KuCoin, Gemini, Uphold and Huobi: the comparison

KuCoin, Gemini, Uphold and Huobi: all prominent and prestigious exchanges in the crypto world in various ways, but what differentiates them or what makes them similar? Moreover, based on their diversity and functionality, is there one among them that can be called better than the others?

Let’s take a step-by-step look at the main differences between the exchanges mentioned above. First, it is important to mention that KuCoin, for example, is a Chinese exchange based in Hong Kong. Gemini, for its part, is the exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. 

Whereas Uphold is a multi-asset exchange of crypto, stocks, and metals to trade, store, or use to pay by card. Finally, Huobi is a Chinese-born exchange that in 2017 had to relocate to Singapore due to stringent blockchain policies. 

KuCoin vs Gemini: is the best exchange the oldest or the most tech-savvy newcomer? 

When comparing KuCoin and Gemini, we will focus on the main features of both: fees, trading features, security, and social media presence. 

First off, Gemini was founded in 2015 in the United States, while KuCoin was founded in 2017 in Hong Kong. Generally, when comparing exchanges, it is necessary to take into account how long they have been active market players. 

Older exchanges usually have a good reputation and tend to be more reliable. So, in this case we are speaking about Gemini, since it was founded earlier. At the same time, newer projects may be more technologically advanced, so KuCoin may be more innovative. 

Another aspect to consider is where the exchange is located. Indeed, some countries have strict financial regulations, which makes it difficult to seek legal assistance if and when required.

In any case, in this case, both exchanges are centralized and both offer the option of a mobile App available for iOS and Android. Gemini has only one language available, which is English. KuCoin, on the other hand, has as many as ten different languages, including English, Portuguese, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish, and Indonesian.

Turning to the more commercial side, however, we know that Gemini’s trading volume is $9,282,337. Specifically, the exchange has fifteen trading pairs available. However, Fiat trading is not available on the exchange, nor is margin trading. 

In contrast, KuCoin’s trading volume is $36,168,422. The exchange has 445 trading pairs available. And, again, fiat trading and margin trading are not available on the exchange. 

It is worth noting that the greater number of available trading pairs provides more trading opportunities, but, at the same time, may cause technological shortcomings.

Uphold VS Gemini: is the former better?

While some of the main features of Gemini have already been analyzed above, let’s look at a few more notions with respect to the Uphold exchange. Uphold was founded in 2014 by entrepreneur JP Thieriot, and has become one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency service providers, with over 10 million users in 150 countries globally. It offers over 300 assets including cryptocurrencies, stocks, precious metals, and environmental assets.

Thus, Uphold is a leading cryptocurrency exchange that offers superior trading and investment features compared to Gemini. With significantly more assets, faster processing speed, higher security standards, and lower fees, Uphold may be the best choice for crypto investors. 

In any case, Gemini can also boast quite a bit of popularity, although it falls short of Uphold in terms of functionality and usability. Indeed, on Uphold, users benefit from processing speed, top-notch security measures, and minimal fees on all transactions.

Even from a security perspective, it is Gemini the exchange that leaves something to be desired, as it has suffered several cyber attacks, with a $36 million theft by a hacker. 

However, the exchange is still regulated by the NY Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) in the United States, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in Singapore, and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom.

Uphold, on the other hand, operating in the industry for nine years, has yet to suffer a cyber attack or hacking incident, proving that its security measures are, at present, impenetrable. The exchange is registered as a Money Services Business by FinCEN in the United States and is regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom.

In addition, as mentioned above, Uphold offers a wide range of features, including trading in four asset classes (crypto, equities, metals, and environmental assets), crypto staking, a debit card for multi-asset spending, readily available customer support, and automated trading services (DCA investing).

Gemini, on the other hand, is more specialized in offering cryptocurrency trading services, although it does not include the other three asset classes. In addition, Gemini also offers the credit card option for crypto. 

Finally, analyzing the fee costs of both exchanges, we can say that Gemini, in general, charges fairly high fees. Indeed, trading fees vary between 1.49% and 2.37%, and there is a “convenience fee” of 0.5% to 1% that is deducted from the total amount you receive. 

Deposits by wire transfer are free, although PayPal charges 2.5% and cards 3.49%. Uphold, on the other hand, offers free deposits via cryptocurrency and bank transfer, but charges 3.99% on card deposits. 

Withdrawing funds from Uphold does not charge fees. As for trading fees, they vary depending on the asset being bought/sold and range from 0.65% to 1.4%. 

Huobi vs KuCoin: two very similar exchanges 

A final analysis should be made between the Huobi and KuCoin exchanges, which are quite similar in many respects. The major difference between the two lies in the time characteristic. In fact, Huobi Global was founded in 2013 in China, while KuCoin, we repeat, was founded in 2017 in Hong Kong.

In any case, we are again looking at two exchanges that are centralized and offer the option of mobile apps available for iOS and Android. Moreover, also from the point of view of available languages, both Huobi and KuCoin offer a wide selection, including English, Portuguese, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. 

Moving on to the trading part, we see that the global trading volume of Huobi is 666,973,478.00. The exchange has 469 trading pairs available. On the other hand, KuCoin’s trade volume is 36,168,422.00 with 445 trading pairs available. 

Another similarity between both exchanges is the availability of both fiat and margin trading.