There are many tools and resources that I use regularly on my Bitcoin cryptocurrency journey. The tools and resources focus on security and productivity.
Some are specific to the Bitcoin cryptocurrency space, but there’re also certain productivity tools that are useful no matter the industry too. I’ll make continuous updates here as well if I stop using one or use something new.
VPN – Must Have Tool
I spend a good part of the year in China, so I need a VPN to access some of the tools I use on a regular basis. China is known for the Great Wall and its Great Firewall. Most people know they block sites like Facebook and Twitter, because of the fear of false information spreading, amongst other concerns. But some sites will also be blocked to allow Chinese domestic companies the first opportunity to gain market share in China.
Even if a site isn’t blocked, I’m usually on VPN, because other sites will have certain restrictions if they see the user’s IP is coming from China. The only time I don’t use VPN is when I’m using a Chinese site that geo-blocks content, like online video sites.
You can check to see if the sites you regularly use are blocked in China with Comparitech’s Tool
VPN’s are also important when you’re working with cryptocurrency, because you don’t want your information that’s traveling over the internet to be intercepted and stolen. You’ll want to encrypt the data that’s being transferred. You’ll sometimes also want to hide your IP address. If someone can track your IP, they could also connect your IP to a Bitcoin address that you were sending Bitcoin from or receiving Bitcoin to, all because they tracked your IP.
- ProtonMail and ProtonVPN, Personal Email ($5/month) – Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies are all about security, so I make sure my email is secured. This Secure Email is based in Switzerland and has become my main personal email, because of the end-to-end encryption they provide. They do have a Free Plan with 500MB, which isn’t much nowadays due to attachment sizes. With a need for more email storage, I purchased their Plus Plan for 5GB (although they recently gifted 5GB to early subscribers, so I have 10GB now). I purchased during the Black Friday sale, which was a good deal and if you can wait for that, you should. One great reason for paying is their ProtonMail Bridge app that allows for end-to-end encryption while using Apple Mail and other third-party email clients that support IMAP and SMTP. The Bridge is only available for the desktop. For my iPhone, I need to use their iOS app to continue having the encryption.
I have a few different ones I use as they work slightly differently. I’ve tried many different ones too, to varying degrees of success.
- ExpressVPN ($8.32/month) – This is one of the biggest and most popular VPN’s. I’ve been using it for 8+ years. It’s easy to setup and use, but with its popularity, it’s also a high target for the Great Firewall. If you’re not in China – ExpressVPN is the one to get. If you’re in China, during times of sensitivity in China, it can be rendered unusable. Over the last few months, I’ve barely used ExpressVPN, because I’m not able to reliably get onto a server with decent speeds. I do have friends around China who say it works for them, so it could be my city and particular ISP. Where you are in China and your ISP might make a difference. They do have a 30-day guarantee, so you can ask for a refund if it doesn’t work for you.
Productivity Tools
There are many products, services, and online platforms I use to get myself organized on a daily basis, crypto and note. The good thing about what I use is that most have a FREE Plan or are inexpensive for the value you receive.
- G Suite, Business Emails/Docs/Storage ($6/month per user – Extra 20% Off 1st year with affiliate link) – G Suite’s Basic plan gives me emails, calendars, 30GB cloud storage, Video/Text chats, Docs and more for my custom domains – like this site. I have various domains and G Suite allows me to add up to 20 domain aliases and up to 30 email aliases. The only issue with G Suite is working in China due to the Great Firewall, but that’s where the VPN comes in. This is par for China and why I wanted to highlight the importance of a VPN first.
Buy, Sell and Trade Crypto
These are my go-to sites when I want to buy, sell and/or trade cryptocurrencies.
- Binance – This is the largest, most reputable and most secure cryptocurrency exchange for buying, selling and trading cryptocurrencies. They’ve shown to be the leader in making sure that its users are secure with various security measures. Other exchanges copy Binance’s added security features, so that means Binance is doing it right. And if Binance was to ever get hacked, they have the Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) to cover losses that occur if their platform gets hacked.
- Coinbase – This is more for US-based people as it connects to US bank accounts. They do say they support 100+ countries, but majority of it is for trading, they call it “Convert” on their site.
There are many others you may have heard of like Kucoin, Huobi, Hotbit, etc. While those are exchanges that I’ve traded on, I don’t want to individually recommend them if you’re looking to buy, sell or trade crypto, Stick to the big boys of Binance and Coinbase.
Futures Trading Crypto
Futures trading allows users to trade on margin and take bigger risks for bigger rewards. But if the price goes the wrong way, it can result in bigger losses. This is for the thrill seekers.
- Binance Futures – No surprise here. This has become my favorite futures trading platform.
- Bitmex – This used to be my go-to futures trading platform, but it became easier to use Binance, partly because it’s where I also buy and sell Bitcoin.
Cryptocurrency Research
The main places I use to start my research on cryptocurrencies are Binance Info and CoinMarketCap. They both give you the latest average prices of cryptocurrencies, links to cryptocurrency websites and other channels.