The best app to buy Bitcoin in India is the one that passes a few checks you can verify yourself: it is registered with FIU-IND, it lets you withdraw Bitcoin to your own wallet, it publishes its full fee schedule including GST, it says how customer assets are held, it has a track record through bad years, and its support never asks for your OTP or password. Any app that fails one of those is not the best app, whatever its ads say.
I co-founded Unocoin, so I am not going to pretend to be a neutral ranking site. What I can give you is the checklist I would run on any platform, including ours, from someone who has been building an Indian Bitcoin exchange since 2013. Run it on every app you are considering, and the right choice usually becomes obvious.
Why "best" is the wrong question
"Best" lists online tend to rank apps by how slick the screens look or by who paid for the placement. Neither tells you what happens on your worst day: when the market crashes, when your bank asks questions, or when you want to take your Bitcoin out.
I have been through some of those days. In April 2018 the RBI cut crypto businesses off from the banking system, with three months to wind down existing relationships. Many exchanges struggled to stay open. What separated platforms then was not the design of the app. It was how they treated customers when it got hard.
So swap "best" for "trustworthy enough for my money", and check the things that matter.
Check 1: FIU-IND registration
Since March 2023, virtual digital asset service providers in India have been brought under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and must register with FIU-IND, the Financial Intelligence Unit. FIU-IND publishes the list of registered providers.
Look for the app's legal entity name on that list. Unocoin is registered with FIU-IND as a reporting entity under the PMLA.
Be precise about what registration means. It means the platform must follow anti-money-laundering rules, do KYC and report. It does not mean crypto is regulated as an asset in India, and it does not mean your money is protected by a regulator. Crypto products are unregulated and can be highly risky, and there may be no regulatory recourse for loss. Any app that tells you otherwise is overselling.
Check 2: can you withdraw Bitcoin to your own wallet?
This is the first thing I would test, before anything else. If an app lets you buy Bitcoin but not send it to a wallet you control, you do not really hold Bitcoin. You hold a promise from that company.
Test it with a small amount. Buy a little, send it to a wallet you control, and see that it arrives. Then you know the exit works.
On Unocoin, Asset Controls let you move assets to your own wallet anytime with zero-fee transfers. The Bitcoin network fee for a withdrawal is set by network congestion and shown before you send.
Check 3: the full fee schedule, including GST
Every platform charges something. The question is whether it tells you clearly. Look for a public fee page that covers buying, selling, deposits, withdrawals, and GST.
For reference, Unocoin's schedule: SBP trades 0%, Auto Sell 0%, maker 0.2%, taker 0.3%, instant buy or sell 0.5% plus 18% GST on the fee. INR deposits, asset deposits and batch BTC withdrawals are free. Unocoin's fee page also discloses that since March 2023 inactive trading accounts carry a custodial fee of 0.0001 BTC per month, inclusive of GST. That is the kind of line you want to find on any platform before you sign up, not after.
Then do the real comparison: for the same rupee amount, compare the final rupees debited and sats received on each app's confirmation screen.
Check 4: custody disclosure
When your Bitcoin sits on a platform, how is it stored? Most of it should be in cold storage, offline and away from the internet, with multi-signature controls so no single person can move funds.
Unocoin states that 95% of assets are held in cold storage with multi-signature wallets and regular security audits. Those are Unocoin's own statements; there is no independent public attestation of them on IndiaBitcoin. Ask the same question of every app, and notice which ones answer it at all.
Check 5: track record through bad years
How long has the platform operated, and what did it do when things went wrong?
Unocoin has operated since 2013, which makes it India's first Bitcoin platform, and the site states 2.26M+ verified users. When the RBI banking ban hit in 2018, Unocoin stayed and was part of the case in the Supreme Court. On 4 March 2020, in Internet and Mobile Association of India v. Reserve Bank of India, the Court set the circular aside. The full story with documents is on this site.
A track record is not a guarantee. But it is something you can read in public documents, rather than in an ad.
Check 6: support that never asks for your OTP
Contact support before you deposit. Ask a simple question. See how they respond, and through what channel.
Then remember the rule: no genuine support team will ever ask for your OTP or password, and nobody should ever ask for your recovery phrase. If anyone claiming to be support asks for those, or asks for your PAN or Aadhaar over a chat or call, it is a scam. Real KYC happens inside the app.
Unocoin support is at support@unocoin.com, +91 7788978910, and toll-free 1800-103-2646, Monday to Saturday, 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM IST.
Check 7: does it handle TDS and reporting properly?
A platform that follows the rules deducts 1% TDS under section 194S on sales once your yearly sales cross the threshold (₹50,000 for specified persons, ₹10,000 for others), and that TDS is credited to your PAN. You should see it in Form 26AS and your Annual Information Statement, and you claim it against your final tax when you file. Profit is taxed at 30% plus 4% cess, and every sale goes into Schedule VDA.
So after your first sale, log in to the income tax portal and check that the TDS shows up against your PAN. If it does not, ask the platform why. A platform that gets this right is saving you a headache at filing time. The TDS guide explains the details. Check your own situation with a CA.
Two red flags that end the evaluation
- Anyone promising returns. No one can promise what Bitcoin's price will do. Walk away.
- Anyone offering to skip KYC or TDS. If the selling point is avoiding the rules, the platform is not one to trust with your money.
How I would use this list
Pick two or three apps. Run all seven checks. Open accounts on the ones that pass, do KYC, and make a tiny purchase on each. Withdraw a little to your own wallet. Compare the final amounts on the same rupee figure. After that you will not need a ranking site.
We put every check for Unocoin, with a source for each, on one page. Read Is Unocoin safe? and verify it yourself.
Common questions
How do I check if a crypto exchange is FIU registered?
FIU-IND publishes a list of registered virtual digital asset service providers. Look for the platform's legal entity name on it. Unocoin is registered as a reporting entity under the PMLA.
Why does Bitcoin withdrawal matter?
If you cannot send Bitcoin to a wallet you control, you only hold a claim on the company. Test a small withdrawal before you trust any app with more.
Are crypto exchanges in India regulated?
Platforms must register with FIU-IND and follow anti-money-laundering rules, but crypto is unregulated as an asset in India and there may be no regulatory recourse for loss.
What fees should I compare?
Trading fees, GST on the fee, deposit and withdrawal fees, any inactivity or custodial fee, and the spread. Compare the final rupees paid and sats received for the same amount.