KuCoin vs Gate.io: fees, EU licences and which to choose

KuCoin vs Gate.io pits two global altcoin exchanges with the same 0.10% spot fee against each other, but for EU residents the licence decides. On 23 October 2026 Gate serves the EEA through Gate EU, a MiCA-authorised company supervised by the MFSA in Malta. KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH holds a MiCA authorisation from Austria’s FMA, but the FMA hasn’t allowed it to start operating, and KuCoin lists the Netherlands as a restricted location.

Outside the EU the two are closer: KuCoin’s global platform offers futures and copy trading and publishes its withdrawal fees, while Gate’s global platform lists more tokens. Below we compare access by country, fees with euro examples, products and track record, using official pages checked on 23 October 2026.

KuCoin vs Gate.io: the short answer

For EU residents, Gate wins, because it is the only one of the two that can serve you. For readers outside the EU, fees are equal and the choice depends on products and record.

• Choose Gate if you live in the EU and want a MiCA-licensed cryptocurrency exchange for altcoin spot trading at 0.10%.
• Choose KuCoin only if you live outside the EEA and the US, want futures or copy trading, and accept its track record.
• Choose neither if you want EU-regulated futures, or published euro deposit fees before you sign up.

Read our full KuCoin review and Gate.io review for each exchange on its own.

Which one serves your country?

Location decides this comparison. Since 1 July 2026 only MiCA-authorised firms may provide crypto-asset services in the EU, and only Gate operates under such a licence.

Gate EU: licensed and operating

Gate Technology Ltd was authorised under MiCA by the MFSA on 29 September 2025 for custody, operating a trading platform, exchange, order execution and transfer services. The licence is passported to the other EEA countries, including the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Ireland. EU customers use Gate EU at gate.com/en-eu, a separate venue from Gate’s global platform, which restricts the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Austria and Malta.

KuCoin EU: licensed, not operating

KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH was authorised by the FMA on 27 November 2025 for custody, exchange, placing and transfer services, not for operating a trading platform, and passported to the EEA except Malta. On 19 February 2026 the FMA banned it from new business over missing anti-money-laundering and sanctions officers. It lifted the ban on 18 May 2026, but said commencement of business operations remains prohibited. KuCoin EU’s last update, on 30 June 2026, said assets remain withdrawable.

Outside the EU

KuCoin’s global terms list the US, France and the Netherlands as restricted, and its UK status is unclear. Gate isn’t available in the UK. In the US, Gate’s global platform is restricted, and US residents are served by a separate company, Gate US, Inc., which we haven’t reviewed.

KuCoin vs Gate.io fees

Both charge 0.10% maker and 0.10% taker on spot trades at the entry level. The differences are the VIP ladder, futures and what each publishes about withdrawals. KuCoin’s fees are for its global platform; Gate’s are for Gate EU.

Spot trading fees and the VIP ladder

Gate EU’s VIP tiers 1 to 16 cut fees to as little as 0% maker and 0.02% taker for active traders with high volume. KuCoin’s VIP tiers depend on 30-day volume, account balance or KCS holdings, and KuCoin offers a fee deduction when you pay in KCS, at a rate we couldn’t confirm. If you hold KCS for a discount, its price risk can outweigh what you save.

Worked example: €100 and €1,000

On trading fees there is no winner. For EU readers that settles nothing: a low fee is no saving if you can’t legally open the account.

Futures fees

KuCoin’s global futures cost 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker at the entry level, so opening and closing a €1,000 position with market orders costs €0.60 + €0.60 = €1.20, plus funding payments. Gate EU offers no futures; Gate’s global platform does, but we haven’t checked its futures fees. Leverage multiplies losses, and most retail traders lose money with leveraged products.

Deposit fees and withdrawal fees

KuCoin charges 0.00009 BTC to withdraw bitcoin on the Bitcoin network; network fees for other coins depend on the chain you pick. We couldn’t verify KuCoin’s euro SEPA or card fees. Gate EU supports SEPA deposits, card purchases and crypto deposits, but publishes no deposit fees or withdrawal fees on the pages we checked. Our Gate fees page and KuCoin fees page track what we can confirm.

Coins, products and services

Both are altcoin exchanges, but for EU users only Gate EU’s range matters.

• Coins: Gate EU lists roughly 420 to 440 markets with EUR and USDC pairs (400+ crypto assets); Gate’s global site advertises 5,400+. KuCoin’s public API showed about 815 tradable assets on its global platform.
• Gate EU services: spot trading, convert, staking, OTC trading, custody and a Gate Card. No futures, margin or copy trading.
• KuCoin global services: spot, futures, margin, staking, copy trading, an app and an API. None of it runs under an EU licence.

Smaller tokens have thin markets and are delisted more often, so use limit orders and don’t store more on any exchange than you trade with.

Security, proof of reserves and track record

Both publish a proof of reserves: Gate uses Merkle-tree and zk-SNARK technology, audited by Hacken in January 2024, and KuCoin offers a Merkle-tree self-verification page. Neither publishes a cold storage share. Proof of reserves shows that customer balances were covered at one moment; it isn’t insurance.

KuCoin’s record is heavier. Its hot wallets were compromised on 26 September 2020, in a theft reported at about $281 million and attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus Group; KuCoin said affected funds would be covered. In January 2025 its operator pleaded guilty in the US to an unlicensed money transmission charge and agreed to pay nearly $300 million, and in July 2025 Canada’s FINTRAC imposed a C$19.55 million penalty, which KuCoin has appealed. The 2026 FMA ban concerns the exact company that would serve EU customers.

We found no fines or incidents involving Gate EU in the sources we checked, but couldn’t verify Gate’s older history, so we don’t call its record clean.

If you still hold crypto on KuCoin

KuCoin EU says assets remain withdrawable. If you live in the EU, moving to a licensed exchange is the orderly route.

Who should choose KuCoin and who should choose Gate

• Choose Gate if you live in the EU and want licensed, low-fee altcoin trading.
• Choose KuCoin if you live outside the EEA and the US, want futures or copy trading, and keep only trading balances there.
• Choose neither if you want EU-regulated futures: compare Kraken vs KuCoin, or KuCoin vs Bitget for another unlicensed option.

How we built this comparison, and why it isn’t investment advice

We’re an editorial team, and we didn’t open accounts. On 23 October 2026 we checked both fee pages, KuCoin’s public API and terms, Gate EU’s user agreement, the FMA’s notices and ESMA’s MiCA register. Our scoring follows our methodology. Nothing here is investment advice; crypto-assets can lose all their value.