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 attach a fee discount at registration.
Fee figures below are transcribed from each exchange's own fee page and re-read within 45 days, or the site is not republished; codes, ceilings and referral terms are quoted as the exchange publishes them. Each row carries the date its schedule was read. Click any exchange name for the full review.
| Exchange | Referral code | Referral 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 ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
O
OKX
|
GOGOTRADE | Up to 54% rebate | Up to $10,000 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.05% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
B
Bybit
|
GOGOTRADING | 30% fee discount | Up to $30,000 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.055% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
B
Bitget
|
gogotrade | 50% commission rebate | Up to $6,200 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
G
Gate.io
|
UlAXAA8 | 40% rebate | Up to $6,666 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.05% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
H
HTX
|
fxu7b223 | 35% rebate | Up to $5,000 | 0.20% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
M
MEXC
|
mexc-GOGOTRADING | 50% off + 0% spot | Up to $9,000 | 0% | 0% / 0.02% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
B
BingX
|
BCRBINGX | 30% fee discount | Up to $5,125 | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.05% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
W
Weex
|
BCRWEEX | Up to 60% rebate | Up to 30,000 USDT | 0.10% | 0.02% / 0.08% | fee page ↗read 18 May 2026 |
|
X
XT.com
|
5TR4RR | 40% rebate | Up to $8,888 | 0.20% | 0.02% / 0.06% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
|
B
BTSE
|
XSJ0ydt9 | 30% rebate | Welcome bonus + rebate | 0.20% | 0.02% / 0.055% | fee page ↗read 7 Sep 2026 |
Disclosure: the referral codes in Table 1 are affiliate links. An exchange pays this publication a commission on registrations; the reader's discount and bonus are those the exchange publishes. How this publication is funded.
Methodology: spot rates reflect VIP 0 / Lv1 / Regular User taker fee. Futures rates are USDT-margined perpetual contracts. Welcome bonus reflects the published tier ceiling, quoted not audited. Fee rates transcribed from each exchange's own schedule on , except Weex, whose rate table would not render and still dates from .
A one-paragraph summary of each venue's positioning, ranked by composite score. Click any card for the full review with sources and methodology.
Before you click: every "Open" button in this section is an affiliate link. The exchange pays this publication a commission on registrations; the discount and bonus shown are the exchange's own published terms. How this publication is funded.
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) publishes monthly proof-of-reserves reports, among the most complete of the 11 we index. New accounts using a referral code receive a rebate of up to 54% on trading commissions — the second-highest published rate in this index, behind Weex.
Bybit publishes the largest USD-denominated welcome-bonus ladder in this index, with tiered rewards reaching $30,000 for high-deposit users (Weex quotes a 30,000 USDT ceiling). 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) runs one of the deepest catalogs in this index, with 2,066 base assets when we read its pair list on 17 Sep 2026 — third behind BingX and Bitget. 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 exchange in this index whose entry-tier spot rate is 0%, on most major pairs as of May 2026. USDT-margined perpetual futures fee is 0% maker, 0.02% taker. Its instruments list returned 1,595 base assets on 17 Sep 2026, fourth-deepest in this index.
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 identity verification required before the first withdrawal. 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.
Disclosure: each "Open" button above is an affiliate link; the commission is paid by the exchange and does not alter the reader's terms.
In-depth research and explainers, all built on the same verified-source methodology.
A reference walkthrough of exchange selection, KYC, fees, deposit, first purchase and self-custody. Fee figures re-read on the 45-day cycle; bonus figures as published.
Spot and futures rates across 11 major exchanges, transcribed from each published schedule. Sources, methodology and key findings included.
How we score exchanges for first-time buyers. Six axes, weighted scoring, re-verification on a 45-day gate.
Every indexed exchange's published bonus ceiling, referral terms and how the code attaches — quoted, not audited — with the rebate arithmetic done honestly.
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. Fee figures are read from each exchange's own official schedule and re-read at least every 45 days; bonus ceilings, referral terms and KYC policies are quoted as the exchange publishes them. See our methodology for the full audit trail.