Best Bitcoin IRAs - Bitcoin IRA: Best overall bitcoin IRA - BitIRA: Best bitcoin IRA for account security - Alto IRA: Best bitcoin IRA investment selection - CoinIRA: Best bitcoin IRA for expert assistance - iTrustCapital: Best bitcoin IRA for low fees -

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Crypto and retirement investing have become popular, especially as brokerages like Fidelity have offered bitcoin as a 401(k) investment choice. However, several companies also offer crypto trading through self-directed IRAs. 

A bitcoin IRA can be an alluring investment option for those who want to avoid capital gains taxes while building wealth. You'd be subject to capital gains taxes for regular crypto transactions without an IRA. But self-directed IRAs eliminate those extra costs (or at least defer them).

These accounts are also available in traditional or Roth form. But you can't fund these accounts with existing crypto assets; that is, you've got to purchase new crypto shares with US dollars after you've set up the account. 

Best Bitcoin IRAs

• Bitcoin IRA: Best overall bitcoin IRA
• BitIRA: Best bitcoin IRA for account security
• Alto IRA: Best bitcoin IRA investment selection
• CoinIRA: Best bitcoin IRA for expert assistance
• iTrustCapital: Best bitcoin IRA for low fees
• Broad Financial: Best bitcoin IRA for account flexibility

Here are the best bitcoin IRAs as provided by Insider's editors.

Compare the Best Bitcoin IRAs

Best Bitcoin IRAs Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Bitcoin IRA Reviews

Best Bitcoin IRA Overall

Bitcoin IRA

Bitcoin IRA is an industry-leading crypto IRA platform supporting 24/7 trading of 60+ cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin, ether, litecoin, cash, and digital gold. Set up an account in minutes for secure cold wallet storage, 256-bit encrypted SSL trading, and up to $700 million of digital asset insurance.

There's a minimum of $3,000 to get started with Bitcoin IRA, plus a one-time service fee of 2.99% one-time deposit, a 2.00% transaction fee, and a 0.08% security fee billed monthly.

Bitcoin IRA covers support services for retirement fund rollovers (Bitcoin IRA lets you rollover funds from traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 403bs or 401(k)s), security storage, and setup costs for a self-directed IRA with BitGo Trust.

Regarding crypto storage, Bitcoin IRA stores your assets with BitGo Trust.

What to look out for: Fees and pricing aren't straightforward. You'll need to contact a company representative for more information since some fees vary based on your balance. 

Bitcoin IRA review

Best Bitcoin IRA for Account Security

BitIRA

BitIRA is another popular IRA option for investors looking to add bitcoin and other virtual assets to their retirement accounts. Its custodian, Equity Trust Company, handles all of the account's administrative duties while giving you complete control over your assets. 

BitIRA supports several cryptocurrencies. These include bitcoin, bitcoin cash, ether, ethereum classic, litecoin, zcash, stellar lumens, bitcoin sv, and more. You'll need at least $5,000 to get started., but there are no recurring monthly or annual fees.

BitIRA also heavily prioritizes security. The company only lets you access your crypto assets through multi-factor authentication, and it relies on offline cold storage to protect your assets. In addition, BitIRA provides $100 million in custody insurance to shield you against theft, destruction, or loss.

What to look out for: BitIRA's high minimum requirement is one of the largest drawbacks of the platform. 

Best Bitcoin IRA Investment Selection

Alto IRA

Alto IRA offers low fees and access to numerous alternative investments, including fine art, startups, real estate, cryptocurrencies, private equity, and more. The company also partners with Coinbase to provide more than 200 cryptocurrencies, utilizing hot and cold storage.

In addition, the platform gives you access to commercial crime policy insurance coverage of $320 million and $3 million in cybercrime coverage.

What to look out for: Some of Alto IRA's investments are reserved for accredited investors, and it doesn't offer SIMPLE IRAs. 

Best Bitcoin IRA for Expert Assistance

CoinIRA

CoinIRA offers several resources for investors interested in including cryptocurrencies in their IRAs. These include consultants assisting you with crypto-related questions and a free cryptocurrency IRA guide that tells you everything you need to know about tax benefits, crypto retirement savings, inflation hedging, and more.

CoinIRA requires a $5,000 minimum starting investment, which is fairly high, but there are no start-up fees, recurring maintenance fees, or subsequent deposit requirements. There are no maximum purchase limits on cryptocurrencies, and it offers individual accounts, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, and SIMPLE IRAs.

As for its investment offerings, CoinIRA supports bitcoin, ether, litecoin, and over a dozen other coins and tokens. The platform also offers precious metals, which can be traded in a no-cost Digital Asset account or in a separate Precious Metals IRA. 

Another perk is that CoinIRA charges no fees for insured offline crypto storage. It currently uses Equity Trust Company as its custodian for customer assets. You will encounter fees when trading. Buy transactions result in a 1.25% fee, and sell transactions cost you 1%. See more on its fees here.

What to look out for: CoinIRA previously offered multiple wallet options, but now it mainly relies on Equity Trust Company's offline storage methods.

Best Bitcoin IRA for Low Fees

iTrustCapital

iTrustCapital offers more than 29 cryptocurrencies for traders interested in crypto IRA investing. Among these are assets like bitcoin, ether, cardano, dogecoin, polkadot, litecoin, and others (you can see a complete list here).

The platform also offers gold and silver for precious metals traders. You can fund your account using an array of methods, including IRA transfers (iTrustCapital supports traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs), employer plan rollovers (available for 401(k)s, 403(b)s, thrift savings plans, and 457 plans).

iTrustCapital also partners with Coinbase Custody to provide a $320 insurance policy. 

What to look out for: The cryptocurrency is limited.

Best Bitcoin IRA for Account Flexibility

Broad Financial

One thing that sets Broad Financial apart from the other IRA providers is that its bitcoin IRA is a Checkbook IRA LLC. Checkbook IRA LLCs give you complete control over your crypto, allowing you to choose any cryptocurrency, crypto exchange, or crypto wallet you want.

The IRAs are available as both a traditional IRA or Roth IRA (this means you can contribute with pre-tax or post-tax dollars). Broad Financial charges a one-time $50 set-up fee for self-directed IRAs. Checkbook IRAs require another one-time upgrade fee of up to $1,295. There's also a quarterly $105 custodial fee. 

What to look out for: Even though there aren't any account minimum requirements, remember that you'll need $1,295 up front when setting up the IRA.

Other Bitcoin IRAs We Considered

• Rocket Dollar account: This company offers self-directed IRAs and solo 401(k)s. Its platform is also easy to navigate, giving you many investment options. Its setup fees — $360 or $600 — may be high for some.
• Equity Trust account: This company offers a range of assets, including real estate investments, precious metals, cryptocurrencies, stocks, and more. It lets you use Equity Trust's custody, crypto offerings, and expertise from other platforms like BitIRA. One of the drawbacks is that the platform doesn't offer much fee transparency.

Why You Should Trust Us: Our Methodology

Using Insider's rating methodology for investing platforms, we researched numerous bitcoin IRAs to find the best options for cryptocurrency selection, fees, security, features, and more. Investment apps are given a rating between 0 and 5.

On the fee side, we paid close attention to account minimums and account setup fees/advisory fees. We also considered customer service availability when narrowing down platforms.

Rickie Houston

Senior Wealth-Building Reporter

Rickie Houston was a senior wealth-building reporter for Business Insider, tasked with covering brokerage products, investment apps, online advisor services, cryptocurrency exchanges, and other wealth-building financial products. Before Insider, Rickie worked as a personal finance writer at SmartAsset, focusing on retirement, investing, taxes, and banking topics. He's contributed to stories published in the Boston Globe, and his work has also been featured in Yahoo News. He graduated from Boston University, where he contributed as a staff writer and sports editor for Boston University News Service.

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Elias Shaya

Jr Compliance Associate

Elias Shaya is a junior compliance associate on the Personal Finance Insider team based in New York City. Personal Finance Insider is Insider's personal finance section that incorporates affiliate and commerce partnerships into the news, insights, and advice about money that readers already know and love. The compliance team's mission is to provide readers with stories that are fact-checked and current, so they can make informed financial decisions. The team also works to minimize risk for partners by making sure language is clear, precise, and fully compliant with regulatory and partner marketing guidelines that align with the editorial team. Elias is the point person for the loans sub-vertical and works with the editorial team to ensure that all rates and information for personal and student loans are up to date and accurate. He joined Insider in February 2022 as a fellow on the compliance team. Elias has a Bachelor of Science in International Business from the CUNY College of Staten Island. Prior to joining Insider, he volunteered at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he worked with the biomedical engineering department. In his spare time, Elias enjoys exploring new restaurants, traveling to visit his family in Lebanon, and spending time with friends.

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Tessa Campbell

Junior Investing Reporter

Tessa Campbell is a Junior Investing Reporter for Personal Finance Insider. She reports on investing-related topics like cryptocurrency, the stock market, and retirement savings accounts. She originally joined the PFI team as a Personal Finance Reviews Fellow in 2022. Her love of books, research, crochet, and coffee enriches her day-to-day life. 

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