Where to actually get Bitcoin
Three honest routes, in rising order of effort: recurring buys on a reputable exchange, decentralized peer-to-peer with no ID, and mining it yourself. Each section says plainly whether we earn anything from the links in it. Pick the route that fits your situation — there's no single "best" for everybody.
Affiliate disclosure: DCA Butler earns a referral fee when you sign up through these links. We only list exchanges we'd use ourselves, and you pay the same — the fee comes out of the exchange's take, not yours. This applies to the exchange section only — the decentralized and mining sections below carry no referral links at all.
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Easy recurring buys
Affiliate links · disclosedThe simplest way to run the DCA strategies this site models. Zero or near-zero fees on recurring buys, real track records, and every one lets you withdraw to self-custody.
Fees
0% on recurring buys (after week 1)
Withdrawals
Free Bitcoin withdrawals
Custody
Self-custody supported
Our take: Best for disciplined accumulation. Their 0% recurring-buy model is the cleanest in the US, and you earn interest on uninvested cash (paid in BTC).
Swan
USBitcoin-only philosophy with a long track record.Open Swan →Withdrawals
Free Bitcoin withdrawals
Custody
Self-custody supported
Our take: Bitcoin-maximalist house. Higher fees than River, but excellent educational content and one of the strongest brands in the US.
Strike
US + GlobalLightning users and non-US stackers.Open Strike →Fees
0% on recurring buys (after week 1)
Withdrawals
Lightning-native withdrawals
Custody
Self-custody supported
Our take: The Lightning Network's most polished consumer wallet. Strong global reach — works in many countries where River and Swan don't.
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Decentralized & no-KYC
No affiliate linksPeer-to-peer, no ID, no custodian — you trade directly with another person and the platform never holds your coins alone. The trade-offs are honest ones: you'll usually pay a little over the market price, it takes more steps, and you should start small while you learn. No affiliation — DCA Butler earns nothing from any link in this section. They're here because they're good.
Bisq
GlobalPrivacy-first buyers comfortable with desktop software.Open Bisq →Custody
Non-custodial (multisig escrow)
Our take: The OG decentralized exchange — a desktop app that trades peer-to-peer over Tor. Bisq 2's "Bisq Easy" removed the old security-deposit chicken-and-egg for first-timers. Expect to pay a little over the market price; that markup is the price of privacy.
Custody
Non-custodial (Lightning hold invoices)
Our take: P2P over Lightning with throwaway robot identities — genuinely fun to use and very private. Best for smaller amounts; pair it with any Lightning wallet. Runs in the browser (or over Tor for the full experience).
Custody
Non-custodial (2-of-3 multisig escrow)
Our take: The easiest on-ramp into no-KYC buying — a regular website, wide payment-method support, and the escrow never holds your keys alone. Check seller reputation and start small.
Peach
Europe-firstMobile-first P2P, especially in Europe.Open Peach →Custody
Non-custodial (escrowed to your keys)
Our take: A polished mobile app for P2P buys with SEPA and many local payment rails. The closest the no-KYC world gets to an exchange-grade UX today.
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Mining — self & hosted
No affiliate linksThe most sovereign sats there are — nobody sold them to you. Also the easiest place in Bitcoin to get fleeced, so read the rule of thumb before spending a dollar. No affiliation — DCA Butler earns nothing from any link in this section. They're here because they're good.
Rule of thumb: Mining is just buying sats at your power rate. With cheap power (roughly under $0.08/kWh all-in) a modern ASIC buys them at a discount; above ~$0.10/kWh you're buying sats at a premium with extra steps — plain DCA wins.
Bitaxe
GlobalLearning mining hands-on + supporting decentralization.Open Bitaxe →Custody
Payouts straight to your wallet
Our take: An open-source solo miner about the size of a sandwich. You will almost certainly never hit a block (think lottery ticket with ~infinite odds shown honestly on screen) — but it teaches you mining end-to-end, quietly heats a room, and adds a truly independent machine to the network.
Ocean pool
GlobalPointing real ASICs at a decentralization-focused pool.Open Ocean pool →Custody
Non-custodial payouts (straight to your address)
Our take: If you run serious hardware, the pool you pick shapes Bitcoin's censorship-resistance. Ocean pays out directly from the coinbase transaction — the pool never custodies your sats.
Hosted mining
you buy the machine, a facility runs itHosting can make sense if your home power is expensive but you still want to mine. It also reintroduces exactly the third-party risk that mining was supposed to remove — so we don't endorse a specific retail host. Instead, here's the checklist we'd apply to any of them. If a host fails even one line, walk.
- You own a specific, serial-numbered machine — not a "share" of one. Title to hardware, in writing.
- All-in hosting rate in $/kWh (power + fees) stated in the contract, with the exit terms if rates change.
- Payouts go from the pool to YOUR wallet or pool account — the host should never touch your sats.
- The facility is real and verifiable: photos, location, references, ideally a visit.
- Treat "cloud mining contracts" (renting hashrate with no hardware title) as a red flag — the economics almost never favor you, and the sector has a long scam history.
One more thing: withdraw to self-custody
Every exchange above lets you withdraw Bitcoin to your own wallet. Do it. "Not your keys, not your coins" is older than DCA Butler and still true. We won't pretend hardware wallets are a thrill, but the long-term security upgrade is real — and free from the affiliates above. Popular self-custody options include BitcoinQnA's wallet guide and any reputable hardware wallet.
DCA Butler is an educational tool, not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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