Unocoin is India's first Bitcoin platform. It has operated since 2013, it is registered with FIU-IND as a reporting entity under the PMLA, and the site states 2.26M+ verified users. You do KYC with your PAN and Aadhaar inside the app, add rupees by IMPS or NEFT for free, and buy either instantly (0.5% fee plus GST on the fee) or through the Systematic Buying Plan from ₹10 with no SBP fee. You can move your Bitcoin to your own wallet.
That is the short review. Now the disclosure: I co-founded Unocoin, so I am the least neutral reviewer you will find. I am going to do the only thing that makes a biased review useful. I will stick to what you can check on the live site and fee schedule, tell you what I will not recommend, and give you the checklist I would use if I had nothing to do with the company.
Who runs it and since when
Unocoin Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is based in Rajajinagar, Bangalore. We launched in December 2013 at a Bitcoin conference in Bangalore that grew out of the meetups I used to run, back when people kept asking me how to buy Bitcoin and I had to point them to Mt. Gox in Japan.
The history that matters for a review is this. When the RBI told banks to cut off crypto businesses in 2018, Unocoin stayed open and was part of the case that challenged the ban. The Supreme Court set the ban aside on 4 March 2020. The company is backed by Tim Draper, Barry Silbert and Blume Ventures. Thirteen years later it is still here. The Drapers call us cockroaches, because we are never going to die.
Longevity is not proof of anything on its own. But in an industry where platforms come and go, a long public track record is one thing you can look up.
KYC: PAN and Aadhaar, inside the app only
Signing up takes your +91 mobile number. Before you can trade you verify your PAN and authenticate your Aadhaar. This is required because Unocoin is a reporting entity under the PMLA, and every registered platform in India has to know its customers.
Do this inside the Unocoin app or website only. Not over WhatsApp, not with someone who calls you claiming to be support. Real support never asks for your OTP, password, PAN or seed phrase in a chat or a call. If anyone does, it is a scam, whatever logo they use.
Fees, line by line
These come from Unocoin's published fee schedule. Always check the live fee page before you trade, because fees can change.
- Systematic Buying Plan: 0%
- Auto Sell: 0%
- Maker orders on the exchange: 0.2%
- Taker orders on the exchange: 0.3%
- Instant buy or sell: 0.5%, plus 18% GST on the fee
- INR deposits: free
- Asset deposits: free
- Batch BTC withdrawals: free
To make the instant fee concrete: on a ₹10,000 instant buy, 0.5% is ₹50 and 18% GST on that fee is ₹9, so you pay ₹10,059.
Then there is tax, which is not a platform fee but which every Indian buyer pays. When you sell, 1% TDS is deducted on transfers under section 194S (now section 393 under the Income-tax Act, 2025). It shows in your Form 26AS and AIS and counts toward your tax. Gains are taxed at 30% under section 115BBH plus cess. Check your own case with a CA, and see the tax guide for how it works.
The Systematic Buying Plan
The SBP is India's first Bitcoin SIP. You choose an amount from ₹10 and a schedule, daily, weekly or monthly, and it buys for you. There is no SBP fee.
I want to be careful about why this exists. It is not a promise of returns, and nobody can promise you that. Bitcoin's price moves a lot in both directions. The SBP is a habit tool. It takes the decision of when to buy out of your hands, so you are not staring at charts or reacting to headlines. If you want to see how a plan buys across ups and downs, the Bitcoin SIP page explains it. Any historical numbers you see there are a look backward, not a forecast.
Moving Bitcoin to your own wallet
A review of any platform should answer one question first: can I get my Bitcoin out? On Unocoin, yes. Asset Controls let you move your coins to your own wallet, and batch BTC withdrawals are free. Lightning Network transfers are supported too.
If you do move to your own wallet, the seed phrase becomes your responsibility. Write it down offline. Never type it into a website, never photograph it, never share it with anyone. And keep a record of the transfer for your taxes. The self-custody and tax page covers what to keep.
Where it keeps your assets
Unocoin states that 95% of assets are held in cold storage with multi-signature wallets and regular security audits. I believe that, but you should know exactly what kind of claim it is: these are Unocoin's own statements, and there is no independent public attestation of them on this site. Treat it the way you would treat any company's description of itself. It tells you the stated policy. It is not a third-party audit.
What I will not tell you to do
This is the part where co-founders usually start selling. I am going to do the opposite.
- I will not tell you to buy now, or that the price is going anywhere. I do not know, and anyone who says they do is guessing.
- I will not push the lending, basket or referral products in a review. They exist on the platform. Read their terms yourself if you are curious.
- I will not compare Bitcoin with your fixed deposit or any other asset as an investment. They are different things with different risks.
- I will not tell you crypto is regulated or approved. It is not. Crypto is unregulated as an asset in India, and there may be no regulatory recourse for losses.
What I would check if I were not a co-founder
If a friend asked me to review a platform I had no stake in, here is the list I would run. Run it on Unocoin and on anyone else.
- Is the legal entity on FIU-IND's published list of registered VDA service providers?
- How long has it operated, and what happened to it during 2018?
- Does it say where assets are held, and is there any evidence beyond its own statement?
- Does it deduct 1% TDS and does that TDS show up in your 26AS?
- Can you withdraw to your own wallet? Try a small test withdrawal before trusting it with more.
- Does anyone from "support" ever ask for your OTP, password, PAN or seed phrase? If yes, walk away.
- Does anyone promise fixed profits? If yes, walk away.
The is Unocoin safe page goes through these one by one with what you can verify.
The verdict, with my bias on the table
Unocoin is a long-running Indian Bitcoin platform with simple KYC, low fees on its plan, free INR deposits, free batch withdrawals and the option to hold your own keys. Its cold-storage figure is its own statement. Crypto carries real risk, and no platform changes that.
If that fits what you want, the next step is small. Open a free account, finish KYC inside the app, and if you decide to start, start with an amount you would be fine seeing swing. You can begin with ₹10.
Common questions
What are Unocoin's fees?
Per Unocoin's published schedule: Systematic Buying Plan 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. Check the live fee page before trading.
Is Unocoin legal in India?
Unocoin is registered with FIU-IND as a reporting entity under the PMLA and has operated since 2013. Buying and holding Bitcoin in India is not banned; it is taxed and unregulated as an asset, so there may be no regulatory recourse for losses.
What is the minimum on Unocoin?
You can buy from ₹10, and the Systematic Buying Plan runs daily, weekly or monthly from ₹10 with no SBP fee.
Can I withdraw Bitcoin from Unocoin to my own wallet?
Yes. Asset Controls let you move assets to your own wallet, and batch BTC withdrawals are free. Keep your seed phrase offline and never share it.