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Transferable to your own wallet
Self-custody of cryptocurrencies plays an important role for many users who want to manage their cryptocurrencies and thus their "private keys" themselves and not leave them in the hands of the exchange. Most exchanges offer the option of sending the purchased cryptocurrencies to their own wallet.
Deposit protection is a safeguard for the assets of users of a stock exchange or broker, which is intended to protect investors in the event of insolvency or a high loss due to a hacker attack. Service providers based in Germany are legally obliged to provide deposit protection of €100,000. In some cases, international exchanges have a special insurance policy that covers a certain portion of the assets instead of a deposit guarantee.
The overall rating is the average of our individual ratings. Our ratings do not constitute investment advice, but merely our personal opinion. You are welcome to use them as rough indicators and additional perspective. In the dynamic and fast-growing crypto sector, parameters can often change from one day to the next, so we cannot guarantee that the rating data is up to date. Therefore, please never use our ratings as an isolated basis for decision-making and not as a substitute for your own research.
This rating describes our personal assessment of the user-friendliness of the product. How easy is the onboarding process? How modern is the user interface and is it easy to use? Are all the important functions quick and easy to find? We ask ourselves all these questions in order to give a personal rating from 1 to 10 points.
This rating describes our assessment of the fee structure of a stock exchange or broker. It is not only the amount of fees that can differ, but also the type of fees. The most common type of fees for crypto exchanges are the "maker/taker" fees or spreads. In some cases, there are also hidden fees that are not recognizable to users at first glance.
For products or services in the crypto space, trust and security should be the biggest factors in the selection process. Since we could not seriously evaluate the technical security of a platform or product, we analyze publicly available factors such as security features, location, regulation, certifications, audits, team/company, general reputation and, of course, track record.
Crypto doesn't have to be cryptic. Especially for beginners, the first contact with the crypto world can be overwhelming. With this rating, we give our assessment of how easy it is for beginners to find their way around: from the onboarding process to using the most important functions.
Customer support is an important factor for many users. A long wait or no response at all in the event of problems can be frustrating, especially when it comes to sensitive topics such as finances. With this rating, we give our assessment of the quality of customer support. In order to provide as balanced an assessment as possible, we also include user opinions from other platforms in our evaluation.
Some exchanges and brokers are regulated by financial supervisory authorities in certain countries/states. This often entails strict financial regulatory requirements and compliance requirements to which the company must adhere. Regulatory clarity can contribute to greater transparency and thus also greater trustworthiness.
Phemex vs MEXC in comparison
Overview
Phemex was founded in 2019 and says it has more than 10 million users. It lists 139 crypto assets by our count and 141 perpetual futures pairs, TradFi included, with up to 150x leverage. Spot trades cost 0.10% at the entry tier, futures 0.01% maker and 0.06% taker, and Phemex publishes a monthly proof of reserves.
- Low futures fees: 0.01% maker and 0.06% taker at the entry tier
- 141 perpetual futures pairs, TradFi included, with up to 150x leverage
- Grid, martingale and AI trading bots, plus copy trading
- Monthly proof of reserves with a check of your own balance
- Fixed Bitcoin withdrawal fee of 0.000015 BTC
- Not available in the US, the United Kingdom and four Canadian provinces
- No license; AML registrations only
- Permanently banned from trading in Ontario, and on the warning lists of the UK FCA and Singapore's MAS
- Proof of reserves without a named auditor
- Mid-sized coin list of 139 crypto assets
- 0% maker and 0.05% taker spot fees on BTC/USDT, with 250 spot pairs that carry no taker fee
- 1,262 coins available in 1,900 active spot pairs
- Access to 1,207 futures contracts, along with copy trading, grid and DCA bots, and demo trading through one account
- Monthly proof of reserves with an audit report by Hacken
- Free deposits for BTC and USDT
- Not open to residents of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries on MEXC's restricted list
- MEXC names no licence, and several regulators have published notices about it
- Many smaller spot pairs charge 0.08% or 0.2% taker
- Futures leverage of up to 500x on BTC needs care, especially for newcomers
User Interface
Features Comparison
Exchange Rating
Functions
- Spot, futures and margin trading
- Phemex Earn
- Launchpad
- Spot, futures trading options
- Futures with up to 500x leverage on BTC, quantitative trading features
- Supports about 1,260 coins and 1,900 spot trading pairs
Company Details
Our Review

Low Fees vs Zero Maker Fees
Phemex offers competitive derivatives fees. MEXC offers zero maker fees on most spot pairs and a massive selection. MEXC's aggressive pricing challenges everyone.
Fee Comparison
MEXC charges 0% maker and 0.05% taker on BTC/USDT spot trades and 0% maker and 0.02% taker on BTCUSDT perpetual futures. Phemex charges 0.01% maker and 0.06% taker on perpetual futures. MEXC is cheaper.
Coin Selection
MEXC lists 1,262 cryptocurrencies. Phemex lists 139. MEXC has about nine times the variety.
The Decision
MEXC at 9.8 wins on both fees and selection.
Phemex at 7.8 offers clean derivatives focus but can't match MEXC's value.
About the author

At Exchange Flow, Ethan is recognized as the resident crypto expert. With 10+years of experience navigating the waters of global crypto exchanges, Ethan is a trusted voice in the ever-evolving world of digital currencies. He tests and scrutinizes exchanges so you don’t have to, offering reviews and articles that newbies and seasoned traders alike find invaluable. When he’s not coding, Ethan likes to travel and play retro games. He uses his crypto earnings to fund his trip around the globe.
















