Review KuCoin

Often called “the people’s exchange” due to its wide range of altcoins. Commonly used to trade tokens before they reach top-tier exchanges

5.7
out of 10

Based on detailed analysis

Quick Facts

Founded:2017
Headquarters:Seychelles (claimed)
Spot Trading:✓ Yes
Futures:✓ Yes
P2P:✓ Yes

Detailed Rating

7
Trading
6
Sub Accounts
9
Exchange Verification
5
Beginner Bonuses
4
Liquidity
3
Interface Convenience
7
IEO Profitability
5
Fees
6
Reputation
5
Reliability

📘 KuCoin at a Glance

KuCoin is a global cryptocurrency exchange launched in 2017 and ranked among the top‑5 platforms worldwide by trading volume. It supports more than 700 cryptocurrencies and over 1,300 trading pairs—from spot and margin to P2P and futures.

  • Futures with leverage up to 100x, margin trading
  • Passive income: staking, lending, KCS bonus payouts
  • Tools for beginners and pros (bots, copy trading)

KuCoin offers a user‑friendly interface, competitive fees, and a wide set of features for active trading. The exchange serves tens of millions of users in 200+ countries, attracting an audience with its rich selection of altcoins and innovative products (Launchpad, DeFi, NFT).

📌 Fact: KuCoin distributes 50% of trading‑fee revenue daily to holders of its KCS token as bonuses.

🔥 Create a KuCoin account and start trading

⚡ New‑user bonuses, fee discounts, and access to exclusive promotions

💱 Spot Trading

KuCoin supports over 700 cryptocurrencies and 1,000+ trading pairs. Trades use a maker/taker model:

  • Base fees: 0.10% (maker) and 0.10% (taker)
  • Lower fees with higher volume or KCS payment: down to 0.08%
  • VIP clients: potential negative maker fees (rebates)

The KuCoin terminal supports limit, market, and stop orders, plus numerous indicators and customizable charts for technical analysis.

📊 Margin Trading

Available isolated and cross‑margin modes with leverage up to 10x on supported pairs.

  • Positions are opened by transferring funds to the margin account
  • Monitor margin ratio to avoid forced liquidation

📈 Futures & Perpetuals

KuCoin offers a broad selection of derivatives (dated futures and perpetual swaps) with leverage up to 100x (and up to 125x on select markets).

  • Fees: 0.02% (maker) and 0.06% (taker)
  • Lower tiers for VIPs, down to –0.005% for makers
  • Funding rate is charged every 8 hours on perpetuals

🧮 Options

KuCoin supports trading crypto options (European style) with advanced analytics and strategies.

  • Fees: 0.02% / 0.03%, with VIP discounts down to negative maker fees
  • Access to option chains, Greeks, and margin for complex strategies

🤖 Copy Trading & Trading Bots

The platform lets you copy seasoned traders with individualized risk and capital controls.

Automated trading bots are also available:

  • Spot Grid: grid trading on spot markets
  • Futures Grid: grid strategies for derivatives
  • DCA Bot: recurring purchases for cost averaging
  • Rebalance: automatic portfolio rebalancing
  • Infinity Grid: grid with no upper price bound
💡 Bots can automate trading but still require careful setup and risk management.

👥 Subaccounts on KuCoin

Subaccounts help separate strategies, delegate management, and control risk. KuCoin offers two modes:

  • Standard: for self‑directed trading with segregated assets
  • Managed: for third‑party discretionary management

📌 Standard Subaccounts

  • Create multiple subaccounts free of charge (available to all users)
  • Market access: Spot, Margin, Futures (configurable per subaccount)
  • Withdrawals—only via the main account
  • Inherit the main account’s VIP tier and fee discounts
  • Create in profile in seconds (set a name and type; no separate KYC required)

💼 Managed Subaccounts

  • For delegating assets to external traders
  • Investor keeps control: track performance, deposit/withdraw anytime, and disconnect the manager if needed
  • The manager trades on a dedicated account without access to your main account
  • Volume across subaccounts aggregates, boosting overall VIP level and lowering fees
💡 Popular with advanced traders, teams, and funds. Beginners don’t need subaccounts right away, but they help segment strategies and simplify portfolio control over time.

🛡️ Verification on KuCoin: with and without KYC

Since 2023, KYC on KuCoin has effectively become mandatory and directly affects limits and available features. Without KYC, only basic options are available (for previously registered accounts); after identity verification, withdrawal limits are lifted and all products become accessible.

  • No KYC: withdrawals up to 1 BTC (~30,000 USDT) per day, spot only, limited P2P, no derivatives or Launchpad
  • With KYC: withdrawals up to 1,000,000 USDT, full access to margin, futures, Earn, Launchpad and fiat rails

The check takes ~5–10 minutes: upload a document (passport/ID) and selfie. Verification is automated and comes with priority customer support.

📌 New users cannot fully trade on KuCoin without KYC. Verification raises limits and improves account security.

🎁 New‑User Bonuses on KuCoin

KuCoin actively attracts newcomers with welcome rewards. The amount depends on passing KYC and early activity in the first 30 days.

  • No KYC: registration and first‑trade bonuses, but smaller and without fiat promos
  • With KYC: expanded coupons, participation in Earn campaigns, P2P promos, and Launchpad missions

To claim, complete promo requirements: deposit a minimum amount, place a trade, join Launchpad or Earn products.

📌 All bonuses are shown in “Rewards” in your KuCoin account. Watch the terms and expiration dates.

💧 Liquidity on KuCoin

KuCoin is among the top‑5 exchanges by daily volume, ensuring high liquidity for most assets and minimal slippage—even on large orders.

  • 700+ coins and thousands of pairs, including derivatives and new altcoins
  • No KYC: access to spot order books with limited order sizes
  • With KYC: full access to margin/futures and large P2P trades

As of early 2025, KuCoin’s daily spot volume was about $1.5B. According to CoinMarketCap, the exchange ranked 8th among spot platforms by composite score (liquidity, traffic, volumes). Core markets (BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, etc.) feature very deep liquidity: large orders fill quickly with minimal slippage. Some major pairs see daily turnover above $500M, comparable to the biggest exchanges.

Liquidity varies by asset: top coins have tight spreads and thick books; smaller tokens trade thinner and can be more volatile. KuCoin incentivizes market makers to support new listings, but traders should prefer limit orders and watch daily volumes on lesser‑known altcoins.

Overall, KuCoin is comparable to Binance, OKX, and Coinbase in liquidity, trailing only slightly on absolute figures. Millions of users and global presence drive robust order flow—unlike small venues where trading is illiquid.

📈 If execution quality is critical to your strategy, KuCoin is one of the best venues for liquidity—especially across altcoins.

🖥️ KuCoin Interface & Usability

KuCoin’s interface works for both beginners and advanced traders. It’s available on:

  • 🌐 Web (browser)
  • 📱 Mobile apps (iOS, Android)
  • 💻 Desktop client (Windows, macOS)

You can customize layouts, use multiple charts simultaneously, save order templates, and switch trading modes—with a unified UX and cross‑device sync.

A demo mode is available for learning: practice futures on a simulator with virtual funds—no real risk.

  • No KYC: simplified interface for quick trades, access to basic P2P and spot
  • With KYC: full terminal with advanced charts, multi‑windows, and access to all markets
🧩 KuCoin’s app has a Lite mode for quick swaps and a Pro mode for full trading. Flexible UI and alerts make it convenient on the go. The app is highly rated—average ~4.5/5 for stability and ease of use.

🛡️ Security & Compliance

🔐 Fund Protection

  • Cold storage: most assets held offline and out of attackers’ reach
  • Proof‑of‑Reserves: regular public reserve reports + independent audits
  • Insurance fund: compensates users in case of hacks or incidents
  • 2FA & anti‑phishing: two‑factor auth and personalized email code
  • Withdrawal whitelist: send only to pre‑approved addresses
🧩 Account security largely depends on you: enable 2FA and set an anti‑phishing code.

🌍 Regulation

  • 🌐 Company registered in the Seychelles; operations span 200+ countries
  • 🚫 Not available to users from the U.S. and certain other countries—local laws apply
  • 📜 Certifications SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 attest to high security standards

🧩 Additional Services

💰 Earn Platform

KuCoin offers flexible and fixed products: staking popular coins, interest‑bearing deposit accounts, Dual Investment, and crypto lending (lend to other traders at interest). These tools generate yield on holdings without active trading.

🎨 NFT Marketplace

KuCoin is developing its multi‑chain NFT marketplace Windvane, integrated with KuCoin Wallet for easy NFT minting, buying, and selling.

🤝 P2P Market

In P2P, users buy/sell crypto for fiat directly. The exchange provides escrow and a counterparty rating system. Always check seller reputations and follow safety rules.

💳 KuCoin Crypto Card

In 2022 KuCoin launched its Visa card—KuCard—letting you spend exchange funds in regular stores. The card supports dozens of cryptocurrencies and auto‑converts them to fiat at purchase. Cashback is available: KuCard holders earn rewards (based on monthly spend and KCS Loyalty status)—up to ~1–2% in KCS tokens. KuCard makes daily crypto spending convenient while earning KuCoin ecosystem perks.

🎓 Affiliate Program & Learning

KuCoin pays up to 40% commission for referrals. The platform also features KuCoin Learn and a blog on trading, security, and blockchain.

🚀 Participating in Token Sales via KuCoin Spotlight

KuCoin Spotlight is the platform for early access to new tokens (exchange‑hosted IEOs). Participating lets you buy tokens at a fixed price before market listing. Many Spotlight projects have delivered substantial returns to early participants:

  • Only users with full KYC can participate
  • You need a balance of certain tokens (often KCS or USDT) to receive lottery tickets
  • Allocations are distributed via lottery: the larger your balance, the more chances
  • Not available to residents of the U.S. and some other countries (per regulations)

Since 2019, KuCoin has run 25+ token sales. Some saw explosive growth after listing. For example, Victoria VR (VR), LUKSO (LYXe), and Cryowar (CWAR) reportedly rose by about 200x from IEO price (a $100 allocation peaking at tens of thousands). Results vary, but overall Spotlight has a reputation for sourcing promising startups.

To join, register on the project page and accept the terms—then the system randomly selects winning tickets. A well‑known example is the Sui (SUI) sale in April 2023: nearly 250,000 participants, 225M SUI offered at 0.1 USDT per token. Hype was huge, and SUI later performed well after listing. The interest shows how closely the crypto community watches KuCoin launches.

Beyond Spotlight, KuCoin’s Launch Hub includes BurningDrop (time‑bound stake‑mining for new tokens), GemPool (farm new coins by staking existing ones), Pre‑Market (pre‑listing trading), etc. Spotlight remains the flagship IEO format for its simplicity and transparency.

📌 Important: IEO participation can yield high returns but never guarantees them. Always assess the project, team, and market conditions—don’t invest more than you can afford to lose.

🤝 KuCoin vs. Competitors

KuCoin competes with leading exchanges—Binance, OKX, and Bybit. Quick comparison:

  • Binance: the largest by volume/users, with the widest product suite (Launchpad, its own card, etc.). Mandatory KYC; KuCoin generally lists more altcoins.
  • OKX: a top‑5 global exchange with similar breadth (spot, derivatives, Earn). Offers lower base spot fees (from 0.08%) and a Web3 wallet. KuCoin counters with a broader token lineup.
  • Bybit: known for derivatives and deep liquidity. Introduced mandatory KYC in 2023. Fewer trading pairs than KuCoin but similar fees and services (P2P, copy trading, Earn).

🛠️ Practical Tips

  1. Hold KCS. Pay fees with KCS for 20% discounts and receive daily KCS bonuses.
  2. Choose low‑cost networks for withdrawals. For example, Tron (TRC20) charges ~$1 to send USDT vs. ~$10–20 on Ethereum.
  3. Track funding rates. If funding on a position is high, consider closing before the next interval.
  4. Use leverage cautiously. Place stop orders and monitor margin—especially on volatile assets.
  5. Vet P2P sellers. Check ratings, reviews, and time on platform.
  6. Whitelist withdrawal addresses. Prevents sending funds to unknown destinations.
  7. Store 2FA backup codes. You’ll need them if your phone is lost.
  8. Assess Launchpad risk. High upside comes with high post‑listing volatility.
  9. Watch promotions. KuCoin frequently runs competitions, bonus campaigns, and deposit promos.
  10. Study copy trading. Analyze traders first and size risks to your profile.
💡 These basics are especially important for beginners: simple rules reduce risk and improve outcomes.

✅ Conclusion

KuCoin is a full‑featured platform for traders and investors. Low fees, a huge asset selection, solid security, and a growing ecosystem make it a strong contender among top exchanges.

The exchange continues to evolve—adding new tokens and services and strengthening regulatory alignment. Users should still choose assets, on/off‑ramps, and strategies carefully. Follow the tips in this review to use KuCoin’s features effectively and safely.

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⚠️ Cryptocurrency trading involves high risk. Invest responsibly.