Which crypto app belongs on your phone in Israel?

Looking for a crypto app in Israel is not a problem of scarcity. Search the Israeli App Store and you'll find an app from almost every major exchange in the world, most of them rated above 4.5 stars. But a star rating answers one question only: is the app pleasant to use? It won't tell you whether you can fund it in shekels from your bank, whether anyone in Israel supervises the company behind it, or whether you'll understand the confirmation screen before you send coins.

This page pulls together what to check before you install: rating and number of ratings in the Israeli store, the languages each app declares, Israeli licensing and shekel support. The App Store figures are a snapshot taken on 5 October 2026 and they move constantly. For the full comparison of the platforms themselves, including fees and how we score them, see our ranking of the best crypto exchanges for Israelis.

The short answer: which app for what

If you want to buy with a credit card or Apple Pay and be done in minutes, our editor's pick is CEX.IO, number one in our ranking with a score of 9.1. It has been operating since 2013 and Israel is not on its list of unsupported countries. The trade-off: the app is not in Hebrew, there's no shekel, and it holds no Israeli licence, like every other international exchange on this page.

If a Hebrew interface, shekel deposits and a platform licensed by the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority (CMISA) matter more to you, the Bits of Gold app (number two, 8.7) is the obvious fit. Active traders who want a shekel order book will end up at Bit2C (number three, 8.3), which works mainly in the browser. And if you simply want the app Israeli users rate highest, that's Kraken at 4.79 stars.

Crypto apps in the Israeli App Store, compared

The table follows each platform's position in our exchange ranking, not its star count. The number in brackets is how many people rated the app, and it matters as much as the score itself: 22 ratings for Bits of Gold say far less than Binance's 18,000-plus. Each name links to the official site.

Three things stand out. First, Hebrew exists only in Israeli apps. No international exchange app declared it, including CEX.IO (English, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Ukrainian), Binance, Kraken, eToro and Coinbase. Second, the Israeli apps score lower and have very few ratings, so their stars tell you little. Third, depositing shekels straight from your bank is possible only on platforms with an Israeli licence.

Israeli licensed apps: Bits of Gold, Bit2C and Horizon

In Israel, anyone providing services in financial assets such as crypto needs a CMISA licence under the Supervision of Financial Services (Regulated Financial Services) Law, 2016. As of October 2026, two such licensed platforms serve ordinary retail customers, and they take very different approaches to mobile.

Bits of Gold: the only licensed Hebrew crypto app we found

The Bits of Gold app is listed as "Bits of Gold | ביטס אוף גולד" from developer Bits of Gold LTD, and it declares Hebrew. It is rated 3.91 stars, but from just 22 ratings. The company holds licence no. 56716 and works as a broker: you buy and sell at a quoted price in shekels, paying by bank transfer, Instant Transfer through your bank's app, or an Israeli credit card.

According to its help centre, there are 9 coins, a 1.95% service fee at the entry tier (plus VAT, minimum ₪43), an extra 3.5% for credit cards, and recurring orders from ₪500 per coin. The big advantage is paperwork: transaction reports, an annual tax report and a "closed loop certificate", exactly what Israeli banks ask for when crypto money comes back into an account. The drawbacks, besides the fee, include the August 2026 data incident covered below. Full Bits of Gold review.

Bit2C: a Hebrew trading site with no iOS app

Bit2C, legally Bitosi eToro Ltd today, holds extended licence no. 72080 and came under eToro's ownership in Q2 2026. It runs Israel's only order book against the shekel, with Pro trading fees starting at 1.25% and falling as low as 0.05%. But no Bit2C iOS app came up in a search of the Israeli App Store on 5 October 2026. In practice it is a browser-first platform.

Anyone searching for a "Bit2C app" should be extra careful: when there's no official app, anything using the name is suspect. If an app launches after the eToro deal, it will be announced on the official site. Our Bit2C review.

Altshuler Shaham Trade and Horizon

Investment house Altshuler Shaham has a licensed crypto arm, Horizon, aimed mostly at larger clients. No dedicated Horizon app was found. The store does list the group's trading app, Altshuler Shaham Trade, at 3.94 stars from 31 ratings and in Hebrew, but we could not confirm that crypto can be traded in it. Horizon's own website was also unreachable when checked on 5 October 2026, so we don't quote its fees.

International apps: what each one offers Israelis

Every app in this section can be downloaded from the Israeli store, and they share three traits: no Hebrew, no Israeli licence and no direct shekel deposits. What sets them apart is how you pay, what you can do inside the app, and the track record behind it.

CEX.IO: editor's pick for card and Apple Pay

"CEX.IO: Crypto Wallet/Exchange", from developer CEX.IO LTD, is rated 4.45 stars from 217 ratings in the Israeli store. According to CEX.IO, Israeli residents can open an account, verify their identity, buy with Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or Google Pay, trade on the spot exchange and use Earn, since Israel appears on its Savings and Staking country list. Card fees range from 0.49% to 4.99% plus a service charge, and spot trading starts at 0.15% maker / 0.25% taker.

Know this going in: the app is not in Hebrew, card purchases are charged in dollars, euros or pounds so your card issuer may add a foreign-currency fee, and new accounts are capped at $1,000 a day and $3,000 a month for the first three months. Israeli customers are served by CEX.IO's international entity, so Israeli investor protection does not apply. The group's regulated footprint is in the US (FinCEN-registered money services business with state money-transmitter licences), the UK (FCA registration for anti-money-laundering purposes only, not authorisation) and Gibraltar. CEX.IO review.

Kraken: the highest-rated

Kraken has two apps in the store: the main Kraken app at 4.79 stars from 436 ratings, the highest among the exchange apps checked, and Kraken Pro for advanced trading at 4.66 from 247 ratings. Israel is not on Kraken's restricted-regions list (updated 30 September 2026). There is no shekel, so you pay by card or fund with crypto. Kraken review.

Binance and Bybit: the most-rated

Binance is the most-rated exchange app in the Israeli store, with 18,307 ratings averaging 4.59. The listed developer is Binance Switzerland AG. Demand is obvious, but there has been no shekel support since 2022, and Binance P2P showed no shekel ads at all. Bybit comes second by number of ratings (3,869, averaging 4.68). In February 2025 roughly $1.5bn in ether was reportedly stolen from it, and the exchange covered customers. Much of what Bybit offers is derivatives and leverage, where losses can outrun what you meant to risk. Binance review.

OKX, eToro and Coinbase

OKX (4.64 stars, 200 ratings) is the only big exchange where a live peer-to-peer market in shekels was observed. That means a bank transfer to a stranger, a pattern Israeli banks scrutinise closely, so we don't recommend it. eToro, founded in Israel, scores 4.66 from 364 ratings, but its app doesn't declare Hebrew and the platform holds no Israeli licence; per its help centre, the first deposit for Israeli residents is $10,000. Coinbase scores 4.26 from 262 ratings, but its feature set for Israel is unconfirmed.

Crypto app or trading website: what actually differs

Plenty of Israelis search for a "crypto site" or a "digital currency trading site" rather than an app. In most cases it's the same company and the same account: you sign up once and log in from your phone or your laptop. The difference is mostly convenience and tools. Some exchanges split advanced trading into a separate app, like Kraken and Kraken Pro; others, like Bit2C, run everything through the website.

Two things don't change between app and website: the licence and the money. A platform with no Israeli licence on the web has none in the app either. And when you need a clean report for your bank or the Israel Tax Authority, it is usually easier to download from a computer. How crypto tax works in Israel.

One app-specific tip: a "convert" button turns one coin into another with a single tap, but for Israeli tax purposes a crypto-to-crypto swap is a taxable event, just like selling for shekels. The smoother the app, the easier it is to rack up dozens of taxable events without noticing.

Bank apps, Bit and PayBox: not yet

"Why can't I just buy bitcoin in my bank app?" comes up a lot. The answer: as of October 2026, no Israeli bank sells crypto. Bank Leumi announced in August 2026 that Leumi Trade and PEPPER customers will be able to buy, hold and sell bitcoin, ether and solana, with Galaxy handling trading and custody. The target is early 2027, subject to Bank of Israel approval. Leumi Trade already declares Hebrew in the store, so if it launches, it could become the first Hebrew-language bank app that trades crypto.

Payment apps don't help either. Bit and PayBox have no crypto feature, and PayPal and Revolut don't offer crypto to Israeli residents. Anyone offering to sell you coins "for a Bit payment" is a private person on a P2P market, not a platform. The details, including Bit's limits, are in our guide to crypto with PayPal, Revolut and Bit.

Security: official apps, fake apps and 2FA

A crypto app is effectively a safe in your pocket, which makes it a target. A lot of the damage doesn't come from exchanges being hacked but from users installing the wrong app, tapping a link or handing over a code. After the Bits of Gold incident in August 2026, in which names, phone numbers, emails, bank account details and Israeli ID numbers may have been exposed (the company says funds, passwords and keys were not), assume that a message "from your exchange" can arrive carrying your real details.

1. Install only via the official site

   Type the company address yourself and follow its link to the store. Never install from an ad, SMS, Telegram or WhatsApp link.

2. Check the developer name

   The store shows who published the app: Bits of Gold LTD, CEX.IO LTD, Binance Switzerland AG, OKX Inc. or Bybit Fintech Limited. A different name or zero ratings is a reason to stop.

3. Turn on two-factor authentication

   An authenticator app beats SMS. Never share a verification code with anyone, including someone claiming to be support.

4. Never install an app on request

   If an "investment adviser" asks you to install an app or remote-access software, it is a scam. Nobody legitimate needs control of your phone.

5. Don’t park large sums on an exchange

   For coins you won’t sell soon, a wallet you control beats an account inside an exchange app.

A real example of how confusing this gets: searching the Israeli store for Coinmama on 5 October 2026 surfaced only an app called "Coinmama Wallet" from a developer named ENOVISTA LIMITED, with zero ratings. We could not confirm any link to the company. That is precisely the case for starting from the official website rather than the store's search box. More warning signs, and what to do if you've already been hit, in our guide to crypto scams in Israel.

As for how much to leave in the app: in an exchange app the exchange holds your coins. That is convenient, but if the exchange is hacked, shuts down or freezes an account, you depend on it. The differences between exchange, hot and cold wallets, and how to move coins between them, are in our crypto wallet guide.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Israeli App Store — ratings and languages (iTunes Search API, country=il) · Snapshot: 5 October 2026
2. Bits of Gold — licence 56716 (help centre) · Checked October 2026
3. Bits of Gold — security incident notice · Updated 16 August 2026
4. Bit2C — about and licence details · Checked October 2026
5. CEX.IO — unsupported countries · Checked 5 October 2026
6. The Block — Leumi taps Galaxy for crypto trading · 14 August 2026

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