Gate.io vs CEX.io: Will the Underdog Win?
Welcome! Join us as we compare Gate.io and Cex.io, which are vastly different beyond having .io in their name. We will look at fees, payment methods, trading experience, security, and more. Let’s go!
Fees
Gate.io Trading Fees
In the image shared below, we’ve highlighted Gate.io’s trading fees, which start at just 0.2% for beginners. This is about average for this industry, but the real value is for ultra-high volume traders, who can unlock cryptocurrency rebates by opting to pay their fees in Gate Token (GT), the platform’s native utility token.
CEX.io Trading Fees
Beginners trading on Cex.io will find a fee structure that offers makers a 0.15% charge and takers a 0.25% charge until they are trading over 5 BTC per month in value. There are no rebates on offer, but the minimum trading fees possible are 0% for makers and 0.1% for takers, though you’ll need to trade over $20m worth of cryptocurrency per month.
Cex.io vs Gate.io: Gate.io offers lower trading fees for traders at almost all levels.
Sign Up & KYC Experience
Joining Gate.io
Here’s how to get you started:
- Head to Gate.io by clicking this link
- Click the signup button and type your country, username, email address, and password
- You’ll be asked to add a ‘Fund Password’ which is a separate password used when making a withdrawal
- Your account will now be made and confirmed once you click the link in your emails
- Recommended: You should set up Two Factor Authentication before doing anything else, for your personal security
If you have no crypto whatsoever and need to buy some, you’ll need to go through KYC identity checks, which means uploading a copy of your ID and providing personal information. Of course, you’ll need to do this to make withdrawals too.
Joining CEX.io
- Head to Cex.io
- Click ‘Register’
- Choose Individual Account
- Provide your email address, a password, your first and last name, and your country of residence
- Go to your email inbox and confirm your account by copying the code that has been sent to you
- Your account is now created, but to use CEX’s features, you’ll need to verify your ID
- The ID verification process is best done using your mobile phone. You’ll be asked to scan a QR code and then take photos of the required documents
- Approval times are super quick and you should be up and running within the hour
Cex.io vs Gate.io: It’s a draw.
Ease of Use & Feel of Website or App
Gate.io UX/UI
Gate.io has the feel and functions of a fully comprehensive trading platform. Unlike Coinbase, primarily a brokerage, or CoinSwitch, which specializes in one-click simple trading, Gate.io is for the cryptocurrency enthusiast who wants to do everything. That means you can learn about spot and margin trading, enjoy trading on a mobile app, buy Bitcoins from liquidity partners, stake coins to earn interest, and even invest in new coins in the Startup feature. The platform might not be the easiest to use globally, but it is intuitive enough that users will quickly get the hang of things.
Using CEX.io
CEX.io is a British exchange registered in several other locations, including Gibraltar and the US. Despite being founded in 2013 and boasting over 4 million registered users, CEX is still considered a tiny exchange. The average daily trading volume might not even be in the top 100 globally, but fortunately, CEX’s magic is not found in vanity metrics.
What makes CEX so good to use is that you can find almost every service you want in such a well-designed way that makes it hard to mess up. Spot trading, staking, a clean mobile app, and 24/7 support all deserve a thumbs up.
Cex.io vs Gate.io: CEX.io offers a better mobile app, but Gate.io provides more features for traders.
Deposit Methods
Depositing funds into Gate.io
No deposits or fiat wallets are available.
Making deposits on CEX.io
Traders in the UK flocked to CEX.io for the past two years, with their instant deposit GBP services rivalling those of their competitors. Already one of the most affordable cryptocurrency exchanges for debit and credit card deposits (2.99%) in USD and EUR, the 1.49% charge for GBP has made CEX.io a go-to for British investors. Some may find that this low deposit fee offers a more affordable and reliable on-ramp, even if it requires foreign exchange rates to be applied.
As well as card deposits, you can deposit via:
- Bank transfer
- ACH
- SWIFT
- Domestic Wire
- Faster Payments
- SEPA
- E-Wallet
- Qiwi
- Skrill
- Epay
- Advcash
Cex.io vs Gate.io: CEX.io is far better for those looking to deposit fiat currency.
Instant Buy Options (Buying with a Credit or Debit card)
Buying assets on Gate.io
These days, most crypto exchanges offer traders the option to purchase cryptocurrency directly, which we refer to as a brokerage. Gate.io is not one of them, and for good reason. Being a broker is much more complicated and requires far more transparency with the authorities. Gate is one of the few exchanges that still features anonymous trading, emphasizing the privacy that cryptocurrency allows. Their compromise was to partner with companies like Banxa, Simplex, Advcash, Coinify, and Mercuryo. They offer liquidity as a third party and will enable you to turn your capital into cryptocurrency.
Purchasing crypto on CEX.io
Cex.io supports credit and debit card transactions with low charges, at just 2.99%. This service does have some terms regarding your country of residence, but you will need to be KYC verified regardless.
Cex.io vs Gate.io: For this review, we choose CEX.io, partially for the direct purchase but also for the low card charges.
Trading Experience
Trading with Gate.io
Gate.io offers more coins and digital currencies than any rival exchanges, with an astonishing selection of over 800. These 800+ coins are then combined into more than 1,400 trading pairs, allowing you to make trades with great flexibility. For example, Bitcoin (BTC) has been combined with over 100 different coins to make trading pairs, Ethereum (ETH) has several hundred combinations, and Tether has even more. As well as flexibility, each trade is easily made through the excellent order book. Choose your coin pairing, such as BTC/USDT, and type in how much BTC or USDT you want to buy or sell, then confirm the order.
It’s worth mentioning that Gate.io is USA-friendly and can be used in more than 150 countries. Margin trading, derivatives, staking, copy trading, lending & borrowing, NFTs, and more are all available, making it one of the best cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.
Trading with CEX.io
Like with Gate.io, CEX keeps exchanges of Bitcoin and other coins simple. Choose the currency pairing you want to trade, scroll down the page to the order form, enter how much you want to buy or sell, and confirm the transaction. The process is secure and sufficient, offering around 90 cryptocurrency options and roughly 250 trading pairs. This still represents a diverse coin selection in the cryptocurrency market.
Efficient 24/7 phone and email support is a huge plus, too, as few exchanges go to these lengths to help answer customer queries. CEX.io is also USA-friendly.
Cex.io vs Gate.io: Gate.io has become one of the best trading platforms globally in the last two years.
Reputation and Security
Gate’s history
When Gate.io entered the market, it caused a bit of friction. Gate.io is essentially a rebrand of Bter.com, an exchange that got hacked for 7,170 BTC in 2015. Unable to pay their debts and facing the Chinese cryptocurrency ban, the company closed in 2017, before reopening under a new name and in a new location months later. Those whose funds were hacked might rightly never forgive them, but based on how impressive Gate.io is, we think it’s time to move forward.
Security is now a priority for Gate.io and is recognized as one of the most secure exchanges in the world over the last few years. In addition, two Factor Authentication, bounty hunting, and more security features are available.
The word on CEX.io
CEX has a gold star. No hackings, no exploits, nothing. You can read more here about their approach to security.
Cex.io vs Gate.io: CEX offers investors a more trustworthy experience.
Gate.io or CEX.io: Who is our winner?
Overall, when weighing up everything, we have to say Gate.io is our winner unless you are a British trader using GBP. Get started with Gate.io now.