If you did not want to leave your house or use a physical machine, P2P marketplaces were the fastest online alternative to traditional exchanges.

: Coinbase was the undisputed king for this in the US/Europe, while platforms like CEX.IO and Bitstamp served massive global audiences.

For pure speed in 2017, nothing beat walking up to a physical machine with a stack of cash.

: 15 to 60 minutes , depending on how fast the seller responded and verified your payment.