KuCoin vs Coinbase International

KuCoin or Coinbase International: which to use

KuCoin vs Coinbase International is a choice between breadth and a lower taker fee. KuCoin lists 686 perp markets, 159 of them real-world assets, and allows up to 125x, at 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker. Coinbase International lists 131 markets and allows up to 50x, at 2 bp maker and 4 bp taker, with funding paid hourly on every market. Pick KuCoin for market count and leverage. Pick Coinbase International for a lower taker fee and a fixed hourly funding schedule.

How each exchange is built

KuCoin is a centralized exchange (CEX): you open an account with the company, and the account holds your funds. Coinbase International is also a CEX with an account that holds your funds. Both match orders on a central limit order book, so you trade against an order book on each.

What the fees mean for market and limit orders

KuCoin's base tier is 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker, per KuCoin's fee announcement. Coinbase International's base tier is 2 bp maker and 4 bp taker, per Coinbase International's fee page.

The maker fee is the same on both: 2 bp for an order that rests on the book and is filled later. The taker fee differs. A market order pays it on entry and again on exit, so a round trip costs 12 bp on KuCoin and 8 bp on Coinbase International in fees alone.

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

Markets, leverage and funding intervals

As of 1 October 2026 KuCoin has 686 active perpetual markets, of which 159 are stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world assets. Coinbase International has 131, of which 34 are real-world assets. If you want stock, commodity or FX perps next to your crypto, KuCoin has more of them.

KuCoin offers up to 125x on its highest-leverage market and Coinbase International up to 50x. On both, most markets allow less, so check the limit of the market you intend to trade.

Funding is the periodic payment between longs and shorts. A positive rate means longs pay shorts. Coinbase International pays funding every 1 hour on every market. KuCoin pays every 1 hour, 4 hours or 8 hours depending on the market. An hourly market settles 24 times a day and an 8-hour market three times, so a position held across settlements accrues funding in smaller, more frequent steps on an hourly market. The list further down this page shows the markets both exchanges have and each one's funding rate. The funding arbitrage ranking ranks pairs by spread.

Who can use them

Both require KYC. KuCoin requires standard KYC, an ID and face check, for any product since August 2023. Coinbase International requires ID and a suitability check. Its perps are for eligible non-US countries and are not for US or UK retail.

Tokens

KuCoin has a token, $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 on that point.

Neither exchange publishes TVL, as is usual for a centralized exchange, so the TVL row and chart on this page are empty for both.

Which one fits you

• Pick KuCoin if you want the larger market list: 686 perps against 131.
• Pick KuCoin if you trade stocks, commodities or FX perps: 159 real-world asset markets against 34.
• Pick KuCoin if you need more than 50x: it offers up to 125x on its highest-leverage market.
• Pick KuCoin if you want a token: it has $KCS.
• Pick Coinbase International if you trade with market orders: 4 bp taker against 6 bp.
• Pick Coinbase International if you want hourly funding on every market, so you never check a market's interval.