Most exchanges start near 0.1% on spot, but the full cost and the risks differ: withdrawals cost more on some, others have no license, and a few have been hacked before. Pick two or three exchanges and the table shows only what separates them.
Pick exchanges to compare
Select two or three. The full ranking of all ten is on the homepage.
Comparison
A MiCA license, where there is one, belongs to the exchange’s European group company; customers outside the EU are often served by a different entity, so check the terms to see who your contract is with. CoinGecko data (Trust Score, volume) refreshes daily; tracked wallets from CoinMarketCap weekly. Spot fees refresh weekly where exchanges publish them openly; licenses (ESMA register), app ratings and terms are checked by hand, and each review shows the date. “Reserves” are publicly tracked wallets, not an audit. Data as of 4 November 2026. Ranking methodology →
How the exchanges differ
Fees differ most. On the base spot tier the taker fee runs from 0.05% (MEXC) to 0.8% (Kraken), about 16 times more. On perpetual futures it runs from 0.02% (MEXC) to 0.075% (Gate.io). Discounts depend on your 30-day volume and often on holding the exchange’s own token.
Bybit, MEXC and Kraken show $0 for a USDT withdrawal on at least one network; the rest charge from a fraction of a cent to a few tens of cents. If you mostly move coins to your own wallet, this row matters more than the trading fee.
Seven of the ten are in ESMA’s MiCA register. 5 of the ten have a documented incident in eTop’s notes; the date and source are in each review.
Popular comparisons
Seven pairs people search for most. Expand one to see the difference; build any other pair in the picker above.
Binance vs Bybit
Binance and Bybit both start at 0.1% / 0.1% on spot (maker / taker) before discounts. On perpetual futures, Binance charges 0.02% / 0.05% and Bybit 0.02% / 0.055%. ESMA’s MiCA register lists Bybit (Austria) but not Binance, as of 1 November 2026. Incidents in eTop’s notes: Binance, 2026, ≈$6.3B (Binance estimate); Bybit, 2025, ≈$1.5B.
| Binance | Bybit | |
|---|---|---|
| Spot fee | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.1% / 0.1% |
| Futures fee | 0.02% / 0.05% | 0.02% / 0.055% |
| MiCA license | Not in ESMA register | Yes (Austria) |
| USDT withdrawal | ≈ $0.01 (BEP20) | $0 (Plasma, HyperEVM, Bera) |
| Coins / pairs | 519 / 1,372 | 389 / 520 |
| eTop score | 8.5 / 10 | 9.1 / 10 |
| Binance review | Bybit review |
OKX vs Binance
OKX is in ESMA’s MiCA register (Malta); Binance was not there when checked on 1 November 2026. At the base tier OKX takes 0.08% / 0.10% and Binance takes 0.1% / 0.1%. Futures fees are identical: 0.02% / 0.05%. eTop’s notes list an incident for Binance: 2026, ≈$6.3B (Binance estimate). OKX has none.
| OKX | Binance | |
|---|---|---|
| Spot fee | 0.08% / 0.10% | 0.1% / 0.1% |
| Futures fee | 0.02% / 0.05% | 0.02% / 0.05% |
| MiCA license | Yes (Malta) | Not in ESMA register |
| USDT withdrawal | ≈ $0.000007 (Plasma) | ≈ $0.01 (BEP20) |
| Coins / pairs | 303 / 1,210 | 519 / 1,372 |
| eTop score | 9.3 / 10 | 8.5 / 10 |
| OKX review | Binance review |
Binance vs Kraken
Spot fees before discounts: Binance 0.1% / 0.1%, Kraken 0.40% / 0.80%. On perpetual futures both charge 0.02% / 0.05% (maker / taker). ESMA’s MiCA register lists Kraken (Ireland) but not Binance, as of 1 November 2026. Incidents in eTop’s notes: Binance, 2026, ≈$6.3B (Binance estimate); Kraken, —.
| Binance | Kraken | |
|---|---|---|
| Spot fee | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.40% / 0.80% |
| Futures fee | 0.02% / 0.05% | 0.02% / 0.05% |
| MiCA license | Not in ESMA register | Yes (Ireland) |
| USDT withdrawal | ≈ $0.01 (BEP20) | $0 (Ink) |
| Coins / pairs | 519 / 1,372 | 715 / 1,345 |
| eTop score | 8.5 / 10 | 7.2 / 10 |
| Binance review | Kraken review |
Bybit vs OKX
Base spot rates (maker / taker): Bybit 0.1% / 0.1%, OKX 0.08% / 0.10%. Futures fees (maker / taker): Bybit 0.02% / 0.055%, OKX 0.02% / 0.05%. eTop’s notes list an incident for Bybit: 2025, ≈$1.5B. OKX has none. Both hold a MiCA license (Bybit: Austria; OKX: Malta).
| Bybit | OKX | |
|---|---|---|
| Spot fee | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.08% / 0.10% |
| Futures fee | 0.02% / 0.055% | 0.02% / 0.05% |
| MiCA license | Yes (Austria) | Yes (Malta) |
| USDT withdrawal | $0 (Plasma, HyperEVM, Bera) | ≈ $0.000007 (Plasma) |
| Coins / pairs | 389 / 520 | 303 / 1,210 |
| eTop score | 9.1 / 10 | 9.3 / 10 |
| Bybit review | OKX review |
Binance vs Bitget
ESMA’s MiCA register has no entry for Binance or Bitget (checked 1 November 2026). On spot, the two charge the same base rate: 0.1% / 0.1% (maker / taker). On perpetual futures, Binance charges 0.02% / 0.05% and Bitget 0.02% / 0.06%. Incidents in eTop’s notes: Binance, 2026, ≈$6.3B (Binance estimate); Bitget, 2026, ≈$387.5M (Bitget estimate).
| Binance | Bitget | |
|---|---|---|
| Spot fee | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.1% / 0.1% |
| Futures fee | 0.02% / 0.05% | 0.02% / 0.06% |
| MiCA license | Not in ESMA register | Not in ESMA register |
| USDT withdrawal | ≈ $0.01 (BEP20) | ≈ $0.0057 (Morph) |
| Coins / pairs | 519 / 1,372 | 816 / 3,669 |
| eTop score | 8.5 / 10 | 7.2 / 10 |
| Binance review | Bitget review |
Binance vs KuCoin
Neither undercuts the other on spot fees: both start at 0.1% / 0.1% (maker / taker). Futures fees (maker / taker): Binance 0.02% / 0.05%, KuCoin 0.02% / 0.06%. eTop’s notes document: Binance, 2026, ≈$6.3B (Binance estimate); KuCoin, 2020, hot wallets. KuCoin is in ESMA’s MiCA register (Austria); Binance was not there when checked on 1 November 2026.
| Binance | KuCoin | |
|---|---|---|
| Spot fee | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.1% / 0.1% |
| Futures fee | 0.02% / 0.05% | 0.02% / 0.06% |
| MiCA license | Not in ESMA register | Yes (Austria) |
| USDT withdrawal | ≈ $0.01 (BEP20) | ≈ $0.4 (Plasma) |
| Coins / pairs | 519 / 1,372 | 810 / 978 |
| eTop score | 8.5 / 10 | 7.3 / 10 |
| Binance review | KuCoin review |
Binance vs MEXC
ESMA’s MiCA register has no entry for Binance or MEXC (checked 1 November 2026). Only Binance has an incident in eTop’s notes: 2026, ≈$6.3B (Binance estimate). MEXC has none. Spot fees before discounts: Binance 0.1% / 0.1%, MEXC 0% / 0.05%. On perpetual futures, Binance charges 0.02% / 0.05% and MEXC 0% / 0.02%. Listings differ a lot: MEXC has 1,398 coins, Binance 519.
| Binance | MEXC | |
|---|---|---|
| Spot fee | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0% / 0.05% |
| Futures fee | 0.02% / 0.05% | 0% / 0.02% |
| MiCA license | Not in ESMA register | Not in ESMA register |
| USDT withdrawal | ≈ $0.01 (BEP20) | $0 (Plasma) |
| Coins / pairs | 519 / 1,372 | 1,398 / 1,746 |
| eTop score | 8.5 / 10 | 7.5 / 10 |
| Binance review | MEXC review |
Questions about comparing exchanges
What are maker and taker fees?
A maker puts an order on the book and waits for it to fill; a taker takes an order that is already there, for example with a market order. The taker fee is usually the same or higher. The table shows the base spot and futures rates, before VIP discounts and token rebates.
Does a MiCA license make an exchange safe?
No. MiCA means the provider is authorized and supervised in the EU, which you can check in ESMA’s register; it doesn’t protect you from hacks or insolvency. In this table seven of the ten are in the register: OKX, Bybit, WhiteBIT, Gate.io, BingX, KuCoin and Kraken (checked 1 November 2026). The others weren’t found there on that date, which says nothing about their other regulators.
Why does an exchange show $0 for USDT withdrawals?
Bybit (Plasma, HyperEVM, Bera), MEXC (Plasma) and Kraken (Ink) charge nothing on the network named in brackets; other networks carry a fee. Check the exact network and the minimum amount before you send.
Which exchanges are compared here, and where does the data come from?
The ten exchanges of the eTop ranking: OKX, Bybit, Binance, WhiteBIT, MEXC, Gate.io, BingX, KuCoin, Kraken and Bitget. Market data comes from CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap, licenses from ESMA’s register, ratings from the App Store and Google Play. Spot fees refresh weekly where the exchange publishes them openly; exchange terms are checked by hand, and every review shows the check date.
Data sources: CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap, ESMA register (CASP), App Store, Google Play; exchange help pages and terms for fees and documents.