KuCoin is a global cryptocurrency exchange and broker offering a competitive selection of decentralized securities, advanced trading strategies, and multiple earning opportunities. However, most of KuCoin's services are not available in the US.
Business Insider's personal finance team compared KuCoin to the best cryptocurrency exchanges and found it lacking in trustworthiness and access. We reviewed and rated KuCoin from the perspective of US investors with significantly restricted access to KuCoin assets and trading services.
KuCoin Pros and Cons
KuCoin Pros
- Low trading fees
- Closing, selling, and earning redemption services are still available for US-based investors
KuCoin Cons
- Exchange isn't licensed in the US
- US-based investors can't purchase securities or access most of the exchange's trading services and features
Open an Account
$1 to start trading
Spot trading: 0.1%; Withdrawal fees vary per coin (see more here)
- Low fees
- 1,000+ cryptocurrencies
- NFTs, futures, trading bots, and staking available
- The platform offers a self-custodial crypto wallet
- Exchange isn't licensed in the US
Compare KuCoin
$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
0.00% to 0.40% maker/taker fees (additional 0.5% fee on mobile trades)
- Want to trade 70+ digital assets
- Value account security and want your assets securely stored and insured against theft
- Features like faster order execution, crypto trading pairs and auctions, and charting tools
- Gemini Credit Card
- Crypto derivatives trading not available in the US
- Only stakes ether and polygon assets
- High trading fees and complex fee structure
- Promotion: Receive $15 of bitcoin (BTC) when a referral exchanges $100 or more within the first 30 days of creating an account.
- Features: Trading options for beginners, experts, and institutions; Gemini Earn, Gemini Wallet, and $200 million insurance in Gemini Custody.
$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
KuCoin Overview
Global crypto exchange KuCoin supports 700+ cryptocurrencies and more than 1200 trading pairs. KuCoin provides staking options, premarket trading opportunities, and institutional services. Users can trade on margin, earn passive income with trading bots, and trade crypto futures.
Although the exchange offers a competitive selection of cryptocurrencies and DeFi products, it isn't licensed in the US. US-based investors are limited to basic selling, redeeming, and position closing services through an unverified account, which doesn't offer the same security protection as a verified account. Deposit services (not including withdrawals) are unavailable.
Some US investors suggest using VPNs to mask IP addresses, but this involves a significant risk that may lead to KuCoin freezing your assets or blocking your account.
Overall, US investors should consider a different online brokerage or crypto exchange.
KuCoin's Help Center provides detailed information on investment topics, account support, and platform announcements. Customer support is available 24/7, as is a technical support channel, online chat, and a Bug Bounty Program.
KuCoin has a rating of 4.7/5 on the Apple Store and 4.5/5 on Google Play.
Ways to Invest with KuCoin
KuCoin is available in over 200 countries and regions but isn't licensed in the US.
KuCoin for US Investors
Since KuCoin isn't a licensed exchange in the US, only a limited number of services are available. US-based investors can manage unverified accounts to sell cryptocurrency, manage existing trades, close futures and margin positions, and redeem ETFs and earning products.
You won't be able to purchase cryptocurrencies or access staking, spot trading, API services, derivatives, margin trading, loan services, or other worthwhile features. As mentioned, some US KuCoin users use VPNs to access restricted features, but this doesn't always work and may result in a locked account.
To withdraw assets from a US KuCoin account, users must first transfer them into a Funding account. Some US users have complained of issues withdrawing funds and have had to jump through a series of hoops to transfer assets, including recording a video of them holding up pictures and official documents.
KuCoin Fees
KuCoin structures maker/taker fees based on users' trading levels (LV 1-12). The higher the trading level, the lower the fees.
KuCoin Trustworthiness and Security
KuCoin is transparent about how it secures users' information and accounts. On the KuCoin website, you can click on the "Security" tab and access detailed information on anti-phishing measures, privacy protection, device security, and platform and operational security.
Business Insider's personal finance team usually considers each company's Better Business Bureau profile when evaluating trustworthiness, but KuCoin has no profile with the Better Business Bureau.
On January 27, 2025, KuCoin pleaded guilty to operating as an unlicensed money-transmitting business after being charged by the US Attorney and Homeland Security Agency for failing to implement effective anti-money laundering and know-your-customer (KYC) programs, failing to report suspicious transactions, and failing to register with the US Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The business agreed to pay over $297 million in penalties and will not participate in the US market for at least two years.
In 2023, New York's attorney general accused the exchange of failing to register with the state before operating trading services. In December of that year, KuCoin agreed to block New York users from using its platform and pay a $22 million settlement.
KuCoin has not been subject to a large-scale hack since 2020.
KuCoin Alternatives
Here's how KuCoin compares to similar crypto exchanges.
KuCoin vs. Coinbase
Coinbase is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the US, offering hundreds of cryptocurrencies, retirement savings accounts, real-time order books, and sophisticated charting capabilities.
KuCoin and Coinbase have similar offerings. Still, KuCoin isn't licensed in the US. If you are interested in KuCoin, Coinbase is a solid alternative platform with similar services, trading tools, and account features.
KuCoin vs. Kraken
Kraken is a large-scale crypto exchange with strong security features and customer support. Like KuCoin, Kraken offers earning opportunities, NFTs, and futures trading. But unlike KuCoin, Kraken is licensed in the US.
US-based investors seeking a KuCoin exchange alternative should consider Kraken. Kraken offers generally low trading fees (especially with its Pro platform), robust asset management services, and a large selection of educational resources to help novice crypto traders better understand the industry.
Kraken is not available to residents of New York and Washington.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Reviewed KuCoin
We examined KuCoin using Business Insider's rating methodology for investing platforms to compare pricing, account flexibility, ethics, security, and overall customer experience when reviewing investing platforms. Platforms are given a rating between 1 and 5.
Some exchanges are better for more advanced or active investors, while others may better suit beginners. KuCoin was evaluated, focusing on how it performed in each category.
Business Insider's KuCoin Overall Rating
| Feature | Our rating (out of 5) |
| Fees | 3.00 |
| Investment selection | 1.00 |
| Security | 2.00 |
| Ethics | 1.00 |
| Access | 1.00 |
| Customer service | 3.00 |
| Overall score | 1.85 |
KuCoin FAQs
Is KuCoin legal in the US?
KuCoin is not legal in the US and recently agreed to exit from US markets for at least two years after pleading guilty to charges for unlicensed money transition. US investors with KuCoin accounts are still eligible to sell and withdraw assets.
Is KuCoin a safe exchange?
KuCoin is not regarded as a safe exchange for US investors, who must use unverified accounts. Unverified accounts don't have the same fraud and hacking protection as verified accounts.
What are the fees on KuCoin?
Fees on KuCoin include maker/taker fees based on trading levels LV 1-12. The higher your trading level, the lower the fees.
Does KuCoin offer staking or lending?
Yes, KuCoin offers staking and lending services for various cryptocurrencies with redemption periods between one and 21 days. You can also stake KuCoin's native token, KCS, for potentially higher yields and other discount perks (not available in the US).
