KuCoin vs HTX

KuCoin or HTX: which to use

KuCoin vs HTX comes down to ID, leverage and the mix of markets. Both charge 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker at the base tier, so the fee rates do not separate them. KuCoin requires standard KYC for any product and lists more perps overall, up to 125x. HTX lets you start trading without ID inside limits, goes up to 200x, and has more stock and commodity perps. Pick on how you want to open the account, how much leverage you need, and whether you trade crypto or real-world assets.

How each exchange is built

KuCoin and HTX 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.

For you, the build is the same on both sides: you deposit to an account and trade from it. The differences are in the rules and the markets below.

What each charges per trade

KuCoin's base tier is 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker, per KuCoin's futures fee announcement. HTX's base tier is also 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker, per HTX's fee page. One basis point (bp) is 0.01% of the position.

A market order pays the taker fee to open and again to close. That is 12 bp per round trip on either exchange. A limit order that rests on the book and is filled later pays the maker fee, 2 bp, on either exchange.

Because the rates match, the fee does not tell the two apart. The other part of the cost is slippage, which grows with size. The cost table above adds the measured slippage to the taker fee twice at each size from $1k to $5M. Every exchange's trading cost is also compared on one page.

Markets, leverage and funding

As of 1 October 2026 KuCoin lists 686 active perps, 159 of them stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world assets. HTX lists 370, 251 of them real-world assets. KuCoin therefore has 527 perps outside that group and HTX has 119. HTX has the larger set of real-world asset perps, on a smaller list.

KuCoin allows up to 125x on its highest-leverage market and HTX up to 200x. On both, most markets allow less, so check the cap of the market you trade.

Both pay funding 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. The list further down this page shows the markets both exchanges have and each one's funding rate.

What each requires to start trading

KuCoin requires KYC. Since August 2023 that means standard KYC, an ID and face check, for any product.

HTX limits accounts without ID instead of blocking them. Trading starts without ID, inside limits that verification lifts. An account opened without ID since 2026-03-30 can trade futures up to 5x and cannot trade through the API. More leverage and API trading need level-2 KYC.

Which tokens they have

KuCoin's token is $KCS. HTX's token is $HTX.

Reading the numbers on this page

Both exchanges publish open interest as one side of open positions. That makes the open interest row and chart a like-for-like comparison of size, which is not the case when one exchange counts longs plus shorts.

Neither exchange has a TVL row or chart, since centralized exchanges publish none. The TVL part of the page is empty for this pair. Use volume, open interest and the cost table instead. To see where funding differs between the two on shared markets, the funding spread ranking lists every pair by Paid 7d and Net 7d.

Which one fits you

• Pick KuCoin if you want the larger list: 686 active perps against 370 on HTX.
• Pick KuCoin if you trade crypto perps: 527 of its markets are outside stocks, commodities and FX, against 119 on HTX.
• Pick HTX if you want to start trading without ID, inside limits, and verify later.
• Pick HTX if you need the higher cap: up to 200x on its highest-leverage market against 125x on KuCoin.
• Pick HTX if you trade stocks, commodities and FX perps: 251 of its markets, against 159 on KuCoin.