Relai Review

Our verdict: We consider Relai a strong option for beginners in Europe who want to save in bitcoin and keep it in their own wallet, but it falls short for those interested in other coins. Relai is a Bitcoin-only app, established in Zurich in 2020. Customers in the EU are served by Relai EU SASU in Paris, which holds a MiCA authorization from France's AMF. The app imposes a 1% service fee along with a margin in the price.

Relai suits you if:

• You are a citizen of, and reside in, a European country Relai serves, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Switzerland.
• You want a savings plan: Relai buys for you daily, weekly, or monthly, and with a new monthly plan, one purchase of EUR 50 to EUR 100 each calendar month is exempt from the service fee.
• You prefer to hold your bitcoin in your own wallet: the keys remain on your phone, ensuring Relai cannot access your bitcoin.

Relai is probably not for you if:

• You reside in the US: Relai does not include the US among its serviced countries, and the app is not available on the US App Store.
• You seek low fees: the 1% service fee is significantly higher than the 0.25% taker fee of Bitvavo on euro markets, with additional charges of 3% for payments via card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.

Relai at a glance

• Operator in the EU: Relai EU SASU, Paris, France, authorized under MiCA by the AMF since October 2025
• Operator in Switzerland and Liechtenstein: Relai AG, Zurich, a member of the self-regulatory organization VQF
• Assets: bitcoin only, 1 crypto asset
• Fees: 1% service fee per purchase or sale from EUR 50 to EUR 99,999.99, plus Relai's margin in the price
• Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay: 3% on top. Bank transfer: no Relai fee
• Bitcoin withdrawal fee: none, because the bitcoin goes to your own wallet. Relai says it covers the network fee when you buy
• Minimum purchase: EUR 50 per order

How Relai works: a broker, not an exchange

Relai is not an exchange with an order book. Its EU pricing policy says that Relai does not pass client orders to any trading venue: it sells bitcoin from its own reserves as the direct counterparty, at a reference price built from the spot prices of several platforms plus its own margin. You cannot set a limit price. That is why we list Relai in our list of brokers for direct purchases.

What you purchase is real bitcoin. Purchases in the EU are transferred to your wallet in hourly payouts. The wallet is self-custodial, meaning the app generates a 12-word recovery phrase on your phone, and Relai never holds your bitcoin. You also have the option to send purchases directly to an external wallet and, since June 2026, to a connected hardware wallet from Ledger, Trezor, BitBox, or Coldcard.

When selling, you send bitcoin from the named wallet in the order, and Relai deposits euros into your bank account at the price fixed when you confirmed the order.

Where Relai is available

Relai serves Europe. Its own country list includes Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Poland, among others, plus Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which Relai AG serves. The MiCA authorization of Relai EU SASU is passported to 26 EU states. To be verified, you need citizenship of a supported country; residence alone is not enough.

Relai is not available in the US. The country is absent from its list, its terms do not mention a US company, and the iOS app is not listed on the US App Store. If you reside in the US, our list of exchanges for US customers offers providers that accommodate you.

What Relai costs: fee plus spread

Relai does not charge maker and taker fees. Similar to other brokers in the fee plus spread section of our fee table, it imposes a fee per order along with a margin in the price. Its EU pricing policy outlines these charges:

• a 1% service fee on purchases and sales from EUR 50 to EUR 99,999.99. Clients who register with a referral code from another client pay 0.9%.
• 3% additional charge for payments via card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Bank transfers incur no extra cost from Relai, though your bank might charge.
• no service fee on one purchase of EUR 50 to EUR 100 per calendar month from a newly created monthly plan.
• a margin in the price, whose size is unspecified by the pricing policy. Relai's help center mentions that dynamic spreads of up to 1% may influence sale prices.

A practical example: you reside in Germany and initiate a new monthly savings plan of EUR 100, funded by instant SEPA transfer. The initial plan purchase each month incurs no service fee or Relai transfer fee, leaving the margin in the price as your only cost. Add a one-time purchase of EUR 50 by card, the minimum order, and you will face the 1% service fee plus the 3% card charge, again in addition to the margin.

Verification and limits

To enroll, you scan a national ID card or passport and take a selfie, with a minimum age requirement of 18. In the EU, the initial level allows total purchases and sales of EUR 10,000 without residential proof. Providing a proof of address increases the limit to EUR 50,000 per rolling 30 days. Beyond this, Relai Private individually sets limits. Card payments have a cap of EUR 10,000 per 24 hours and EUR 50,000 monthly.

Security and regulation

License and supervision

Relai EU SASU is authorized as a crypto-asset service provider under MiCA by France's Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), under number A2025-006. The authorization dates from October 2025 and covers the exchange of crypto-assets for funds. Relai AG in Zurich, which serves clients in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, is a financial intermediary under the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act and a member of the VQF, a self-regulatory organization recognized by FINMA.

Custody and proof of reserves

Relai does not hold customer bitcoin. The keys are stored in the iOS Keychain or the Android Keystore, and Relai's terms say it has no access to client funds at any time. You can restore the wallet in other wallets that use the same BIP-39 standard. In our view, the flip side is that the backup is your job. Relai sells from its own reserves and publishes no proof of reserves for them; in our view, that matters less here, because your coins are never held by Relai.

Account protection

Several factors safeguard sign-in: a one-time code sent to your email, your device, and a PIN or face scan. Relai does not mention a deposit protection or investor compensation scheme.

Who should not use Relai

• Traders desiring an order book, limit orders, leverage, or staking: Relai does not provide these features.
• Buyers frequently using card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay: the 3% charge adds to the service fee.

Alternatives to Relai

If you want more than bitcoin and still buy with euros, Bitvavo is the closer fit in our view. It is authorized under MiCA by the Dutch AFM, charges 0.15% maker and 0.25% taker on euro markets at its entry tier and offers recurring buys as well.

For active traders, Kraken provides access to 629 crypto assets, with its European entities authorized under MiCA by the Central Bank of Ireland.

If residing in the US, Coinbase is available for residents of all states, while Kraken serves all except New York and Maine. For options more suited to beginners, see our list of exchanges for beginners.

How we rated Relai

We score every provider on six criteria, explained on our How we rate page; for Relai, we rate beginner friendliness highest.

FAQ

Is Relai good for beginners?

In our view, yes, provided your interest is solely in bitcoin, a savings plan, and managing your own wallet. The app is straightforward, and once established, a savings plan operates independently.

Is Relai a scam?

Relai is a regulated provider. Relai EU SASU holds a MiCA authorization from the AMF in France, and Relai AG in Zurich is part of the VQF. The self-custodial wallet means the bitcoin you purchase is stored in your own wallet, not with Relai. Regulation does not remove risk, though: the bitcoin price can fall.

What are Relai's fees?

A 1% service fee applies to app purchases and sales from EUR 50 to EUR 99,999.99, with an additional 3% for card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay payments, plus a margin in the price. Bank transfers carry no extra charge.

Is Relai available in the US?

No. Relai serves clients in Europe, and the US is not included in its country list. Also, its app is not available on the US App Store. Alternatives for US residents include Coinbase, and Kraken outside of New York and Maine.