Our Review
KuCoin is the best crypto exchange for trading without KYC. They have 700+ altcoins, low spreads, <0.10% trading fees and lots of features to explore. On the downside, using fiat requires KYC and the platform can be a difficult for beginners.
Where It Shines:
Where It Falls Short:
Overview
Updated: Apr 12, 2022
Coins Offered | 700+ |
Trading Fee | 0.10% (Plus discounts available) |
Fiat Wallets | 0 (Not Supported) |
BTC Withdrawal Fee | 0.0005 BTC |
Notable Features | 500+ altcoins, top 10 crypto exchange in the world by trading volume, low fees & spreads, advanced trading |
Restricted Locations | No Official Info |
Video Review
Don't want to read? Watch the video review published on Jan 21, 2022. Some info in the video could be outdated so refer to the rest of the blog post as well.
What Is KuCoin?
KuCoin is a centralized cryptocurrency exchange with over 10 million users in 200+ countries. They were founded in 2017 and currently rank as a top 10 crypto exchange in the world by trading volume.
They brand themselves as "The People's Exchange." On the platform you'll find lots of features like 700+ coins, their own utility token called KuCoin Token (KCS), spot trading, derivatives, interest accounts, loans, lottery raffles, and much more.
It's one of the largest exchanges in the world that still does not have mandatory KYC. Users can sign up with just an email address and deposit, trade, and withdraw up to 1 BTC per day.
More Info
- Founded in 2017
- Top 10 crypto exchange in the world based on trading volume
- Over 10 million registered users
- $480 billion in total transaction volume on the platform
- Available in 200+ countries
Fees & Spread
Updated: Apr 3, 2022
Price Test & Spread
Price Test (Coming Soon) | Prices |
|---|---|
Total BTC Purchase Fee | 0.00% |
Total BTC Selling Fee | 0.00% |
Trading Fee | 0.10% (plus discounts available) |
BTC Spread | 0.00% |
BTC Buy Price | $00,000 |
BTC Sell Price | $00,000 |
Ref. Price Difference | Buy: Sell: |
Reference Price (Google) | $00,000 |
We tested 20 cryptocurrency exchanges at the same time to compare the true fees. This data was collected on Mar 2, 2022 at 4:41pm and is subject to change since spreads and prices change daily.
- *Total BTC Purchase Fee = Trading Fee + Buy Reference Price Difference
- *Total BTC Selling Fee = Trading Fee + Sell Reference Price Difference
Keep in mind, there could be additional fees for depositing/withdrawing fiat. Check fees for your local fiat currency if it is supported on this exchange.
You can compare all platforms tested on this page.
Trading Fee Discounts
Deposit & Withdrawals
Updated: Apr 3, 2022
Fiat Currencies
Fiat Wallets (Deposit/Withdrawals supported) | 0 (Not Supported) |
Credit/Debit Card | Yes |
P2P Exchange | Yes |
Crypto Withdrawal Fees
Type | Fee | Minimum Withdrawal |
|---|---|---|
Bitcoin | 0.0005 BTC | 0.0008 BTC |
Ethereum | 0.00625 ETH | 0.01 ETH |
USDT | 35 USDT | 35 USDT |
XLM | 0.02 XLM | 10 XLM |
What We Found
There are no fiat trading pairs and you cannot hold a fiat balance in your account but KuCoin lets you "Fast Buy" using a credit card. The other payment methods available are through third-party partners like Simplex and Banxa or the P2P Exchange.
Platform & Features
Updated: Mar 28, 2022
List of Features:
- iOS, Android and Web app
- 500+ Cryptocurrencies
- Spot Trading
- Margin Trading
- Futures Contracts
- Lending & Borrowing
- Pool-X (Earn and Staking)
- Trading Bots
- PoW Mining Pools
- Affiliate Program
- KCS (utility token)
- Spotlight (token launch platform)
- KuCoin Win (lotteries, battles, etc)
- And more
1. iOS, Android and Web App
KuCoin has lots of features and the platform can be accessed on all of your devices. There's a good user-interface which is similar to Binance however, beginners might be overwhelmed with all of the tabs and features.
2. Buying and Selling
KuCoin offers 500+ cryptocurrencies and multiple ways to buy and trade. On the platform you'll find:
- Spot Trading
- Margin Trading
- Futures Contracts
- Trading Bots
- P2P Trading
- Credit/Debit Card Buys
3. Trading Interface
KuCoin Trading View
For advanced traders, you'll find technical charts and tools provided by TradingView as well as multiple order types like limit orders, market orders, stop-limit and more.
4. Trading Bot
The KuCoin Trading Bot is a free tool that uses AI to help you automatically trade the market. According to KuCoin, it helps you "earn profits without monitoring the market." There are 4 different trading and investing strategies available:
- Spot Grid - The bot will place buy and sell orders multiple times in order to profit from volatility and market fluctuations
- Smart Rebalance - Automatically rebalance your portfolio based on your targets
- Futures Grid - This bot is similar to the Spot Grid above, but more advanced
- Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) - Profit from making regular, periodic investments into the market
5. Pool-X
KuCoin's Pool-X lets you earn interest for simply holding different crypto assets. There's a variety of ways to earn which include Staking, Flexible Terms (withdraw anytime), Fixed Terms and Promotions. Dozens of coins are eligible to earn you yield and the APR can range anywhere from 1%-70% depending on the crypto asset and your risk tolerance.
6. KuCoin Spotlight
Spotlight is KuCoin's token launch platform. This is a higher-risk investment for people who want to find very early projects to invest in. In a quote from Kucoin, "Spotlight aims to assist blockchain projects in raising the needed funds, attracting market attention and improving industrial influence."
Every launch will be live for a fixed amount of time and offered on first-come, first-serve basis. Only KYC verified accounts are able to participate.
7. Lending & Borrowing
KuCoin Lend lets you earn daily interest by lending out your crypto assets. There are various yields, terms and risks to be aware of. You can also borrow crypto with various interest rates.
8. KuCoin Bonus
If you hold at least 6 KCS in your KuCoin account you can earn a daily bonus up to 50% APR. The reward comes from the trading fees KuCoin earns on the platform. Right now, KuCoin keeps 50% of the trading fees and puts the other 50% into the Bonus pool for token holders.
9. Mining Pool
KuCoin's Mining Pool is another way to potentially earn yield on your investments. It supports Proof of Work (PoW) assets like Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash with a 2% mining fee.
10. Other KuCoin Features
- LuckyRaffling - Lottery Game
- Futures Brawl - "go long or short to battle and win prizes"
- Bug bounty program
- Light mode/dark mode
- Set custom price alerts
- Affiliate program
Security
Security is one of the most important features before using a crypto exchange. Here is what we collected about KuCoin's security, reputation and more.
Past Hacks & Incidents
KuCoin was hacked in 2020 for $285 million via some of their hot wallets. Luckily, no customers were actually affected or lost any crypto. KuCoin recovered 84% of the funds and their insurance fund paid back the other 16%.
After the hack, KuCoin's CEO said they made improvements to their security and platform architecture. However, it's a good reminder why you should use non-custodial wallets.
Company Security Features
There is limited info online about KuCoin's company security features. We're not sure how they store users funds but here is what we do know:
- Partnership with "OnChain Custodian" to back its funds by insurance (not many details available)
- Bug bounty program - KuCoin will pay white hat hackers to find bugs and vulnerabilities
User Security Features
Here is a list of security features you'll see in your account settings. Most of these are optional:
- 2 Factor Authentication (via SMS or Google Authenticator app)
- Biometric login on app (eg. Touch ID)
- Add a 6 digit trading password for withdrawals, trades, etc
- View your login history (IP address, device, time etc)
- Restrict Login IP feature
- Email Safety Phrase to help identify legitimate KuCoin emails
- Login Safety Phrase
- Withdrawal Safety Phrase
Can You Trust KuCoin?
KuCoin is considered a trustworthy platform. They have 10+ million users in 200+ countries and multiple user security features such as 2 Factor Authentication, trading passwords and more.
However, you should not hold 100% of your assets on any centralized crypto exchange. There is always the risk of hacks, government confiscation and more. The safest way to store your crypto is on a hardware wallet (especially for large amounts).
⚠️ Although this platform is safe, over 50% of platforms we tested have had hacks or incidents in the past. We strongly recommend storing and protecting your crypto on a non-custodial wallet where you own the private keys. Preferably, a reputable hardware wallet like the Ledger Nano X.
Customer Support
Updated: Mar 28, 2022
We have not tested KuCoin's customer support but they offer a chatbot to help you answer questions which can be accessed in multiple languages 24/7. You also have the option to submit a ticket directly. If you don't need to speak with their team, you'll find a help desk with FAQs, articles and a community forum for additional information.
Compared
Compare the world's most popular cryptocurrency exchanges:
Name | Coins | # of Features | Standard Trading Fee | Supported Countries | Fiat Wallets? | BTC Withdrawal Fee | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
240+ | 15+ | 0.10% | 190+ | No | 0.0005 BTC | ||
 Binance 🏆(#1 overall) | 600+ | 30+ | 0.10% | 100+ | Yes | 0.0005 BTC | |
150+ | 15+ | 0.20% | ? | Yes | 0.0004 BTC | ||
750+ | 10+ | 0.25% | 180+ | No | 0.0005 BTC | ||
50+ | 5+ | 0.50% | ? | Yes | 0.0005 BTC | ||
300+ | 5+ | 0.75% | 100+ | Yes | 0.0003 BTC | ||
140+ | 15+ | 0.10% | 180+ | No | 0.0005 BTC | ||
170+ | 10+ | 3.99% | 100+ | Yes | Dynamic | ||
110+ | 5+ | 0.60% | 100+ | Yes | Dynamic | ||
30+ | 10+ | 0.10% | 150+ | Yes | 0.15% | ||
250+ | 20+ | 0.40% | 90+ | Yes | 0.0006 BTC | ||
40+ | 10+ | 0% | 50+ | Yes | 0.50% | ||
1400+ | 30+ | 0.195% | 190+ | No | 0.001 BTC | ||
60+ | 15+ | 1.49%+ | 60+ | Yes | 0.001 BTC | ||
60+ | 10+ | 0% | 100+ | Yes | 0.0005 BTC | ||
500+ | 20+ | 0.20% | 130+ | Yes | 0.0005 BTC | ||
190+ | 10+ | 0.26% | 190+ | 0.00002 BTC | |||
700+ | 20+ | 0.10% | 190+ | No | 0.0005 BTC | ||
350+ | 25+ | 0.10% | 100+ | No | 0.0002 BTC* | ||
300+ | 10+ | 0.155% | 100+ | No | 0.0005 BTC | ||
130+ | 10+ | 0% | 180+ | Yes | 0.0003 BTC + $2.99 |
Here are the best crypto exchanges around the world that are supported in many countries. We assessed 21 platforms across 40+ variables and 950+ data points.
