Bitflyer vs Valr: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Bitflyer and Valr This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on August 16, 2025

Bitflyer

Valr

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Bitflyer is ideal if:

Great for cautious starters – Offers a clean, beginner-friendly interface with strong regulation and security, especially suited if you value peace of mind and a guided experience.
Smart for professionals too – Its Lightning platform and API support advanced trading styles while remaining within a trusted, compliant ecosystem.
Best for mainstream assets – Focuses on the core major cryptocurrencies rather than obscure altcoins—ideal if you're after simplicity, not a sprawling asset list.

Valr is ideal if:

Ideal for mobile-first traders Offers both a streamlined “Simple Buy/Sell” interface for quick trades and a robust exchange terminal with TradingView charts—perfect whether you're on the go or want advanced control.
Great for institutions and high-frequency traders Comes with institutional-grade APIs, subaccounts, and deep liquidity options tailored to algorithmic and corporate trading strategies.
Strong choice if you value security and regulation Backed by reputable investors and regulated across South Africa, Europe, and Dubai, offering peace of mind for users in jurisdictions where it's licensed.

Bitflyer isn’t ideal if:

Not for altcoin hunters — Offers only a small selection of mainstream cryptocurrencies, limiting your options if you're looking to explore lesser-known tokens.
Limited advanced trading tools — Lacks robust derivatives, futures, lending, and staking features that active or margin traders often need.
Less competitive for cost-focused users — May involve higher spreads or fewer deposit options compared to more versatile, low-cost exchanges.

Valr isn’t ideal if:

Not ideal if you're seeking global fiat flexibility Limited to a handful of fiat currencies, it doesn't support many global financial methods like PayPal or cards beyond ZAR.
Not ideal for complete beginners needing guidance Lacks educational tools, tutorials, and demo trading—so newcomers must learn by doing.
Not ideal if you need broad crypto variety or margin options Offers a narrower selection of assets and more restricted leverage choices than many mainstream exchanges.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

On bitFlyer’s Lightning Spot, maker and taker fees decrease progressively as your 30-day trading volume grows—from about 0.10 % at lower volumes down to roughly 0.03 % for very high turnover, with potential bespoke discounts for particularly active users or sizeable trades.

VALR uses a tiered structure where increased 30-day trading volume leads to lower or even negative maker fees and reduced taker fees on both fiat and crypto spot trades.

Futures/Derivatives

bitFlyer offers Bitcoin futures and crypto CFDs with margin, where trading fees fall in the same low double-digit-basis-point range, plus a funding cost applied at fixed intervals based on price divergence from spot—creating a small rollover cost for open positions.

Perpetual futures follow the same volume-tiered schedule—makers may pay zero or negative fees, while takers benefit from progressively lower percentages as volume rises; funding occurs regularly based on market conditions (but specific rates fluctuate over time).

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

Spread information isn’t explicitly disclosed on bitFlyer, but based on its exchange design, liquid pairs typically carry modest spreads that are embedded in prices, especially via the Easy Exchange interface where the buy/sell price includes conversion margin rather than a separate fee.

Spreads are generally tight, aligning with industry norms for highly liquid pairs, ensuring minimal difference between buy and sell prices.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

methods, fees, timing

Fiat deposits (wire, SEPA, card, EFT depending on the currency) are free of platform fees and usually post within two days; bank withdrawals follow standard local banking hours and policies, with occasional small charges and speed options.

On-chain Withdrawals

fixed vs dynamic fees

Crypto withdrawals incur variable, network-based fees that depend on blockchain congestion—no fixed flat rates from the platform itself.

Hidden Costs

There are no apparent idle-account or express-KYC charges; however, minor implicit costs can stem from currency conversion spreads if you’re using a non-native fiat, and any third-party wire or bank fees—which vary regionally—can affect your overall cost.

There are generally no surprise or maintenance fees—no inactivity charges, no hidden conversion costs, and premium KYC (if offered) doesn’t carry extra fees unless noted at the point of use.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

Buying €500 worth of BTC would entail a small embedded spread (via Easy Exchange) or low Lightning fee, plus the flat withdrawal charge (e.g., ~0.0004 BTC) if you choose to withdraw—resulting in a modest overall impact relative to the value but with no hidden or percentage-based surprises.

If you were to purchase €500 of BTC, your total would include a modest trading fee (based on your tier), a minimal spread typical of liquid markets, and your withdrawal cost would depend on the chosen network’s fee at that time.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

bitFlyer supports around 7–8 core cryptocurrencies with roughly 10–12 trading pairs, mainly focused on major assets like BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, ETC, LSK, MONA, and a few fiat pairings—its offering remains intentionally compact.

VALR lists over 75 cryptocurrencies across roughly 60–71 trading pairs; top volume pairs typically include BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT, and BTC/ZAR.

Product Range

The platform offers spot trading, margin trading (up to around 2×–4× leverage depending on region), Bitcoin futures (derivatives), Ethereum staking (upcoming), and OTC for large volume trades—but lacks more exotic features like options, ETFs, lending, copy-trading, automated bots, or full DCA tools.

VALR offers spot trading, spot margin with up to 5× leverage, and perpetual futures with leverage up to 60×. It also supports staking/earn programs and lending, but lacks options, crypto ETFs, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA products.

Liquidity

bitFlyer handles daily trading volumes in the low-hundreds of millions USD (with top pairs like BTC/JPY and ETH/JPY dominating), while its order book depth on main pairs remains modest compared with major global exchanges—sufficient for moderate trades but not for ultra-large orders.

The exchange typically handles over US$30 million in daily trading volume, with deep liquidity on major BTC and ETH pairs facilitating tighter order book depth.

Tools

Advanced users benefit from a Lightning platform offering standard order types (limit, stop), custom alerts, charting, API and WebSocket access, and a native professional interface—but there’s no built-in TradingView integration or OCO orders.

You can place limit, market, and stop-limit orders (including OCO equivalents). VALR offers advanced charting integrated with TradingView, configurable alerts, and both API and WebSocket access for real-time trading and data needs.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Derivatives and margin capabilities vary by region, with limited pairs available in the U.S. (e.g., BTC/USD, ETH/USD, BCH/BTC) and broader altcoin access in Europe and Japan, reflecting regulatory constraints across jurisdictions.

Some jurisdictions are restricted from offering certain features—derivatives, for example, are only available in qualifying regions, meaning not every user can access margin or futures products depending on local compliances.

Innovation

Recent enhancements include ETH staking (pending launch) and ongoing CFD asset expansions. However, bitFlyer does not currently offer launchpads, flexible vs locked Earn products, or structured innovative financial instruments.

While VALR doesn’t offer launchpads or launchpools, it does provide both flexible staking and lending options alongside traditional locked products, giving users varied approaches to earning on their assets.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

bitFlyer, Inc. was founded in 2014 and is based in Tokyo, Japan; it has extended operations internationally through regulated subsidiaries such as bitFlyer Europe to serve multiple regions globally.

VALR operates through several legal entities including VALR Proprietary Ltd (established 2018, headquartered in South Africa), VALR EU in Poland, and regional branches in India and Dubai—demonstrating a multi-jurisdictional operational structure.

Licenses/Registration

It holds Virtual Asset Exchange licensing under Japan’s FSA, and its European arm is a fully regulated payment institution in Luxembourg, holds the first VASP registration there, and undergoes annual audits by a Big Four firm.

VALR holds multiple regulatory approvals

Custody

Customer assets are stored offline in proprietary cold wallets (often over 80–100%), with multilayer physical security; while specific Proof of Reserves disclosure isn’t public, financial statements undergo external audit and assets are held separately from company funds.

VALR maintains a fully reserved custodial model, where all user funds are held 100% backed and are never lent out. Transfers of crypto assets require multi-signature approvals across secure locations, with funds stored in both cold and hot wallets using multi-sig technology.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There’s coverage for unauthorized withdrawal via encrypted authentication and secure wallet infrastructure, but no widely advertised comprehensive insurance fund for hacks or exchange-level failures.

There’s no publicly stated insurance or user protection fund offered—VALR emphasizes full reserves and strong internal safeguards rather than insured coverage.

Incident History

Apart from regulatory enforcement fines (e.g., levied by New York DFS), bitFlyer does not have public records of hacks or fund losses, reflecting a clean operational history with no major security breaches or customer fund suspensions.

There are no publicly documented major security incidents, hacks, suspensions, or regulatory fines affecting VALR to date, reflecting a clean track record.

Risk Controls

The platform enforces strong password policies, two-factor authentication, account lockouts, encryption, and segregates client and company funds; features such as whitelists, sub-accounts, anti-phishing, and granular API permissions enhance security.

VALR implements robust user protections

Transparency

While bitFlyer doesn’t publish monthly reserve reports or wallet addresses, it provides audited compliance, segregated custodian practices, encryption standards transparency, and maintains clear regulatory and operational SLAs via its regional legal frameworks.

VALR does not publicly publish monthly financial or reserve reports, nor does it offer a public wallet or explicit service-level agreements (SLAs); transparency is delivered through regulatory registration and communication rather than open-ended disclosures.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Bank transfers (like SEPA, ACH, Fedwire) are available (sometimes free), with PayPal accepted in Europe; credit/debit card options depend on region, and deposit limits lift with full Trade Pro verification, while processing ranges from instant (cards) to 1–3 business days (bank transfers).

Users can deposit ZAR via EFT or South African-issued Visa/Mastercard (3D Secure), while USD and EUR can be sent via SWIFT or SEPA transfers (converted to stablecoins). ZAR card deposits incur around a 3.9% fee; EFT is free. USD deposits require a minimum of $5, while EUR has a €1 minimum. Processing times vary—from instant for cards to up to 48 hours for bank transfers.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

Accounts start at a basic (Standby) level with entry-only access, upgrade to Trade Class to deposit and trade within limits, and finally Trade Pro unlocks unrestricted activity—requiring progressively more ID documentation during verification.

VALR employs a tiered KYC system with different levels (standard and Fully-Verified Plus). Higher levels, enabled by features like 2FA, unlock significantly higher withdrawal limits—ranging from fractions of a BTC up to 100 BTC daily.

Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals have fixed minimums (e.g., 0.001 BTC plus fee), fiat withdrawals via bank take about 1–3 business days, and supported networks include the standard ones like BTC and ETH—no TRC20/BEP20 options mentioned.

Daily crypto withdrawal limits depend on KYC status (up to 100 BTC). Users can choose networks like ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, and more; fees are dynamically quoted. Fiat (ZAR) withdrawals follow local banking hours, with free standard or paid fast transfers depending on the bank.

Customer Support

Support is accessible via email and contact form (weekdays during business hours), with response typically within that timeframe; a FAQ/help center exists, but there’s no live 24/7 chat available.

VALR offers 24/7 support through a chatbot, email/ticket system, and a searchable knowledge base. Response via live chat or phone is limited, but the help center is comprehensive.

Languages & Localization

The platform offers native-level English (and other EU languages like French); pricing and fees are shown in local fiat (€/USD/JPY), with region-specific regulatory compliance embedded per locale.

The platform operates primarily in English (with limited additional language support), displays prices in local currencies like USD, EUR, or ZAR based on region, and reflects applicable regulatory contexts transparently.

App Quality & Stability

The mobile app supports core functions, is generally stable, though users report some limitations in advanced trading features, occasional minor bugs, and mixed ratings—recent updates aim to improve usability and reliability.

VALR offers both web and mobile interfaces. Mobile apps are regularly updated, delivering smooth charting and trading experiences. While exact crash rates aren’t disclosed, user feedback suggests the app is generally stable, with no major performance complaints in recent updates. (No explicit crash rate data available.)

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

bitFlyer strikes a balance between accessibility and power—casual users will find the Lite interface intuitive with a gentle learning curve, while experienced traders can switch to a Pro mode that offers deeper functionality without overwhelming novice users.

The platform offers a dual-interface approach—with a beginner-friendly “Simple Buy/Sell” mode for quick swaps and a more advanced trading terminal for experienced users, creating a smooth progression as your familiarity grows.

Performance

Order execution is generally responsive during normal conditions, but like many exchanges, there can be brief latency or slight slowdown during high-volatility spikes; KYC queues may also lengthen during strong bull runs, potentially delaying onboarding.

VALR delivers generally low-latency execution and stable performance even during busy periods, with no widely reported system outages or KYC bottlenecks—even in volatile market conditions.

Education

The bitFlyer Academy provides beginner-friendly articles and guides to help users understand crypto fundamentals, though there’s no live demo or simulator, and educational content in languages other than English is limited.

There’s no formal academy, demo account, or Spanish-language content on VALR; educational guidance is minimal, placing the learning responsibility primarily on the user.

Community

bitFlyer maintains an official help center and blog for updates, but lacks public community forums like Discord or Telegram; it does offer a referral program to incentivize bringing new users—but no broad peer-to-peer community space is currently provided.

VALR supports a referral program and maintains communication channels through its support portal and social media, but doesn’t feature official forums or active Discord/Telegram communities.

Integrations

The platform supports API and WebSocket access for automated trading, yet does not offer native TradingView charts, external bot marketplaces, or integrated tax/accounting tools—so users typically rely on external systems for advanced analytics or bookkeeping.

The exchange integrates TradingView natively for charting and supports external trading bots through its API, yet it lacks built-in tax reporting or bookkeeping tools.

Who Each One Is Best For

bitFlyer is ideal for traders who want a secure, regulated platform with a choice between streamlined and professional UIs, while those who prefer community-driven tools, extensive integrations, or a learning sandbox may find more options on other platforms.

VALR shines for mobile-first traders and corporate users seeking advanced tools and clean interfaces, but may feel limited for beginners needing educational support or for users seeking tax and community integration.