Firstrade vs Xeggex: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Firstrade and Xeggex 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 September 1, 2025

Firstrade

Xeggex

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

United States

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

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Firstrade is ideal if:

Perfect if you value simplicity and self-led growth — Firstrade shines for investors who want a straightforward platform enhanced by rich educational content and intuitive tools like Options Wizard and FirstradeGPT.
Great for cost-conscious traders focused on the US market — It delivers commission-free trading across stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds, ideal if you prioritize low ongoing costs and trade U.S. securities.
Not ideal if you need advanced or global asset access — The platform doesn’t offer futures, forex, crypto, IPOs, or international markets, so it's not suited for highly diversified or exotic investment strategies.

Xeggex is ideal if:

Great if you're seeking simplicity: XeggeX offers an exceptionally intuitive interface that lowers the learning curve and makes navigating crypto markets approachable.
Ideal for exploring altcoins and niche tokens: The exchange lists a wide variety of low- to mid-cap cryptocurrencies and includes peer-to-peer and liquidity pool features—perfect for diversifying beyond mainstream assets.
A cautious choice due to its recent shutdown: Following a serious security breach and bankruptcy announcement earlier this year, relying on XeggeX now carries elevated risk—relying on self-custody methods is recommended.

Firstrade isn’t ideal if:

If you seek automated or advisor-led services — Firstrade doesn’t provide AI-driven trading automation, robo-advice, or personalized financial planning options.
If you need access to non-U.S. or exotic markets — It excludes futures, forex, international equities, and advanced asset classes, limiting your global exposure opportunities.
If you prioritize sleek navigation and advanced macroscopic insights — The platform’s layout can feel cluttered, with limited portfolio tracking and broader market analytics visible at a glance.

Xeggex isn’t ideal if:

Significant unresolved security failures undermined the platform’s reliability, ultimately leading to its collapse and bankruptcy—exposing systemic vulnerabilities.
Trust deeply eroded by withdrawal disruptions, user complaints of missing assets, and reports of blocked accounts—indicating serious operational breakdowns.
Unregulated and lacking transparency, making it ill-suited as a safe, long-term choice—especially when more stable and regulated alternatives exist.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Firstrade does not operate on a crypto exchange-style maker/taker fee model since it primarily offers commission-free trading for stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds; there are no volume-based discounts tied to a native token.

Spot trading fees start at around 0.2%, with tiered reductions based on trading volume and holdings of the native XPE token, which can unlock notable discounts.

Futures/Derivatives

Firstrade does not support trading in futures, options on crypto, or any leveraged derivative contracts, so there are no maker/taker or funding fees in this category.

XeggeX currently does not offer futures or derivatives markets, so there are no associated maker/taker or funding fees to consider.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

As Firstrade does not currently offer direct spot cryptocurrency trading, there are no applicable spreads for BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT pairs within its platform.

As a smaller exchange, XeggeX can exhibit wider spreads on major pairs due to limited liquidity, meaning the difference between buy and sell prices may be noticeably larger than on larger platforms.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Deposits and withdrawals are processed via ACH, wire transfers, and check requests; ACH is typically free and fast (1–2 business days), while wires may have a fee and take 1–3 days depending on the bank.

XeggeX does not support fiat transactions—there are no deposit or withdrawal methods, meaning all activity is limited to crypto-to-crypto trades.

On-chain Withdrawals

Since Firstrade does not facilitate direct on-chain crypto transfers, there are no blockchain network withdrawal fees for BTC, ETH, TRX, or other tokens.

Withdrawal fees are generally very low and vary by network, with exceptions such as Ethereum sometimes reaching up to about $0.30 due to network congestion, while other chains may charge negligible or minimal fixed network fees.

Hidden Costs

The main extra cost to be aware of is currency conversion for non-USD accounts; Firstrade does not charge inactivity or expedited account verification fees.

Potential hidden costs include crypto conversion spreads, optional KYC express upgrades, or inactivity charges—all of which may apply even though basic use of the platform remains focused on crypto-to-crypto trading.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

This action cannot be performed directly on Firstrade, as it does not provide native crypto purchasing; acquiring BTC would require an external platform, where costs would depend on that provider’s commission, spread, and withdrawal fee structure.

If you were to purchase €500 worth of BTC (via a supported stablecoin like USDT), you’d incur the base trading fee (around 0.2%), a likely wider spread on a low-liquidity pair, and a modest withdrawal cost depending on the network you choose to send BTC—altogether yielding noticeably higher effective cost than more liquid, fiat-friendly platforms.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Firstrade offers trading in approximately 38–41 cryptocurrencies, focusing on spot pairs only—there’s no full order book with crypto-to-crypto pairings, just single-asset buys priced in USD on their platform.

XeggeX supports a substantial range of over 550 cryptocurrencies across around 930 market pairs, giving users exposure to both mainstream and niche digital assets in a single platform.

Product Range

Firstrade supports only spot cryptocurrency trading; it does not support margin, perpetuals, futures, options, ETFs on crypto, staking, lending, copy trading, grid bot tools, or automated DCA programs.

The exchange focuses on spot trading and liquidity pools, with no standard margin, perpetual futures, options, crypto ETFs, staking, loans, copy-trading, grid bots, or automatic DCA—making it a simpler, crypto-to-crypto environment.

Liquidity

Firstrade does not disclose actual 24-hour volume or order book depth data for crypto; trading occurs via their internal system with instant settlement but without traditional exchange-level liquidity metrics.

24 h volume and order-book depth (BTC/ETH)

Tools

Their crypto offering includes basic order types, real-time quotes, charts, and research features, but lacks advanced tools such as stop/OCO orders, advanced charting, native TradingView integration, alerts, or API/WS access for crypto.

Users have access to basic order types such as market, limit, and trigger (stop) orders; however, advanced tools like alerts, comprehensive charting, native TradingView integrations, or robust APIs and WebSocket feeds are not currently supported.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Crypto trading is available only to users in the United States; there are no crypto markets or services offered outside U.S. jurisdictions.

While the exchange offers its core services broadly, certain features like derivatives or advanced products aren’t available in key markets, such as the United States, limiting access to some functionality based on location.

Innovation

Firstrade has not rolled out innovation tools like launchpad/launchpool, nor any flexible vs blocked crypto-earned programs—its crypto offerings remain simple and limited to direct spot purchases.

XeggeX stands out with its liquidity pool offerings, enabling users to contribute funds and earn rewards, but it lacks common innovative features like launchpads, launchpools, or multiple flexible vs. locked yield-earning models.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

The crypto service is delivered through Firstrade Crypto LLC, a U.S.-based subsidiary operating under parent company Firstrade Securities Inc., founded in 1985 and headquartered in Flushing, New York.

XeggeX was established in 2021 by crypto enthusiasts, with some sources indicating Germany as its base, though this remains somewhat ambiguous—its rapid niche focus and limited transparency make its legal structure and headquarters unclear.

Licenses/Registration

Firstrade Securities operates as a registered broker-dealer under FINRA and the SEC; crypto trading itself is facilitated by Apex Crypto LLC, acting under regulatory standards but without explicit VASP or MiCA licensing.

The platform operated without formal regulatory oversight—no VASP registration, MiCA compliance, or similar licensing was disclosed—positioning it squarely in the unregulated camp.

Custody

Cryptocurrency custody is handled by Apex Crypto LLC as a third-party provider—not held on Firstrade’s own infrastructure. There’s no publicly shared proof of reserves, audit reports, or stated cold-storage percentages.

XeggeX utilized a central custodial model with a combination of hot and cold storage, but offered no public proof of reserves, independent audits, or details on the proportion held in cold storage, limiting transparency and user assurance.

Insurance & Protection Funds

While traditional account assets benefit from SIPC and possibly FDIC protections, crypto holdings are not covered under these programs and have no dedicated insurance or extra custodian protection.

There was no publicly available information about any insurance scheme or specific protection funds set aside to safeguard user deposits in case of loss or breach.

Incident History

Firstrade hasn’t suffered publicized hacks or major suspensions tied to its crypto platform; however, it recently received FINRA censure and a fine for misleading communications about crypto offerings via an affiliate.

In February 2025, hackers compromised the CEO’s Telegram account and infiltrated the exchange’s core systems, leading to frozen withdrawals and user balances showing zero—culminating in a bankruptcy declaration by late June.

Risk Controls

Firstrade enforces strong security measures including multi-factor authentication, SSL encryption, firewalls, fraud detection systems, phishing education, and a secure security center, but doesn’t highlight features like API permissions or sub-accounts for crypto.

While the exchange promoted two-factor authentication and encryption, more advanced controls like withdrawal whitelists, anti-phishing systems, segregated sub-accounts, or fine-grained API permissions were either minimal or undocumented.

Transparency

There’s no public monthly reporting or wallet audit data available for crypto holdings. Users rely on Firstrade’s Online Protection Guarantee for unauthorized trades, yet there’s no SLA or public wallet addresses disclosed.

XeggeX did not maintain any visible transparency mechanisms—no monthly audit reports, no publicly visible wallet addresses, and no formal service-level agreements; communication slowed notably as the bankruptcy process unfolded.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Firstrade supports fiat deposits via ACH, wire transfer, check, and transfers from other brokerages; ACH from U.S. bank accounts is fee-free and takes a couple of business days, wires are faster but involve sending-bank fees, and check deposits vary by type and processing, with some available immediately.

XeggeX does not support fiat deposits; only cryptocurrency deposits via multiple blockchain networks are possible, with no stated minimum or maximum, and the process typically completes in just a few minutes.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

There’s no formal tiered KYC structure; account opening requires ID verification, and once verified, users can access full services—there are no intermediate “basic” or “advanced” levels with differing limits.

KYC isn’t mandatory for crypto-only trading, but users without KYC face a daily withdrawal cap of around $5,000—verification lifts this limit significantly, unlocking higher withdrawal thresholds for larger-volume users.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals are available via ACH, check, or wire—ACH (up to $50,000 per day) is free and takes 1–2 business days, checks may take up to two weeks depending on delivery, and wires cost a fee and take several days; crypto token withdrawals (e.g. ERC20/TRC20) are not supported.

Withdrawals are processed swiftly—often within minutes—and support several network types (e.g., ERC-20, BEP-20), although exact limits vary; verified users generally enjoy higher or unlimited withdrawal capacity.

Customer Support

Support is offered via email and U.S. phone during business hours, complemented by a Help Center with FAQs—there’s no 24/7 live chat, and response times and knowledge base depth are moderate and office-hour dependent.

Support is handled via a ticketing system with claimed 24/7 availability and typical response within 12 hours; email and platform tickets are primary channels, while response speed and resolution quality are reported to be inconsistent.

Languages & Localization

The platform and mobile app support English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese; the interface displays USD values only, with no localized support for Spanish or Euro-based users—reflecting its U.S.-centric design.

The platform’s interface is natively in English, with fee displays in USD; there are no localized versions or specific regulatory frameworks tailored to other regions.

App Quality & Stability

The Firstrade app (iOS/Android) is well-rated, noted for intuitive navigation and sync across devices, though some users report occasional crashes; regular updates enhance features and UX, but no official crash-rate metrics are disclosed.

XeggeX offers both web and mobile (iOS beta and Android) access, with a smooth, intuitive interface, but the app’s stability and recent update cadence are unclear and may vary across platforms.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Firstrade delivers a clean, beginner-friendly interface that helps new users get started quickly, though it doesn’t offer distinct “Lite” or “Pro” modes; advanced traders may find the layout functional but not deeply customizable.

XeggeX offers a clean and modern interface that’s intuitive for newcomers, featuring toggles between basic and full-screen layouts (plus light/dark themes), giving beginners a comfortable entry point and allowing power users to access more comprehensive views with minimal friction.

Performance

Firstrade offers solid performance under normal conditions, but during high-volatility events, users sometimes note slight delays in order execution; account verification remains swift even during surges, with KYC queues rarely causing major hold-ups.

The platform is engineered for swift order execution under normal conditions, but experienced disruptions and log-in downtime during critical market events—compounded by stretched support and restoration delays tied to operational chaos during the collapse.

Education

The platform provides a rich library of written and video educational resources for investing concepts, though it lacks a dedicated simulator or demo trading environment and does not yet offer educational content in Spanish.

XeggeX did not provide structured educational resources like academies, paper trading simulators, or Spanish-language tutorials, focusing instead on direct trading utility rather than user training or localized guidance.

Community

Firstrade does not operate official community channels like Discord or Telegram. It did run a referral program in the past, but that has been discontinued, and users must rely on formal help centers rather than peer-driven forums.

While XeggeX initially maintained active presence across Discord and Telegram, these channels were abruptly limited or shut down amid the crisis—though remnants of community efforts, including unofficial Discord support, continue to persist. Referral incentives were present but overshadowed by the broader turmoil.

Integrations

Firstrade recently integrated advanced research tools from Trading Central, but doesn’t support direct TradingView charting, bot trading, or built-in tax/accounting integrations—users rely on manual methods or third-party tools.

Users benefit from a native TradingView integration and access to liquidity-pool bots via the API, but there’s no formal integration with tax tools or accounting platforms—even though third-party developers have built basic automation tools via the REST API.

Who Each One Is Best For

Firstrade shines with investors who value a reliable, easy-to-use platform with educational support and occasional advanced tools—ideal for self-directed U.S. investors prioritizing simplicity over complex trading setups.

XeggeX’s streamlined interface and breadth of niche token offerings made it suitable for crypto-savvy traders interested in altcoin and meme assets—but its fragile infrastructure and lack of educational support or system stability rendered it inappropriate for risk-averse or learning-focused users.