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

Trying to choose between Bitmart 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

Bitmart

Valr

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Bitmart is ideal if:

Wide crypto selection for altcoin enthusiasts — Great if you're exploring a broad range of tokens, including niche and newly launched assets.
Beginners and advanced users both catered to — Offers a simple Buy/Sell tool for newcomers and robust futures, spot, and charting interfaces for experienced traders.
Social and copy trading opportunities — Ideal if you want to mirror expert strategies or explore passive exposure through copy/social trading tools.

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.

Bitmart isn’t ideal if:

No demo or practice mode — Beginners lacking a risk-free environment may find it harder to learn before committing real funds.
Security concerns persist post-2021 breach — Even with improved measures, the prior major hack may still cause hesitation around fund safety.
Limited fiat access and tools — Less ideal if you prefer direct fiat deposits/withdrawals or need features like bots, proof-of-reserves, or wallet insurance.

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

BitMart uses tiered spot fees based on trading volume and a pairing class system (Class A, B, C). You can also reduce costs by holding or using the BMX native token, which typically grants a sizable discount on maker/taker rates.

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

Maker/Taker and Funding

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

For high-liquidity pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, spreads usually remain narrow and market-competitive, making them more cost-efficient for active traders.

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, Times

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 by Network (BTC, ETH, TRX, etc.)

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

Hidden Costs

Currency Conversion, Inactivity, KYC Express, etc.

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 in BTC (Fee + Spread + Withdrawal)

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

BitMart supports a wide cryptocurrency catalog (1,400+ assets) and offers over 1,050 spot trading pairs; its top 20 by volume typically include the usual heavyweights like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT among others.

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

You’ll find a full trading suite on BitMart

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

BitMart regularly achieves multi-billion-dollar daily volumes; its order books for liquid assets like BTC and ETH are deep and tight enough for efficient execution in most conditions.

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

The platform offers limit, stop, and OCO orders, alongside charting tools, alerts, a native API/WebSocket interface, and integration with TradingView for advanced analysis.

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

Product availability varies by region—certain jurisdictions may face restrictions, particularly around derivatives (e.g. perps and margin aren’t always available everywhere due to regulation).

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

BitMart continues innovating with features like a flexible vs. locked earn program, its in-house token launchpad, and expanded copy trading options that enhance user engagement.

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

BitMart is operated by GBM Global Holdings Ltd., founded in 2017, and headquartered in the Cayman Islands.

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 a Money Services Business (MSB) license from the U.S. FinCEN, indicating strong anti-money-laundering compliance—but lacks broader EU or MiCA-specific licenses.

VALR holds multiple regulatory approvals

Custody

BitMart manages assets through a hybrid hot/cold wallet setup, with partial disclosures of hot wallet addresses as part of its transparency push; however, full proof-of-reserves or cold storage percentage data remains pending.

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 no public information about dedicated insurance or user protection funds being in place to cover losses from hacks or other security incidents.

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

In December 2021, BitMart suffered a high-profile security breach that resulted in around $196 million stolen; the team pledged reimbursements and has since reinforced security infrastructures.

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 includes standard safety features like two-factor authentication, anti-phishing codes, API key restrictions, and an institutional-grade sub-account system.

VALR implements robust user protections

Transparency

BitMart has taken steps toward openness by sharing hot wallet addresses and working on Merkle-tree based proof-of-reserves, although regular audit reports, SLA commitments, or full public reserve disclosures are not yet available.

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

BitMart supports fiat deposits via credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard), bank transfers, and integrated third-party gateways like Simplex, MoonPay, Banxa and others; minimums start around USD 30, and processing varies by provider—from instant to a few days.

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)

BitMart offers non-KYC access, plus two personal levels—Starter and Advanced—that unlock higher daily withdrawal caps (Starter

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 support a broad range of networks (e.g., ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20), with limits and speeds depending on KYC level and network congestion; fiat withdrawals are also routed through select third-party gateways with similar variability.

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

BitMart offers 24/7 live chat, email/ticket support, and a help center; response speed is inconsistent by user feedback, and the knowledge base provides general guidance but may lack deeper troubleshooting.

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 user interface is available in English (with fiat shown in EUR/USD based on user region), though localized regulatory disclaimers can vary depending on where you access the platform from.

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 BitMart mobile app is available for iOS and Android, offering a smooth trading experience overall; while occasional bugs or temporary crashes occur, regular updates aim to enhance stability and add new features.

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

BitMart provides both “Lite” and “Pro” interface modes—“Lite” is clean and beginner-friendly, while “Pro” offers deeper charts and tools—so the learning curve remains gentle and scalable whether you’re new or advanced.

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

The upgrade to Futures V2.0 halved order latency and boosted system stability and matching capabilities, delivering smoother performance even during surges, though occasional order connector quirks reported by bot users can emerge.

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

BitMart Academy equips users with structured content from beginner to advanced levels, but there’s no live demo or simulated trading available, and Spanish-language materials are limited or mixed with machine translations.

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

BitMart supports an affiliate/referral program, and while active user groups exist on Discord or Telegram unofficially, the platform doesn’t yet operate fully centralized forums or reward-based official communities.

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

With full TradingView charting access via the “BITMART:” prefix, plus a robust API and WebSocket support, BitMart integrates seamlessly with external bots and tools—though tax/accounting tool partnerships remain sparse.

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

BitMart suits traders seeking a quick-start experience with flexible interfaces and strong third-party integrations, while developers or algorithmic traders benefit from reliable API access and TradingView support.

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.