How to buy Ethereum with PayPal in 2025

Learn where & how to buy Ethereum with PayPal in this five step guide for beginners, supporting you through your first purchase.
Written by
Updated on Jan 21, 2025
Reading time 4 minutes

Firstly, the most important question to answer is: can I buy Ethereum with PayPal?

Yes, you can buy Ethereum through your PayPal app.

Alternatively, you can use PayPal to fund a trading account on a third-party crypto exchange and buy Bitcoin that way.

We believe that funding a trading account is the most secure way to buy Ethereum with PayPal, is the most beneficial to you in terms of crypto education, and is where we’ve focused this guide.

This means you’ll need to select a crypto exchange that accepts PayPal deposits. And, we’re here to help you do that.

How to buy Ethereum with PayPal using a cryptocurrency exchange in 5 steps

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It takes between 15-45 minutes to buy ETH with PayPal the first time, after you’re all set up it takes just a minute.

You’ll want to have a copy of your photo ID, a computer or smart phone, and some cash to invest. Right, let’s get started.

Step 1. Choose a crypto platform that accepts PayPal

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We recommend eToro as the best platform to use to buy Ethereum with PayPal.

However, there’s several options which you can see if you scroll down beyond this guide.

eToro review
4.6
eToro
Min. Deposit $100
Fees 1%
No. assets 3600+
Demo account Yes

eToro review

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

Step 2. Create an account

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You need an account before you can buy anything. Sign up with your contact details and a form of ID for verification.

Depending on the platform, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days.

Step 3. Make a deposit via PayPal

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Once you’re on the platform, you’ll be prompted to deposit for the first time.

Here, you need to enter how much you want to deposit, usually there’s a minimum such as $10, $50, or $100.

Select PayPal as your payment method from the list of options and off you go.

You should see the funds arrive in your account fairly quickly!

Step 4. Use the search box to find Ethereum

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Now that you have funded your account with PayPal, you can search for Ethereum or ETH on the app to make an investment.

You’ll likely be able to purchase using a range of currencies, with the most common being USDT, USD, GBP or EUR.

Depending on which currency you deposited, you may even need to convert your funds into another base currency. 

Step 5. Make your purchase

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Enter how much Ethereum you want to buy, for instance $100, check that you’re happy with details, and click the trade or buy button.

The trade should execute immediately, and your new Ethereum should show up in your exchange account immediately.

Now you own Ethereum, purchased with PayPal!

Not a big deal, right?

Best exchanges that accept PayPal

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We found 4 crypto platforms for users based in

1. eToro. Best for beginners, copy-trading & demo-account

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4.5
Ratings

$100

Min. deposit

0% commission

Fees

3,600

No. assets

Yes

Demo account

Overview

We love eToro because it’s a trading platform built with beginners and casual traders in mind. The platform combines an interactive, social trading experience with an easy-to-use interface, making it ideal for novice traders.

The far-reaching catalog of more than 5,500 stocks and ETFs includes big names like Apple and Tesla, as well as smaller companies with high growth potential. You can start trading with as little as $10 using fractional shares if you’re on a tight budget.

One feature we particularly appreciate is the ability to interact with eToro’s 35 million users on any asset, market, or portfolio page. If you find traders whose strategies match your risk tolerance, you can copy their portfolios automatically using eToro’s flagship copy trading functionality. This is a great way to learn and potentially benefit from the expertise of more experienced traders.

If you don’t feel comfortable investing your cash straight away, you can use a free demo account, credited with $100,000 virtual dollars. This offers plenty of opportunities to try out a trading strategy that works for you across stocks, crypto, and options trading markets.

Highlights

Fees & Costs

Pros & Cons

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

2. Plus500. Best for international trading*

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4.5
Ratings

$100

Min. deposit

From 0.08%

Fees

2,800

No. assets

Yes

Demo account

Overview

We love Plus500 because it is one of the industry’s most transparent and reliable brokers. Its fees are clear and you’ll know exactly what you will be paying before you trade. Its technology driven platform gives access to futures for the two biggest cryptos, Bitcoin and Ethereum. 

Plus500 has something for all types of crypto trader, no matter what level of experience. Its low margin requirements of $20 for Ether and $100 for Bitcoin make it a top choice for day traders. At the same time, its trading academy is packed with educational content, perfect for beginners just starting. 

For accurate instrument availability, visit plus500.com.

The fees: Plus500 charges a commission of $0.49 per Micro contract and $0.89 per Standard contract (per side). There is an Auto-Liquidation fee of $10 per contract. Other exchange fees may be applicable and can be found on the CME group website. 

*Based on a comparison of 60+ leading brokers and trading platforms.

Highlights

Fees & Costs

Pros & Cons

CFD service. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

This information is NOT relevant to EU residents who are to be serviced by EU subsidiaries of the Plus500 Group, such as Plus500CY Ltd, authorised by CySEC (Reg. 250/14). Different regulatory requirements apply in Europe such as leverage limitations and bonus restrictions.

3. OKX. Best for futures and margin trading

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4
Ratings

$-

Min. deposit

Fees

No. assets

No

Demo account

Overview

We love OKX because it’s an adaptable and flexible exchange, with an app that’s available in three different versions depending on how you trade. Choose from the beginner-friendly Lite version, Web3 option for NFT traders, or the Pro version for a plethora of trading tools. 

From an app or desktop you can trade 350+ crypto coins on one of the world’s top crypto exchanges. You can fund your account easily, through a variety of simple payment methods, and a sliding scale of fees that means you can access discounts by holding the OKB token or trading high volumes.

The fees: Regular users pay a 0.1% fee on spot crypto trades. OKB crypto holders are entitled to a discount, up to 0.02% off for holding more than 2,000 coins. High volume traders are also entitled to a discount, with the cheapest fees available for traders with a 30 day trading volume above $10,000,000,000.

Highlights

Pros & Cons

Should I Use the PayPal App or Buy on a Cryptocurrency Exchange?

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Cryptocurrency exchanges are generally the better option for purchasing crypto – they’re usually much cheaper.

The [payment method] app is a much more limited platform. It lacks analysis tools, there are fewer trading options, and fewer cryptos available.

What’s more, it requires a full ID check and you have to provide tax status information – which is not always required when you use a crypto exchange.

Top tips for using PayPal to buy Ethereum

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Here are a few tips to help you choose the best crypto exchange that accepts PayPal.

  • Choose an exchange with low fees. You have to pay transaction fees when you make a Ethereum purchase, but there may be additional fees for using PayPal as a means to make a deposit. Bank transfers and debit card payments are typically the cheapest options, but this isn’t always the case.
  • Pick a service that is licensed by a top-tier regulator. Crypto exchanges that accept PayPal should be licensed by FINRA, the government agency that enforces SEC regulations, in order to offer crypto trading.
  • Beware of scammers and use all available security features. Make sure you use 2FA if it’s available, and don’t hand out account details to anyone else. Be particularly wary of peer to peer (P2P) exchanges.

How to buy Ethereum on PayPal directly

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Signing up for a crypto exchange and making a deposit via PayPal is one option. However, if you live in the US you can buy Ethereum on PayPal directly.

It’s free to create a PayPal account, but you have to link it to your mobile phone and email address. After that, buying Ethereum is relatively simple and should only take a few minutes.

1. Create or access your PayPal account

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If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to create a free PayPal account on its website. If you do have an account, simply log in with your credentials.

2. Find the Cryptocurrency section

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Locate the Crypto or Cryptocurrency section within your PayPal account. It might be displayed on your main dashboard or tucked away under the “Finance” tab.

3. Choose Ethereum

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PayPal usually offers a few different cryptocurrencies. Select Ethereum (ETH) from the list of options.

4. Purchase Ethereum

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Decide how much Ethereum you want to buy and enter the amount. You can use your local currency (like USD) or directly input the equivalent Ethereum value. Carefully review the transaction details, including any fees, and confirm your purchase.

5. Manage your Ethereum

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Your purchased Ethereum will now be accessible in your PayPal cryptocurrency wallet. You have the option to hold your Ethereum as an investment, sell it, or use it as a payment method where PayPal crypto transactions are accepted.

How much does PayPal charge to buy and sell Ethereum?

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PayPal is one of the more expensive ways to buy Ethereum. You can expect fees of around 2% on each transaction, although there are cheaper rates on offer for larger trades. Here are PayPal’s fees compared to eToro, another leading exchange platform.

Transaction amount ($)PayPal feeExample crypto broker fee
1 – 24.99$0.501%
25 – 1002.3%1%
100.01 – 2002%1%
200.01 – 1,0001.8%1%
1000.01 +1.5%1%

Quick answers to key questions

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Can I buy crypto with PayPal?

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Yes, you aren’t limited to buying Ethereum alone. You can buy Bitcoin with PayPal too, along with Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash. The only limit is which coins are available on the exchange you’ve chosen. Most crypto exchanges that support PayPal as a payment method offer 50+ cryptocurrencies and many offer hundreds more. Here are some of the most common cryptocurrencies you can buy with PayPal:

Cryptocurrency Cryptocurrency Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin (BTC) Ethereum (ETH) Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
Doge on Pulsechain (DOGE) Litecoin (LTC) Ethereum Classic (ETC)
Stellar (XLM) Cardano (ADA) Polkadot (DOT)
Cronos (CRO) SKALE (SKL) Immutable (IMX)
IOTA (MIOTA) EOS (EOS) TRON (TRX)
Zcash (ZEC) BNB (BNB) Tezos (XTZ)
Maker (MKR) Compound (COMP) Chainlink (LINK)
Uniswap (UNI) yearn.finance (YFI) Dash (DASH)
Aave (AAVE) Filecoin (FIL) Algorand (ALGO)
Cosmos (ATOM) Decentraland (MANA) XRP (XRP)
View more > eToro >

Is PayPal safe?

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Yes, it’s completely safe to use PayPal. The only risk to look out for is to make sure you sign up to a regulated PayPal Ethereum broker when buying Ethereum. Using an unregulated broker platform can put your money at risk. Below are the regulatory status of the top PayPal Ethereum brokers:

Region eToro regulators Plus500 regulators Gemini regulators
Africa FSA
Asia
Australasia ASIC ASIC, FMA
Europe FCA, CySEC FCA, CySEC
International
North America FinCEN
South America
View more > eToro > Plus500 > Gemini >

How much does it cost to buy Ethereum via PayPal?

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Fees range from $0.49-$2.49, depending on the size of your purchase. Any purchase over $200 is charged 1.8% of the total value. For transactions over $1,000, the fee is 1.5% of the total. You may also have to pay other charges like spreads and deposit or withdrawal fees.

Asset eToro fees Plus500 fees Gemini fees
Crypto 1% From 2%
Commodities From 2 pips From 0.04%
Forex From 1 pip
Index prices From 0.75 pts From 0.7%
Stocks 0% commission From 0.08%
Stock CFDs 0.15%
ETF CFDs 0.15%
View more > eToro > Plus500 > Gemini >

Can I store Ethereum in my PayPal account?

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Yes, PayPal also acts as an Ethereum wallet. You can buy and store Ethereum on PayPal, or send it to a dedicated crypto wallet if you prefer.

Why don’t more crypto platforms support PayPal?

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PayPal charges a fee for merchants who receive payments via its service. This fee can be quite a high percentage, up to 2% of the total transaction, so many platforms simply choose not to accept payments that way.

Often those platforms choose to provide alternative, and cheaper, payment methods like Venmo or Payoneer instead.

Should I buy Ethereum using PayPal?

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PayPal is a convenient way to buy Ethereum if you already have an account. You don’t need to sign up for a crypto broker platform and you can store your coins along with the rest of your money.

On the other hand, PayPal is fairly limited as a crypto broker. It’s also one of the more expensive ways to buy Ethereum, while many brokers don’t accept it as a way to fund your trading account on third-party platforms.

Here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of using PayPal to buy Ethereum.

Pros

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  • Buy and store Ethereum from your PayPal account
  • Easy to set up a PayPal account with your phone number and email address
  • Any payments you make through PayPal are guaranteed to be secure

Cons

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FAQs

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01

Can I buy Ethereum with PayPal on Coinbase?

02

Can I buy Ethereum with PayPal on Cash App?

03

How do I fund my crypto account with PayPal?

04

Can I buy Ethereum with PayPal instantly?

05

Can I buy Ethereum with PayPal anonymously?

06

Can I buy Ethereum with no fees?

07

Can I buy other cryptocurrencies with PayPal?

08

Does Binance accept PayPal?

09

Can I store ETH in my PayPal account?

10

Can I buy Ethereum with PayPal Credit?

11

How can I buy Ethereum on PayPal and send it to an external wallet?


Sources & references

James Knight

James Knight

Editor of Education

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James is the Editor of Education for Invezz, where he covers topics from across the financial world, from the stock market, to cryptocurrency, to macroeconomic markets. His main focus is on improving financial literacy among casual investors. He has been with Invezz since the start of 2021 and has been...