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

Trying to choose between Bitflyer and WhiteBIT 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 13, 2025

Bitflyer

WhiteBIT

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

yes

Europe

yes

Latin America

yes

India

China

Canada

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.

WhiteBIT is ideal if:

Secure & regulated choice: A centrally licensed European exchange with strong security protocols and asset insurance — ideal if regulation and safety matter to you.
Feature-rich yet user-friendly: Offers diverse tools like lending, demo trading, margin/futures, and intuitive design — perfect for traders who want flexibility without complexity.
Integrated WBT benefits: Holding the native WBT token unlocks perks like reduced fees, referral boosts, and free services — great if you plan to engage actively with the platform.

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.

WhiteBIT isn’t ideal if:

Limited altcoin library: Offers fewer niche tokens compared to large global exchanges, which may constrain you if you seek rare assets.
Fiat and region constraints: Some deposit methods and countries aren’t supported—so users outside well-covered regions or needing specific fiat options may face limitations.
Customer support delays: While multiple channels are available, response times can sometimes lag, affecting fast-paced or urgent needs.

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.

Spot trading starts with equal maker and taker fees of 0.1% each, and high-volume or WBT token holders can unlock steep fee discounts—even reaching negative maker rates or nearly eliminated taker costs under certain conditions.

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.

Futures trading offers ultra-competitive fees, with maker rates around 0.01% and taker rates around 0.035%, while funding rates apply dynamically based on market direction, paid between long and short counterparties to balance perpetual contract prices.

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.

Popular pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT enjoy very tight bid-ask spreads—usually around 0.01–0.05%, reflecting strong liquidity and minimal cost slippage when executing market orders.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

methods, fees, timing

Fiat services include card payments and regional e-wallets, with modest processing fees (e.g., an approximate 1.5% rate min. 0.5 GBP up to a cap), and settlement times typically range from near-instant to a few business days depending on the method and region.

On-chain Withdrawals

fixed vs dynamic fees

Crypto withdrawals incur blockchain-based fees that vary by asset and network; rather than fixed internal fees, you pay the real network cost for BTC, ETH, TRX, etc., which updates dynamically with network congestion.

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.

Beyond trading and withdrawal costs, users may face secondary charges—like currency conversion spreads, inactivity fees, or expedited identity verification fees—that subtly increase total cost if not accounted for.

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.

Buying €500 worth of BTC would cost a small trading fee (spot maker/taker), a tightening-spread cost reflecting the bid/ask gap, and one withdrawal cost determined by blockchain network conditions—delivering a transparent but slightly higher total than nominal BTC value.

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.

WhiteBIT supports over 330 cryptocurrencies with more than 550–780 spot pairs and around 180–200 futures pairs, featuring top liquid volumes like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT in its leading offerings.

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.

The platform offers spot, margin (up to 10× leverage), perpetual futures (up to 100× leverage), staking/earn, crypto lending, plus tools like DEX, WhiteSwap, auto-invest (DCA), but doesn’t currently list options, ETFs, copy trading, or grid bots.

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.

WhiteBIT handles daily volumes exceeding $1–1.4 billion, and the BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT pairs show deep order book depth with multi-million-dollar bids and asks, ensuring solid execution.

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 get standard and advanced orders (limit, market, stop-limit, stop-market, OCO), platform alerts, powerful charting interfaces, plus API/websocket access and native integration with TradingView for both spot and futures.

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.

Certain products like futures or margin may be restricted in specific jurisdictions (e.g., the U.S. and a few others), while some regions also face limits on fiat methods or lending services.

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.

WhiteBIT includes launchpad functionality (exclusive token offerings for WBT holders) and offers both flexible and locked staking/earn options, adding modern utility for active community participants.

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.

WhiteBIT operates under the legal umbrella of multiple entities—primarily UAB Clear White Technologies in Lithuania (founded in 2018, headquartered in Vilnius), with regional branches in the Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Australia, Hong Kong, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, and Georgia to support global operations.

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.

The exchange holds Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) licensing in several jurisdictions (notably across parts of the EU), aligning with evolving regulatory frameworks like MiCA, and has recently expanded into markets such as Italy, Croatia, and Kazakhstan under appropriate local supervision.

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.

WhiteBIT keeps approximately 96% of user funds in cold storage (multisig-protected), audited by a third party (Hacken) to confirm 1

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.

The platform maintains an insurance fund—sourced from trading fees—that covers its cold storage holdings, with protections currently valued at around $30 million USD to shield users against losses from unforeseen incidents.

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.

WhiteBIT has never suffered a known hack. It actively works with law enforcement, enforces strict AML controls, and maintains a bug bounty program; no freezes, major suspensions, or punitive fines have been reported.

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.

The platform enforces multiple layered security measures, including mandatory 2FA, anti-phishing codes, IP and address whitelisting, granular API permissions, and optional sub-account creation to segment risk.

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.

WhiteBIT demonstrates commitment to transparency via regular Proof-of-Reserves reports, although detailed monthly financial or SLA disclosures and public wallet listings are limited; communication with regulators and law enforcement remains active.

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).

WhiteBIT accepts fiat deposits via bank cards (Visa/MasterCard), SEPA transfers (for EUR), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Checkout, Volet.com, and ZEN, with minimums typically around € 10 or equivalent. Deposit speeds vary: card and e-wallet methods often process within minutes, while SEPA transfers may take several business days.

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.

KYC verification is mandatory to access fiat deposits, withdrawals, and trading; there are no tiers for limited or anonymous access—users must undergo full KYC (document + liveness check), which unlocks full platform capabilities without predefined tier-based limits.

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.

Crypto withdrawals are handled via supported networks like TRC20, ERC20, BEP20, etc., with variable network fees and executed quickly (usually within ~10 minutes). Withdrawal limits scale significantly post-KYC—from low caps like 2 BTC/day for unverified to approximately 100 BTC/day for verified accounts.

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.

Support is available 24/7 via live chat and email; help center articles and tutorials offer self-service guidance. Users report responses typically within minutes to a few hours, though peak times may extend that slightly.

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.

Interface is fully available in English and several local languages, displaying prices and fees in both €/USD and other fiat. The platform adjusts services based on local regulatory compliance, including availability of certain deposit/withdrawal options per region.

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.

WhiteBIT’s mobile apps for iOS and Android are known for smooth performance, regular updates, and robust stability; while specific crash rates are not public, user reviews consistently cite reliable functionality and fast feature rollout.

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.

WhiteBIT offers an intuitive interface that balances simplicity and depth, making navigation easy for beginners, while its advanced trading terminal—with switchable Lite and Pro styles—caters to professionals needing detailed analysis tools and market data.

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.

The platform delivers ultra-low latency via WebSocket and API streams—down to millisecond-level speed—while high-traffic periods remain smooth thanks to colocation and robust infrastructure; KYC verification typically clears quickly even during peak demand.

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.

WhiteBIT provides educational resources like tutorials, help-center articles, and multilingual content, but currently lacks a built-in demo mode or simulator, with most materials available in English and select regional languages.

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.

Users engage through official community channels—including Discord, Telegram, and forums—and benefit from an easy-to-understand referral program that rewards inviting new users, enhancing peer interaction and platform familiarity.

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 seamlessly integrates with TradingView for charting and order execution, offers API access for external bot automation, and supports tax/accounting tools like Koinly for portfolio tracking and reporting.

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.

WhiteBIT suits traders seeking a secure, flexible platform with strong performance, advanced tools, and community engagement—ideal for serious retail and semi-pro users drawn to both usability and robust ecosystem support.