

Staking: custodial vs self-custody

Both platforms run ETH staking:

• Bitvavo Earn — custodial staking; Bitvavo holds the ETH and handles validation. You earn, they hold. No minimum tech effort, but exchange risk.
• Finst staking — flexible staking, no lock-up, weekly payouts, no lending model; also custodial.

The alternative is non-custodial staking from your own wallet (e.g. solo staking or staking pools via a self-custody wallet). It keeps ownership with you at the cost of more complexity. For most European buyers the practical choice is: stake on the exchange for simplicity, or move to self-custody for ownership — and never treat exchange staking as the same thing as holding the keys.

After you buy

An exchange balance is custodial — Bitvavo and Finst hold your ETH for you. Both offer staking on the platform, but that is custodial staking: you earn, they hold. Long-term storage is a self-custody use case; non-custodial staking is also available from a self-custody wallet. See our Ethereum wallet guide for the hot-vs-cold setup that makes sense for ETH specifically.

Exchanges compared

Verified 6 Aug 2026.

How we evaluate

Every recommendation is based on our published methodology: we separate self-custody wallets, hardware wallets, custodial exchanges and buying platforms, and score each with its own criteria. We label everything as hands-on tested, documentation reviewed, or not yet tested. Commissions never determine rankings.

Read our full methodology

Sources & evidence

• OfficialBitvavo — Ethereum listing ↗
• OfficialFinst — Ethereum listing ↗
• OfficialBitvavo — fees ↗
• OfficialFinst — fees ↗

Changelog

• 8 Aug 2026Expanded to full buy anatomy: step-by-step purchase flow, worked fee examples, network-choice guidance and staking deep-dive.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ethereum listed on Bitvavo?

Yes — Bitvavo lists ETH for trading and withdrawals, with free SEPA/iDEAL deposits and MiCA authorisation (AFM). ETH staking is available through Bitvavo Earn (custodial).

Is Ethereum listed on Finst?

Yes — Finst lists ETH for spot trading with SEPA/iDEAL deposits, flat 0.15% fees, flexible staking and MiCA authorisation (AFM).

Can I withdraw ETH from Bitvavo or Finst?

Yes — both support withdrawals to external wallets on the Ethereum network. Bitvavo charges only the network fee; Finst adds a €2.50 fixed baseline per crypto withdrawal.

Which exchange is cheaper for buying Ethereum?

Finst's flat 0.15% beats Bitvavo's 0.25% base taker fee for typical purchases; Bitvavo's volume tiers win at scale. On withdrawals Bitvavo charges only the Ethereum network fee while Finst adds a €2.50 baseline — a real difference if you withdraw ETH regularly. See our Bitvavo vs Finst comparison.

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