Phemex vs Kucoin: The Ultimate Battle

Jack Moreau
May 2023
8 min read
Fact checked

Are you searching for the best cryptocurrency exchange between Phemex and Kucoin? Look no further! We've done the research for you and compared the features, fees, and overall user experience of these popular exchanges. Whether you're a seasoned trader or just starting out, join us as we dive deep into Phemex vs Kucoin and discover the ultimate winner!

Bitget

Available in US, CA, EU, AU

Spot, Futures, Perps, Margin

+450 cryptos & 0.1% spot fee

Licensed by FinCEN & MSB

Visit Bitget

Phemex

Low 0.1% trading fees

5/5 UX & no KYC

Perps, margin & copy trade

100X leverage

Visit Phemex

Kucoin

+700 cryptocurrencies

Quick signup & no KYC

Low 0.1% trading fees

Wide range of products

Visit Kucoin

Phemex vs Kucoin Overview

Phemex
Kucoin
Bitget
Founded
2019
2019
2018
Registered
Ankara
Seychelles
Seychelles
Countries N/A
Hong Kong, China, Bermuda, Seychelles
US, China
Users
5M
20M
8M
Cryptos
350
700
450
Spot Fees
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
KYC Required
No
No
No
Best for
Great All Around
Altcoin hunters
Newbies & Traders
Rating

When it comes to cryptocurrency exchanges, Phemex and Kucoin are two platforms that have gained alot of popularity among traders. While they both have their unique features and strengths, it's important to compare them to see which one is the right fit for your needs.

Phemex was founded in 2019 by Jack Tao and has quickly established itself as one of the fastest-growing exchanges in the market. With over 200 employees and available in 200 countries, Phemex offers spot and derivatives trading options including up to 100x leverage for contract trading. Phemex supports over 350 cryptocurrencies and over 75 perpetual contracts which means plenty of options for traders.

Phemex exchange
Phemex exchange

Kucoin was founded in 2017 by Michael Gan and is available in over 200 countries. With a user base of over 20 million, KuCoin offers a range of services including spot and margin trading, futures, staking, and lending.

The platform supports over 700 cryptocurrencies including its native token, KuCoin Shares (KCS), with a lucrative referral program for users. KuCoin is popular for its user-friendly interface, competitive trading fees, and extensive range of altcoins.

When it comes to user experience, both Phemex and Kucoin offer mobile apps on Android and IOS. Phemex has over 1 million downloads with a 4.5-star rating based on over 10,000 reviews. Kucoin has over 5 million downloads and a solid rating of 4.3 with over 120,000 reviews.

Kucoin app
Kucoin app

Phemex vs Kucoin Signup & KYC

When it comes to signing up and verifying your account on Phemex and Kucoin, there are some key differences to keep in mind.

Phemex is a user-friendly exchange that allows for unlimited crypto deposits and trading without requiring KYC verification. This means you can sign up and start trading in just 30 seconds. However, if you want access to more advanced features such as higher withdrawal limits, you will need to complete KYC verification by uploading your ID and a photo of yourself. The verification process can be completed within a few minutes if you provide the necessary documents correctly.

Phemex signup and KYC
Phemex signup and KYC

Kucoin takes a similarly flexible approach to KYC verification. While KYC verification is not mandatory, it's still recommended to complete as it provides access to more trading opportunities and higher withdrawal limits. Signing up for Kucoin is straightforward and takes less than a minute as only a basic email signup is required. Basic verification can be approved in minutes while KYC verification can take up to 2-3 business days. Overall, both Phemex and Kucoin offer a smooth signup process without forcing the hand of all their users to complete KYC.

Phemex vs Kucoin Products & Services

Phemex offers a very wide range of trading servives including spot trading, perpetual contracts using USDT, USD, and crypto as collateral and margin trading with up to 5x collateral. The exchange also offers product more tailored to beginners such as copy trading, staking, learn and earn, and a launchpad. The exchange is known for its high-level user experience, both in terms of the usability of the platform and the competitive set of product features. KYC is not required for basic trading and the experience of using their product is smooth and seamless. The average daily spot volume on Phemex is over $100 million and the exchange offers up to 100x leverage on perpetual contracts.

On the other hand, Kucoin offers spot and margin trading and derivatives products such as futures, leveraged tokens, and trading bots. It also offers finance services such as lending and borrowing, staking, an NFT marketplace called Windvave. The user experience on Kucoin is pretty good overall with a good variety of products and services and an easy-to-navigate interface.

The exchange caters to both professional traders and beginners with a very wide range of cryptos and futures products. The daily spot trading volume on Kucoin frequently exceeds volumes of $600 to $900 million. The max leverage that users can take on Kucoin is 100x, with 10x margin leverage.

In summary, both Phemex and Kucoin offer a range of services that cater to the needs of both beginners and professional traders.

Phemex
Kucoin
Bitget
Spot Trading
yes
Yes
Yes
Futures
Yes
Yes
Yes
Perps
Yes
-
Yes
Margin
Yes
Yes
Yes
Options
-
-
-
OTC Desk
-
-
-
Copy Trading
Yes
-
Yes
Trading Bots
-
Yes
Yes
Staking
-
Yes
Yes
Lend & Borrow
Yes
Yes
Yes
NFTs
-
Yes
-
Web 3 Wallet
-
Yes
-
Debit Card
-
Yes
-

Phemex vs Kucoin Fees

Let's take a look at the trading fees for Phemex and Kucoin. Phemex offers a competitive 0.1% spot fee for makers and takers which is pretty low when compared to other exchanges. Kucoin also charges a 0.1% maker fee and taker fee for spot trading.

Both exchanges also offer futures trading, with Phemex charging a 0.01% maker fee and a 0.06% taker fee, while Kucoin charges a 0.02% maker fee and a 0.06% taker fee. Overall, both exchanges offer pretty low fees for trading with a small edge to Phemex with their slightly lower maker fee for futures trading.

Kucoin spot trading fees
Kucoin spot trading fees
Phemex
Kucoin
Bitget
Spot (mkr)
0.10%
0.10%
0.1%
Spot (tkr)
0.10%
0.10%
0.1%
Futures (mkr)
0.01%
0.02%
0.02%
Futures (tkr)
0.06%
0.06%
0.02%

Phemex vs Kucoin Deposit Methods

One key difference between Phemex and Kucoin is that Phemex does not support fiat deposits at all. Kucoin on the other hand supports the deposit of fiat currencies for a whopping 28 fiat currencies such as EUR, AUD, CHF, GBP, RUB and SEK. On Kucoin, all fiat deposit options are with Visa and Mastercard but the downside is that they come with a high 3.8% deposit fee.

Users who wish to deposit on Phemex thus have to either deposit cryptocurrencies (free of charge) or buy crypto via credit card or bank transfer. Whether you are using Phemex or Kucoin, we recommend that you avoid depositing fiat currencies with high fees. In that case it's best to simply deposit cryptocurrencies and using the respective trading facilities of each exchange.

Phemex
Kucoin
Bitget
USD
-
Debit/Credit card
-
EUR
-
Debit/Credit card
-
GBP
-
Debit/Credit card
-

Phemex vs Kucoin Withdrawal Methods

If you're looking for a cryptocurrency exchange that offers the option of fiat withdrawals, you won't find a lot of option on Phemex or Kucoin. However, both exchanges have withdrawals for plenty of cryptocurrencies with differing fees.

To begin with, Phemex does not offer fiat currency withdrawals at all, only cryptocurrency withdrawal are available. For example, withdrawing Bitcoin from Phemex will cost you a 0.0004 BTC fee and 0.0001 ETH for Ethereum. If you wish to withdraw your SOL or USDT coins, that will cost you 0.01 SOL and 4 USDT respectively.

On the other hand, Kucoin offers fiat withdrawals only for EUR via SEPA with a 5 EUR withdrawal fee. When it comes to withdrawing cryptocurrencies, Kucoin charges a 0.001 BTC fee for Bitcoin withdrawals and a 0.01 ETH fee for ETH withdrawals. While Kucoin has the advantage of offering EUR withdrawals, overall, Phemex offers it's customers lower withdrawal fees on cryptocurrencies.

Phemex
Kucoin
Bitget
USD
-
Debit/Credit card
-
EUR
-
SEPA
-
GBP
-
SEPA
-
Phemex
Kucoin
Bitget
Bitcoin
0.0004 BTC
0.001 BTC
0.0005 BTC
Ethereum
0.001 ETH
0.01 ETH
0.0006 ETH
Solana
0.01 SOL
0.01 SOL
0.0074 SOL
USDT (ERC-20)
4 USDT
5 USDT
3 USDT

Is Kucoin better than Phemex?

In conclusion, both Phemex and Kucoin are great cryptocurrency exchanges that cater to the needs of both beginners and professionals. When it comes to choosing which exchange to go with, it ultimately comes down to personal preference and the specific needs of the user.

Phemex is a great exchange for those looking for a high-level user experience, competitive set of product features, and low fees for spot trading. On the other hand, Kucoin offers a good variety of products and services with an easy-to-navigate interface, and the ability to deposit and withdraw fiat currencies.

Phemex offers more options for professional traders with lower futures fees while Kucoin offers more finance products related to staking and earning. Overall, whether you're a beginner or a professional trader, Phemex and Kucoin are both great options to consider when it comes to cryptocurrency exchanges.

Bitget

Available in US, CA, EU, AU

Spot, Futures, Perps, Margin

+450 cryptos & 0.1% spot fee

Licensed by FinCEN & MSB

Visit Bitget
eToro USA LLC: Investments are subject to market risk.
Including the possible loss of principal.
Phemex

Low 0.1% trading fees

5/5 UX & no KYC

Perps, margin & copy trade

100X leverage

Visit Phemex
Author
Jack Moreau
Jack is a crypto writer and reviewer who has been active in the space since he caught the crypto bug in 2017. With a passion for trying out new shiny things, Jack is always eager to try the latest cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets or DeFi applications.

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