Lbank vs Pionex: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Lbank and Pionex 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

Lbank

Pionex

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Lbank is ideal if:

Altcoin & Meme Enthusiast Fit: With hundreds of altcoins and a dedicated “Meme Zone,” it's ideal for traders chasing emerging tokens and meme-driven trends.
Passive Income Friendly: Offers optional staking, Launchpad & Launchpool features, plus copy-trading tools—great for users looking to earn without nonstop manual trading.
Fiat On-Ramp Simplicity: Supports instant fiat buying, P2P options, and broad fiat access via multiple gateways—making entry smooth for beginners and casual investors.

Pionex is ideal if:

If you value trading automation: Pionex is perfect for you with its built-in, cloud-based trading bots—free to use, no coding needed, and designed for hands-off strategies.
If you’re a beginner in crypto or bots: You’re in luck—user-friendly interface paired with in-depth tutorials makes it easy to get started and understand each bot’s purpose.
If you want flexibility and broad exposure: Pionex offers wide asset access plus both manual and automated tools under one roof, ideal if you like switching between trading styles.

Lbank isn’t ideal if:

Support-Dependent: If you're looking for fast, multi-channel customer service, LBank may feel too limited—it mainly relies on email and live chat, with slow response times.
Beginner Unfriendly: Without demo accounts, structured tutorials, or an extensive FAQ, newbies might find it hard to get started confidently.
Skeptic by Nature: If you prefer exchanges with independent audits or top-tier regulation, LBank's lack of transparent audits and lower-tier licensing may raise red flags.

Pionex isn’t ideal if:

If you prefer fiat deposits and simplicity: Pionex doesn’t support direct fiat-to-crypto deposits, so newbies must first buy crypto elsewhere and transfer it in.
If you want risk-free practice: There’s no demo or virtual trading—every bot requires real funds, which might deter cautious beginners.
If you need instant, low-cost withdrawals: Some users report high fixed withdrawal fees and occasional delays, making it less convenient for quick exits or small transfers.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

LBank charges a flat maker and taker fee of approximately 0.10% on spot trades—fixed regardless of your trading volume and without discounts linked to its native token, LBK.

Both spot makers and takers pay a flat rate (around 0.05%) across all volume tiers, though VIP users with high volume may receive reduced maker fees as they climb VIP levels.

Futures/Derivatives

Futures trading on LBank involves a maker fee of around 0.02% and a taker fee of about 0.06%, though there is no specified funding rate disclosed for perpetual contracts.

Futures trading starts around 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker, with maker fees dropping further for VIP users; there’s no separate funding fee charged by Pionex, though users receive or pay the prevailing funding rate as per the perpetual contract—the profit or cost depending on market direction.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

While exact numbers fluctuate moment-to-moment, spreads on highly liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT tend to remain tight due to deep market liquidity and efficient order execution.

Pionex doesn’t publish exact spreads; however, based on industry norms and the platform’s aggregation model, spreads are typically tight and highly competitive on major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

You can deposit or withdraw fiat via diverse third-party gateways—such as cards, bank transfers, or digital wallets—where LBank itself charges no extra fees, but gateway fees usually range from 1% to 5%, with processing times depending on the provider.

You can deposit via credit/debit cards—with modest percentage fees depending on region—or via free SEPA (for EUR), Faster Payments (for GBP), and PIX (for BRL), with processing ranging from instant to a few business days; withdrawal fees vary especially for fiat, often via third-party gateways.

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals incur network fees determined by the blockchain (e.g. fixed small BTC fee like ~0.0001 BTC), which can rise in times of congestion—fees vary by asset and must be checked at the time of withdrawal.

Withdrawal fees depend on the blockchain used—some are set (like BTC’s 0.0005 BTC), while token transfers on networks like Ethereum, TRON, or BNB Smart Chain follow either fixed or network-based pricing per coin listed.

Hidden Costs

There are generally no inactivity or account maintenance fees, but costs may arise during currency conversions and expedited KYC—since certain payment gateways may tack on surcharges not directly outlined by LBank.

There are no inactivity or platform maintenance fees, but third-party fiat deposit methods may incur conversion charges; express KYC or related services aren’t publicly detailed, so any extra cost may come from external providers.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

If you buy €500 worth of BTC, you’d face the ~0.10% fee on the spot trade, a minor spread embedded in the market rate, and a dynamic withdrawal fee (e.g. ~0.0001 BTC)—all combining into a modest overall cost.

Suppose you credit €500 via SEPA (no deposit fee), convert to USDT or BTC via a 0.05% trade (small fee plus tight spread), then withdraw BTC on-chain (e.g., a 0.0005 BTC fee)—your total cost would include that small trading fee, potential slippage, and the network withdrawal charge.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

LBank lists over 900 cryptocurrencies across around 1,100 trading pairs, with the top 20 by volume dominated by major tokens like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, SOL/USDT, XRP/USDT, and UGOLD/USDT.

Pionex lists over 120 cryptocurrencies and maintains more than 200 trading pairs, with the top 20 by volume largely featuring major tokens like BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL, XRP, ADA—though exact rankings shift frequently.

Product Range

The platform supports a broad suite including spot, futures (perps), options, crypto ETFs, staking, crypto loans, P2P, copy trading, grid bots, and automated DCA strategies.

Pionex offers spot trading, leveraged futures (up to 100×), numerous free built-in bots (grid, DCA, arbitrage, TWAP, spot-futures, margin-grid, reverse grid, Infinity Grid, etc.), plus copy trading; it also supports P2P fiat conversion, staking/earn programs, but doesn’t appear to provide options, ETFs, or crypto-lending services.

Liquidity

Daily volume averages a few billion dollars (e.g. $4–5 billion), with BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT showing deep order-book liquidity and tight pricing, reflecting robust market depth.

Pionex aggregates liquidity from major exchanges like Binance and Huobi, delivering high 24-hour volumes—reported in the tens of billions—and deep order books on BTC and ETH, ensuring tight execution and reliable bot performance.

Tools

Traders benefit from limit, market, stop-limit, and OCO orders, price alerts, advanced charting (TradingView integration built in), plus full API and WebSocket access.

The platform supports limit, market, stop, and OCO orders, alongside bot-driven strategies; while it offers customizable dashboards and APIs, there’s no native TradingView integration, so users rely on built-in charts or external tools.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Derivatives and other advanced products are unavailable in certain jurisdictions, and services like futures or options may be restricted depending on local regulation.

Derivatives and advanced instruments like futures may be unavailable in certain regions (e.g., specific countries within Europe or Asia), while others are limited to spot and bot trading depending on local regulations.

Innovation

LBank adds value through its launchpad and launchpool initiatives for new token launches, and offers both flexible and locked staking/earn options for users with varying liquidity preferences.

Pionex doesn’t currently offer launchpads or launchpools, but it distinguishes itself with flexible earn programs and an ever-evolving lineup of AI-enhanced bots that automate strategies 24/7 without locking funds—championing passive innovation over token-sale hype.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

LBank is operated by LBK Exchange Limited and related entities, founded around 2015/2017, with headquarters registered in the British Virgin Islands—though it maintains a significant business presence in Hong Kong or Indonesia.

Pionex operates through its global platform headquartered in Singapore (launched in 2019) and a U.S.-specific platform, Pionex.US, registered in Princeton, New Jersey—with each entity governed under its own legal structure.

Licenses/Registration

The platform holds multiple registrations—including as a Money Services Business with FinCEN (U.S.) and FINTRAC (Canada), AUSTRAC in Australia, plus VASP registrations in Lithuania and Italy—in addition to participating in Korea’s CODE VASP Alliance.

It’s officially registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FinCEN in the U.S., but does not hold a MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) license, contrary to some reports.

Custody

LBank uses cold storage for the majority of user assets, employs cryptographic proof-of-reserves mechanisms, and has partnered with Elliptic for transaction monitoring, but there’s no public percentage of assets stored offline.

User funds are held via partnerships with major exchanges; Pionex publicly conducts periodic Merkle Tree-based Proof of Reserves, audited independently by firms like Elite Partners and Moore, verifying assets exceed liabilities.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There is no general user-asset insurance; the internal “Insurance Fund” only covers futures liquidation deficits, leaving users fully exposed in case of hacks or platform failure.

There’s no publicly disclosed insurance policy or dedicated protection fund for user assets, beyond the strong reserve and custody practices already in place.

Incident History

Remarkably, LBank has not experienced any verified major security breaches to date, maintaining a clean track record with no hacks reported.

To date, there are no known security breaches, hacks, fund suspensions, or regulatory penalties, reflecting a clean operational track record.

Risk Controls

Users benefit from strong security features like two-factor authentication, anti-phishing mechanisms, withdrawal whitelists, customizable withdrawal limits, and a dedicated Incident Response Team for rapid support.

Security measures include mandatory 2FA, IP whitelisting, anti-phishing warnings, and KYC-based account levels; API permissions are likely granular, though sub-account features aren’t prominently promoted.

Transparency

While LBank offers proof-of-reserves and maintains regulatory registrations, it lacks regular public transparency reports, visible wallet addresses, or formal SLAs for security response times.

While formal systems like monthly public reports, SLAs, or a visible public wallet aren’t prominently published, the combination of PoR audits and the availability of verification tools offer a meaningful level of transparency.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Users can fund via bank transfer, credit/debit cards, and e-wallets through various third-party providers; deposits are generally fast and fee-free on LBank’s side, though daily min/max thresholds depend on the payment partner and can take a few minutes to process in most cases.

You can deposit fiat via SEPA for euros, CHAPS/FPS for GBP, and PIX for Brazilian real—typically fee-free for bank methods, while cards and e-wallets (Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc.) are supported via third-party providers with higher fees; processing ranges from instant to a few business days.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

No KYC is required to trade, but completing verification enables higher withdrawal limits (e.g. from 0.5 BTC up to 5.5 BTC per day) and unlocks access to fiat services and special features.

There are two verification tiers—Level 1 (country and full name) unlocks basic deposits and up to $20,000 crypto withdrawals per day, and Level 2 (ID + facial recognition) raises limits to around $1,000,000 daily and enables credit-card fiat purchases.

Withdrawals

Withdrawal limits rise significantly post-KYC, processing speed depends on network status, and withdrawals via ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, and others follow dynamic, blockchain-determined fees visible at the time of withdrawal.

limits, timing, networks (TRC20, ERC20, BEP20)

Customer Support

Support is available around the clock via live chat and email, though some users report response delays; a detailed knowledge base and FAQs help address common issues.

Pionex offers live chat accessible during working hours plus email support; response times can vary, and a robust help center with tutorials and FAQs is available to guide users when agents are offline.

Languages & Localization

The platform operates in native English with fiat values shown in multiple currencies (€, $), and while localized for global users, regulatory frameworks vary widely—some regions see limited features.

The platform is primarily in English with options to display prices in € or $; fiat support is localized (e.g., SEPA in Europe), but there’s limited tailoring for regional regulations outside generic compliance.

App Quality & Stability

LBank’s mobile app (iOS and Android) is feature-rich and generally stable, though specific metrics like crash rates aren’t publicly disclosed; the interface receives regular updates to support evolving features.

Pionex’s mobile apps hold solid ratings—above 4+ on iOS and 4.4 on Android—with a large user base; while crash statistics aren’t public, consistent updates and high review scores suggest reliable performance.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

LBank features a clean, intuitive interface that’s easy for beginners to navigate while still offering pro-level tools; although there’s no formal “Lite” or “Pro” toggle, the design flows naturally from simple trading screens to advanced panels as needed.

Pionex’s interface is clean and intuitive, offering a gentle learning curve especially through its guided bot setup; instead of “Lite/Pro” tiers, it maintains a unified experience where features like bots and charts are accessible with minimal configuration—making it ideal whether you’re starting or experienced.

Performance

Thanks to recent core matching engine upgrades, order execution is noticeably faster and more stable; platform downtime during extreme volatility has been minimal, and KYC processing scales reasonably well even in bull markets.

The platform has dramatically reduced data and order latency—now syncing in under 30 seconds—although there was a brief latency glitch during a peak futures volatility event in May 2024 that affected manual futures trades; KYC processing remains generally smooth, even in bull market surges.

Education

LBank provides an educational academy with glossaries and guides, though it lacks a live demo or simulator; content is improving in localization, with support pages and FAQs available in Spanish.

While there’s no formal demo or simulator, Pionex offers multilingual support including Spanish in its blog and documentation, plus detailed step-by-step tutorials and bot walkthroughs that serve educational purposes effectively.

Community

The platform supports active communities via Telegram and Discord, and rewards engagement through a structured referral and ambassador program that includes peer networks, campus partners, and a points-through-activity system.

Pionex fosters engagement via its community channels like Telegram for API and bot discussions, along with a bot marketplace where creators can monetize their strategies; referral programs are also active, rewarding users who bring in new traders.

Integrations

LBank integrates native TradingView-style advanced charts and offers full REST/WebSocket APIs for external bots or tax/compliance tooling, though no built-in tax accounting features are currently advertised.

You can integrate Pionex directly with TradingView via its Signal Bot (using alerts and webhooks), and also use the platform’s API to connect with external bot tools; however, dedicated tax or accounting tool integrations are not part of the current offering.

Who Each One Is Best For

LBank is ideal for altcoin enthusiasts and active traders seeking fast execution, reward channels through referrals and gamified points, and a globally intuitive interface—while more casual users or accountants might miss simulator tools or integrated tax tracking.

Pionex suits hands-off traders seeking robust automated tools and copyable strategies, as well as tech-savvy users who want to hook up custom setups via API or TradingView; those needing traditional charting ecosystems with accounting or simulator features might find it less tailored.