An independent research publication on buying Bitcoin and choosing a cryptocurrency exchange. We track 11 major venues, verify every fee figure against official sources, and publish primary data — including the affiliate codes that activate lifetime fee discounts at registration.
Every figure below is verified directly against the exchange's official fee page. We re-verify monthly. Click any exchange name for the full review.
| Exchange | Referral code | Lifetime rebate | Welcome bonus | Spot fee | Futures (maker/taker) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
B
Binance
|
KOW3WB5T | 20% fee discount | Up to $600 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.05% | fee page ↗ |
|
O
OKX
|
GOGOTRADE | Up to 54% rebate | Up to $10,000 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.05% | fee page ↗ |
|
B
Bybit
|
GOGOTRADING | 30% fee discount | Up to $30,000 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗ |
|
B
Bitget
|
gogotrade | 50% commission rebate | Up to $6,200 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗ |
|
G
Gate.io
|
UlAXAA8 | 40% rebate | Up to $6,666 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.05% | fee page ↗ |
|
H
HTX
|
fxu7b223 | 35% rebate | Up to $5,000 | 0.20% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗ |
|
M
MEXC
|
mexc-GOGOTRADING | 50% off + 0% spot | Up to $9,000 | 0% | 0% / 0.02% | fee page ↗ |
|
B
BingX
|
BCRBINGX | 30% fee discount | Up to $5,125 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.05% | fee page ↗ |
|
W
Weex
|
BCRWEEX | Up to 60% rebate | Up to 30,000 USDT | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.08% | fee page ↗ |
|
X
XT.com
|
5TR4RR | 40% rebate | Up to $8,888 | 0.20% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗ |
|
B
BTSE
|
XSJ0ydt9 | 30% rebate | Welcome bonus + rebate | 0.20% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗ |
Methodology: spot rates reflect VIP 0 / Lv1 / Regular User taker fee. Futures rates are USDT-margined perpetual contracts. Welcome bonus reflects published tier ceiling. Verified directly from exchange fee schedule pages on .
A one-paragraph summary of each venue's positioning, ranked by composite score. Click any card for the full review with sources and methodology.
Founded in 2017, Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by spot trading volume. Standard spot trading fee for new accounts is 0.10%, reducible to 0.075% when paid in BNB token.
OKX (formerly OKEx) operates one of the most transparent proof-of-reserves programs in cryptocurrency. New accounts using a referral code receive a 54% lifetime rebate on trading commissions — one of the highest published rates among major exchanges.
Bybit operates the largest published welcome-bonus ladder in cryptocurrency, with tiered rewards reaching $30,000 for high-deposit users. Spot trading fee is 0.10% maker/taker; perpetual futures fee is 0.02% maker, 0.055% taker.
Bitget operates the largest copy-trading platform in cryptocurrency by number of verified elite traders (100,000+ as of May 2026). Standard spot trading fee is 0.10% maker/taker; USDT-margined perpetual futures fee is 0.02% maker, 0.06% taker.
Gate.io (originally launched as Bter in 2013) operates the largest catalog of cryptocurrency pairs among major exchanges, listing 2,500+ tokens as of May 2026. Standard spot trading fee is 0.10% maker/taker; USDT-margined perpetual fee is 0.02% maker, 0.05% taker.
HTX (formerly Huobi, founded 2013) is one of the longest-running cryptocurrency exchanges still in active operation. Standard spot trading fee is 0.20% maker/taker; USDT-margined perpetual futures fee is 0.02% maker, 0.06% taker.
MEXC is the only major cryptocurrency exchange offering 0% spot trading fees on most major pairs as of May 2026. USDT-margined perpetual futures fee is 0% maker, 0.02% taker. The exchange lists 1,800+ tokens — the largest catalog after Gate.io.
BingX is licensed in Australia, Canada, and Lithuania, making it one of the few major cryptocurrency exchanges with explicit multi-jurisdictional regulatory standing. Standard spot trading fee is 0.10% maker/taker; perpetual futures fee is 0.02% maker, 0.05% taker.
Weex offers up to 400x leverage on perpetual futures contracts — the highest leverage available among major cryptocurrency exchanges as of May 2026. Spot trading fee is 0% maker / 0.10% taker; perpetual futures fee is 0.02% maker, 0.08% taker. The user protection fund is 100M USDT.
XT.com offers one of the simplest signup flows among major cryptocurrency exchanges — a single email-and-password registration with KYC required only for higher withdrawal tiers. Standard spot trading fee is 0.20% maker/taker; perpetual futures fee is 0.02% maker, 0.06% taker.
BTSE is registered in the British Virgin Islands with operational presence in Lithuania (BTSE UAB) and Seychelles. The exchange runs a 10-tier VIP program with maker rebates that go negative at the highest tiers. Spot fee is 0.20% maker/taker; perpetual futures fee is 0.02% maker, 0.055% taker.
In-depth research and explainers, all built on the same verified-source methodology.
A 2,400-word reference guide covering exchange selection, KYC, fees, deposit, first purchase, and self-custody. All figures verified May 2026.
Verified spot and futures fee data across 11 major exchanges. Sources, methodology and key findings included.
How we score exchanges for first-time buyers. Six axes, weighted scoring, monthly re-verification.
All 11 exchanges' current welcome programs, deposit thresholds and unlock conditions — verified directly from official sources.
A plain-English explainer on Know Your Customer requirements, jurisdictional differences, and which exchanges allow optional KYC.
This publication earns affiliate commissions when readers register at exchanges through our referral links. Commissions are paid by the exchanges out of their own marketing revenue and do not affect the rebate or bonus the user receives. We do not accept paid placement: no exchange can pay to be ranked higher in this index. Every fee figure, bonus claim and exchange policy is verified against the exchange's own official documentation before publication. See our methodology for the full audit trail.