KuCoin fees and review
A broad altcoin catalogue with strong trading-bot tooling and high affiliate commission.
Referral code
Registering through this link applies the code automatically. Confirm it appears on the registration form before submitting.
Code discount
−20%
Restricted countries
KuCoin trading fees
Standard-tier rates. What a newly created account pays before any volume or token discounts.
| Specifications | Maker | Taker | With the referral code applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spot | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.08% / 0.08% |
| Futures | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.016% / 0.048% |
Rates change. Confirm on the official fee schedule before funding an account. Terms verified Aug 15, 2026
KuCoin advertises up to 60% commission to affiliates, paid Daily. The discount above is the portion passed on to you.
Review
KuCoin built its reputation on listing altcoins early, and for years it was the most reliable place to find a token that had not yet reached Binance. It still carries a wide catalogue, though MEXC and Gate have since overtaken it on raw listing count.
The built-in trading bots are the more interesting differentiator now. KuCoin offers grid trading, dollar-cost-averaging and rebalancing bots directly in the interface, configured without any code. Grid bots in particular are a reasonable tool for ranging markets, and having them native to the exchange removes the need to hand API keys to a third-party service, which is a real reduction in risk surface, since a compromised third-party bot platform is a well-documented way to lose funds.
Fees are standard: 0.10% flat on spot, 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker on futures. That puts the taker rate level with Bitget, a half basis point above Bybit, above Binance and OKX, and well above MEXC. The advertised affiliate commission is high, second only to MEXC among the exchanges here, and settles daily.
The regulatory position is the part that should decide this for most readers, and it has deteriorated rather than improved. KuCoin pleaded guilty in January 2025 to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in the United States and paid roughly $297 million; a CFTC order in March 2026 then removed the time limit from its US exit, converting a two-year withdrawal into an indefinite bar. It opened an Austrian-licensed EU platform in January 2026 under MiCA, and was barred from onboarding new EU customers the following month over anti-money-laundering and sanctions staffing gaps.
The practical effect is that a large share of the people reading a page like this cannot open an account at all. If you are in the United States, or anywhere in the EEA, KuCoin is not currently an option regardless of what its fee schedule says. Its market share has roughly halved alongside this, though daily volume remains substantial in absolute terms.
Verification requirements tightened substantially as a result of all this. Full KYC is now required for most activity, which is a change from KuCoin's earlier positioning as a low-verification venue. If you chose it historically for that reason, it no longer applies. Liquidity on major pairs is adequate but not exceptional: a reasonable place to trade moderate size, a poor place to execute a large order in a hurry.
What it does well
- Native grid, DCA and rebalancing bots with no third-party API key exposure
- Wide altcoin catalogue, historically first to list many tokens
- High advertised affiliate commission, second only to MEXC here
- Commission settles daily
- Maker fee of 0.02% on futures matches the cheapest tier
Where it falls short
- Permanently barred from the United States following the 2025 guilty plea and the 2026 CFTC order
- Blocked from onboarding new EEA customers since February 2026 over AML compliance gaps
- Market share has roughly halved, and the regulatory trend is downward rather than recovering
- Futures taker fee of 0.06% is higher than Binance, OKX or MEXC
- Verification requirements have tightened considerably from its earlier low-KYC positioning
- Overtaken by MEXC and Gate on listing breadth
How to register with the KuCoin code
Register through the referral link
KuCoin carries the referral code in the URL path. The relationship binds at registration and cannot be added later.
Confirm the code on the signup form
Check that the referral field shows the code before submitting. If it is empty, enter it manually.
Complete identity verification
KuCoin now requires full KYC for most activity. Have a government photo ID ready and complete verification before depositing.
If using trading bots, start with a small allocation
Grid bots perform well in ranging markets and poorly in trending ones, where they sell into strength repeatedly. Understand the behaviour with a small position before committing capital.
KuCoin at a glance
- Founded
- 2017
- Headquarters
- Seychelles
- Listed assets
- 900+
- Max leverage
- 100x
- KYC
- Required
- Fiat currencies
- USD, TRY, VND
- Korean interface
- Yes
- Restricted countries
- United States, Canada, Singapore, Netherlands, Germany, France, Poland
KuCoin FAQ
- What are KuCoin trading fees?
- Standard tier spot fees are 0.10% for both maker and taker. Futures are 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker. VIP tiers and KCS token holdings reduce these, and a referral code applies a discount on top.
- Does KuCoin require KYC?
- Yes. KuCoin has tightened verification substantially following regulatory action, and full identity verification is now required for most platform functions. Its earlier low-verification positioning no longer applies.
- Are KuCoin trading bots worth using?
- The grid bot is a reasonable tool for ranging markets and it runs natively, so you do not have to give API keys to a third-party service. It performs poorly in strongly trending markets, where it repeatedly sells into strength. Start small.
- Is KuCoin available in the US or the EU?
- No to both at present. The US bar is permanent: a CFTC order in March 2026 removed the time limit from the exit that followed KuCoin's January 2025 guilty plea. In the EEA, KuCoin's Austrian-licensed platform was barred from onboarding new customers in February 2026 over anti-money-laundering compliance gaps, so new European accounts are not being opened either. Check the restricted country list on this page for other jurisdictions.
- How much commission does KuCoin pay?
- KuCoin advertises one of the higher affiliate rates in this comparison, settled daily. The discount shown on this page is the share passed on to you.