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account minimum
$5 for fast trade
fees
Spot trading: 0.1% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.1% to 0.025% taker fee for Class A, 0.2% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.2% to 0.05% for Class B; 0.3% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.3% to 0.075% for Class C Futures: 0.02% to -0.015% maker fees; 0.06% to 0.03% taker fees; Withdrawal fees vary per coin (see more here)
Investment Types
Cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and futures
account minimum
$5 for fast trade
fees
Spot trading: 0.1% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.1% to 0.025% taker fee for Class A, 0.2% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.2% to 0.05% for Class B; 0.3% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.3% to 0.075% for Class C Futures: 0.02% to -0.015% maker fees; 0.06% to 0.03% taker fees; Withdrawal fees vary per coin (see more here)
Investment Types
Cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and futures
details
account minimum
$5 for fast trade
fees
Spot trading: 0.1% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.1% to 0.025% taker fee for Class A, 0.2% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.2% to 0.05% for Class B; 0.3% to -0.005% maker fee and 0.3% to 0.075% for Class C Futures: 0.02% to -0.015% maker fees; 0.06% to 0.03% taker fees; Withdrawal fees vary per coin (see more here)
Pros & Cons
overall rating
Is Kucoin right for you?
Kucoin is a global crypto exchange offering more than 700 cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, dogecoin, ethereum, polygon, and more. In addition to trading bots, staking rewards, crypto loans, NFTs, and futures, Kucoin also provides an affiliate program and content program that pays you in commissions and bitcoin.
While the platform has a competitive selection of investment products, a big downside is that it isn’t licensed in the US. However, US users can still use the platform with restrictions. In addition, Kucoin’s spot trading fee schedule can be a bit complicated, but you can receive a 20% discount if you pay for orders with the Kucoin token (KCS).
Kucoin vs Coinbase
You can access cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and futures at Kucoin and Coinbase, but US traders will likely be better off with Coinbase since it’s licensed in the US. US users ultimately have less trading restrictions, compared to Kucoin.
Kucoin has a much stronger investment selection, offering more than 700 digital assets. But Coinbase is also a better choice for institutional clients, as it offers a wider range of services, including compliance, commerce, ventures, and more.
Kucoin vs. Gate.io
Both Kucoin and Gate.io offer a vast suite of investment products, including cryptocurrencies, crypto loans, staking, futures, NFTs, and more.
Kucoin offers more than 700 cryptocurrencies, but Gate.io offers well over 1,400, so it could be a better choice for those who want a more flexible investment selection. Plus, it’s licensed in the US, so US traders might be better off with the platform. Kucoin, however, offers a more expansive list of NFT perks (eg, fractional NFTs, NFT launches, and more).
Ways to invest with Kucoin
Cryptocurrencies
Kucoin offers hundreds of cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, ethereum, ripple, solana, and more. Plus, it gives traders multiple payment options for purchasing crypto. Among these are Fast Trade, P2P, and Third Party. The first option allows for more than 70 payment methods, such as Visa and Mastercard. The second option best supports those looking to send assets to (or receive assets from) other users, and the third relies on third-party platforms.
You’ll also have several methods through which you can trade. Kucoin offers spot trading, margin trading (for those who want to borrow to place trades), crypto conversions, and the Kucoin Trading Bot software. This allows you to automate your trades on the platform, so it could be an ideal option for those who want to passively build wealth without constantly watching the market.
The crypto platform also has space in its heart for futures traders, as it provides copious tools and futures with up to 100x leverage. Plus, it offers a downloadable, self-custody wallet that lets you store your cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
The crypto platform also uses penetration testing to make sure the wallet’s security is up to par. The Web3 wallet gives you complete control over your cryptocurrencies, but it isn’t the best option for those who prefer hardware crypto wallets (see more here).
Finally, Kucoin offers multiple products for NFT users, including an NFT trading platform, an NFT launch platform, and fractional NFT shares.
Kucoin Earn products
You may also want to consider Kucoin if you’re interested in crypto lending. It currently allows for lending terms of seven days, 14 days, and 28 days. For instance, if you were to lend 3,159 ripple for 28 days, you would earn a daily interest rate of 0.095%.
It also offers Kucoin Earn, a wealth management service platform that lets you earn interest on different assets. It offers staking, flexible savings, ETH 2.0, and polkadot, and you can choose fixed or flexible terms. Ethereum, for example, currently has an interest rate of 104.96% for a fixed term. If you were to choose a flexible term for the same cryptocurrency, you’d get a 0.75% rate.
Kucoin: Is it trustworthy?
Personal Finance Insider considers each company’s Better Business Bureau profile when evaluating trustworthiness, but Kucoin currently doesn’t have a profile with the Better Business Bureau.
Although Kucoin doesn’t have a BBB profile, it’s still crucial to do thorough research before setting up an account with any investment platform. While its record is mostly clear, Kucoin suffered a hack of millions of dollars in 2021.
Kucoin — Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Kucoin isn’t currently available in the US, but US users can still use some of its services. It’s wise to consider other crypto exchanges if you’re looking for complete access to Kucoin’s crypto selection and products.
Kucoin has the fourth largest trading volume in the world, according to CoinMarketCap. The platform was founded in 2017, and it supports more than 200 countries. It also utilizes several security measures to keep your assets safe. These include multi-factor authentication, regular penetration testing, strict access control, and 24/7 monitoring.
No. Kucoin isn’t registered in the US, so it doesn’t report to the IRS.