Gate.io is a global cryptocurrency exchange and leverage trading platform for high-risk traders. It's no longer available in the United States. However, the business announced in 2022 its plans to reintroduce itself to United States-based investors with a new trading platform called Gate US. There's no official launch date at this time.
Business Insider's personal finance team compared Gate.io to the best cryptocurrency exchanges and found it lacked transparency and access for US-based investors.
Gate.io Pros and Cons
Gate.io Pros
- Offers 3,800+ cryptocurrencies
- Spot trading, margin trading, and ETF services
- NFT trading and minting services
- Trading bots
Gate.io Cons
- Not available in the United States
- Gate US yet to launch; lack of transparency for US-based investors
- Hard-to-navigate platform with outdated information
- History of alleged hacks
Open an Account
No minimum
Varies by tier level and discount
- More than 1700 coins
- NFT auction and creation platform that allows creators to mint NFTs without fees
- Margin accounts and futures available
- Crypto staking and lending options available
- Fee schedule can be complicated
- Hard-to-navigate platform
- Not available in the United States
- You'll pay more for transactions if you're not using the gatetoken (GT)
- Promotion: Sign up and get a $100 voucher
Compare Gate.io
$2
0.50% spread for buy/sell transactions; transaction fee from $0.99 to $2.99; up to 0.60% for Coinbase Pro and Coinbase Advanced Trade
- Buy, sell, or store more than 250 cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and dogecoin
- Educational investment resources, mobile access, digital storage, and customer support
- Low account minimums
- Can earn rewards for certain cryptocurrencies
- Coinbase card lets you spend crypto or USD anywhere and earn crypto rewards; can deposit your paycheck into your account and convert from USD to crypto with no fees
- Pay more for lower balances
- High trading and transaction fees
- Limited staking options
Coinbase is one of the best investment platforms for crypto trading, staking rewards, and crypto storage. The crypto exchange offering nearly 250 coins and tokens and is great for active real investors who can utilize Coinbase's services, account options, and investment tools.
Coinbase- Promotion: Get $5 of bitcoin when you join Coinbase; earn up to $200 when you set up a new account and make your first purchase
- Features: Coinbase Earn rewards, Coinbase Pro advanced account, user-controlled storage, stablecoins, staking, and institutional trading tools.
- App store rating: 4.7 iOS/ 4.1 Android; Coinbase Pro: 4.7 iOS/ 4.1 Android
- Awards: Named Best Prime Broker in Hedgeweek's annual European Digital Assets Awards
$10
1/5%; 0% - 0.40% maker/taker fees
- Can exchange 200+ crypto assets
- Margin trading available
- Variety of educational resources and tutorials on cryptocurrencies
- Over-the-counter (OTC) trading and account management support available
- Kraken's futures and staking isn't currently available in the US
- Not available to residents of New York and Washington
- Features: More than 100 cryptocurrencies, margin and futures trading, OTC trading, account management for HNW individuals and institutional clients, multiple trading platforms, and educational resources.
- App store rating: 4.7 iOS/ 4.2 Android
$0 ($1 for fractional shares; $2,000 for margin trading)
0% ($5/month for Robinhood Gold)
- Free stock, option, ETF, and cryptocurrency trades; 0.01% APY on uninvested cash for non-Gold users and 4.00% for Gold members
- IPO investing available
- Cash management accounts available
- Website is easy to navigate; advanced charts for all users
- Lack of investing research and trading tools; can only take advantage of professional research if you're a Robinhood Gold member
- No joint accounts, education savings accounts, or mutual funds
- App store rating: 4.2 iOS/4.0 Android
- Consider it if: You want to trade crypto and invest in a wide range of stocks and ETFs.
Gate.io Overview
Gate.io is a global cryptocurrency and NFT exchange offering comprehensive trading and leveraging services for active traders. It offers thousands of digital coins, tokens, and other investable securities. However, Gate.io is not available to investors in the United States.
The exchange employs blockchain solutions to protect its users' assets and transactions. These strategies include cross-cryptocurrency address technology, hot and cold wallet storage, multi-signature security protection technology, and real-time asset transfer technology.
Despite Gate.io's beginner-focused content and access to research and trading guides, the platform is difficult to navigate and may not be accessible to crypto newbies. Beginners might find reading the platform's trending charts and market updates difficult while sorting through the multiple landing pages, programs, and services.
Gate.io offers community social features like an online chat room, live streams, and a social feed function so you can connect with other crypto traders and exchange trade ideas.
Gate.io provides 24/7 customer support with a comprehensive FAQ help center, online chat function, and email support.
It has a rating of 4.7/5 on the Apple Store and 4.9/5 on Google Play.
In 2022, the business announced plans for Gate US, offering many of the same trading features as its parent platform. However, there's no official launch date and there have been few updates over the last couple of years.
Ways to Invest with Gate.io
Here are some of Gate.io's most notable features and investment strategies:
Gate.io Individual Account
Gate.io lets you buy cryptocurrency, futures, ETFs, and NFTs for other cryptocurrencies (e.g., exchanging bitcoin for dogecoin and vice versa). Its ETFs comprise mainstream cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and Ethereum. The platform offers instant trading of multiple types of fiat money.
You can also use trading bots, which use a variety of quantitative strategies (auto and customized options) to mimic top Gate.io earners. With Gate.io, you can buy cryptocurrencies using a credit card or through your bank. You can also trade cryptocurrencies directly with crypto-to-crypto trading (spot trading).
The exchange's "push transactions" feature allows you to transfer a crypto asset to another account. The "flash swap" functionality lets you swap one currency with another within minutes. Futures trading, ETF trading, margin trading, and crypto lending.
Gate.io users can open a sub-account for more investment and asset management strategies in addition to their main investment account. Main accounts are now referred to as "master" accounts, and users can easily move assets between them.
Gate.io Margin Trading
You can choose between two margin levels:
- Isolated margin: Users assign a margin to a certain position, and it only liquidates if the margin falls below the desired maintenance level.
- Cross margin: Users can assign the margin between two positions within the same cryptocurrency. The margin then takes funds from the account balance as needed to avoid liquidation.
Gate.io Copy Trading
If you'd rather rely on the expertise of other experienced traders, Gate.io explains copy trading as a feature that allows you to mirror successful traders' strategies. You can easily view other users' performance to decide whether you'd like to copy their investment strategies, and Gate.io also offers daily copy-trading strategy recommendations.
Gate.io Magic Box NFT
You can create and purchase NFTs with Gate.io's Magic Box NFT platform. It allows for auctions and the trading of NFTs in many areas, including art, games, music, and more. Plus, creators can minimize gas fees by minting (the process of creating an NFT and adding it to the blockchain) for free.
Gate.io Fees
Gate.io's tiered fee structure determines discount rates on spot trading, futures trading, crypto lending, and interest rates. It's based on your 30-day trading volume, with lower rates on higher trading volumes. This is a standard structure followed by many crypto exchanges.
That said, Gate US may use a different structure or charge additional fees. At this time, Gate US has said little about what to expect from its United States-based exchange.
Gate.io Trustworthiness
Business Insider typically assesses trustworthiness in part by reviewing each investment platform's Better Business Bureau profile. BBB ratings range from A+ to F and reflect the bureau's opinion of how well a company interacts with its customers, but Gate.io doesn't have a BBB profile at this time.
In June 2023, Gate.io shut down alleged rumors of liquidity issues and a possible bankruptcy filing that sparked panic among Gate.io users. In a tweet, the business threatened legal action against the crypto investors that spread the rumors.
In recent years, crypto publications have widely reported that Gate.io was hacked in 2018, according to an alert from blockchain security tracker CertiKAlert. Crypto user ZachXBT, an account with over 600,000 followers, tweeted about the same hack. Gate.io has not responded to these allegations nor disclosed a hack to customers.
In October 2022, Gate.io's official Twitter account was hacked. Fake giveaways were tweeted out to users, asking for folks to connect their digital wallets to a suspicious link. The scam was caught early and shut down.
Gate.io Alternatives
Here's how Gate.io compares to similar crypto exchanges.
Gate.io vs. Coinbase
Gate.io and Coinbase both offer a vast collection of cryptocurrency products and NFTs.
Coinbase is one of the largest States-based crypto exchanges, offering hundreds of coins and tokens with a beginner-friendly interface, cold wallet storage, and an NFT marketplace. While novice crypto traders can use the platform, it's best for experienced investors interested in using Coinbase Advanced or signing up with Coinbase One.
Gate.io isn't available in the US. Moreover, its inaccessible platform makes navigating and finding up-to-date information difficult. Overall, Coinbase is the better exchange.
Gate.io vs. Kraken
Like Gate.io, Kraken is a cryptocurrency exchange that offers a large selection of coins and tokens, account perks, and futures trading.
Kraken is a better choice for advanced users overall because its Pro version offers margin trading, lower fees, and advanced charting tools. Kraken is also available in the United States, while Gate.io is not.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed Gate.io
Gate.io cryptocurrency exchange was reviewed using Business Insider's rating methodology for investing platforms to examine investment options, ethics, fees, and overall customer experience when reviewing investing platforms. Platforms are given a rating from 1 to 5.
Cryptocurrency exchanges generally offer multiple assets, trading tools, and other educational resources. Some exchanges are better for more advanced or active investors, while others may be better for beginners and passive investors. Gate.io was evaluated, focusing on how it performs in each category.
Business Insider's Gate.io Rating
| Feature | Insider rating (out of 5) |
| Fees | 4.00 |
| Investment selection | 4.00 |
| Access | 1.00 |
| Ethics | 3.00 |
| Customer service | 2.00 |
| Security | 3.00 |
| Overall score | 2.95 |
Gate.io FAQs
Can I use Gate.io in the US?
No, you can't use Gate.io in the US. Gate.io is no longer available to US-based investors but announced a future US trading platform called Gate.US in 2022. There have been no updates on Gate.US.
Is Gate.io a Chinese company?
Yes. Gate.io is a Chinese company founded in 2013 under the name Bter.com. The company was renamed Gate.io in 2017.
Is Gate.io a safe exchange?
Gate.io may not be a safe exchange. Some users have reported possible account hacks and suspicious activity. That said, there are no public lawsuits against the business or official hacks reported in the last few years.
What are the fees on Gate.io?
Fees on Gate.io are based on users' 30-day trading volume. Like many crypto exchanges, the more you trade, the lower the fees. Some fees include spreads, transactions, and management fees.
Does Gate.io offer copy trading?
Gate.io offers copy trading and daily strategy recommendations. Users can follow and easily mimic successful investing strategies from other users. They can view their performance and apply their strategies to their own portfolios.
