Bitcoin IRA vs. iTrustCapital: Which platform is better?

Need help choosing a highly-rated and experienced crypto IRA provider?

My Bitcoin IRA vs. iTrustCapital comparison looks at many factors, including investment choices, fees, review ratings, and key platform features of these two reputable companies.

Bitcoin IRA vs. iTrustCapital: At a Glance

Criteria	Bitcoin IRA	iTrustCapital	Winner
Our Rating	9.2/10	9.2/10	Tie
Cryptocurrency Supported	75+	70+	Bitcoin IRA
Pricing & Fees	9	9.5	iTrustCapital
Storage & Security	Military-grade security	Offline cold storage	Bitcoin IRA
Setup & Maintenance	$3,000 minimum deposit	$1,000 minimum deposit	iTrustCapital
Resources & Tools	9	9	Bitcoin IRA
Reputation & Reviews	9	9.5	iTrustCapital
Customer Service & Support	Phone and email support	Phone, email support and walkthroughs	iTrustCapital
Compliance & Legal Standing	Regulated custodians	Regulated custodians	Bitcoin IRA
Flexibility & Options	Crypto IRAs, Solo 401(k)s, 24/7 trading	Crypto IRAs, precious metals, 24/7 trading	iTrustCapital
Tax Efficiency & Reporting	Traditional and Roth retirement accounts	Traditional and Roth retirement accounts	Tie
Withdrawal & Transfer Policies	Wire, check, and in-kind transfers	Lower fees & in-kind transfers	iTrustCapital
Technology & Platform Features	Web and mobile app platforms	Conditional transactions, crypto & precious metals	Tie

Bitcoin IRA

Founded in 2016, Bitcoin IRA is one of the oldest cryptocurrency IRA companies. It supports over 75 cryptocurrencies with military-grade security and up to $250 million in custody insurance.

IRAs and solo 401(k)s are available.

Pros & Cons

Best For

Peace of mind by investing through one of the oldest and largest crypto-backed retirement plan providers. This platform provides hands-on help and partners with some of the best-known IRA custodians and wallet providers.

iTrustCapital

iTrustCapital is a well-established crypto IRA provider dating back to 2018 and only charges a budget-friendly 1% transaction fee.

Over 70 cryptocurrencies in tax-advantaged retirement accounts along with fractional gold and silver. The platform also offers a taxable Premium Custody Account for trading crypto in a non-IRA.

Pros & Cons

Best For

Low fees are the best reason to use iTrustCapital. You only pay a 1% transaction fee to buy or sell cryptocurrency, which is among the industry’s lowest. There are no setup or ongoing account service fees. 

Cryptocurrency Supported

Bitcoin IRA offers more than 75 cryptocurrencies in its tax-advantaged accounts. This is one of the widest selections from the best crypto IRAs.

iTrustCapital has gradually ratcheted up its offerings to nearly 70 cryptos to closely rival Bitcoin IRA. For most of its history, it’s only offered 40 tokens or less.

You may prefer this platform if you also want to buy fractional precious metals with a self-directed IRA.

Bitcoin IRA is the winner as it offers more cryptocurrencies.

✅ Winner: Bitcoin IRA

Pricing & Fees

Unfortunately, Bitcoin IRA’s greatest weakness is that it’s more expensive overall versus iTrustCapital. One-time setup and ongoing monthly fees apply. Moreover, the trading fee is double its competitor.  

You will only pay a 1% trading fee on cryptocurrency transactions with iTrustCapital. Thankfully, there are no hidden fees during setup or to maintain your account.

iTrustCapital is clearly the more affordable platform. 

✅ Winner: iTrustCapital

Storage & Security

Both platforms offer many overlapping services, including multi-signature wallets where the IRA custodian keeps the three keys and requires two parties to approve transactions.

All assets remain in an offline cold storage wallet without sacrificing 24/7 trading flexibility. As a result, the better fit can depend on your preferences. For example, which wallet service provider do you prefer?

Bitcoin IRA protects your account with military-grade security practices and recurring third-party audits. Digital Trust, a Nevada chartered trust company, serves as the IRA custodian and uses video authentication to process distributions.  

Additionally, crypto assets kept in BitGo cold storage wallets are eligible for up to $250 million in custody insurance against loss, theft, and misuse. This is one of the industry’s highest coverage limits and will satisfy high-net-worth individuals.

iTrustCapital also partners with industry heavyweights to provide institutional-grade custody. Fortis Bank is the IRA custodian which partners with Fidelity Digital Assets, Wells Fargo, and Coinbase Prime to provide offline storage, external audits, and multi-party computation (MPC).    

These security partners also offer commercial crime insurance policies. The coverage limits remain undisclosed but can protect against loss, theft, and misuse. 

Bitcoin IRA edges out the competition as they partner with the oldest multi-signature crypto wallet providers and is more upfront with the custody insurance limits.

✅ Winner: Bitcoin IRA

Setup & Maintenance

You can open an account within several days on either platform by web or mobile app. Additionally, both support 401(k) rollovers and IRA transfers to easily reach your funding goals.

Bitcoin IRA offers IRAs and solo 401(k) plans. A specialist can assist with initiating account transfers from your current retirement plan provider. You only need an unexpired official ID to verify your identity during the application process.

The minimum initial deposit is $3,000. Unfortunately, one-time setup fees and ongoing monthly fees based on your account balance apply.

iTrustCapital offers IRAs but doesn’t support solo 401(k)s at this time like Bitcoin IRA. Walkthrough videos to assist with each application step and the processing team is accessible by phone or video. Uploading a photo ID during the initial step is also necessary.

The minimum initial deposit is $1,000, and there are no setup or ongoing fees except for buy and sell transaction costs.

iTrustCapital is this category’s winner since they require a lower minimum investment, have more hands-on guides, and don’t charge setup of ongoing account fees.

✅ Winner: iTrustCapital

Resources & Tools

Both platforms offer a knowledge library containing videos and articles covering financial news and product offerings with minor topic differences.

You can also read investing guides to learn more about specific tokens such as Ethereum or Solana.

For instance, Bitcoin IRA posts CEO interviews and is more likely to compare popular crypto tokens against each other. New and experienced crypto investors can benefit.

In comparison, iTrustCapital tends to focus more on helping beginners with an investing glossary and learn more about specific cryptocurrencies, although experienced investors can utilize these informational primers. You will also find articles on precious metals.  

Bitcoin IRA tends to offer more diverse crypto-related content.

✅ Winner: Bitcoin IRA

Reputation & Reviews

The most vital part of this iTrustCapital vs. Bitcoin IRA comparison can be assessing the integrity of each platform. After all, can you spot a cryptocurrency scam by yourself?

Thankfully, both platforms have thousands of excellent reviews on Trustpilot, Google, and other respectable customer feedback platforms. 

Additionally, Bitcoin IRA is a Forbes Finance Council member and has held Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation since 2020. Interestingly, iTrustCapital isn’t BBB-accredited at the time of publication.

Long-term investors frequently mention speedy, hands-on help when needed, especially during account setup. However, Bitcoin IRA is more likely to receive complaints for its pricier fees.

iTrustCapital is the winner as they have more customer reviews overall and slightly higher ratings.

✅ Winner: iTrustCapital

Customer Service & Support

Bitcoin IRA is better if you prefer live phone support, which is available from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific, Monday through Friday. You can also schedule a free 15-minute IRA consultation. Email, chatbot, and online FAQs are also available.

iTrustCapital does a better job at emphasizing video walkthroughs and how-to FAQ articles that will answer most questions. Live phone support is available 8 a.m. to noon Pacific and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Overall, iTrustCapital has better self-service support options and live phone support is readily accessible.

✅ Winner: iTrustCapital

Compliance & Legal Standing

Bitcoin IRA doesn’t have any pending lawsuits. Further, it uses Digital Trust as its plan custodian to assure tax compliance and generate year-end documents. This custodian is licensed and regulated in the State of Nevada.

iTrustCapital doesn’t have any pending lawsuits from investors or regulatory agencies, however a former employee has filed a lawsuit regarding its corporate culture. Fortis Bank, its IRA custodian, also provides custody services for a couple of competitors. 

Bitcoin IRA is the winner due to iTrust’s pending lawsuit involving an ex-employee.

✅ Winner: Bitcoin IRA

Flexibility & Options

Both platforms have mobile apps in addition to web platforms with 24/7 trading windows that are easy to navigate. 

Bitcoin IRA supports several more cryptocurrencies than iTrust. However, the platform doesn’t support limit orders although you can receive price alerts. The solo 401(k) option is appealing to business owners and the self-employed.

iTrustCapital offers fractional gold & silver stored at the Royal Canadian Mint. You can place conditional orders for both asset classes to only execute trades at a designated price in IRAs and taxable accounts.

iTrustCapital offers more flexibility with investment options and order types.

✅ Winner: iTrustCapital

Tax Efficiency & Reporting

The IRA custodian for each platform produces the year-end tax documents and performs the recordkeeping to maintain your account’s tax-advantaged status with the IRS.

Tax-reportable rollovers are also recorded with a 1099-R.

Regarding iTrustCapital’s Premium Custody Account, it’s taxable and you must decide when to sell as the platform doesn’t tax-loss harvest. The platform still handles all necessary tax reporting.

Both platforms let you elect how much to set aside for federal taxes. 

The better platform is a toss-up.

✅ Winner: Tie

Withdrawal & Transfer Policies

Bitcoin IRA requires calling customer support to start a distribution request and uses video verification to finalize requests, before finishing with a micro-test to a private wallet. Outgoing domestic wires and checks cost $35 per withdrawal. Account closure cost $300.

iTrustCapital uses a DocuSign form and video verification to securely process distributions within 14 business days. Outgoing wires cost $15 while ACH e-checks are only $5. There are no additional transfer-out fees besides the $15 wire fee to your new custodian. 

Both platforms also support in-kind transfers.

iTrustCapital is better for most as its outgoing check and wire fees are lower.

✅ Winner: iTrustCapital

Technology & Platform Features

Both companies have mobile apps and secure your accounts using two-factor authentication (2FA).

They are easy to trade on, monitor account balances, and view real-time asset prices with similar account dashboard layouts.

Bitcoin IRA also uses 2FA to verify each trade request and estimates your total fees before submission. However, you cannot place limit orders to execute at a certain price.

iTrustCapital provides the flexibility of market orders and limit orders, also known as conditional transactions. This flexibility can help maximize your potential investment returns.

✅ Winner: Tie

Standout Features of Bitcoin IRA

Bitcoin IRA offers more altcoins than iTrustCapital, presenting more trading opportunities. 

Additionally, it offers more business-focused retirement accounts:

• Solo 401(k)
• Simple IRA

Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs are also available.

Standout Features of iTrustCapital

This platform helps you easily open a crypto Roth IRA with the fewest possible fees. You only pay a 1% fee when buying or selling. Infrequent traders won’t encounter maintenance fees like Bitcoin IRA charges.

You also have more control over your trading strategy with these features:

• Conditional transactions
• Fractional precious metals
• Non-IRA trading accounts

iTrustCapital vs. Bitcoin IRA: My Verdict

iTrustCapital is more appealing for investors wanting budget-friendly platform fees.

A 1% transaction fee covers all setup and ongoing costs. You may also enjoy the flexibility of investing in crypto and precious metals within one platform.

Bitcoin IRA offers Simple IRAs and solo 401(k)s with higher contribution limits.

Additionally, it has more cryptocurrency investment options that favor traders. Finally, it’s one of the first crypto IRA providers with over 200,000 loyal investors.