CoinSpot is one of the top crypto exchanges in Australia, and KuCoin is immensely popular around the world, with over 11 million users. You have no doubt heard of both these exchanges, and trying to decide which is more suitable for use in Australia. In this article I will take a look at both of them, comparing various aspects of the two exchanges so you can work out which is better. Can’t wait to find out the answer? CoinSpot is the favorite for beginners and those planning on holding crypto in the long term. If you intend on day-trading or need advanced features such as staking, margin trading, and trading futures, then KuCoin will be the right exchange for you.
Coinspot Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Easy to use, perfect for beginners
2. Multiple deposit options
3. Most secure and trusted exchange in Australia
4. Over 350+ cryptocurrencies supported
Cons
1. Higher trading fees (1%) compared to industry standard
2. AUD is the only fiat currency supported
3. Live Chat support team
Kucoin Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Large crypto exchange with over 11 million users worldwide
2. Extremely low fees of 0.1% with a further 20% discount if you pay with KCS
3. Over 600+ cryptocurrencies are available
4. Additional features such as crypto lending, trading bots, margin trading, futures trading
Cons
1. High fees when buying crypto with fiat (3%-12%)
2. Cannot withdraw fiat currencies
3. Poor customer service – no live chat support
CoinSpot vs KuCoin Fees
There are various fees charged on both these crypto exchanges. Let’s have a closer look at both in detail.
Deposit Fees
CoinSpot charges ZERO fees on AUD deposits using POLi, PayID, or Direct Deposit (via OSKO). If you want to deposit using BPAY, the fee is 0.9% fee, and for a cash deposit, it costs 2.5%.
KuCoin doesn’t support fiat deposits. To buy crypto using fiat, you can pay for it directly at the time of purchase, without pre-funding your account.
Trading Fees
CoinSpot charges a fee of 1% when you buy and sell crypto instantly from the exchange. You can opt to trade on the market instead, where the trading fees are only 0.1%, but there are only 14 coins supported. To purchase the entire range of 350+ cryptocurrencies, you have to use the instant buy function.
KuCoin has trading fees starting from only 0.1%, with a 20% discount if you pay fees using the KCS coin (Kucoin’s token). This means the trading fee equates to just 0.08%. If you trade large amounts of crypto, or you own a substantial amount of KCS, you can reduce your fees even further, based on a tiered structure.
KuCoin’s market doesn’t allow trading with fiat currency, so you cannot purchase crypto for 0.1%. Instead, you have to buy crypto directly from KuCoin, with a fee ranging from 3% – to 12% based on your payment method. So even though KuCoin’s trading fee is very low, if you do not already own cryptocurrency that you can trade on the market, you need to pay a steep fee to receive your initial coins.
Withdrawal Fees
CoinSpot charges ZERO fees for AUD withdrawals to Australian bank accounts. Withdrawing cryptocurrency from CoinSpot will incur a standard transaction (mining) fee. This varies based on each coin and how busy the network is. The current fee will be displayed on the wallet page in your account.
KuCoin does NOT allow fiat withdrawals which is the biggest downside of the exchange. You can only withdraw cryptocurrency, with a flat fee depending on which coin you are withdrawing.
CoinSpot vs KuCoin Deposit Methods
CoinSpot accepts several deposit methods, including Direct Deposit, PayID, POLi, and cryptocurrency, which are all free of charge. Users can also deposit using BPAY (0.9% fee) or cash at a newsagent (2.5% fee).
On KuCoin, you do not deposit fiat into your account, but you can use fiat to purchase crypto directly. The payment methods accepted are debit cards, credit cards, and Apple Pay (which incur fees of 3% – 12%). You can deposit cryptocurrency into your KuCoin account with no fee.
CoinSpot vs KuCoin Features
CoinSpot and KuCoin both have great features, but KuCoin has more advanced tools that are perfect for experienced traders. I’m only going to cover a few standout features that each exchange has, but if you would like to read in-depth about every service offered, read my Coinspot review and KuCoin review.
CoinSpot has designed its exchange to place the customer’s needs first. The interface on the desktop site and the mobile app is incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate. They have a dedicated customer service support team, with Live Chat available. I have tested CoinSpot’s Live Chat feature on several occasions, and each time I am talking to a live person (not a bot) within a few minutes. The support staff is always polite, professional, and knowledgeable when assisting me. On the other hand, KuCoin does not have Live Chat, which is something they should invest in.
CoinSpot has a unique feature called CoinSpot Bundles, where you can diversify your crypto investment portfolio in a few easy clicks. CoinSpot Bundles are several different coins that you buy together in one go, spreading out your risk, lowering your fees, and averaging the cost over a few cryptocurrencies.
I like to use ‘Top Ten Market Cap’, which is as it sounds – the ten biggest cryptocurrencies based on market capitalization. Many investors plan to hold these coins anyway, which include BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, and ADA, and it reduces risk due to lower volatility. These are the CoinSpot Bundles currently available on CoinSpot.
KuCoin has free trading bots available on its platform that can assist you with your trading plans. You set the rules that your bot will follow, to automatically trade when certain parameters are met. You can even mimic the most successful bots by using their settings. The bots will run even when you are sleeping, and you don’t need your computer or your phone operating for them to work, since they run on a cloud.
On KuCoin, you can earn interest on your crypto to continually grow your investment while you leave it on the exchange. One way to do this is by buying and holding KuCoin’s token (KCS). If you own more than 6 KCS, you will automatically earn interest daily, with an estimated APR of 22%.
You can also lend your crypto to other users. KuCoin’s Crypto Lend supports over 160 cryptocurrencies, and you select the loan term of 7, 14, or 28 days. You can choose the daily interest that you want to receive from a borrower. With a higher rate, you receive higher returns, but you may not get a borrower willing to pay your rate if everyone else is offering a more reasonable rate.
With the ability to lend also comes the opportunity to borrow. If you want to borrow crypto for whatever reason, you can easily find someone on KuCoin.
CoinSpot vs KuCoin Security
Security is of utmost importance on any top cryptocurrency exchange, and CoinSpot and KuCoin are no different. CoinSpot has multi-layered security, featuring Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), custom withdrawal restrictions, anti-phishing phrases, geo-lock logins, session timeout settings, and offline cold storage of the vast majority of its digital assets. CoinSpot has registration with AUSTRAC, meets strict AML/KYC obligations, and is a certified member of Blockchain Australia, fully compliant with the Australian Digital Currency Industry Code of Conduct. CoinSpot is the most secure and audited Australian crypto exchange, the only one awarded the ISO 27001 certification.
KuCoin also utilizes various security measures to keep its customers’ funds protected, such as micro-withdrawal wallets, industry-level multilayer encryption, and dynamic multi-factor authentication. KuCoin has dedicated internal risk control departments that oversee all transactions daily. KuCoin was hacked in 2020 and $150 million was stolen, but they responded in a commendable manner. They acted quickly and managed to recover a large portion of the stolen funds, with their insurance covering the remaining amount. Their customers did not suffer any losses as a result of this cybersecurity breach.
Conclusion
CoinSpot is one of the best crypto exchanges found in Australia, and KuCoin is one of the most popular across the globe. CoinSpot has a simple, user-friendly interface, with Live Chat support, and excellent features such as CoinSpot Bundles. It has low 0.1% trading fees on popular cryptocurrencies on the market, but to access most of the coins it will cost 1% as you need to buy direct from the exchange.
KuCoin has low trading fees of 0.1% across all 600+ coins, which can be easily reduced to 0.08%, but unfortunately, you cannot buy crypto using fiat at this price. To buy crypto using fiat you will incur a fee of 3% – 12%, which is much higher than CoinSpot’s 1% fee. KuCoin also has no Live Chat customer support, and you are unable to withdraw fiat currencies from your KuCoin account. These major downfalls mean that CoinSpot is the winner.
CoinSpot is the better choice for most Aussie cryptocurrency investors, especially if you are a beginner. If you are planning to trade a lot, or you want advanced features, such as margin trading, futures, and a P2P marketplace, then KuCoin has got you covered. However, to avoid the steep fiat-to-crypto fees, you could buy your crypto on another exchange (for example, CoinSpot), and then send your crypto to your KuCoin wallet to use for trading. When you want to sell your crypto, you could send it back to CoinSpot, where you can convert it to fiat, and withdraw AUD to your bank account. Note that there will be a fee charged each time you send crypto from one exchange to another. You need to work out which is the best option for you, based on the amount you are buying or trading.