The right toolkit is the difference between systematic arbitrage and occasional lucky trades. A trader without a good scanner spends most of their time monitoring instead of executing. A trader without a fee calculator enters losing trades that looked profitable on the surface.
This article covers every tool category that matters in arbitrage — from spread scanners to tax trackers.
Category 1: Spread Scanners — The Foundation
Without a spread scanner, arbitrage at any meaningful scale is impossible. Manual monitoring of 10–15 exchanges consumes 100% of your time and still misses opportunities.
SpreadScan ⭐ Recommended
Price: Free basic plan + paid tiers
Link: spreadscan.com
A specialized crypto arbitrage scanner. Aggregates data from 17 exchanges, showing CEX-CEX spreads, P2P offers, triangular routes, and CEX-DEX divergences — all in one interface.
What sets it apart:
- Real-time network status — see when withdrawals are suspended
- Withdrawal fees factored into spread calculations
- P2P aggregation from multiple platforms
- Triangular scanner with ready-to-use routes
For whom: the core tool for arbitrageurs at any level.
Coinglass
Price: Free + Pro plan
Link: coinglass.com
Primarily known as a futures liquidation tracker, but has useful features for arbitrageurs: funding rate data across exchanges (for hedging), open interest, volume analysis.
Useful for: balance arbitrage with futures hedging — funding rate data helps evaluate hedging cost.
CoinMarketCap / CoinGecko
Price: Free
Link: coinmarketcap.com / coingecko.com
Not specialized arbitrage tools, but useful for:
- Checking a coin's price across different exchanges
- Evaluating daily volume (for liquidity filtering)
- Viewing which exchanges list a specific coin
Limitation: data updates slower than specialized scanners — not suitable for live arbitrage, only for research.
Category 2: P2P Monitoring
SpreadScan P2P Section
Already mentioned above — shows the best P2P offers from Binance, Bybit, and OKX simultaneously with cross-platform spread calculations.
Category 3: Gas and Network Monitoring
Etherscan Gas Tracker
Price: Free
Link: etherscan.io/gastracker
Current Ethereum gas price — a mandatory bookmark for CEX-DEX arbitrageurs. Shows:
- Current gas price in Gwei
- Recommended gas for fast/standard/slow transactions
- Historical gas price chart
Tip: execute Ethereum mainnet CEX-DEX trades only when gas is below 15–20 Gwei. Above that — move to L2 or wait.
L2Fees.info
Price: Free
Link: l2fees.info
Real-time transaction cost comparison across different L2 networks. At a glance you see: which L2 is cheapest right now for swapping or transferring tokens.
Chainlist.org
Price: Free
Link: chainlist.org
List of all EVM-compatible networks with RPC endpoints for adding to MetaMask. Essential when configuring your wallet for new L2 networks.
Category 4: Calculators and Analytics
SpreadScan Built-in Calculator
Clicking any pair in SpreadScan opens a calculator that computes net profit for your entered trade amount, accounting for all fees automatically.
Google Sheets / Excel (Custom Calculator)
For systematic work — build your own arbitrage trade calculator. Basic formula:
Net profit = Amount × (Spread% - Fee_A% - Fee_B%) - Fixed_Withdrawal_Fee
Spreadsheet template:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Buy exchange | Binance |
| Sell exchange | Bybit |
| Pair | ETH/USDT |
| Spread % | 0.65% |
| Buy fee | 0.10% |
| Sell fee | 0.10% |
| Trade amount | $5,000 |
| Withdrawal fee | $0.05 (Arbitrum) |
| Net profit | $22.45 |
Category 5: Trade Journal and Record-Keeping
A trade journal isn't optional — it's mandatory. Without it, analyzing results and paying taxes correctly is impossible.
Notion / Google Sheets (Manual Journal)
The simplest option — a table with fixed fields:
- Date and time
- Pair
- Buy / sell exchange
- Buy / sell price
- Volume
- Fees paid
- Net profit/loss
- Network used
- Notes
Koinly
Price: Free (up to 10,000 transactions) + paid plans
Link: koinly.io
Specialized crypto tax tracking tool. Imports transaction history from exchanges via API or CSV, automatically calculates profit/loss, and generates tax reports.
For arbitrageurs: with active trading (100+ trades per month), manual tracking becomes impractical. Koinly automates this.
CoinTracking
Price: Free (up to 200 transactions) + paid plans
Link: cointracking.info
Alternative to Koinly with more detailed portfolio analytics. Supports 100+ exchanges and wallets.
Category 6: CEX-DEX Arbitrage Tools
Uniswap Interface
Link: app.uniswap.org
The primary DEX for ETH and ERC-20 tokens. The interface shows expected slippage when you enter an amount — use this before every CEX-DEX trade.
1inch
Link: 1inch.io
DEX aggregator — finds the best swap route across multiple pools. Often gives a better price than going directly to Uniswap, especially for less liquid pairs.
Additionally: 1inch Fusion Mode routes transactions through MEV Blocker — protection against sandwich attacks.
Jupiter (Solana)
Link: jup.ag
The best DEX aggregator for Solana. Essential if you work with SOL pairs in CEX-DEX arbitrage.
Debank
Price: Free
Link: debank.com
DeFi portfolio aggregator — shows all your pool positions, wallets, and balances across different networks in one interface. Useful for tracking CEX-DEX positions.
Category 7: Security and Wallets
MetaMask
Link: metamask.io
The standard wallet for EVM networks. Required for CEX-DEX arbitrage on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon.
Tip: set Flashbots Protect as your RPC in MetaMask settings — this protects your transactions from MEV attacks.
Rabby Wallet
Link: rabby.io
A cleaner MetaMask alternative: automatically detects the right network, shows a transaction simulation before sending (you see exactly what will happen), built-in phishing protection.
Recommended as the primary wallet for active CEX-DEX traders.
Phantom
Link: phantom.app
The standard Solana wallet. Required for working with Solana DEXes (Jupiter, Raydium).
Category 8: API Monitoring and Development
Postman
Price: Free basic plan
Link: postman.com
API testing tool. Invaluable when building an arbitrage bot — lets you test exchange API requests without writing code.
ccxt (Python/JavaScript)
Price: Free (open-source)
Link: github.com/ccxt/ccxt
Library for connecting to 100+ exchanges. The foundation of most arbitrage bots. More detail in the arbitrage automation article.
Complete Toolkit by Experience Level
Beginner (0–3 months)
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| SpreadScan (free) | Spread monitoring |
| Google Sheets | Trade journal |
| Etherscan Gas Tracker | CEX-DEX on Ethereum |
| MetaMask | DEX wallet |
Total monthly cost: $0
Active trader (3–12 months)
| Tool | Purpose | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| SpreadScan (paid) | Real-time + triangular | ~$30–50/month |
| Koinly | Tax tracking | ~$50/year |
| Rabby Wallet | Secure wallet | Free |
| 1inch | Better DEX swaps | Free |
| Coinglass | Funding rate data | Free |
Total monthly cost: ~$35–55/month
Professional (with automation)
Add: VPS server ($10–20/month), ccxt for bot, additional exchange API subscriptions.
Conclusion
Most arbitrage tools are free or inexpensive. The primary paid tool worth paying for is a good real-time spread scanner — it pays for itself within the first few trades.
You don't need to buy everything immediately. Start with free SpreadScan and Google Sheets. Add tools as your volume grows and specific needs emerge.
Start with SpreadScan for free →
This article is for educational purposes. Mentions of third-party services are not endorsements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the minimum toolkit needed to start? SpreadScan (free plan) + a spreadsheet for trade journaling. This is sufficient for the first few months.
Do I need to pay for tools from the beginning? No. Start with free versions. Move to paid only when free limitations actually affect results — for example, when data delay starts impacting your execution.
Is there an all-in-one solution for arbitrage? SpreadScan is the closest: one interface for CEX-CEX, P2P, triangular, and CEX-DEX arbitrage. Tax tracking and bot development require separate tools.
Which tools do I need for P2P arbitrage specifically? SpreadScan's P2P section + a calculation and journaling spreadsheet. P2P arbitrage is the least tool-intensive type.
Do I need a VPN to work with exchanges? Some exchanges restrict access by IP. Use a VPN only if required for access to a specific platform — and only if it doesn't violate the exchange's terms of service.