Bitget vs KuCoin

Bitget or KuCoin: which to use

Bitget vs KuCoin is a close match on fees, so the choice comes down to markets and leverage. Both are centralized exchanges charging 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker at the base tier, and both require KYC. Bitget offers up to 150x and lists 862 perps, 345 of them real-world assets. KuCoin offers up to 125x and lists 686, 159 of them real-world assets. Pick Bitget for the larger market count, more stock and commodity perps and the higher leverage cap. Pick KuCoin if 125x is enough and you want its $KCS token.

How each exchange is built

Bitget and KuCoin are both centralized exchanges (CEX). You open an account with the company, and the account holds your funds. Both match orders on a central limit order book. The build does not separate them, so the differences are in the sections below.

Fees and what they mean

The base tier is the same on both. Bitget charges 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker, per Bitget's fee page. KuCoin charges 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker, per KuCoin's futures fee announcement.

A market order pays the taker fee to open and again to close: 12 bp per round trip on either exchange. A limit order that rests on the book pays the maker fee instead, 2 bp. With identical rates, the fee does not separate the two for a given order type.

The fee is only part of a trade's cost. Slippage, the price you move by eating through the order book, grows with size and depends on each book's depth. The cost table above adds both at each size from $1k to $5M. Every exchange's trading cost is compared on one page.

Markets and leverage

As of 1 October 2026 Bitget lists 862 active perps, 345 of them stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world assets. KuCoin lists 686, of which 159 are real-world assets. Bitget has 176 more markets and 186 more real-world asset markets.

Bitget allows up to 150x on its highest-leverage market and KuCoin up to 125x. Most markets on both allow less. Both pay funding every 1 hour, 4 hours or 8 hours depending on the market. Check a market's interval before you hold it: an hourly market settles 24 times a day, an 8-hour market three times. A positive rate means longs pay shorts. The list further down this page shows the markets both exchanges have and each one's funding rate.

Who can use them

Both require KYC. Bitget made KYC mandatory in September 2023, and unverified accounts there can only withdraw and close positions. KuCoin has required standard KYC, an ID and face check, for any product since August 2023.

Token

Bitget's token is $BGB. KuCoin's token is $KCS.

Reading the numbers on this page

Both exchanges publish open interest as one side of open positions, so the open interest row and chart above compare like with like. Neither publishes TVL, as is usual for a centralized exchange, so the TVL row and chart have no figure for either.

Market counts include every active perp, so they do not show order-book depth on the markets you trade. The Head to head table above shows order-book depth for BTC on both exchanges, and the BTC page lists every exchange that carries it.

Which one fits you

• Pick Bitget if you want the larger market list: 862 perps against 686.
• Pick Bitget if you trade stocks, commodities or FX perps: 345 real-world asset markets against 159.
• Pick Bitget if you want the higher leverage cap: 150x against 125x.
• Pick KuCoin if you want a smaller list of 686 perps to sort through.
• Pick KuCoin if 125x covers your leverage and you want to hold $KCS.