Contributor, Benzinga
August 13, 2021
KuCoin
Overall Rating:
securely through KuCoin's website

KuCoin is an exchange that appeals to traders and investors of all levels of experience and risk appetite. The platform has a simple interface that allows users to navigate through the various features of the platform on desktop, Android and iOS. KuCoin helps users gradually learn how to use the different instruments by offering beginner settings and gamified applications like Futures Brawl. Overall, it’s a strong platform for anyone looking to explore the variety of trading products that aren’t offered by other exchanges.

Best For
  • Beginners and experienced traders
  • Investors seeking a wide selection of tokens, including newer, smaller projects
  • Investors experimenting with tools like trading bots, lending and futures trading
Pros
  • Competitive trading and withdrawal fee structure
  • Over 770+ trading pairs available
  • No KYC required to begin trading but needed for credit or debit card use
  • Engaging features like lending, customizable trading bots, futures and margin trading
  • Ample security features like 2-factor authentication (2FA) and email notifications
Cons
  • Because of the high level of functionality, new users may experience some difficulty interacting with certain features, but this can be avoided through proper research

KuCoin Ratings at a Glance

Pricing
Ease of Use
Education
Customer Support
Offerings
Mobile App
Overall Rating

KuCoin Pricing

As far as fees and account minimums go, KuCoin is extremely competitive. Currently, there is no account minimum requirement on KuCoin. The fee structure for various products is listed below. Rates are very competitive, and users can receive a discount if they pay in KCS, KuCoin’s exchange token. Even without any KCS tokens, users will save on fees when compared to popular exchanges like Coinbase and Gemini.

Spot Markets:

Futures Markets:

Deposit and Withdrawal Fees:

The deposit and withdrawal fees on KuCoin vary depending on what asset is being transferred. You can view the full list of fees on Kucoin.

KuCoin Ease of Use

Fast and Simple Onboarding:

KuCoin’s onboarding process is very simple, and it takes roughly 10 minutes to create an account and begin trading. Users simply sign up with an email address and deposit either crypto or fiat money to begin trading. Crypto deposits can be sent from a user’s crypto wallet or another exchange, and fiat deposits must be processed through a 3rd-party payment processor available on KuCoin. Currently, deposits from debit and credit cards require basic KYC verification, meaning users will have to submit a picture of themselves alongside their government issued ID. Use of the platform may also be restricted based on your local jurisdiction. Be sure to check the terms of use. Once the account is funded, a user can begin trading immediately.

Intuitive and Helpful Trading Interface:

Beginning to trade on KuCoin is relatively easy, with new users being prompted with informational step-by-step messages on the different features the exchange offers. There’s also a “tour” button in the top right of the desktop interface that will walk you through what each section of the interface does. Although the interface may be a little bit daunting at first, the resources provided in the FAQ and beginner’s guide such as blog posts and videos will enable users to learn how to operate the exchange to their liking. Accurate charting tools are available for all trading pairs as well as market, limit and stop loss order types, protecting users from potential downside. As for the more complex instruments like futures and margin trading, users are encouraged to manage their risk by pop-up messages.

General Navigation:

Navigating KuCoin proves to be simple for those who are comfortable with desktop and mobile devices. The layout is divided into categories that separate the type of activity: buying crypto, trading spot markets, trading using derivatives and decentralized finance activity like lending and staking. Additionally, it’s easy to see your account’s holdings in the assets tab and transfer those assets to and from your different wallets and exchanges. Beyond this, when users click into pages such as the trading bot page, overviews of different strategies and examples of use are provided. The mobile interface is seamless and fits all controls into the viewing area without being too crowded. 

KuCoin Education

KuCoin provides a sufficient amount of information to educate its users; however this information is placed in areas on the website that are not easily accessible. Educational information can be found on the desktop website at the bottom, under the “support center” link. As for the mobile app, a user must navigate to the help center within the side panel and click into multiple links to access the full database. Although this may be a result of formatting and trying to provide a cleaner user interface, it’s possible that new users are less aware of this feature.

KuCoin
Best For
  • Experimenting Investors
securely through KuCoin's website

Some of the instruments, specifically leverage trading, are designed to only be used by seasoned traders. Severe losses and liquidation, or loss of an entire position, are possible in minutes or even seconds when using up to 100 times leverage that KuCoin provides. Although it’s important for market participants to do their own research and be familiar with the exchange they’re using, information about these services should probably be placed in more obvious areas on the website. 

There are some redeeming educational features that KuCoin offers, such as their Futures Brawl platform. Futures Brawl allows users to practice leveraged trading with negligible, known risk. Additionally, there is a section of the exchange called Futures Lite, that provides a simple futures trading interface with less risk than traditional leverage trading. 

KuCoin Customer Support

KuCoin currently offers adequate customer support via an online chat function on its exchange as well as a dedicated support request page for responding to tickets filed by users. The online chat function generally provides links to articles from the FAQ section, whereas the “submit a request” page will be responded to by a human. Some users have experienced longer wait times having tickets resolved in times of high traffic. Overall, the support does what it’s supposed to and is available 24/7.

KuCoin Offerings

KuCoin’s diverse feature offerings are where it shines. KuCoin’s trading bot, access to futures and margin trading, spotlight center, lending and gamified experiences like Futures Brawl are excellent tools that traders and investors can use. The best part about these features is that they appeal to traders and investors of all skill levels and can be used to implement various active and passive investment strategies.

Beyond the in-house tools that traders have access to, the fact that there are more than 770+ active trading pairs is a huge plus. Many investors look to find early projects in hopes of maximizing gains, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so on this exchange. It’s clear that users love the utility of these offerings, and KuCoin shows no signs of slowing down their new development. 

KuCoin Mobile App

The KuCoin mobile app is another strength that the platform prides itself on. Almost all the functionality that is available in a top-tier desktop experience is available in a simple, aesthetically pleasing app. KuCoin’s app can be downloaded on the app store as well as Google Play, making it accessible to retail users. 

KuCoin mobile separates its interface into five categories: Home, markets, trade, futures and assets. This allows for less clutter and an easier time getting to the page you need quickly and easily. Within each section, live data is displayed along with customizable charts in real-time. Traders are able to see a live order book flow, recent trades and add different indicators to the chart such as moving averages, RSI and Bollinger bands. The same can’t be said for other crypto investing apps that only show a historical line of price action. 

The home page provides a scrolling banner with promotions and freebie opportunities for traders as well as displaying the day’s top losers and gainers.There are often token airdrops and raffles for completing basic tasks within the app. It’s engaging and incentivizes users to dabble in different trading adventures they might not usually try. Frankly, the mobile experience seems to host a better user experience than desktop because of its simplicity and ease of navigation. 

KuCoin Overall Rating

KuCoin is an exchange that is definitely worth trying, especially for those that are looking to explore the wide range of coins that are available in today’s diverse crypto landscape. Additionally, those who are interested in trading with leverage will be able to do so here. The platform works very well and offers investors and traders access to almost every tool imaginable when it comes to using different strategies to grow their portfolios. The interface is versatile on both mobile and desktop but may take some time to get used to for beginners who aren’t as familiar with financial markets. Overall, KuCoin gets our recommendation as a trustworthy exchange that serves the needs of beginner and experienced investors alike.

Disclosure: ²Sum of median estimated savings and rewards earned, per user in 2021 across multiple Coinbase programs (excluding sweepstakes). This amount includes fee waivers from Coinbase One (excluding the subscription cost), rewards from Coinbase Card, and staking rewards. ³Crypto rewards is an optional Coinbase offer. Upon purchase of USDC, you will be automatically opted in to rewards. If you’d like to opt out or learn more about rewards, you can click here. The rewards rate is subject to change and can vary by region. Customers will be able to see the latest applicable rates directly within their accounts

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