The Top Crypto Margin Trading Platforms in 2023
- Bybit: Best margin trading platform overall
- MEXC: Best margin trading in the USA
- Kine: CEX & DEX in the same platform
- KuCoin: Best for wide range of 700+ coins
- Margex: No KYC - margin trade anonymously
- Weex: Highest leverage (200x) with best depth
- Zoomex: Best DEX for margin trading
- Kraken: Best for ease of use
- Phemex: Excellent welcome bonuses
- Stormgain: Best Bitcoin margin trading
- Binance Futures: Best futures trading platform
With crypto margin trading, it’s important to use a platform that meets a number of criteria. In this article I explain what factors to look for when deciding on an exchange, as well as the top 12 places to margin trade crypto. If you aren't sure exactly what margin trading is (also known as leverage trading), then read my article which explains crypto leverage trading.
There are several points to consider when choosing a crypto margin exchange. Is the trading platform feature-rich enough to accommodate your trading needs? Is the platform trusted? Does it have a history of being stable? Does the exchange support the specific trading pairs that you want to trade? Also consider the withdrawal limits, your margin requirements, trading volume, and the maker and taker fees.
Since a seasoned trader is going to spend a lot of time on their crypto trading exchange, it’s extremely important to choose the right one from the start.
1. Bybit: Best Margin Trading Platform
Bybit is the best crypto margin trading exchange overall, and this is due to the trust it has gained from customers. Bybit has been around since early 2018, serves over 10 million users, and has over $10 billion of 24-hour trading volume, ensuring extremely high liquidity for short-term traders. Bybit is an extremely reliable platform, with 99.99% system functionality, and rapid trade speed of 100,000 trades per second. This creates an excellent environment for serious margin traders, who cannot afford to place their trust in a second-rate exchange that is unreliable.
Bybit's focus on margin trading is clear, offering up to 100x leverage, a generous amount, considering some other exchanges only offer 5x leverage. The available derivatives markets are USDT Perpetual contracts, Inverse Perpetual contracts, and Inverse Futures contracts. What's more, Bybit has extremely low market maker fees of only 0.01%, and market taker fees of 0.06%, enabling you to maximize your profits from all your trades.
Spot trading is also now available on Bybit, which traditionally focused on being a derivatives trading platform. Originally there were only four trading pairs supported (BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT and EOS/USDT), but they have expanded significantly, with over 70 pairs against USDT. This has greatly increased the attractiveness of Bybit to crypto traders, as there are plenty of coins where they can find opportunities to profit.
Bybit is perfect for both experienced and newer traders; the interactive user interface makes it possible for novices to ease into more advanced trading strategies, plus there is a testnet platform (demo mode) with mirrored capabilities of the main website. You can easily create an account here and trade with demo coins to get a handle on Bybit's powerful functionality. This ensures beginners can test out their strategies without risking their own funds, before deciding to trade for real. The more experienced crypto traders will also find themselves at home, with various trading options, tools and markets available.
Bybit is also an extremely secure and trusted exchange, complete with a unique insurance fund to protect traders from negative equity and being held accountable for excessive loss. There is also 24/7 Live Chat support with a real person to assist you whenever you need. This is very useful when you have issues or questions regarding your account, since it means you don't have to worry about wasting days of back and forth emails for a resolution.
One downside of Bybit is that it isn't available for US residents; if you are from the USA, I suggest using MEXC, our #2 margin trading platform. However, if you live outside of the US, you can sign up to Bybit here, and receive free $10 Bitcoin when you deposit $100 or more.
2. MEXC: Best Crypto Margin Trading in the USA
MEXC is my top pick of margin trading platform for those who live in the US, since Bybit is not allowed for US residents. With over 1,520+ coins, more than 2,110+ trading pairs, and up to 200x leverage, MEXC is an advanced exchange that caters for experienced crypto traders.
MEXC has ZERO trading fees for spot trading and 0.0/0.02% for futures trading, making it the lowest in the market. It also includes other features such as premium customer support, quantitative spot trading, and copy trading. Copy trading allows you to browse the most profitable investors on MEXC, and then copy their trades automatically. This is perfect for those that are new to margin trading, because you don't need to analyse the markets and conduct technical analysis yourself.
Another great bonus of signing up with MEXC, is that you can access a generous welcome offer if you sign up with this unique link. You will receive FREE $30 USDT for creating an account, as well as 10% discount off your trading fees.
3. Kine: CEX & DEX in the same exchange
Kine is a unique margin trading site because it incorporates CEX (centralized exchange) and DEX (decentralized exchange) options together in the one platform. Some margin traders prefer a centralized exchange, signing up to Kine and using the built-in wallets. Others who value their privacy like to use the DEX version because they can margin trade anonymously, without giving any ID. You can simply connect to your crypto wallet and begin trading immediately.
Kine has low trading fees of just 0.05% for makers and takers, with extremely high leverage of up to 200x. This is really attractive to margin traders who usually only find 100x leverage on top exchanges. Another selling point of Kine is that they have implemented a peer-to-pool mechanism, providing unlimited liquidity to traders. There is also minimal slippage which is perfect for large volume traders.
When you sign up to Kine with this unique link, you will receive a generous welcome offer of more than $1,640 USDT bonus.Click below for full details on how to claim your rewards.
4. KuCoin: Best for Wide Range of 700+ Coins
KuCoin is the #4 margin trading crypto platform and this is due to the huge range of coins (more than 700+), low trading fees, and over 20 million users. Margin trading is one of the most popular features used on KuCoin, with up to 100x leverage, and the fees are the same as spot trading fees, at 0.1% for both takers and makers. One benefit that KuCoin offers to its users, are discounted trading fees if you pay using their native token, KCS. When you pay using KCS, you receive 20% discount, so the fees are reduced to just 0.08%. If you have a high trade volume in the last 30 days, you can reduce your fees even further.
KuCoin also has excellent FREE trading bots, that you can use to automate your trading strategy. At the time of writing, they offer a Spot Grid bot, Futures Grid bot, Smart Rebalance bot, DCA bot, and Infinity Grid bot. These are excellent ways to take emotion out of trading, and allow crypto trades to happen without any personal input, even when you are offline, or asleep. Some crypto traders pay hundreds of dollars for the crypto trading bots, yet KuCoin is offering it to their users for free!
Besides margin trading, KuCoin offers plenty of other options for crypto enthusiasts, such as spot trading, derivatives trading, crypto lending, crypto borrowing, crypto interest, and even NFTs. There are even instant crypto purchases, swaps, and P2P marketplace if you are more interested in those features.
5. Margex: No KYC - Trade Anonymously
Margex is an excellent choice for margin traders that want to protect their privacy and identity, as the exchange does not require any KYC (Know Your Customer) verifications. Privacy is key in the crypto markets and in some cases, cryptocurrency traders that hold leveraged positions do not want to give up their information to institutions. Margex considers this and, as a result, has made it easy for anybody to sign up by simply creating an account and making a deposit before you start margin trading. There is no need to provide Know Your Customer details.
Margex only supports 39 different cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, EOS, LTC, XRP, ADA, SOL & YFI), which can be an issue for some traders who want a wider range of coins. However, they offer high leverage of 100x, quick updating of prices, and low trading fees of 0.019% and 0.060% for makers/takers.
Margex is not only a user-friendly exchange, but also extremely secure, storing 100% of users' cryptocurrencies offline in cold storage, with bank-grade security, as well as an innovative MP Shield System that protects their customers from any price manipulation. Users of Margex can trade comfortably, with peace of mind that their funds are safe, and without needing to verify their identity.
Margex also offers a generous welcome offer of $100 bonus FREE to new users, plus 15% of your first deposit amount as a bonus. To learn how it works, or receive this limited offer, click here.
6. Weex: Highest leverage (200x) with best depth
Weex is an excellent choice of margin trading platform if you like high amounts of leverage, since they have the highest amount of any top crypto exchange, with up to 200x. Most other crypto exchanges only allow up to 100x or 125x. Weex has gone above and beyond to allow traders to maximize profits.
Not only does Weex have high leverage, but the platform also boasts incredible liquidity, higher than MEXC and Bitget. You won't have any concerns about your trades being filled on Weex, and slippage is also not an issue. Weex promises to keep slippage to a minimum, and if it happens to exceed a certain limit, the exchange will compensate you.
When you trade on Weex, keep in mind that you are trading futures: either USDT perpetual, inverse contracts, or simulated contracts. The fees for trading futures are very low, at only 0.02% for makers and 0.06% for takers. There are only 30+ trading pairs, but they cover the most widely traded coins, so you shouldn't feel too limited unless you are searching for a very specific asset.
Weex has next-gen security measures, with an AI-powered risk control system as well as a dual-level account-risk management system. They even hold 1,000 BTC in reserve as a user protection fund, to cover any unforeseen circumstances where users' assets are stolen.
You can trust Weex, as it is regulated in various countries, with licenses from the US MSB, Canada MSB, and SVGFSA licenses. It is also audited by four security vendors: Shencha Technology, Qingsong Cloud Security, HEAP, and Armors to ensure that all systems are up-to-date and secure.
7. Zoomex: Best DEX for Margin Trading
Zoomex is a newer crypto exchange, established in 2021, but offers a unique margin trading experience for their users. When you use Zoomex, you have the option to use either the regular centralized exchange (CEX) or switch to the decentralized exchange (DEX). We prefer Zoomex's DEX version, because you can link your DeFi wallet to the platform and trade anonymously, without any KYC. At the same time, you can access the liquidity of the CEX version of the site.
When you trade on Zoomex, you can use up to 100x leverage on inverse perpetual contracts and USDT perpetual contracts. There are more than 100+ cryptocurrencies available to trade, and fees are low, at only 0.02% for makers and 0.06% for takers.
Zoomex also offers the popular Copy Trading feature, which is perfect for newer traders, or those who don't have time to watch the charts and conduct technical analysis all day. Simply pick a successful investor to follow, and Zoomex will place the exact same trades as him/her whenever a trade is made. It's an excellent way to make a profit from the experience of others, without having to spend any time.
8. Kraken: Best for Ease of Use
Kraken is a US-based margin trading exchange, with a longstanding reputation of trust in the crypto community. Kraken was established back in 2011, and has attracted more than 6 million users with their spot trading, margin trading and futures contracts in a user-friendly platform.
Kraken offers a wide range of 185 coins, and margin trading is accessible to all Kraken users, with up to 5x leverage. It is available on both market and limit orders, with extremely low fees. Depending on which cryptocurrency pair you are trading, Kraken charges up to just 0.02% to open a position and up to just 0.02% (per 4 hours) in rollover fees to keep the position open. High margin limits are on offer, with eligible clients able to access up to $500,000. With these low fees and high margin amounts, serious traders can maximize their profits.
Kraken is suitable for experienced margin traders as well as beginners who are looking to get started with crypto. Kraken's Pro trading interface is filled with tools and advanced order options to satisfy the needs of experienced crypto traders. For those who are beginning to dabble with margin trading, Kraken is an easy platform to learn on. The interface is very intuitive, and the leverage option is easy to find and toggle with a single button. Kraken's 24/7 Live Chat with a real person also helps to create a welcoming environment for new users who may have questions about margin trading.
9. Phemex: Excellent Welcome Bonuses
Phemex is an excellent crypto trading exchange with some of the best welcome bonuses on offer. By simply creating an account and making a first deposit, you will receive bonus crypto, depending on the offers at the time. You can also receive bonuses for linking your social media, creating a leveraged position, making a spot trade, and more.
Phemex was launched relatively recently in Singapore in 2019, but has quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the most trusted crypto exchanges. It has earned a name as a powerful spot and margin exchange and offers leverage from 5x all the way up to 100x. Phemex also has a mobile app allowing you to easily trade on the go, no matter where you are.
Phemex is an extremely fast and responsive platform, and the trading engine boasts a response time of less than one millisecond. More than 300,000 orders are executed every second, with over $1 billion in average trading volume per day. There are more than thirty liquidity providers directly integrated into their order book.
Phemex charges low fees of 0.075% for takers, and they actually pay makers 0.025%, making it stand out as one of the best margin trading platforms. Being rewarded as a maker for creating orders is a fantastic incentive, and helps large-volume traders increase their profits from successful trades.
10. StormGain: Best Bitcoin Margin Trading Exchange
StormGain is an all-in-one app for cryptocurrency margin trading and offers one of the best mobile apps in the industry overall. Check out their website to get more information on why it is considered to be one of the best trading exchanges available for crypto margin trading.
StormGain takes low fees to the next level by charging zero fees for cryptocurrency trades. In addition, it has a very high liquidity and allows you to open up a leveraged futures position with up to 300x leverage, one of the highest position allowances in the industry to date. You can choose from various available margin trading instruments including Bitcoin futures along with smaller altcoins like Dash and XEM.
This exchange offers excellent multi-platform integrations and an awesome mobile app that you can use to access the futures exchange and trading engine from anywhere. The app is one of the best in the industry with a stunning design, high responsiveness and flexibility, and offers most of the same functions that you can find on the website with no need to worry about compromising your trading when on the go.
Despite the fact that StormGain already helps traders save a lot of money, it doesn’t stop there. They also offer a range of additional ways to earn money aside from trading including an in-house Bitcoin mining app, a loyalty program, and deposit interest that pays up to 12% annually for holding funds on the website.
11. Binance Futures: Best Futures Trading Platform
Binance is known as the king of crypto margin trading. Binance is currently the largest cryptocurrency exchange on the market, and often takes the number one spot for weekly volume. Binance Futures is considered to be the best cryptocurrency margin trading exchange for novices.
This crypto margin exchange offers highly liquid trading offerings along with spot trading with low fees of just 0.1%, which can be discounted to 0.075% when paying with their native BNB token. Thanks to the highly stocked order book, Bitcoin margin trading on Binance is especially good. In addition, high-volume trading pairs always have very good liquidity since the exchange is used for trading by a lot of whales.
There are various margin types that you can use for risk management and protecting your position in a range of different ways, whatever the leverage. They offer a versatile futures exchange with low fees, allowing you to trade a variety of coins from big names to smaller alt coins. You can trade with Binance Futures when the price of crypto goes either up or down.
Before you get started on this exchange, you will be asked to take a short quiz to make sure that you don’t trade any more than you can afford to lose, since you will be margin trading with borrowed funds.
The enticing fee structure offered by Binance has made it one of the best crypto margin trading platforms available. You can save 25% on fees when you pay with BNB and get more attractive crypto margin trading fees as you move up the VIP ranks on the platform. When you progress high enough, Binance actually starts paying you for crypto margin trading.
Some of the main features that they offer include several USD trading pairs and some of the best Bitcoin and altcoin liquidity around. It’s a great place to make your first margin trade if you have no experience in the crypto world. In addition to the great features, it also offers a stunning and intuitive user interface that’s similar to the spot interface at Binance.
What is Crypto Margin Trading?
Cryptocurrency margin trading allows users to borrow funds to access greater capital, and leverage their positions. It amplifies trading results, so traders can make a higher profit from their trades, without having to invest more capital. Of course, the converse is true: a small drop in the price of a coin may cause substantial losses for a margin trader, and they can lose more than the capital they invested.
Leverage
Leverage is the amount that your buying power has been amplified to. You will see that a margin trading exchange may offer for example, 5x or 100x leverage. Leverage of 5x means that for every $1 you have, your buying power is $5. Leverage of 100x means that for every $1 you have, your buying power is $100.
How to Margin Trade Crypto
On your crypto trading account, you will be able to select the amount of leverage you want when creating your position. This can be as low as 2x or as high as 100x, depending on your trading platform. A leverage of 100x means that just a 1% increase in Bitcoin price, for example, will give you 100% return on your initial investment! However, the same is true if the price drops. As a trader, you need to determine what your level of risk is, and select the right leverage for you.
Conclusion
The crypto exchange market is currently huge and continuously growing as crypto becomes more of a mainstream investment option. There are plenty of great options to choose from, but after researching the platforms on offer, the exchanges listed above are the best for margin trading.
Even within these exchanges, there’s quite a lot of variety. The one that you ultimately choose will mainly depend on your needs as a margin trader. Whether you are looking for a great UI, extremely high leverage, low fees, or something that’s ideal for beginners, there is an excellent margin trading exchange for you.
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