Where to Buy Solana Coin – Beginner’s Guide

Solana is one of the best-performing digital currencies of recent years – with the popular crypto asset growing by nearly 2,000% back in 2021. Although price has fallen from these levels, Solana remains a top-10 cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization.

If you believe that this is the right digital token for your portfolio, this guide will explain how to buy Solana coin in under five minutes with an SEC-regulated broker.

For a more comprehensive explanation of how to buy Solana coin – read on.

Where to Buy Solana Coin 

Potential investors will need to choose where to buy Solana crypto tokens – fortunately as a top 10 crypto asset, dozens of brokers and crypto exchanges have listed this popular token.

The best place to buy Solana from our research would be via one of the cryptocurrency platforms reviewed below:

1. eToro – Overall Best Place to Buy Solana Coin for 2023

At the top of our list of the best place to buy Solana coin is eToro – which is a regulated online broker that was first launched in 2007. In choosing eToro, you will be able to buy Solana for a 1% fee, plus the bid/ask spread. eToro notes that spreads on cryptocurrency trades start from just 0.75% when you buy Bitcoin.

Moreover, when funding your eToro account in US dollars, no deposit fees will be charged. This is the case across all accepted deposit and withdrawal methods – which is inclusive of debit/credit cards, ACH, online banking, and domestic wires. eToro also accepts e-wallets, such as PayPal and Neteller. The minimum deposit requirement at eToro is just $10 for US clients. $10 is all you need to buy Solana too, as eToro supports fractional crypto purchases.

Alongside Solana the eToro crypto platform has listed 78 other coins. Some of the most popular cryptos traded at eToro include Bitcoin, EOS, Cardano, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum, and XRP. Investors can also buy Binance Coin (BNB) with an average spread of 2.45%.

eToro also offers traditional asset classes, which include US and foreign stocks, ETFs, forex, indices, and more. If you are interested in buying Solana but also wish to gain exposure to other digital assets, you might consider the eToro CryptoPortfolio.

This is a passive financial product that through a single investment, allows you to buy more than a dozen different cryptocurrencies at various weights. The portfolio is managed by eToro, so you won’t need to worry about research or ongoing maintenance. In terms of supported platforms, eToro allows you to buy Solana coin through its main website or via an iOS/Android app. eToro is regulated by the SEC (among other bodies) and registered with FINRA.

eToro is also one of the best crypto staking platforms although doesn’t yet support Solana staking, only ADA, ETH and TRX.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.

2. Crypto.com – Simple Place to Buy Solana Coin With a Debit Card

Crypto.com is now one of the most popular online cryptocurrency exchanges in the market. The platform strives to offer its customers a simple but cost-effective way to invest in crypto assets. In fact, once you have gone through the process of opening a Crypto.com account and verified your identity, you can then buy Solana coin with a debit card.

With both Visa and MasterCard accepted, this offers a super-convenient way to invest. In terms of fees, Crypto.com charges a commission of 2.99% to buy Solana with a debit card. With that said, the platform waivers this fee for the initial 30 days after you have opened an account. In addition to Solana, Crypto.com is home to over 250+ other digital tokens. This covers a range of small, mid, and large-cap projects – so the choice on offer is plentiful.

In addition to traditional exchange and brokerage services, Crypto.com offers a wide spectrum of other digital asset products. For instance, the platform offers a pre-paid debit card that is backed by Visa, which allows you to buy products and services online and in-store, as well as withdraw cash from an ATM. Moreover, through the Crypto.com Earn tool, you can generate interest on idle cryptocurrency investments. Crypto.com also offers a mobile wallet that supports over 100+ digital currencies.

Crypto.com even doubles up as an NFT marketplace that allows you to invest in NFTs using Solana and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.

3. Coinbase – User-Friendly Way to Buy Solana Coin Today 

If you’re looking for a user-friendly cryptocurrency platform that allows you to buy Solana coin in a simple manner, Coinbase could be the right broker for you. Launched in 2012, this established platform has since become a NASDAQ-listed stock. With tens of millions of customers on its books, Coinbase has a great reputation in this industry.

In order to buy Solana coin at Coinbase, you first need to register an account and upload some ID. Then, you can pay for your digital tokens instantly via a Visa or MasterCard deposit. The fees to buy Solana coin with a debit or credit card amount to almost 4% at Coinbase, which is pricey. You can also transfer US dollars via ACH on a fee-free basis. Then, when the funds arrive, you will pay a commission of 1.49% to buy Solana.

Coinbase offers dozens of other digital tokens in addition to Solana, so this is a good platform for those looking to diversify. Although fees are high at Coinbase, we do like the broker for its top-notch security protocols. For instance, when you sign in to your account from a new device or IP address, you need to confirm access via an email code. Moreover, all account users need to set up two-factor authentication. 98% of client digital tokens are kept offline at all times, too.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.

4. Binance – Buy Solana With Crypto at Just 0.10% Per Slide 

If you’re looking for the cheapest way to buy Solana coin from the comfort of your home, you might consider Binance. This top-tier exchange is now used by over 90 million traders, not least because fees are super-competitive. That is to say, when you trade Solana against a supported digital asset – such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, or USDT, Binance will charge a commission of just 0.1%.

This low fee structure is, however, on the proviso that you have the ability to deposit funds in crypto. The reason for this is that US clients will pay a whopping 4.5% to deposit funds with a debit or credit card, and a further 0.5% to buy Solana with USD. On the other hand, Binance does allow you to deposit funds via ACH and domestic bank wire for free. Take note, while ACH withdrawals are also fee-free, domestic wires cost $15 per cash-out request.

In using the Binance US website, you will also have access to over 60 other digital currencies. This covers a good blend of large-cap blockchain assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cardano, as well as less liquid ERC-20 tokens. Irrespective of how you decide to pay for your Solana investment, Binance offers a range of storage options. This includes its very own Trust Wallet app, which also gives you access to the popular decentralized exchange PancakeSwap.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.

What is Solana? 

Solana was launched in 2019 as a means to improve on the short fallings of legacy blockchains like Ethereum. By this, we mean offering network users a faster, cheaper, and more scalable blockchain ledger.

As a prime example, although Ethereum is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency and the de-facto smart contract protocol of choice, only 15 transactions per second can be facilitated. This is nowhere near efficient enough to operate as a global blockchain network. In comparison, Solana can allegedly process in excess of 65,000 transactions per second.

Another reason why Solana is so popular is that the blockchain network is able to process transactions in just 2-3 seconds, while Ethereum takes 13-15 seconds. Moreover, while Ethereum is known for charging high fees when the network is busy, Solana transactions cost a tiny fraction of $0.01.

Taking these performance-driven metrics into account, many market commentators believe that Solana could one day surpass Ethereum both in terms of market capitalization and global adoption. Just like Ethereum, Solana has its own native cryptocurrency token – which is traded as SOL.

Is Solana a Good Investment?

Although the value of Solana has performed extremely well since it is was launched in 2019, this isn’t to say that you should just dive right in and make an investment.

Instead, it’s super wise to consider both the potential rewards and risks before parting with any capital.

Some of the main reasons why you might decide to buy Solana coin for your portfolio are discussed below.

SOL Token Price Action

The first thing to look at when deciding whether or not to buy Solana coin is to assess the performance of its digital token. As noted above, Solana was first launched in 2019. Back then, the digital asset was available to buy for less than $1 per token.

This means that an investment of just $1,000 would have got you in the region of 1,000 Solana coins. Although growth was somewhat sluggish over the following year, it was in 2021 that Solana really began to take off.

• For instance, in mid-2021 – which is when Solana coin last hit an all-time high, the token was trading at over $260.
• This means that those investing when Solana was first launched in 2019 would have been looking at gains of nearly 26,000%.
• And as such, your 1,000 tokens at a principal investment of $1,000 would have been worth over nearly $260,000.

The price of Solana has fallen significantly from this point – which we discuss in the following section.

Discounted Entry Price

Since its all-time high of $260 per token in mid-2021, Solana has since hit lows of $8.50 – which is just above the region it is trading in as of early 2023.

This means that should you wish to invest in this popular cryptocurrency, you can do so at a highly favourable entry price. For instance, as of writing, you will pay just over $24 per token, which, in comparison to its recent high of $260, offers a discount of around 90%.

Better Upside Than Ethereum

We have already discussed the difference in efficiency levels between the Solana and Ethereum blockchain, with the former offering faster and more scalable transactions.

However, from an investment perspective, it could be argued that Solana also offers a much more attractive upside potential than its Ethereum counterpart.

• For example, at the time of writing, Solana and Ethereum are carrying market capitalization of approximately $8.9 billion and $191.7 billion, respectively.
• This means that the value of Solana would need to increase by a very achievable 1,000% just to mirror that of Ethereum.
• In comparison, for Ethereum to grow by the same amount, this would take the project to a market capitalization of over $3 trillion, which is far less likely – at least in the short term.

Crucially, by adding SOL tokens to your portfolio, you stand the chance to target much greater gains that are otherwise less achievable with larger-capitalized projects.

Solana vs the Stock Markets

Another reason why you might consider buying Solana today is that in comparison to the broader stock markets, the digital currency continues to offer more attractive returns.

For example, the S&P 500 – which is the best way to gauge the growth of the wider stock markets, generated gains of 13% back in 2021.

Although these gains might be attractive to a long-term value investor, Solana increased by over 1,000% during the same period.

Easy to Diversify 

Solana is one of many blockchain projects that is often referred to as an ‘Ethereum Killer’. This simply means that some market analysts believe that Solana will eventually overtake Ethereum as the de-facto smart contract blockchain.

• On the one hand, achieving this goal will not be easy when you consider the many rivals that Solana has in this space – including but not limited to Neo, Cardano, Avalanche, and Polkadot.
• However, shrewd investors will look to cover all bases by diversifying their portfolios across multiple smart contract projects.
• For example, if you were to use eToro to buy Solana, you will only need to meet a minimum investment of $10.

And as such, you could also allocate $10 to each of the aforementioned cryptocurrencies that are competing with Solana.

What are the Risks of Buying Solana?

So now that we have discussed the core benefits of adding Solana to your portfolio, we now need to explore the main risks that need to be considered.

In taking the risks outlined below into account, you will be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not to buy Solana coin today.

Ethereum 2.0 

We have mentioned several times that the Solana blockchain outperforms Ethereum in virtually all areas – from speed and scalability to transaction fees.

However, the Ethereum Foundation recently completed its migration to proof-of-stake to enable its blockchain to offer next-generation efficiency levels.

• In the future, some market commentators note that Ethereum 2.0 will take the blockchain from 15 transactions per second to over 100,000.
• As such, not only will this solve the issue of scalability constraints, but it supersede the efficiency of Solana’s 65,000 transactions per second.
• Furthermore, it is believed that Ethereum 2.0 will solve the issue of high transaction fees.

Crucially, if Ethereum 2.0 is able to achieve these vast efficiency improvements, then it could make Solana somewhat redundant.

After all, Ethereum has already solidified itself as the de-facto smart contract platform – in terms of users, partnerships, market capitalization, token valuation, and trust.

Volatility and Speculation  

Make no mistake about it – like virtually all digital assets, Solana is both volatile and speculative. As we covered earlier, the digital token enjoyed highs of $260 in mid-2021, only to fall sharply to the $100 level.

Although this downfall was experienced by most cryptocurrency projects, this still represents a valuation decline of over 60% in just half a year.

As a result, if you do decide to buy Solana coin for your portfolio, you must prepare yourself for sharp volatility spikes.

Solana Price

The Solana coin price is determined by market forces – meaning that when it enjoyed 2021 gains of nearly 2,000%, this was a result of extreme buying pressure.

In other words, as more people were seeking to invest in Solana than those wishing to sell, this allowed the project to enjoy a strong upward trajectory.

However, as noted earlier, the Solana price has since dropped in value by over 90% from its prior highs. This is because, since mid-2021, the number of sellers looking to offload Solana far outweighs that of new investors.

This economic balance of demand and supply is no different from the value of publicly traded stocks. In terms of how to keep tabs on the Solana price, you can use CoinMarketCap for this purpose.

Solana Price Prediction

Various Solana price predictions that you find in the online space will argue that the value of the token is set to regain its previous all-time high before the end of 2023.

However, when you consider that the broader cryptocurrency markets are largely driven by the rise and fall of Bitcoin, Solana price predictions offer limited real-world value.

While some market commentators are bullish on Solana, others make a case that the digital currency is overvalued. Instead of relying on Solana price predictions to make an informed investment decision, it’s best to conduct your own independent research.

Update – the Solana price dropped to around $30 after the May 2022 Terra (LUNA) crash which shook the crypto markets, followed by FUD over Celsius being insolvent and Bitcoin dropping under $18,000.

In June 2022 Solana announced the launch of their new Solana mobile phone ‘Saga’ which helped the price move back up towards $40, and may bring in new investor interest over the remainder of the year.

Ways of Buying Solana

The best way to buy Solana will depend on your preferred payment method.

When using one of the top-rated brokers reviewed earlier, you will get to choose from the following deposit types:

Buy Solana With Credit Card or Debit Card

Once you have opened an account with a regulated online broker like eToro or Coinbase, you will then have the option to buy Solana with a credit or debit card.

In terms of the positives, this payment type allows you to invest in SOL tokens instantly, as your chosen broker will debit your card straight away and subsequently add the digital assets to your portfolio.

However, some brokers charge high fees on credit and debit card payments. For example, Coinbase charges 3.99%, while at Crypto.com – you’ll pay 2.99%. eToro, on the other hand, permits USD-backed credit and debit card deposits on a fee-free basis.

Buy Solana With Paypal

If you’re wondering how to buy Solana coin with PayPal, you’ve got several options. For instance, you can complete the process at Coinbase after opening a verified account.

But, fees mirror that of credit/debit card payments at 3.99% of the transaction amount. Once again, in choosing eToro, you can buy Solana with PayPal without paying any deposit fees.

Buy Solana Without KYC Verification 

If you were hoping to buy Solana without going through a KYC process, this is only possible if you are able to pay for your investment with crypto.

That is to say, by using an unlicensed exchange, you can deposit Bitcoin and swap the tokens for Solana.

However, if you are looking to buy Solana with fiat money via a credit/debit card or Paypal, then you will invariably need to upload some ID as part of the anti-money laundering process.

Best Solana Wallet

Once you have learned how to invest in Solana coin, you will need to think about how you wish to store your digital assets. This is because Solana tokens are generally stored in private wallets that are downloaded in the form of a mobile app or desktop software.

Some of the leading providers in this space include Phantom Wallet, Sollet, and Solflare Wallet. These wallets give you full control over your Solana tokens and you will be the only person to have access to your private keys.

As such, you need to ensure that you implement a range of security controls to avoid having your Solana tokens hacked remotely. With that in mind, if you are looking for a more beginner-friendly way to store your Solana tokens, you might consider eToro Money Crypto Wallet.

The wallet – which can be downloaded free of charge as an iOS or Android app, has been built with inexperienced crypto investors in mind. Crucially, if you forget your wallet password or misplace your private keys, eToro can help you regain access.

How to Buy Solana Crypto – Tutorial

If you’re on the hunt for a detailed walkthrough of how to buy Solana coin in a safe and low-cost manner, whether to invest in the coin or to use it to buy the best NFTs, the steps below will explain the process with top-rated broker eToro.

As noted earlier, this SEC-regulated platform not only allows you to invest in Solana on a spread-only basis, but the minimum trade requirement is just $10.

Step 1: Open an eToro Crypto Account 

To get the Solana investment process started, you will first need to visit the eToro website and open an account. When you click any of the sign up buttons, a form will appear. Fill the form out by providing your contact details and full name.   

When you click on the ‘Create Account’ button, additional details are required – such as your residential address, date of birth, and social security number.   

Step 2: Upload ID

In order to buy Solana coin at eToro with US dollars, you must first get yourself verified. This process at eToro is automated, meaning that as soon as you upload the required documents – you shouldn’t need to wait more than 1-2 minutes.

To verify your identity, upload a clear copy of a state ID card, passport, or driver’s license. For proof of your residency status, choose from a bank account statement or utility bill.

Step 3: Deposit Funds

You will need to deposit a minimum of $10 into your eToro account before you can buy Solana coin. The number of supported payment methods at eToro is extensive, which includes the likes of Visa, MasterCard, and ACH.

E-wallets like PayPal and Neteller are also supported. No fees will be charged on your chosen deposit method as long as the respective payment type is denominated in US dollars.

Step 4: Search for Solana

You will see a search box at the top of the eToro dashboard. Here, you can start to type ‘Solana’.

eToro will then populate Solana from the drop-down list of relevant markets. When you see Solana, click on ‘Trade’.

Step 5: Buy Solana Coin

Now it’s just a case of letting eToro know how much capital you are looking to invest in Solana. This can be any USD amount from $10 upwards.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.

In our example above, we are looking to buy $50 worth of Solana. To confirm your investment – click on ‘Open Trade’.

How to Sell Solana

Depending on your preferred investment strategy, you might look to sell your Solana tokens several weeks, months, or even years after completing your purchase.

The good news is that if you followed our step-by-step guide and decided to buy Solana coin via eToro, then the tokens will remain in your portfolio until you are ready to sell.

No storage fees are charged by eToro and cashing out simply requires you to head over to your portfolio and place a sell order. In doing so, eToro will sell your tokens at the next best available price and subsequently add the proceeds to your account.

Latest Solana News

Finally, here’s a brief overview of the most talked-about Solana new stories for the week beginning January 16th 2023: 

• It was an excellent week for SOL holders, as the coin’s price soared by over 58%. All told, Solana is now trading around the $24.45 region – the same as in early November 2022. 
• Investors are increasingly bullish on Solana due to the release of Bonk – the first dog-style meme coin launched on the Solana blockchain. This coin has caught the attention of retail traders, leading to vast volumes of SOL exchanging hands. 
• Finally, the Solana Foundation reported last week that an unauthorized actor had accessed data from its account. This person ultimately gained access to users’ data, which included names, email addresses, and more. 

Conclusion

Solana is one of the most promising cryptocurrencies to buy in 2023 – with the project’s underlying blockchain offering super-cheap transactions at a highly scalable level. Investors interested in a coin linked to Solana may want to buy Samoyedcoin.

If you’re looking to buy Solana coin for your portfolio right now – the process takes just five minutes at SEC-regulated provider eToro. You can pay for your Solana tokens instantly and fee-free with a debit/credit card or e-wallet, and eToro requires a minimum capital outlay of just $10.

Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.

FAQs on Buying Solana