Choosing between MEXC Vs. KuCoin can be daunting, as both are among the top crypto exchanges globally. Whether you’re a newcomer or an experienced trader, understanding the key differences between them is necessary to make appropriate choices.
This article compares MEXC and KuCoin across various parameters, including security features, fee structures, products, and services. It also provides insights into their referral/affiliate programs, helping you identify the exchange that aligns with your financial goals.
MEXC vs KuCoin: At a Glance Comparison
ParticularsMEXCKuCoinLaunch year20182017HeadquartersSeychellesSeychellesRegistered users40+ million40+ millionGeographic coverage170+ countries200+ countriesNative tokenMXKCSListed digital assets4,216+1,021+Trading pairs2,680+ spot pairs and 1,536+ futures pairs.1,318+ spot pairs and 541+ futures pairs.Main featuresSpot and futures trading, margin trading, P2P trading, copy trading, and staking services.Spot trading, leveraged trading, P2P trading, derivatives trading, and staking services.Payment methodsGoogle/Apple Pay, credit/debit card, bank transfers, and third-party services like Banxa and MoonPay.Google/Apple Pay, credit/debit card, bank transfers, and third-party payment providers like Banxa and Simplex.Early access eventsPre-market trading, Launchpad, Launchpool, Kickstarter, Airdrop+, and Spin Spotlights.Pre-market trading, Spotlight, GemPool, GemSlot, GemVote, and the USD1 points program.Security$100 million guardian fund, futures insurance fund, proof-of-reserves, two-factor authentication (2FA), cold storage, withdrawal whitelists, and SSL encryption.Multi-factor authentication, withdrawal anti-tampering, anti-fraud detection, multi-signature cold wallets, proof-of-reserves, HSM protection for keys, and data encryption.LicensesRegulated by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).Possesses SOC2 Type II, PCI-DSS, and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications. Regulated by India’s FIU and the Thai SEC.Customer support24/7 via e-mail and live chat.24/7 via e-mail and live chat.Mobile appiOS and AndroidiOS and AndroidSign-up bonus
10,000 USDT
11,000 USDT
What is MEXC?
MEXC is a reputable cryptocurrency exchange, offering comprehensive liquidity, a high-performance matching engine, nominal fees, and daily airdrops. It is also a top platform for buying/selling memecoins and gaining early access to high-potential tokens of promising projects. Additionally, it features a wide selection of digital assets, including Bitcoin and blue-chip altcoins.
Launched in 2018, MEXC serves 40+ million users across 170+ countries. It aims to drive global crypto adoption and has been a pioneer in blockchain technology and decentralized financial services.
ProsConsVery low trading fees.Up to 50% fee discounts for MX holders.Up to 500x leverage for trading perpetual futures.Ultra-fast matching engine that processes 1.4 million transactions per second.Supports numerous cryptocurrencies, including memecoins and forthcoming tokens.User-friendly interface.No-KYC trading platform.Higher liquidity.Suitable for more experienced traders.Provides only a futures grid trading bot.Unavailable in many locations, including the US and Canada.Doesn’t offer expiry futures and options contracts.Relatively fewer security features.
MEXC is best for:
Competitive fees: MEXC doesn’t impose maker fees. It also charges minimal taker fees, which reduce progressively as you move to higher VIP levels. Additionally, MX holders can get fee rebates of up to 50%. Leveraged trading: MEXC is one of the best crypto exchanges for leveraged trading. It offers up to 500x leverage on USDT-settled BTC and ETH perpetual futures contracts. Memecoin and new token trading: MEXC supports over 4,216 cryptocurrencies, including new and lesser-known tokens. Its Launchpad, Launchpool, and Meme+ platform provide early access to high-quality emerging tokens and memecoin gems. Moreover, MEXC users can earn up to 1,000% APR by staking their crypto assets in the Launchpool.
What is KuCoin?
KuCoin is a popular cryptocurrency exchange, known for its advanced trading features and liquidity mining services. It is also an SOC, ISO, IEC, and PCI-DSS certified exchange with cutting-edge security and compliance measures. These include third-party penetration testing and bug bounty programs.
Established in 2013, KuCoin has over 40 million registered users across 200+ countries. It aims to build a robust infrastructure that enables the seamless creation and transfer of value in the digital world.
ProsConsCutting-edge security features. A wider selection of automated bots.Top-notch market intelligence and detailed project reports.Beginner-friendly trading platform with an intuitive interface and extensive learning resources. Provides early access to the newest crypto gems through Launch Hub.Offers crypto options and leveraged tokens. Multiple staking products to help users earn passive income.Exclusive loyalty bonuses for KCS holders.No native copy trading feature.New users must comply with KYC norms and regulatory requirements to access the platform’s features.Unavailable in many countries, including the US and mainland China.Relatively higher fees and lower liquidity.
KuCoin is best for:
Trading bots: KuCoin provides fully automatic and semi-automatic bots for spot and futures trading. For fully automatic bots like DualFutures AI, you don’t need to set parameters. Contrarily, semi-automatic bots are customizable and allow you to pre-define conditions. Leveraged tokens: You can trade them in the spot market and make gains by going long or short on the underlying cryptocurrency. They don’t require collateral or margin maintenance, eliminating liquidation risks. GemVote: It is a community voting process where traders can vote for their desired projects. The top-ranked projects will be listed on the platform. KuCoin Pay: It is a Web3 payment solution that enables you to make crypto payments at supported merchant outlets without incurring exorbitant gas fees. By using KuCoin Pay, you can unlock exclusive rewards like cashback, instant settlements, and zero fees for offline transactions.
MEXC vs KuCoin: Trading Features
FeatureMEXCKuCoinSpot tradingYesYesFutures tradingYesYesOptions tradingNoYesMargin tradingYesYesOn-chain tradingYesNoCopy tradingYes NoDemo tradingYesNoPre-market tradingYesYesP2P tradingYesYesTrading botsYesYes Staking optionsYesYesCrypto loansYesYesNFT marketplaceNoYes
MEXC vs KuCoin: Platform Products and Services
What MEXC Offers:
Spot trading: MEXC enables you to trade 4,216+ cryptocurrencies and 2,680+ trading pairs in the spot market.Pre-market trading: It is an over-the-counter (OTC) platform that helps you trade new coins before they’re officially listed. Margin trading: MEXC offers leveraged trading, enabling you to open large positions with less capital. It supports both isolated and cross-margin modes. Futures trading: The platform offers USDT-margined, USDC-margined, and coin-margined perpetual contracts. It supports 1,535+ futures pairs.Copy/social trading: This feature allows you to mirror the trading strategies of experts. The system monitors your chosen elite trader’s signals and opens/closes your positions automatically based on your preset conditions. Demo account: It provides a simulated environment to help you practice futures trading. It also enables new traders to compute their gains/losses before investing real money or making actual trades. Grid trading: It is a trading bot that automates futures transactions. It allows traders to open long, short, or neutral positions based on pre-defined parameters and cryptocurrency market trends.Earn: The MEXC exchange offers ample opportunities to help your earn passive income from your idle crypto assets. Its staking/earning products include Simple Earn, Futures Earn, and Hold and Earn. New users can generate up to 600% APR by staking their assets for fixed/flexible durations.Learn: MEXC features a plethora of educational resources, including guides, expert strategies, and tutorials, tailored to diverse learning needs. Institutional services: For high-frequency traders, the MEXC exchange provides custom API services and 24/7 priority support. It also offers interest-free margins to market makers and allows brokers to authorize trades with a single tap.MEXC wallet: It is directly integrated into your MEXC account. Thus, you don’t need to create a separate wallet to manage your private keys. Moreover, you can connect external wallets like Metamask and Phantom while trading on MEXC’s DEX+ platform.
What KuCoin Offers:
Spot trading: KuCoin helps you trade over 1,000 coins, including major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin, in the spot market. It supports 1,315+ spot pairs. Margin trading: The exchange offers cross and isolated margin modes with up to 5x and 10x leverage, respectively. It also provides up to 125x leverage on select pairs. Trading bots: If you want to automate your trades and make profits regardless of market conditions, KuCoin’s pre-built bots are worth exploring. These include spot martingale, spot grid, futures grid, infinity grid, smart rebalance, and DCA. Derivatives trading: KuCoin offers stablecoin-settled (USDC and USDT) linear futures contracts and coin-settled inverse contracts. It features 540+ futures pairs. Additionally, the exchange enables you to trade Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana option contracts. Leveraged tokens: These tokens help you gain leveraged exposure to underlying cryptocurrencies by eliminating the need for margin or futures trading.Earn: KuCoin is a notch higher than many exchanges when it comes to passive income-yielding products. It offers simple, advanced, and specialized earn options. These include on-chain staking, flexible savings, shark fin, dual investment, snowball, KuMining, and KCS loyalty.
Additionally, you can match your idle funds with borrowers and earn interest through Crypto Lending Pro. You can also redeem your loaned-out assets anytime.
Institutional services: KuCoin has designed the broker and market maker programs for institutional traders, enabling them to earn commissions and fee rebates. It also allows them to borrow up to $20 million at competitive interest rates. Learn: KuCoin publishes numerous explainer articles on Web3, cryptocurrencies, blockchains, and platform features. They help both new and experienced traders enhance their crypto knowledge and learn smart investment strategies.KuCoin wallet: It is a self-custody Web3 wallet, comprising a cross-chain swap aggregator DEX and a DeFi investment tool. It also provides access to 1,000+ dApps.
MEXC vs KuCoin: Trading Fees
Fee typeMEXCKuCoinSpot trading0% maker, 0.05% takerClass A: 0.1% maker and taker.
Class B: 0.2% maker and taker.
Class C: 0.3% maker and taker.
Futures trading0% maker, 0.02% taker0.02% maker, 0.06% taker (only class A)Trading fee discountsUp to 50% discount on spot fees for MX holders.20% discount on spot fees for KCS holders.DepositZero fees for most cryptocurrencies.Zero fees for cryptocurrencies.WithdrawalVaries based on the chosen cryptocurrency and blockchain.Varies based on the chosen cryptocurrency and blockchain.Crypto debit card1% top-up fee, 0-2% transaction fee based on location, 1 EUR monthly fee in supported countries.9.99 EUR for new and replacement cards, 2% fees for non-EUR transactions, 3 EUR inactivity fees monthly.
MEXC is the clear winner in terms of fees. It charges lower trading fees than KuCoin and also offers higher discounts of up to 50% to its native token (MX) holders. While both exchanges don’t collect deposit fees, MEXC levies lower withdrawal fees for most cryptocurrencies. It also facilitates free withdrawals for some tokens.
MEXC vs KuCoin: Coins Supported, Liquidity & Volume
ParticularsMEXCKuCoinListed coins4,216+1,019+Spot pairs2,680+1,315+Futures pairs1,535+540+LiquidityComprehensiveRelatively less deep.Trading volumeFeatures in the list of the top 10 cryptocurrency exchanges based on trading volumes.Features in the list of the top 10 cryptocurrency exchanges based on trading volumes.Supported fiat currencies50+48+
MEXC vs KuCoin: Security
MEXC Security Measures
$100 million guardian fund: It provides 100% coverage for losses incurred by traders due to platform breaches, cyber threats, and technical bottlenecks.Proof-of-reserves: Customer assets are backed 1:1 by MEXC’s reserves. Moreover, reserve rates surpass 100% and are validated in real-time.Futures insurance fund: It protects derivative traders from extreme market conditions.Advanced security protocols: MEXC has implemented potent measures, such as 2FA, cold storage, SSL encryption, anti-phishing code, and withdrawal allowlisting.
KuCoin Security Measures
Account security: KuCoin has implemented multi-factor authentication via Google, e-mail, text message, and biometrics. It also conducts a smart CAPTCHA verification to detect bots and requires you to set up an anti-phishing code.Fund and wallet security: To safeguard user funds, KuCoin has established withdrawal anti-tampering measures, AI-powered fraud detection, and proof-of-reserves. The reserves are distributed across hot, warm, and cold wallets, with most assets being stored in cold storage. Data security: KuCoin has implemented data encryption, leak prevention, recovery, auditing, and storage measures to protect confidential information. Platform and operational security: The exchange has designed a multi-layer defense system, including firewalls and DNS protection, to provide security operations 24/7.System and app security: KuCoin has formulated stringent guidelines for building, testing, and deploying APIs, systems, and applications.
MEXC vs KuCoin: Affiliate & Referral Programs
ParticularsMEXCKuCoinPrimary rewardCommissionCommissionCommission rateUp to 40% for the referral program.Up to 70% for the affiliate program. 10% sub-affiliate commission.Up to 35% for the referral program.Up to 60% for the affiliate program.
Commission durationReferral commission for 1080 days from the referees’ registration datesLifetime affiliate commission.Referral commission for 365 days from the referees’ registration dates.Lifetime affiliate commission.
Various bonusesWelcome gifts, futures bonuses, fee rebate vouchers, position airdrops, new coins, and free crypto.
Welcome gifts, USDT coupons, futures trial funds, trading fee discounts, cash prizes, and free airdrops.Exclusive perks24/7 dedicated support, access to special events and crypto products.Access to a multi-tier commission system and a visualized dashboard to manage multi-channel referral earnings.Eligibility conditionsReferees must complete KYC verification and designated tasks within the specified timeframe. Referees must complete KYC verification and designated tasks within the specified timeframe.
MEXC vs KuCoin: User Experience
Both MEXC and KuCoin have achieved mixed reviews on platforms such as Trustpilot and Reddit. The users of both exchanges have reported issues related to crypto withdrawals, unexpected account freezes, and fund losses. However, their mobile apps have received high ratings of over 4.5/5 on Google Play and Apple stores.
MEXC vs KuCoin: Customer Support
Both cryptocurrency exchanges offer 24/7 customer support via e-mail, live chat, and a help center. You also get detailed answers for FAQs related to MEXC/KuCoin features, helping you navigate the platforms effortlessly.
Conclusion
MEXC Global and KuCoin differ in terms of fees, trading options, security, and staking services. However, both offer various bonuses and platform features to help you buy/sell cryptocurrencies seamlessly and enhance your investment experience. Therefore, you can choose either based on your preferences.
FAQs
Is MEXC a trusted exchange?
MEXC is a legally-compliant cryptocurrency exchange with powerful security features. Moreover, the platform hasn’t reported any major hacking incidents so far. Therefore, MEXC is trustworthy.
Which exchange is better: MEXC or KuCoin?
MEXC is better for users seeking lower fees, higher liquidity, memecoins, and emerging tokens of star projects. KuCoin is more suitable for traders who want to use automated trading tools or invest in options and leveraged tokens.
Which exchange has lower fees: MEXC vs KuCoin?
MEXC charges lower fees than KuCoin for trading as well as withdrawals. Moreover, MEXC offers higher fee discounts of up to 50% for MX holders.
Which exchange is more beginner-friendly: MEXC or KuCoin?
KuCoin is more beginner-friendly due to its simpler, cleaner, and more user-friendly interface. It also offers extensive educational resources, including learn and earn courses, helping new users trade with confidence while winning rewards.
Which exchange is safer: KuCoin vs MEXC?
KuCoin was hacked in September 2020 by the North Korea-based Lazarus group. This incident resulted in a loss of $275 million worth of cryptocurrencies from its hot wallets. Though KuCoin has bolstered its security protocols following the cyberattack, MEXC stands out for its clean history of no hacks.
What are the deposit and withdrawal options on MEXC and KuCoin?
Both exchanges support bank transfers, Google/Apple Pay, credit/debit cards, P2P trading, and third-party channels for deposits and withdrawals. The supported payment methods, including fiat deposit options, vary across different countries.
