Easy start
Wallet of Satoshi is the easiest start: ready within minutes, and you hold your own keys. Back up your recovery phrase right away and keep it on paper.
New to Bitcoin
Getting started with Bitcoin
Three steps from zero to your first sats: a wallet, a small amount and a first payment. At your own pace, with a community that is happy to help. New? Start with what Bitcoin is.
Step 1
Pick a wallet
A wallet is an app where you keep and send bitcoin. Pick one where you hold your own keys. For your first steps, Wallet of Satoshi is the easiest.
Other good wallets
BlueWallet and Phoenix are also wallets where you hold your own keys. You get a recovery phrase of 12 or 24 words: write it on paper and never share it.
Tip: start small
Try it with a few euros first. That way you learn how sending and receiving works, without any worries.
Step 2
Buy your first sats
Swap euros for bitcoin on an exchange. Start small: you do not need to buy a whole bitcoin.
Strike
Lightning-native Bitcoin payment app.
Strikewave.space
European Bitcoin-only platform.
wave.spaceBitonic
Dutch Bitcoin broker since 2012.
BitonicAlready hold bitcoin with another provider?
Send a small amount to your own wallet first. You practise safely, and afterwards your sats are in your own hands.
These platforms are not covered by the Dutch deposit guarantee. Always check their reliability before use, the way you walk around a second-hand car before buying it.
Step 3
Pay and meet
Pay in Friesland
With Lightning you pay in a few seconds for almost nothing. The Bitcoin map shows where you can.
Come to a meetup
At our meetups, experienced Bitcoiners are happy to help you along. Questions are welcome.
Later
Saving for the long term
Want to keep more? Then hold your own keys: “not your keys, not your coins”. A hardware wallet keeps your keys offline, away from online threats.
Trezor Safe 3 Bitcoin Only
User-friendly hardware wallet made for Bitcoin. Combine it with a Trezor Keep Metal backup for extra safety.
BitBox
Compact Swiss hardware wallet with SD-card backup. Easy to use and very secure.
Bitkey
Bitkey (by Block) combines an app, a small hardware device and built-in recovery. You hold your own keys without losing everything if you lose your phone or device.
Blockstream Jade
Open-source hardware wallet from Blockstream with a camera: you sign transactions via QR codes, without a cable to your computer.
Converting back to euros
- Through an exchange Bitonic, Strike or wave.space.
- At a Bitcoin ATM Some machines also offer withdrawals.
- Peer-to-peer Bisq or Hodl Hodl, for smaller amounts and more privacy.
Keep the Dutch tax rules for crypto in mind.
Questions? We are happy to help
Ask in the Telegram or Signal group, or drop by at a meetup.
External services are outside Bitcoin Friesland; use them at your own risk. Always do your own research (DYOR, as the cool kids say). This is not financial advice.