OKX vs MEXC

OKX or MEXC: which to use

OKX vs MEXC is two centralized exchanges that both require KYC, so the choice rests on fees, market mix and leverage. OKX charges 2 bp maker and 5 bp taker, lists 191 real-world asset markets, pays funding every 4 or 8 hours, and allows up to 100x. MEXC charges 1 bp maker and 4 bp taker, lists 1202 perp markets, allows up to 1000x, and pays funding as often as every hour on some markets. Pick OKX for more stock and commodity perps and a simpler funding schedule. Pick MEXC for lower base fees, a wider crypto list and higher maximum leverage.

How each exchange is built

OKX is a centralized exchange (CEX): you open an account with the company, and the account holds your funds. MEXC is built the same way. Both match orders on a central limit order book.

For the trader this means the same things on both: you deposit into an account, you trade against a public book, and the differences sit in fees, markets and access rules.

Fees and what they mean

OKX's base tier is 2 bp maker and 5 bp taker, per OKX's perpetual futures page. MEXC's base tier is 1 bp maker and 4 bp taker. We read MEXC's rates from its API, and it has no fee page to link. A basis point (bp) is 0.01% of the position.

A market order pays the taker fee to open and again to close. That is 10 bp per round trip on OKX and 8 bp on MEXC. A limit order that rests on the book and fills later pays the maker fee instead: 2 bp on OKX and 1 bp on MEXC.

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

Markets and leverage

As of 1 October 2026, OKX has 480 active perpetual markets and MEXC has 1202. Of those, 191 on OKX and 93 on MEXC are stocks, commodities, FX or other real-world asset perps. OKX has the larger share of real-world assets, and MEXC has the larger crypto list.

The highest leverage on any market is 100x on OKX and 1000x on MEXC. Most markets on both allow less, so check the cap on the specific market before you size a position.

Funding is the periodic payment between longs and shorts of a perp. A positive rate means longs pay shorts. OKX pays funding every 4 or 8 hours depending on the market. MEXC pays every 1, 4, 8 or 24 hours depending on the market. An hourly market settles 24 times a day, an 8-hour market three times, and a 24-hour market once. If you run funding arbitrage, the interval changes how often you collect and how quickly a rate move reaches you. The list further down this page shows the markets both exchanges have, with each one's funding rate and the spread between them.

Who can use them

Both exchanges require KYC. OKX requires advanced verification before you trade, deposit or withdraw. MEXC has required KYC before trading since February 2026, and unverified accounts see market data only. Check each exchange's own terms for your country.

Tokens

OKX's token is $OKB. MEXC's token is $MX.

Reading the numbers on this page

Both exchanges publish open interest as one side of open positions. For the same positions the two figures are on the same basis, so the open interest row and chart above are a like-for-like comparison of size.

Neither exchange has a TVL row or chart, as is usual for centralized exchanges. The TVL row in the Head to head table and the TVL chart stay empty for this pair.

Market counts differ in what they include. The totals above cover every active perp, so a larger count means a wider list, not deeper liquidity. For liquidity, read the BTC order-book depth row and the cost table, which we measure ourselves from order-book samples.

To see where funding differs between the two on markets both list, use the "Net 7d" column in the market list below. It subtracts a round trip on both exchanges at your position size from the funding the pair paid over 7 days. Funding spreads across every exchange pair are ranked on a separate page.

Which one fits you

• Pick OKX if you want stock, commodity and FX perps beside your crypto: 191 of its 480 markets are real-world assets.
• Pick OKX if you prefer funding on a 4-hour or 8-hour schedule on every market, with no 1-hour or 24-hour intervals to track.
• Pick MEXC if you trade mostly with market orders and want the lower taker rate: 4 bp against 5 bp.
• Pick MEXC if you rest limit orders and want the lower maker rate: 1 bp against 2 bp.
• Pick MEXC if you need a wider crypto list (1202 markets) or leverage above 100x, up to 1000x on its highest market.