Bitfinex vs Bitso: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Bitfinex and Bitso 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

Bitfinex

Bitso

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

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Bitfinex is ideal if:

Powerful tools for pros – If you're an experienced crypto trader who values advanced order types, deep liquidity, and customization, Bitfinex offers a feature-rich environment tailored to your needs.
Custom trading setups – With strong API options and advanced charting (including TradingView integration), it’s excellent for algorithmic strategies and fine-tuned technical analysis.
Less beginner-friendly – If you're new to crypto or prefer ultra-simple interfaces and built-in safety nets, this platform’s complexity might feel overwhelming.

Bitso is ideal if:

Latin America–centric users: Tailored for users in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia with local currencies, payments, and regulatory coverage, offering a seamless regional crypto experience.
Beginners who value simplicity: Its intuitive interface and easy onboarding make it a solid entry point for anyone new to crypto trading.
Crypto holders seeking flexible future options: Features like Bitso+ (earnings on your holdings with no lock-ups) and a growing suite of tools make long-term crypto use more rewarding.

Bitfinex isn’t ideal if:

Prefer intuitive platforms – If you value ultra-simple design and guided onboarding, more beginner-oriented exchanges may feel more approachable.
Operate within strict compliance zones – If you're in heavily regulated regions, alternatives with clear compliance and licensing may better suit your needs.
Seek full insurance transparency – If knowing your funds are protected by explicit insurance or regularly published reserves matters, this platform’s limited disclosures might be a drawback.

Bitso isn’t ideal if:

…you live outside Latin America: Access and services are focused mainly on countries like Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia, limiting availability elsewhere.
…you need a wide range of cryptocurrencies: Bitso’s portfolio is effective for mainstream assets, but lacks the extensive variety offered by larger global exchanges.
…you value fast, hands-on support: Customer service primarily relies on tickets and digital channels, which can result in slower response times when urgent help is needed.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Maker and taker spot fees decrease as trading volume grows, and holding the exchange’s native token grants additional reductions, making fees more favorable for high-volume and token-holding users.

Bitso applies a tiered maker–taker structure where fees decrease as your 30-day trading volume increases; for instance, in the USD (USDC) market, maker rates range from ~0.25% at low volumes to ~0.04% at the highest tiers, with taker rates starting around 0.30% and dropping to about 0.05%—there’s no native token discount program.

Futures/Derivatives

Derivatives trading carries tiered maker/taker fees and incorporates periodic funding payments; higher volume and native token holdings can lead to reduced trading costs.

maker/taker and funding

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

On highly liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, spreads remain tight due to deep order books, offering competitive trading conditions for informed market participants.

While Bitso doesn’t publish exact spread figures, available data and reviews suggest it maintains competitive spreads on major, liquid pairs, though not necessarily as tight as ultra-high-volume global platforms.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Fiat transactions are handled via bank wires and select payment platforms, with modest percentage fees and set minimums; processing time varies from same-day (via express services) to several business days for standard transfers.

methods, fees, timings

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals typically impose flat network-based fees per token, varying across chains, though some tokens may carry zero withdrawal fees depending on network costs and exchange policies.

fixed vs dynamic fees per network (BTC, ETH, TRX, etc.)

Hidden Costs

Beyond visible fees, users may face additional charges like conversion spreads when funding in non-base currencies, higher rates for express services, or optional costs tied to expedited KYC or funding recovery.

currency conversion, inactivity, expedited KYC, etc.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

Buying €500 worth of BTC would involve a trading fee and a minor spread, followed by a token withdrawal fee—altogether forming a modest combined cost relative to the transaction size.

“Buying €500 in BTC” (fee + spread + withdrawal)

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Bitfinex offers well over 100 cryptocurrencies and hundreds of trading pairs in total; in its top-20 by volume list, you’ll typically see major combos like BTC/USD, ETH/USD, USDT/USD, SOL/USD, XRP/USD, among others—reflecting the most actively traded liquid markets.

Bitso offers around 100 trading pairs and supports roughly 55–100 cryptocurrencies, with top-volume instruments like BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, and USDC featuring prominently among the top 20 by liquidity.

Product Range

Bitfinex delivers a wide suite of instruments—spot, margin (peer-to-peer funded), perpetuals, and options (via Thalex integration), along with staking/earn, lending, OTC, paper trading, scaled orders for automated strategies, but it currently doesn’t offer crypto ETFs, copy-trading, grid bots, or auto-DCA features.

Bitso provides spot trading plus a flexible staking/earn product (Bitso Earn) and fiat-crypto remittances (via Bitso Shift), but it does not offer margin, derivatives (futures/options), ETFs, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA strategies.

Liquidity

The exchange handles strong 24-hour volumes across BTC and ETH, running into hundreds of millions in USD, carrying very deep order books that support high-volume executions with minimal slippage.

Daily volumes for major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT run into the tens of millions USD, offering sound liquidity and stable order-book depth, though not as deep as global mega-exchanges.

Tools

Advanced tooling is a strong suit—Bitfinex supports diverse order types (limit, market, stop, stop-limit, fill-or-kill, scaled), price alerts, sophisticated charting (including in-platform TradingView), plus REST and WebSocket APIs.

Bitso supports market, limit, stop-loss, and stop-limit orders, integrates with TradingView for advanced charting, offers price alerts, and provides robust API/WebSocket access through its Bitso Alpha platform.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Some advanced offerings like derivatives and margin may be restricted in regions with stringent regulation, meaning availability can vary depending on your country’s compliance framework.

Certain advanced features like staking and fiat on-ramps are limited to Latin American residents; derivatives and margin aren’t offered at all, and access is restricted outside these primary markets.

Innovation

While Bitfinex doesn’t run a launchpad or launchpool, it does offer flexible and locked earning options via staking and lending, along with innovative functions like scaled order execution and demo (paper) trading to support strategic development.

Bitso excels with its flexible-earn staking (withdraw anytime, weekly rewards) and has broadened coverage into emerging DeFi space by adding new tokens like HYPE, though it doesn’t currently run launchpads or locked-pool offerings.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Bitfinex is operated by iFinex Inc., a private company registered in the British Virgin Islands, founded in 2012, which handles global crypto trading with its legal base set offshore.

Bitso operates under the legal entity Badger Technology Company Ltd, incorporated in Gibraltar, with operations stretching across Latin America since its launch in 2014 out of Mexico City.

Licenses/Registration

The platform operates under VASP frameworks, but has not explicitly confirmed MiCA (EU Crypto-Asset Service Provider) compliance yet, which may become relevant as the EU’s regulatory transition continues.

The platform holds a pioneering DLT license from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and operates in Mexico under the local Fintech law as an authorized payment institution (IFPE).

Custody

Bitfinex stores the vast majority—around 99.5%—of user funds in multi-signature cold wallets leveraging distributed hardware modules; there’s no public proof-of-reserves or audit reports readily visible.

Bitso uses its own custody infrastructure, reinforced with multi-signature controls and disaster recovery via CoinCover, and offers transparency through real-time security metrics via its Trust Center.

Insurance & Protection Funds

Insurance coverage is not prominently featured, and the exchange doesn’t offer a dedicated user protection fund, leaving recovery largely dependent on internal policies or ad-hoc compensation.

Bitso has complemented its digital-asset protection by partnering with CoinCover to provide additional risk mitigation and recovery mechanisms for user funds.

Incident History

In 2016, Bitfinex suffered a major hack where over 119,000 BTC were stolen and later recovered; subsequent recovery involved issuing tokens to affected users and full reimbursement within months, and the platform’s related entity settled legal scrutiny in 2021 over operational transparency.

To date, Bitso has not experienced any known hacks or security breaches, and it has a track record of uninterrupted service without suspensions or major compliance penalties.

Risk Controls

Strong security features include universal 2FA/U2F, IP-based monitoring, withdrawal address whitelisting, granular API permissions, real-time login alerts, and behavior-based suspicious activity detection.

The platform enforces robust risk safeguards including two-factor authentication (2FA), phishing prevention, transaction whitelists, and granular API permissions for institutional users.

Transparency

Despite operational depth, Bitfinex does not routinely publish monthly financial or reserve reports, nor maintain a publicly accessible wallet on-chain or formal service-level agreements for users.

In the interest of openness, Bitso shares live security and compliance metrics in its Trust Center, though it does not produce regular reserve or transparency reports or public wallets.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Bitfinex accepts fiat via bank wire, credit/debit cards, and stablecoin on-ramps, with high minimums (e.g., $10,000 USD/EUR/GBP, ¥1,000,000 JPY), while SEPA transfers via OpenPayd impose no limit but charge a small per-transaction fee; processing ranges from nearly instantaneous (OpenPayd) to several business days for wires.

Bitso accepts fiat deposits via local bank transfers (e.g., SPEI in Mexico, Pix in Brazil), digital dollars through Payoneer, and in some markets, card deposits; minimum and maximum deposit amounts vary based on local regulations and bank systems, and transfer times generally align with domestic banking hours.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

Bitfinex requires verification to enable functions

There are typically three KYC tiers

Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals require a minimum equivalent of about $5, support multiple networks (ERC20, TRC20, BEP-20, etc.), and fees adjust dynamically per network conditions, typically completing within hours.

Limits, Timing & Networks

Customer Support

Users can access 24/7 email support, occasional live chat, and a comprehensive help center; however, user reports indicate response quality varies, with some praising responsiveness and others experiencing delays or ticket resolution issues.

Bitso provides support through live chat and an extensive Help Center ticket system, with response times typically within 24–48 hours and a rich knowledge base to guide users.

Languages & Localization

The platform operates primarily in English but also offers support materials and interface options in languages like Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, and Turkish, with pricing shown in major fiat currencies and limited local regulatory disclosures.

The platform operates natively in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, displays fees in relevant local currencies, and tailors its services to comply with regional legal and regulatory frameworks.

App Quality & Stability

The mobile app mirrors the web interface, offering real-time tools; however, user feedback points to occasional performance lags or crashes, suggesting app optimization could improve responsiveness and reliability.

Bitso’s mobile app (available for iOS and Android) mirrors the web platform in functionality and offers a smooth trading experience with strong user reviews, suggesting stability and regular updates.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Bitfinex offers both a simplified Lite mode for quick access, basic trades, and fast pay features, and a full-featured Pro mode with comprehensive tools and layout customization, which means beginners can start simple and upgrade gradually as they gain confidence.

Bitso caters to different skill levels by offering a stripped-down classic mode for newcomers and the more advanced Alpha Pro interface for serious traders—both seamlessly blend intuitive design with enhanced charting and order tools, making the learning curve manageable yet scalable.

Performance

The platform is designed for speed and low latency, reinforced by its high-performance API infrastructure, though during explosive market moves or bull runs, some users may face delayed order execution or occasional KYC processing delays.

Bitso’s Alpha Pro is optimized for fast trade execution and generally maintains uptime even during busy periods; however, during bull markets, KYC queues can lengthen, occasionally delaying full access for new users.

Education

Bitfinex includes educational content integrated through TradingView’s resources, plus paper trading and help articles, but dedicated multi-language academies or Spanish tutorials are more limited compared to some other exchanges.

Although Bitso doesn’t offer a trading simulator or demo, it does provide educational content—including guides and insights—in Spanish across its blog and Help Center, making it accessible for Spanish-speaking users seeking self-guided learning.

Community

The exchange maintains an active community via its blog, social channels, Pulse feed, and an affiliate/referral program, though it doesn’t run official Discord or Telegram groups directly from its site.

Bitso fosters community engagement through active channels like official Telegram groups and a referral program, though it doesn’t operate a public forum or Discord server specifically for user discussions.

Integrations

Native TradingView charting is built into the platform offering over 100 indicators, and the robust API enables external bot and trading tool integrations, though first-party tax or accounting tool support is not overtly promoted.

Bitso integrates directly with TradingView, enabling charting and analysis of its full spot-pair range; it also supports external integration via its robust API, though it lacks built-in tax tools or direct accounting integrations.

Who Each One Is Best For

Bitfinex is ideal for serious crypto traders and technical strategists who value speed, customization, and advanced features—while casual or novice users may find it powerful but slightly overwhelming without guided onboarding. Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper into any area—I’m ready when you are!

Bitso offers an ideal blend of simplicity and capability for Latin American users—from beginners enjoying the clean interface to intermediate traders accessing Alpha Pro—making it less suited for algorithmic traders, simulator users, or those needing integrated financial tooling.