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Bull Bitcoin vs Newton: What Works Better For Canadians in 2024?

Oleg Galeev

Last updated March 12, 2024

In this comparison, we’re diving into the nuances of two notable Canadian cryptocurrency exchanges: Bull Bitcoin and Newton. While Bull Bitcoin offers a streamlined approach to buying Bitcoin and emphasizes direct wallet transfers, Newton stands out with its no-fee structure for fiat transactions and boasts a broad selection of cryptocurrencies.

 

Description

Bull Bitcoin is a unique Canadian Bitcoin trading platform with ability to pay bills with bitcoin (cellphone, electricity even taxes to CRA) and that allows you to take self-custody immediately. 

Newton prides itself on being Canada’s first no-fee cryptocurrency exchange. They claim their exchange is 2-3x lower than most other exchanges.

Coins

BTC only

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, XRP, Stellar, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, USDC, USDT, Chainlink, Aave, Uniswap, Polygon, Compound, SushiSwap, Curve, Synthetix, Dai, Polkadot

Fees

Bull Bitcoin sends the BTC directly to your wallet so you avoid typical withdrawal and network fees that exchanges often have which is a money saver. Bull Bitcoin does not charge fees for buying bitcoin either. Instead, you’ll get exactly what their “We sell” price is. When paying via debit or cash at Canada Post, you’ll pay a 2% fee. 

  • 0% CAD funding
  • 0% CAD withdrawal
  • 0% crypto deposit/withdrawals (up to $5 network fee waived)
  • No commissions or trading fees
  • 0.40% to 0.72% spread

Pros

  • Immediate self-custody of assets
  • Send funds via e-Transfer or wire
  • Pay anonymously with cash
  • No withdrawal fees or wait times
  • Recurring buys directly from your bank account
  • Pay bills with bitcoin
  • No fees at all
  • Wide selection of coins available
  • You can export a T5 statement
  • Sleek interface
  • Newton Pro for advanced traders in Beta stage

Cons

Only bitcoin available 

  • Very high spreads
  • No live chat support
  • No credit card deposits. Debit must be pre-approved.

Account Limits

  • $10,000,000.00 CAD deposit / day via wire trasnfer
  • $10,000.00 CAD deposit / day via Interac E-transfer
  •  $1,000.00 CAD deposit / day via Cash or Debit at Canada Post
  • Buy & Sell transfer are almost unlimited ( $1,000,000.00 CAD a day)
  • $10,000 max daily Interac e-Transfer deposit/withdrawal
  • $70,000 max weekly Interac e-Transfer deposit/withdrawal
  • $5,000 electronic funds transfer deposit
  • $50,000 electronic funds transfer withdrawal
  • $1M wire transfer deposit/withdrawal
  • $5M daily trading limit

Methods to buy

When buying cryptocurrency with Bull Bitcoin, you can deposit Canadian dollars via an Interac e-Transfer, wire transfer or cash or debit at Canada Post. With the first two options, you will have to KYC and verify your Bull Bitcoin account. 

  • Interac e-Transfer
  • Wire transfer
  • Connect bank account

Security

  • Full custody of your bitcoin.
  • Daily exchange backups
  • Third-party custody of assets, mostly offline
  • Direct bank intergration to reduce fraud

Mobile and Desktop Trading

Bull Bitcoin: Lacks a dedicated mobile app, focusing primarily on its web-based platform, which is straightforward but limited in functionality compared to full-service exchanges. Despite this, it's noted for its user-friendly interface on desktop, catering especially to Bitcoin buyers in Canada.

Newton: Offers both mobile (iOS and Android) and desktop experiences with higher ratings on the iOS App Store (4.6 stars with 6k reviews) compared to Google Play (2.9 stars with 900 reviews). The platform is designed to be beginner-friendly, with more advanced options for experienced traders through its upcoming Newton Pro service.

Bull Bitcoin

Bull Bitcoin has a simple website since all of the transactions happen via your bank. There aren’t many features to get you confused, however, we think their website could be designed a little better.

UI of Bull Bitcoin platform

Major Screen

Buying bitcoin with interac e-transfer on Bull Bitcoin platform

Buying Bitcoin via Bull Bitcoin

Transaction screen on the mobile app

Transaction screen on the mobile app

Bull Bitcoin app screenshot

Newton

Newton has a user-friendly interface and a modern, clean look. It’s simple and easy to use.

Newton’s overall design is clean and modern. They also usual casual and friendly language. It doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, which is refreshing. At first glance, Newton seems user-friendly and fairly simple.

Its iOS app has a rating of 4.4 stars with 5.6k reviews, and its Android app has a rating of 2.8 stars with 800 reviews.

Newton desktop interface

Newton desktop interface

Market order with Newton

Market order with Newton

Newton mobile app #1 (welcome screenshot)

Newton app interface

Newton mobile app #2 (cryptocurrencies available)

Newton app interface while trading

Security Compliance

Bull Bitcoin is completely safe since you always take full custody of your bitcoin, you do not need to worry about hackers stealing your funds on the platform. However, there is still a level of trust needed because you do not buy the bitcoin yourself and must wait for it to be sent to your crypto wallet

Newton does daily backups to minimize risk and states on its website that customer data is stored in Canada. They also perform daily site backups, have offline third-party storage for digital assets, and they allow their customers to directly connect their bank account to reduce fraud.

Bull Bitcoin: Strongly focused on security with mandatory self-custody of Bitcoin, limiting the risk of exchange hacks affecting user funds. Additionally, it complies with Canadian regulations by registering with FINTRAC and enforcing KYC procedures.

Newton: Also compliant with FINTRAC and takes security seriously with daily backups, third-party cold storage, and mandatory two-factor authentication via Authy. However, it's less transparent about the percentage of assets held in cold storage.

Regulatory Compliance

Bull Bitcoin is registered with FINTRAC as a Money Services Business and there is a full KYC procedure meaning Bull Bitcoin is fully compliant with Canadian regulations. 

Newton is fully compliant with FINTRAC regulations in Canada

Both Bull Bitcoin and Newton are compliant with Canadian federal laws, specifically adhering to the guidelines set by FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada). This ensures they follow mandatory anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) procedures. However, the nature of Bull Bitcoin's service as a Bitcoin-centric platform sets it apart from Newton's broader cryptocurrency exchange offerings.

Customer support

Since it is a small company, it may take some time for them to get back to you. Their opening hours are from 9 AM to 8 PM Mon-Fri with sporadic ability on weekends.The platform has a 4.9-star rating on Trustpilot with almost 200 reviews, so it’s clear that customers are extremely satisfied with the service. 

Newton has FAQs and a knowledge center on the website. Customers can message the support teams either online via their support pages or through email. Newton does not have a phone and live support.

Bull Bitcoin: Offers direct support via email with generally positive feedback regarding response times. Being a smaller operation, it might take longer to respond but aims for personalized assistance.
Newton: Also provides support through a knowledge base and a ticketing system, with a reputation for fast and helpful customer support. The mixed reviews on app platforms indicate some users face issues, particularly with the Android app.

Conclusion

Although both platforms have their merits, Bull Bitcoin edges out as the winner for users prioritizing Bitcoin transactions in Canada. Its focus on direct ownership, straightforward buying process, and commitment to security without the complexities of a broader exchange make it ideal for Bitcoin purists. Meanwhile, Newton's broader offerings and no-fee structure appeal to a different segment of the market. Ultimately, Bull Bitcoin's niche approach offers a unique value proposition for those dedicated to Bitcoin, making it our pick.

Bull Bitcoin is the most cost-effective platform for trading Bitcoin in Canada, offering a unique feature that allows users to pay bills, including phone, electricity, and even taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Author

Oleg is a Canadian citizen & crypto expert who has been trading since 2016. He started out with Coinbase, Kraken and Peer-to-Peer exchanges. After some time, centralized exchanges started charging crazy fees to their users.

He decided to review different crypto exchanges that operate in Canada and start a Youtube channel in order to educate Canadians on what kinds of things are going inside each one while giving them unbiased advice. On top of that, Oleg also has experience with NFT, airdrops, and crypto staking and he is constantly checking on new crypto assets.

His writing has been featured in popular Canadian media sources such as Toronto Sun and Ottawa Citizen.