Bit vs Altcoin Trader: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Bit and Altcoin Trader 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

Bit

Altcoin Trader

⚠️ We look for what’s best for you.

₿ Getting into crypto? With eToro you can start in minutes: buy/sell top coins, set recurring buys, track markets, and use Social/CopyTrader features.

👉 Start here and explore the crypto offer.

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

Thinking about starting with crypto? This is for you.

In select regions, eToro offers a $10 welcome bonus when you open an account today.*

🎯 An account built to help you start with crypto—without the hassle.

➕ Buy and sell top cryptocurrencies in minutes

➕ Recurring buys, price alerts, and advanced charts

➕ Social/CopyTrader™ to follow experienced investors

➕ One of the largest and most trusted platforms worldwide

Limited-time promotion — still available.

*Offer subject to terms, eligibility and regional availability. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest.

Bit is ideal if:

You want access to a professional-grade platform with advanced derivatives and options for major cryptocurrencies.
You prefer a unified margin account that simplifies collateral management across spot, futures, and options.
You value institutional-level liquidity and infrastructure backed by a reputable global crypto finance group.

Altcoin Trader is ideal if:

Ideal for newcomers seeking simplicity: Its intuitive interface and straightforward trading make onboarding smooth and stress‑free.
Perfect if you want seamless ZAR access: Supports direct South African Rand deposits and withdrawals tied to local banking systems.
Great for those who value passive earnings: Offers an interest‑bearing feature that lets you earn on crypto holdings without lock‑ins.

Bit isn’t ideal if:

Altcoin Trader isn’t ideal if:

Not for multi-fiats or passive earners: Only accepts South African Rand and lacks earning tools like staking or interest accounts.
Not for advanced traders: Platform design is basic—missing advanced order types, robust charting, or professional trading tools.
Not optimal for large-volume traders: Lower liquidity and trading volume compared to big exchanges may affect execution of bigger trades.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

BIT uses a tiered fee structure where maker and taker rates decrease as your 30-day trading volume increases, and some users benefit from additional discounts by using the platform’s native token to pay fees.

AltCoinTrader applies a flat fee of 0.10% for both maker and taker spot trades, regardless of your trading volume; there are no volume-based tiers or discounts for using any native token.

Futures/Derivatives

Futures trades follow a similar tiered model with both maker and taker fees declining as your volume grows; funding rates are dynamic and reflect real-time market demand but are transparently displayed on the trading interface.

The platform does not offer any futures or derivatives trading—so there are no associated maker/taker fees or funding costs to consider.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

On highly liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, typical spreads are very tight, thanks to strong liquidity and professional market infrastructure—even though exact values aren’t publicly listed, they remain consistently narrow.

AltCoinTrader does not publicly disclose average spreads for these pairs; given its focus on ZAR-based markets, spreads may vary, and the platform does not advertise this metric prominently.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

BIT’s fiat support is limited, and where offered (e.g. via partners), deposit and withdrawal options—such as bank transfers—exist but with general processing times of hours to days and no fixed fee details publicly disclosed.

You can deposit and withdraw South African Rand via EFT, bank transfer, Capitec Pay, and similar local methods—with deposit fees around 0.5% (capped at R95), and withdrawal fees set at 0.5% plus a fixed R16 (also capped at R95); deposits are typically credited within one to three days, depending on your bank.

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals incur network-based fees that adjust dynamically per blockchain (e.g., BTC, ETH), instead of a flat rate—this means actual costs vary in real time according to network congestion.

Withdrawal fees for cryptocurrencies are network-based and vary by coin—e.g., a BTC withdrawal costs approximately 0.00057 BTC—indicating a fixed fee per network rather than dynamic gas-based pricing.

Hidden Costs

There may be subtle costs like currency conversion when trading non-supported stablecoins, inactive account fees, or expedited KYC processing—but BIT emphasizes transparency, and these are minimal or avoidable through regular activity.

Although there are no explicit inactivity or express KYC fees mentioned, non-ZAR conversions may involve indirect conversion costs, and fee transparency for different services (like instant processing) isn’t fully clear—so always check within your account before proceeding.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

A €500 BTC purchase would include the spot fee (based on your VIP tier), a tight spread typical for Bitcoin, and an on-chain withdrawal fee that fluctuates with network conditions—all combined to present a total cost that remains competitive and transparent.

Suppose you purchase the equivalent of €500 in BTC via the market; you’d pay roughly 0.10% in trading fee plus a spread embedded in the quote, and if withdrawing immediately you’d incur the fixed BTC withdrawal fee—altogether reflecting trading, conversion, and withdrawal without outlining exact amounts to keep it evergreen.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

BIT lists over 130 cryptocurrencies and around 160+ trading pairs overall, with the top 20 by volume including BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, SOL/USDT, PEPE/USDT, XRP/USDT and others leading daily activity.

AltCoinTrader supports approximately 37 unique cryptocurrencies across around 48 trading pairs, with the top 20 pairs by volume dominated by ZAR-based markets—including notable pairs like XRP/ZAR, BTC/ZAR, USDT/ZAR, and ETH/ZAR.

Product Range

The platform supports spot, perps (futures), US dollar–settled options, convert/swap, savings/earn, copy trading, block trades, and automated rebalance strategies— all unified under their single account model.

AltCoinTrader focuses on basic spot trading and includes a passive income product called “Easy Save,” but it does not offer margin or derivatives, crypto ETFs, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA tools.

Liquidity

BIT provides high liquidity and deep order books in major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, backed by institutional infrastructure, yielding tight spreads and strong execution even under heavy volume.

Liquidity is modest, with 24-hour trading volumes in the low-to-mid million-dollar range; although exact order book depth isn’t publicly shown, it’s likely thinner than on major global exchanges, especially for BTC and ETH markets.

Tools

Traders can use limit, market, and OCO orders, set alerts, access advanced charting, leverage TradingView integrations, and connect via robust API/WebSocket endpoints.

The platform provides market and limit orders, slightly more advanced charting via TradingView Basic, and API access; however, features such as stop or OCO orders, price alerts, WebSocket data, or advanced charting tools are notably limited or absent.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Certain products such as derivatives (futures and options) are restricted in several jurisdictions—including the United States and parts of Asia—depending on local law and platform policy.

Being South African-based, AltCoinTrader’s features are tailored mainly to ZAR-speaking regions, with no support for derivatives or advanced instruments—there are no explicit regional blackouts, but advanced products simply aren’t offered anywhere.

Innovation

BIT continuously launches new offerings like launchpad-style products, evolving earn features with flexible and locked staking options, and expanding USD-settled options across various assets.

AltCoinTrader doesn’t support token launch mechanisms or pools, but it does offer an innovative passive yield feature via Easy Save, which allows flexible, interest-like returns on idle crypto without lock-ins—offering a rare, flexible-earn option among regional exchanges.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

BIT is operated by a Seychelles-registered entity established around 2020, headquartered in that jurisdiction, leveraging offshore incorporation to serve a broad global clientele.

AltCoinTrader (Pty) Ltd, founded around 2015 and headquartered in South Africa, operates under South African law with a visible company registration—making it a locally regulated and established crypto service provider.

Licenses/Registration

It’s registered under the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA) as a crypto-service provider, though it does not hold equivalent licenses under EU MiCA or major markets like the U.S.

AltCoinTrader is officially licensed by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) as a Category I/II Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP), and also registered as a Financial Service Provider (FSP), reflecting compliance with local and FATF-aligned regulatory standards.

Custody

Client funds are predominantly held in multi-signature cold storage across multiple continents with institutional-grade encryption; BIT is working toward combining both proof of reserves and proof of liabilities using Merkle-tree verification to enhance transparency.

AltCoinTrader manages its own custody of user assets, employs a statutory audit confirming that client reserves exceed liabilities, and holds a major portion of assets in cold storage—though it doesn’t publicly provide a full-proof of reserves report.

Insurance & Protection Funds

The platform maintains an internal insurance fund—designed to absorb losses in extreme market conditions and support its liquidation system as a layer of fund protection.

There is no publicly detailed insurance policy or external protection fund advertised—such coverage is either not offered or not transparently disclosed on the platform.

Incident History

BIT has maintained a clean track record with no publicly reported hacks, service suspensions, asset freezes, or regulatory penalties to date.

There are no known reports of major hacks or regulatory fines, although a small number of users have complained about account issues or fund access delays on review platforms—no confirmed systemic security breaches.

Risk Controls

Security measures include mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA), IP and withdrawal whitelists, anti-phishing safeguards, and support for sub-accounts and granular API permissioning to manage operational risk.

The platform enforces standard risk controls like two-factor authentication (2FA) and OTP-based withdrawal verification; more advanced tools such as whitelisting addresses, sub-account management, anti-phishing measures, or granular API permissions are not prominently featured.

Transparency

While BIT does not publish monthly audit reports or public wallet lists, it provides insurance fund status updates and aims to establish tools for verifying reserves and liabilities, offering growing transparency to users.

AltCoinTrader does not appear to publish monthly financial or transparency reports, does not offer publicly auditable wallet addresses, nor sets formal SLAs—though it does voluntarily participate in regulatory audits and maintains compliance processes under financial law.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

BIT supports fiat deposits via bank transfer, credit/debit cards, and e-wallets depending on your region, with minimums and maximums and processing times clearly shown on the deposit screen once you initiate the flow.

AltCoinTrader accepts fiat deposits via local bank transfers and Ozow instant EFT, requiring a minimum of around R100 (approx. $6), with no stated maximum; processing usually happens within a few hours to one business day, depending on method and bank operations.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

The KYC framework includes levels like “Basic” and “Advanced” (or equivalent), where unverified users face strict limits or no fiat access, and completing higher KYC tiers unlocks full deposit, withdrawal, and product access.

AltCoinTrader uses multi-tiered verification

Withdrawals

Limits, Timing & Networks

Crypto withdrawals depend on the chosen network (ERC-20, TRC-20, etc.) and follow standard network protocols; fiat ZAR withdrawals offer a “near-instant” service (R250K max outside banking hours; R5M during) taking 5–15 minutes to process but up to 24 hours to reflect, and must be sent to a personal bank account in your name.

Customer Support

BIT offers 24/7 live chat and email support, with a comprehensive help center filled with FAQs and guides; response times vary but generally are prompt—especially for basic queries.

Support is available via email, tickets, and phone during South African business hours (typically weekdays, 9

Languages & Localization

The platform is native in English (and often other major languages), shows pricing and fees in local currencies like USD/EUR, and tailors certain services according to regional regulatory compliance.

The platform is presented in English, displays fees and balances in ZAR, and is fully oriented toward South African regulatory standards, offering smooth localization for users in that region while showing limited adaptability for others.

App Quality & Stability

The BIT mobile app is regularly updated on both iOS and Android, designed for smooth performance with minimal crashes, and offers a clean interface that mirrors the web experience.

AltCoinTrader’s mobile app is generally stable and feature-rich in terms of basic trading, earning a middling performance score; while it supports TradingView charts, APIs, and indicators, there’s no public data on crash rates—user feedback indicates reliable stability but limited advanced features.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

The interface is clean and beginner-friendly, offering an intuitive experience without overwhelming the user—advanced options are accessible but smoothly integrated, helping you transition as you grow.

AltCoinTrader features a clean, beginner-friendly interface with a shallow learning curve and no separate Lite or Pro modes—making it simple and consistent for users of all levels.

Performance

BIT’s matching engine delivers ultra-low latency (under 50 ms), ensuring fast order execution; systems remain stable even during volatility spikes, with KYC processes generally unaffected by market surges.

The exchange typically handles order submissions quickly and remains solid even during market swings, though occasional slowdowns or verification delays may occur during surges of activity or peak trading periods.

Education

While BIT doesn’t have a dedicated academy or simulator, it offers in-platform guides and multilingual content (including Spanish), helping users understand features without external research.

While the platform offers helpful webinars, detailed FAQs, and guided support, it lacks a built-in demo or simulator and currently doesn’t provide structured educational content in Spanish.

Community

Users can connect via BIT’s official Telegram and referral programs, enabling peer interactions and rewards, though there’s currently no full-fledged forum or Discord hub.

AltCoinTrader does not host public forums or Discord/Telegram channels, but it does run a referral program alongside its support-driven community engagement through its helpdesk and email support.

Integrations

Charts on BIT include TradingView integrations, and the platform supports external tools like copy trading strategies and some basic tax/accounting exports, though comprehensive third-party bot support is limited.

The platform includes basic charting with TradingView Lite integration, but it doesn’t yet support external trading bots, tax tools, or accounting package integrations.

Who Each One Is Best For

BIT is ideal for those seeking a straightforward yet powerful trading platform—great for beginners who appreciate clarity and for intermediate users who want solid tools without a steep learning curve.

AltCoinTrader is ideal for South African beginners or casual traders seeking secure, straightforward ZAR-based buying and basic earning, but less suitable for advanced traders craving sophisticated tools or broader language and automation support.