Bitflyer vs 50X: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Bitflyer and 50X 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

Bitflyer

50X

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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

Yes

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.

50X is ideal if:

Instant coin-to-coin trades — You can swap any listed cryptocurrency directly for any other in a single transaction using its unique Any-to-Any trading core, without extra conversion steps.
Passive income through native tokens — Holding STE or A2A tokens entitles you to profit-sharing or dividend-style earnings from the platform’s performance.
Advanced trader tools with liquidity boost — The platform offers professional-grade interfaces, customizable layouts, and aggregates liquidity from major exchanges to enhance execution and depth.

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.

50X isn’t ideal if:

Liquidity limitations — Lower trading volumes can result in occasional liquidity tightness, which may affect large or rapid trades.
No fiat access or KYC — You won't be able to fund your account with traditional currencies or use fiat deposits and withdrawals in the usual way.
Offshore registration — Its incorporation in an offshore jurisdiction may offer less regulatory protection and oversight compared to more regulated platforms.

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.

50 X charges the same flat 0.20 % fee for both maker and taker spot trades; holding and paying with the internal A2A token for applicable pairs (like A2A/BTC or A2A/ETH) cuts that fee in half.

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.

For futures contracts on 50 X, both maker and taker fees are effectively zero, but as with most platforms, funding fees apply periodically to align futures prices with spot.

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.

The platform’s “Any-to-Any” matching and relatively low volume can widen average spreads on major pairs compared to high-liquidity competitors.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

methods, fees, timing

There are no direct fiat deposit or withdrawal options—though you can buy USDT via a third-party gateway using cards or Advcash, but the fees vary significantly and are set by the provider.

On-chain Withdrawals

fixed vs dynamic fees

50 X applies fixed withdrawal fees per crypto and network—e.g. modest flat fees for BTC, ETH, XRP—rather than dynamic per-network pricing.

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.

You won’t face inactivity or KYC express charges, but currency conversion and payment-gateway fees (when buying via card) can be steep and are charged externally.

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.

If you spent €500 to acquire BTC, you’d pay the platform’s spot fee (≈0.20 %), absorb the BTC/fiat spread from the gateway, and then pay the fixed network fee to withdraw on-chain.

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.

50 X offers around 24 cryptocurrencies and roughly 105 trading pairs in total; their top 20 pairs by volume typically include BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, LTC/USDT, TRX/ETH, LINK/USDT, XRP/USDC, and other active altcoin-to-cryptocurrency combinations.

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 focuses on spot trading and spot-margin (leveraged crypto-to-crypto), and also offers perpetual futures via A2A liquidity, token-based passive income (through dividends and managed accounts), but doesn’t provide options, crypto ETFs, savings staking, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA tools.

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.

Trading volume on 50 X remains modest—24-hour volume is under $100k—so book depth on BTC/ETH pairs is relatively shallow, leading to potential slippage or less depth during larger trades.

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’ll find essential order types like limit, market, stop-loss, and trailing stops with charting tools integrated into the interface; there’s support for API and WebSocket access, but there’s no fully integrated TradingView experience or alerting system built in.

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.

Derivatives and margin are generally accessible globally, but some countries with strict crypto regulations may not have full access; the platform doesn’t explicitly list those banned regions.

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.

50 X brings innovation in its Any-to-Any core and dividend token model allowing passive income through profit-sharing or token loans, but it does not currently support launchpad/pool projects or offer separate flexible vs locked earning products.

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.

Operated by Smart Token Exchange LTD, established in 2017 and headquartered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, this offshore structure allows for privacy but offers limited regulatory oversight.

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 platform does not hold formal regulatory licenses such as VASP or MiCA/UE; it functions under the jurisdiction of its offshore registry without public regulatory accreditation.

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.

Assets are custodial on the platform, though it claims 98 % of funds are kept in cold storage and a small share is hot for liquidity; there’s no publicly available proof-of-reserves or third-party audit confirmation.

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 exchange mentions insurance coverage and security provisions, but no clear details are provided on the scope, provider, or coverage limits of such protection.

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.

There are no publicly known major security breaches or regulatory penalties, though occasional user reports mention withdrawal delays and some technical hiccups in trading operations.

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.

Security features include enforced two-factor authentication (3-factor via Google Auth), customizable withdrawal delays, address whitelisting, and emergency master keys; granular API permissions and anti-phishing tools are not explicitly detailed.

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.

The platform does not publish regular transparency reports, public wallet addresses, or formal service-level agreements—transparency remains limited to user-facing guides and token dividend mechanisms.

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).

No direct fiat transfers, bank cards, or e-wallets are supported for deposit; only crypto deposits are accepted, and the timing depends on blockchain confirmation speeds.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

No direct fiat transfers, bank cards, or e-wallets are supported for deposit; only crypto deposits are accepted, and the timing depends on blockchain confirmation speeds.

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.

No KYC is required—there’s no basic or advanced verification, allowing full functionality without identity disclosure.

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.

Cryptocurrency withdrawals are allowed across supported networks like ERC-20, but fiat withdrawals aren’t supported; processing time depends on network congestion, with dynamic fees reflecting real-time blockchain conditions.

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 via email and Telegram chat, with varied response times—community-created guides serve as informal knowledge resources since no official 24/7 live support is guaranteed.

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.

The interface is available in English and other languages, displays amounts in common fiat like USD/EUR via third-party gateways, but lacks localization or regulatory adaptations for specific jurisdictions.

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.

There’s no dedicated mobile app—users rely entirely on the web interface, which shows regular updates on the site and supports stable performance without known crash issues.

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.

The interface presents a learning curve due to its rich functionality and customization options, including color theming and layout flexibility, but doesn’t explicitly offer separate “Lite” or “Pro” modes; instead, it adapts dynamically for both beginner and advanced users, though novices may feel slightly overwhelmed at first.

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 performs quickly due to its single-page application design and responsive internal core, although lower liquidity may lead to slowed fills or slippage during high volatility; since there’s no KYC, there’s no issue with verification queues.

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.

There’s no formal academy or demo environment; educational content comes via guides and third-party reviews, primarily available in English—Spanish-language resources are limited or largely community-generated rather than official.

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.

An active Telegram channel serves as the main community hub, and their multilevel referral program offers generous commission-sharing incentives—no official forums or Discord are indicated.

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.

Charts use TradingView’s charting library, and the platform supports API access for external trading bots; however, it lacks built-in tax compliance or portfolio/accounting integrations.

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.

It’s best suited for proactive crypto traders who value fast, flexible coin-to-coin swaps and deep interface customization; casual users or those needing built-in demo tools, fiat support, or simplified dashboards may find it less immediately accessible.