KuCoin and Huobi are two of the most renowned cryptocurrency exchanges worldwide. Both exchanges are among the top 10 cryptocurrency exchanges in terms of 24h spot and futures trading volume.
Additionally, they offer staking, prime pool, and other cryptocurrency services as well. Hence, deciding which exchange to use between KuCoin and Huobi can be challenging.
Here is a detailed comparison between the two exchanges to help you make the right decision.
KuCoin vs. Huobi: Supported Cryptocurrencies
Both KuCoin and Huobi offer a wide range of cryptocurrencies to choose from. KuCoin has over 300 cryptocurrencies and 600+ crypto and futures trading pairs, making it one of the top players when it comes to the number of supported cryptos.
Huobi supports over 400 crypto assets. This includes everything from renowned cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum to new names like WHALE, REQ, and PEARL.
KuCoin and Huobi support derivatives trading. KuCoin has perpetual futures and leveraged tokens, whereas Huobi has coin-margined futures, coin-margined swaps, and USDT-margined swaps.
Verdict: It’s a tie, as both KuCoin and Huobi support hundreds of cryptocurrencies and derivatives.
Trading Fees
KuCoin and Huobi both have tiered fee structures. Let’s compare the fee structures of the two exchanges.
- KuCoin
KuCoin charges a fee based on three factors: trade type (spot or derivatives), class of token (class A, B, C), and trading fee level. The class of a token depends on its value, market cap, and trading volume. Follow this page to learn about the class of each token.
Coming to tiers, KuCoin has 13 levels of trading fees. Users with a KCS holding of less than 0, a 30-day spot trading volume of less than 50 BTC, and a futures trading volume of less than 100 BTC fall into the first level.
For Level 1 traders, the trading fee is 0.1%/0.1%-0.27%/0.27% for spot trading and 0.02%/0.02% for futures trading.
Users with a KCS holding of more than 150,000 or a 30-day spot trading volume of more than 80,000 BTC, or a futures trading volume of over 160,000 BTC fall into the 13th level. For Level 13 users, the spot trading fee is –0.005%/0.075% to –0.005%/0.025%, and the futures trading fee is –0.015%/0.03%.
You can get an additional 20% discount on the trading fee if you use KCS for transactions.
- Huobi
Huobi also has a tiered fee structure; however, the fee structure is different for normal users and professional users.
All users with a 30d trading volume of less than 1,000 BTC are normal users. The tiering of normal users depends on their HT holdings. Users with an HT holding of less than 10 HT fall into the first level. Similarly, users with an HT holding of over 5,000 HT fall into the sixth tier.
The base fee rate is the same — 0.2000% — for all users. However, you get a discount if you use HT for transactions. For example, Level 1 users get a 10% effective discount on the trading fee, while Level 6 users get a 65% discount.
In order to become a professional trader, you need to have at least 2,000 HT holdings. There are nine tiers for professional traders based on the last 30-day trading volume. Traders with a 30d trading volume of 1,000-1,500 BTC fall into the first tier.
Huobi has a market maker/taker fee structure for professional traders. The market maker/taker fee is 0.0362%/0.0462% for Level 1 traders.
Similarly, traders with a 30-day trading volume of over 150,000 BTC fall into the ninth tier. The market maker/taker fee is 0.0097%/0.0193% for Level 9 professional traders.
Verdict: KuCoin is the winner, as it has a simpler fee structure and lower fees than Huobi.
Account Funding Methods
Both KuCoin and Huobi support fiat currencies. Let’s look at how you can fund your accounts in KuCoin and Huobi.
KuCoin lets you add funds to your account in three ways:
- Fast Buy: You can buy USDT directly with a Visa or Mastercard.
- P2P: KuCoin has a P2P terminal where you can buy crypto with 20+ payment options, including bank transfer, PayPal, and more.
- Third-Party Payment Gateways: Banxa, BTCDirect, and Simplex are some payment gateways supported by KuCoin. Please note that third-party payment gateway fees may apply when depositing or withdrawing funds using these methods.
Huobi
Huobi allows you to add funds to your account in two ways. The first way is by buying crypto locally (also known as quick buy/sell) using Visa/MasterCard cards, PayPal, and other payment methods depending on your currency.
The other way to buy crypto is through P2P. Huobi also has a P2P terminal where you can buy USDT, BTC, ETH, HT, EOS, HUSD, XRP, and LTC directly from sellers.
Verdict: It’s a tie, as both KuCoin and Huobi support fiat currencies and various payment methods.
Opening Account & Account Limits
KuCoin and Huobi both provide a seamless account opening and registration process. Let’s look at the procedure of opening a trading account on each exchange.
- KuCoin
To register on KuCoin, visit the KuCoin website and click on Sign Up on the top-right corner. A registration form will show up. Enter your details to complete your registration.
KuCoin doesn’t have mandatory KYC requirements, but there are limits for non-KYC users. Non-verified users can withdraw up to 1 BTC funds daily, whereas verified individuals can withdraw up to 200 BTC per day. An institutional KYC expands the limits to 500 BTC.
- Huobi
Huobi also has a seamless account opening and registration process. You can open an account on Huobi Global by entering your email or phone number on the homepage of the website and clicking on Sign Up.
The registration process is the same. A registration form will appear, and you need to fill it to open an account.
Huobi also doesn’t have mandatory KYC requirements, but it has restrictions. Non-verified users can withdraw only up to 0.6 BTC per day. There are no withdrawal limits for verified users.
Verdict: KuCoin is the winner, as it allows larger withdrawals for non-KYC users.
Ease Of Use & Interface
The trading platforms offered by KuCoin and Huobi are quite similar. Let’s draw a head-to-head comparison between the two platforms and determine which one is better and why.
KuCoin
KuCoin has the standard trading terminal you see in top exchanges like Binance Futures and ByBit. It has a charting system powered by TradingView and has almost all TradingView features, such as:
- Multiple time frame charts, ranging from 1 minute to 1 week
- Hundreds of indicators to choose from
- Drawing tools for marking levels accurately
- Various chart types: bars, candles, hollow candles, Heikin Ashi, line, area, and baseline
Apart from these features, KuCoin’s platform is intuitive and easy to use. It has an order book on the right side of the platform that shows buy and sell orders in real-time.
Below the order book, you’ll find the order form where you can place limit, market, stop limit, and stop market orders. KuCoin offers up to 10x leverage on margin trading and 100x leverage on futures trading.
At the bottom, there is an assets overview section where you’ll find open orders and order history.
Huobi
Huobi shares a lot of similarities with KuCoin’s platform. The top-center of the interface has the charting system. Huobi has two chart visualization tools: one is its proprietary system, and the other is TradingView. You can choose anyone based on your preferences.
If you choose TradingView, you get the same features available with KuCoin. Huobi’s proprietary charting tool has fewer features and is ideal for beginners who don’t want to be overwhelmed by the feature-rich interface of TradingView.
On the left side of the interface, you’ll find the list of supported cryptocurrencies and trading pairs. You can click on a pair from there to open its chart. Below the charting system, you’ll find the order form. You can place a limit, market, stop limit, or trigger order.
The right corner of the interface has the order book and the market trades section, where you can see live trades in real-time. The bottom section of the interface shows your order history.
Joining Huobi? Learn How to short Bitcoin on Huobi
Verdict: It’s a tie, as both the exchanges have easy-to-use and intuitive platforms.
Security Features
Since the cryptocurrency industry is largely unregulated, it’s essential for crypto users to choose the safest cryptocurrency exchange. KuCoin and Huobi are both highly secure exchanges with one of the best security systems.
Even though KuCoin has been hacked once, it remains to be one of the safest cryptocurrency exchanges on the planet. It implements all the industry-standard security features, like:
- Multi-signature cold storage wallets
- Multi-factor authentication
- Mandatory KYC for larger transactions
- IP allowlisting
- SSL encryption
Huobi is also a safe and secure exchange. It has never been hacked before and takes its security seriously. It implements all the industry-standard security features, like cold storage wallets, two-factor authentication, IP allowlisting, and more.
Overall, both Kraken and Huobi are secure cryptocurrency exchanges and can use them with confidence.
Verdict: It’s a tie. Both KuCoin and Huobi are secure cryptocurrency exchanges with best-in-class safety features.
Customer Support
Customer support is an important factor to consider when looking for a cryptocurrency exchange, especially if you are new to the crypto space. Let’s compare the customer support features of KuCoin and Huobi.
KuCoin offers customer support through three media: email, live chat, and help center. The help center comprises a wide range of blog posts, articles, and FAQs. If you need further help, you can reach the team using live chat or email.
Huobi provides support by email only. It has a comprehensive support center where you can find answers to almost every question. If you still have questions, you can contact the team by email.
Verdict: KuCoin is the winner, as it offers support by both email and live chat.
- Is KuCoin a safe exchange?
Yes, KuCoin is a completely safe exchange. It implements all the major security features and also has KYC requirements for larger withdrawals. Hence, you can deposit funds in KuCoin with confidence.
- Is Huobi a safe exchange?
Yes, Huobi is a safe exchange. It takes top-notch security measures to create a safe and hassle-free experience for its users. It also has mandatory KYC for withdrawals over 0.6 BTC.
Conclusion
Though the competition between KuCoin and Huobi is very close, we have a winner, and it’s KuCoin.
KuCoin and Huobi are quite close in terms of almost everything, but KuCoin has an edge in certain areas. For starters, it charges a lower fee and even offers a rebate to high-tier traders. Huobi, on the other hand, has a higher fee.
KuCoin also offers withdrawals up to 1 BTC for non-KYC users, whereas Huobi allows withdrawals up to 0.6 BTC only.
Overall, KuCoin is a better exchange, as it offers lower fees and higher withdrawal for non-KYC users.
Check out how KuCoin & Huobi compares to other exchanges:
