dYdX vs Crypto.com: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between dYdX and Crypto.com 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 9, 2025

dYdX

Crypto.com

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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dYdX is ideal if:

You thrive on decentralized control: If you value true self-custody and want to trade without intermediaries, dYdX delivers that fully trustless experience through its app-chain model.
You demand professional-grade derivatives: Ideal for experienced traders seeking advanced tools (perpetuals, deep liquidity, order books) wrapped in a sleek, CEX-like interface.
You prioritize scalability and speed: Built on its own Cosmos-based Layer 1 chain, dYdX offers lightning-fast execution and high throughput—perfect for active or algorithmic trading.

Crypto.com is ideal if:

Mobile-first crypto explorers: Ideal for users who want a sleek, all-in-one app experience—from buying and managing assets to using a crypto debit card for everyday spending.
Feature-curious investors: Great if you're looking for a platform that layers advanced options—staking, NFTs, lending, and even a customizable trading exchange—on top of a beginner-friendly interface.
Security-conscious users: Well-suited for those who value robust safeguards, including enterprise-grade certifications and a strong regulatory footprint across major markets.

dYdX isn’t ideal if:

You want a huge crypto selection: If you prefer platforms with hundreds or thousands of assets, dYdX’s limited range (focused on derivatives and select tokens) might feel restrictive.
You’re new to DeFi or prefer full KYC onboarding: If you expect a traditional, identity-verified trading experience, dYdX’s wallet-only, non-custodial flow may seem unfamiliar or cumbersome.
You need fiat deposits or simple spot-only trades: If your strategy relies on using bank transfers or just spot trading with fiat, dYdX’s focus on crypto leverage/perpetuals may not suit your needs.

Crypto.com isn’t ideal if:

Pure “buy & hold” investors: If your goal is simply to purchase and store crypto long-term, you might find other platforms more straightforward and less overloaded with extra features.
Desktop-first users: Some key functions—like card purchases—are only accessible via the mobile app, potentially limiting functionality for desktop-heavy users.
Entry-level traders with low volume: If you place small or occasional market orders, you may find the effective trading costs less competitive compared to more entry-volume friendly platforms.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

dYdX employs a tiered maker/taker fee model—starting at around 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers for lower trading volumes, and reducing significantly (even resulting in rebates for makers) as your 30-day volume and market share increase; no explicit discount is tied to holding the native token anymore.

Spot trading fees follow a tiered structure where higher 30-day trading volumes and staking of the native CRO token unlock progressively lower maker and taker rates, rewarding both liquidity providers and token holders.

Futures/Derivatives

Perpetual futures follow a similar tiered structure, with maker fees beginning around 0.01% and taker around 0.05%, and both shrinking as volume grows; funding rates are variable and pair-specific, aligning positions’ pricing periodically without fixed values.

Derivatives fees—including for perpetuals and futures—use maker/taker pricing and also incorporate funding rate costs, with potential zero maker fees or rebates available depending on CRO stake levels.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

dYdX operates with tight spreads for highly traded perpetual pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT thanks to deep liquidity on its order book structure—typically narrower than what’s common on many centralized platforms.

On deep liquidity pairs like BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT, spreads are kept narrow to reflect an efficient order book, though the exact difference between bid and ask may vary with market conditions.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Fiat on-ramps are not provided directly—users must bring crypto in via bridges (e.g., Skip Go Fast, IBC or via Coinbase for USDC); there are no platform fees, but third-party or network fees may apply, and processing can range from seconds to a few minutes depending on method.

Fiat can be moved via bank transfers or cards, with most basic deposit methods being essentially fee-free on the platform side and withdrawals varying by method; processing times range from near-instant to a few business days depending on the option.

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals incur only network or bridge fees—fees vary dynamically by network (e.g., Ethereum, Cosmos, Solana)—and are not fixed; the platform itself doesn’t add extra charges beyond those required for settlement.

When sending crypto externally, fees are determined per chain and typically set at a fixed amount rather than variable, with different values depending on the network—for example Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other supported assets.

Hidden Costs

There are essentially no hidden fees—there’s no inactivity charge, no extra cost for expedited KYC (since KYC is minimal), and currency conversions occur only through normal network swaps without opaque surcharges.

Unadvertised charges may arise from non-native currency conversions, inactivity penalties if accounts are unused over long periods, or paying for expedited identity verification services when needed.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

For a €500 BTC purchase, your cost comprises a small taker fee (around 0.05%), a tight spread inherent to the order book, and then if you withdraw, only the network fee on the chain—there’s no layered fee structure or hidden markup adding to the total.

If you buy crypto worth roughly €500, you’d incur a small combined cost from order execution (dependent on order type and liquidity), a modest spread for execution price, and then any withdrawal fee when sending the asset off-platform—pulling these factors together gives a realistic cost overview for a typical user.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

dYdX offers over 200 perpetual markets on its Chain, spanning the most traded assets (like BTC-USD, ETH-USD, SOL-USD) as well as emerging tokens; the top 20 by volume include the largest-cap cryptocurrencies and most liquid pairs across derivatives.

Crypto.com lists over 400 cryptocurrencies and supports more than 600 trading pairs overall, with the most active among them—including major tokens like BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, ADA, XRP, SOL, DOGE, and MATIC—regularly comprising its top 20 by volume.

Product Range

dYdX currently offers perpetual derivatives and margin trading, with no spot, options, ETFs, staking/earn, loans, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA — though future versions (v4+) are preparing to expand back into spot and other synthetic offerings.

The platform supports a wide array of services

Liquidity

The platform maintains strong 24-hour trading volume often exceeding several hundred million dollars, with deep order books for BTC-USD and ETH-USD delivering consistent market depth and low slippage.

Crypto.com maintains deep liquidity across its markets, with spot order books for BTC and ETH particularly robust—though precise 24-hour volumes and depth figures fluctuate, the Exchange manages high throughput and tight market depth for its most liquid pairs.

Tools

Traders benefit from advanced order options (limit, market, stop-loss/take-profit), real-time charting with native TradingView support, API and WebSocket access for automation, though there’s no built-in alerts panel yet.

A full suite of order types is available—including limit, stop-loss, take-profit, and OCO orders—alongside native TradingView integration for enhanced charting, advanced bot tools (DCA, TWAP, grid, arbitrage), and a high-performance API/WSS infrastructure covering spot, margin, and derivatives trading.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Product availability varies by region — for example, derivatives may be restricted or disabled in certain jurisdictions like the U.S., while other global areas generally have full access to perpetual trading on dYdX Chain.

Certain regions face product limitations—derivatives and margin trading may be restricted or unavailable depending on jurisdiction, whereas spot trading and earning services are broadly accessible but vary by local regulation.

Innovation

dYdX’s ‘Launchable’ and MegaVault systems allow community-driven, instant market creation and liquidity pooling, while staking rewards and other incentives are dynamically distributed, without fixed earn or lock-up schemes.

Crypto.com continues to expand with creative offerings like crypto launchpad or launchpool-style events for new token releases, and flexible vs locked earn options that let users choose between liquidity or higher yields—reflecting a commitment to innovation in user engagement and passive strategies.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

dYdX is operated by dYdX Operations Services Ltd., a Cayman Islands-based company managing the front end and indexing services, and governance itself is transitioning to a Cayman Islands Foundation Company for stronger legal structure and decentralization.

Crypto.com is managed by Foris DAX Asia (a Singapore-based company), with its global operations dating back to 2016 and headquarters located in Singapore.

Licenses/Registration

The platform doesn’t hold traditional financial licenses like VASP but has voluntarily released a MiCA-aligned whitepaper detailing its token governance, risk frameworks, and legal positioning under the EU regulatory regime.

The platform is compliant across major regions—registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Spain, holding MiCA authorization through its Maltese entity, and operating under regulatory approvals in the UK, Cyprus, France, Singapore, Australia, Canada, and the US, among others.

Custody

Users retain full custody due to the non-custodial, smart-contract model; funds are verifiable on-chain in real time (transparent Proof of Reserves), and the protocol publishes open-source audits—there’s no centralized cold-reserve custody by dYdX itself.

Crypto.com employs client-segregated custody with advanced MPC-based secure holdings, offers bankruptcy-remote vaults, and undergoes regular audits with transparent architecture—while explicit proof-of-reserves remains internal.

Insurance & Protection Funds

dYdX does not maintain insurance or protection funds like centralized platforms—liquid funds rely on cryptographic guarantees and community governance rather than third-party insurance.

Its U.S.–based Custody Trust benefits from a robust insurance policy of around USD 120 million covering cold-storage assets and potential theft, supported by Lloyd’s underwriters and arranged by Aon.

Incident History

Since its launch, dYdX has not experienced any major hacks, freezes, or regulatory penalties—its decentralized chain operations and open-source design have helped avoid such incidents.

In early 2022, Crypto.com experienced a hack resulting in about $15 million in Ether taken; withdrawals were briefly paused and later restored, with no client funds lost, and there have been no major subsequent breaches publicly reported.

Risk Controls

As a non-custodial DeFi platform, security hinges on your wallet; dYdX’s interface supports API and WebSocket connectivity but does not offer traditional controls like 2FA or sub-account whitelists because private key and wallet security remain user-managed.

The platform enforces strong protections like mandatory 2FA, withdrawal whitelists, anti-phishing mechanisms, API permissions, role-based access, and optional sub-accounts to maintain granular control and mitigate unauthorized access.

Transparency

The protocol maintains high transparency—open-source code, public chain data, on-chain governance/fund flows, and MiCA-aligned documentation provide clear accountability, though there’s no direct monthly performance report format or formal SLA.

Client assets are maintained in separate, auditable wallets with structural segregation; while public monthly audits or visible SLAs are not routinely published, the architecture reflects operational transparency and institutional-grade security standards.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

dYdX does not support direct fiat deposits; instead, users bridge in crypto via Skip Go Fast, Skip Go regular, or Coinbase/Noble, with instant to few-minute settlement depending on method.

You can fund your account via bank transfer, credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, or Google Pay; minimum and maximum thresholds vary by method and region, ranging from low single-digit amounts up to substantial daily and monthly caps; fund arrivals can be instant (cards/e-wallets) or take several hours to a few business days (bank transfers).

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

dYdX does not support direct fiat deposits; instead, users bridge in crypto via Skip Go Fast, Skip Go regular, or Coinbase/Noble, with instant to few-minute settlement depending on method.

KYC (Verification Levels)

dYdX is fully non-custodial and does not require any KYC levels—there is no basic or advanced KYC, and therefore no user limits tied to identity verification.

Users can engage with limited features before KYC; completing full KYC (identity and selfie upload) unlocks higher transaction thresholds and full access to platform services—lower tiers impose strict withdrawal and product restrictions.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals are subject to network-specific rules—USDC via Noble has default rate limits (e.g., up to 1% of TVL per hour), supported chain options vary and times range from seconds to minutes depending on the route.

Withdrawals are subject to minimum amounts per coin and daily caps (e.g., around 10 BTC per 24 h); supported networks include ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, etc., and processing times depend on both network congestion and method—crypto withdrawals may take minutes to over an hour.

Customer Support

dYdX provides in-app live chat powered by ACX, documentation-rich help center and community forums, aiming response times of 1–2 hours via opening help tickets and growing self-service tools continuously.

Help is available via 24/7 in-app chat and email, with typical resolution times varying by query complexity; a detailed knowledge base supports self-help for tutorials and FAQs.

Languages & Localization

The platform primarily supports English and Turkish for now, with localization and additional languages planned later; fiat values are not directly displayed in euros since there’s no native fiat handling built in.

The platform supports native Spanish alongside other languages, displays fees and balances in local currencies such as €, and adapts features based on regional regulatory frameworks for better local relevance.

App Quality & Stability

The interface is robust and designed to feel like a centralized exchange in performance and UX—recent updates and seamless deposit/withdrawal UX suggest solid stability with minimal crashes reported.

The mobile app is routinely updated and regarded as stable and performant; although official crash-rate metrics aren’t public, regular releases and smooth UX improvements indicate robust maintenance and reliability.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

dYdX offers a dual-mode interface—Default Mode provides a simplified, intuitive layout ideal for newcomers exploring perpetuals, while Pro Mode unlocks advanced UI features and full functionality akin to the web platform, allowing users to grow into the system at their own pace.

The platform shines with clear organization and user-friendly navigation, designed to welcome newcomers while offering deeper controls—premium users benefit from a more advanced interface, akin to a “Pro” mode, though there’s no explicitly separate branded version.

Performance

Built on its own low-latency Cosmos-based chain, dYdX delivers fast order execution and handles high trade throughput smoothly; while past infrastructure bottlenecks during extreme volatility prompted upgrades, there’s no user-facing KYC queuing since KYC isn’t part of the flow.

Crypto.com generally offers swift order execution under normal market conditions, with strong platform resilience, though unsurprisingly, major volatility spikes can slightly increase latency and lead to temporary delays in KYC verification high-traffic periods.

Education

dYdX has launched a user-friendly trading guide through its Learning Hub to help onboard new traders—from wallet connection to placing orders—and while there’s no fully featured simulator or Spanish-specific academy yet, the guides are simple and approachable.

While Crypto.com offers a variety of educational materials, including guides and announcements, native Spanish content is mostly limited to community posts and localized support updates rather than a dedicated academy or trading simulator in Spanish.

Community

dYdX fosters a vibrant ecosystem with active community forums, Discord channels, and a structured referral/affiliate system offering trading incentives and rewards for community engagement learners and contributors.

The ecosystem includes vibrant official communities on Discord and Telegram—supportive spaces for updates and peer help—as well as referral incentives, but there’s no central copy-trading or reward-sharing program.

Integrations

The platform features seamless TradingView-powered charting, open APIs for external bot and automation support, and compatibility with data tools via community resources, though no built-in tax or accounting modules exist.

Crypto.com integrates with TradingView on its interface, supports native automated tools like DCA and grid bots, and links to external accounting or tax tools; full support for third-party bot platforms is expanding

Who Each One Is Best For

dYdX is perfect for traders comfortable with DeFi and eager for fast, non-custodial perpetual trading, while those unfamiliar with blockchain UI or preferring guided spot experiences might find the learning curve and interface options less suitable.

Beginners appreciate the intuitive onboarding design and helpful community, while intermediate users benefit from advanced charting, automation tools, and the hybrid feel of a “Lite-to-Pro” progression—pro traders may find other services with more dedicated Pro-tier offerings fit their needs better.