MEXC vs KuCoin

MEXC vs KuCoin: which to use

MEXC vs KuCoin is a choice between two centralized exchanges that both require KYC, hold your funds in an account and match on an order book. MEXC charges 1 bp maker and 4 bp taker, offers up to 1000x and lists 1202 perp markets. KuCoin charges 2 bp maker and 6 bp taker, offers up to 125x and lists 686 perp markets, with 159 of them real-world assets against MEXC's 93. Fees, leverage and market count favor MEXC. A larger share of real-world asset markets favors KuCoin.

How each exchange is built

MEXC is a centralized exchange (CEX): you open an account with the company, and the account holds your funds. It matches orders on a central limit order book. KuCoin is also a CEX with an account that holds your funds and a central limit order book. For the trader the two are built the same way: you trade from an account at the company, and orders are matched on an order book.

Fees and what they mean

MEXC's base tier is 1 bp maker and 4 bp taker, read from MEXC's API, which has no fee page to link. KuCoin's base tier is 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: 8 bp per round trip on MEXC and 12 bp on KuCoin. A limit order that rests on the book pays the maker fee instead, 1 bp on MEXC and 2 bp on KuCoin. If you trade often with market orders, the 4 bp gap on each round trip adds up.

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

Markets and leverage

As of 1 October 2026 MEXC lists 1202 active perps, 93 of them stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world assets. KuCoin lists 686, with 159 real-world assets. MEXC has more markets in total. KuCoin has more real-world asset markets, so if you want stocks, gold or FX perps, it has the longer list.

MEXC allows up to 1000x and KuCoin up to 125x on their highest-leverage markets. Most markets on both allow less, so check the cap of the specific market before you size a position.

Funding is the periodic payment between longs and shorts, and a positive rate means longs pay shorts. MEXC pays every 1 hour, 4 hours, 8 hours or 24 hours depending on the market. KuCoin pays every 1 hour, 4 hours or 8 hours. An hourly market settles 24 times a day, an 8-hour market three times, so a position held for a day sees many small payments on one and a few larger ones on the other. MEXC also has markets that settle only once every 24 hours. The list further down this page shows the markets both exchanges have and each one's funding rate.

Who can use them

Both exchanges require KYC. MEXC has required KYC before trading since February 2026, and unverified accounts see market data only. KuCoin has required standard KYC, an ID and face check, for any product since August 2023. Plan for verification on either one before you fund an account.

Tokens

MEXC's token is $MX. 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 centralized exchanges, so the TVL row and chart show no figure for either. Volume and cost figures are read live, so use the Head to head table and the charts above for today's comparison. To trade the funding gap between the two, funding arbitrage by exchange pair ranks spreads and net funding over 7 days.

Which one fits you

• Pick MEXC if you trade with market orders: 4 bp taker against 6 bp on KuCoin.
• Pick MEXC if you rest limit orders: 1 bp maker against 2 bp.
• Pick MEXC if you want a longer list of perps, 1202 markets against 686, or leverage up to 1000x.
• Pick MEXC if you want a funding interval of 24 hours on some markets.
• Pick KuCoin if you want more stocks, commodities and FX perps: 159 real-world asset markets against 93.
• Pick KuCoin if you prefer a 125x ceiling on leverage and funding that is paid at least every 8 hours on every market.