Cex.Io vs Bigone: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Cex.Io and Bigone 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

Cex.Io

Bigone

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Yes

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Cex.Io is ideal if:

Great for beginners seeking simplicity: Offers intuitive fiat-to-crypto access and easy navigation, making first-time buying or selling smooth and straightforward.
Useful for users valuing regulatory compliance: Holds multiple licenses and registrations, which adds credibility and reassurance for those prioritizing security.
Suited to flexible and evolving needs: Includes features like staking, margin options, and mobile trading—helpful as your crypto journey grows.

Bigone is ideal if:

Strong security foundations — BigONE deploys cold wallet reserves, multi-signature storage, and enforced two-factor authentication, making it a solid pick if asset protection is your priority.
Flexible services ecosystem — Offers margin and futures trading, copy trading, staking, lending, and liquidity mining—all within a single platform, ideal for users who want diverse earning and trading options.
Beginner-friendly features — With demo accounts, low minimum deposits, an intuitive interface, and mobile access, it provides a gentle entry point for new traders keen to learn hands-on.

Cex.Io isn’t ideal if:

Not suited for fee-sensitive traders: Deposit and withdrawal costs—especially from credit cards or SWIFT transfers—can be on the higher side.
Less ideal for altcoin hunters: Coin selection is solid for mainstream assets but may feel restrictive for those seeking niche or emerging tokens.
Not optimized for advanced traders: Lacks advanced order types and demo environments, and interface may feel cluttered during complex trading sessions.

Bigone isn’t ideal if:

Not fully regulated transparency — The exchange doesn’t clearly disclose its regulation structure or provide detailed company background, which could raise trust concerns for users seeking fully licensed platforms.
Fiat limitations affect access — Lacks direct fiat deposit support in many regions and doesn’t allow bank/card funding in most cases, making it inconvenient for users who prefer traditional payment methods.
Security breach history — Recently suffered a significant hack targeting its hot wallet, temporarily halting trading and deposit services—which may deter those prioritizing operational resilience.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

CEX.IO’s spot trading fees begin at 0.25% for taker orders and 0.15% for maker orders, and progressively decrease as your 30-day trading volume rises—reaching lower bands (like around 0.10%) at higher volumes, with no discounts tied to a native token.

BigONE charges a flat 0.2 % for both maker and taker orders on spot trading, and applies discounts through its tiered VIP system—higher levels (Bronze to Challenger) qualify for lower maker/taker fees based on privilege points earned via volume, referrals, or holdings, with fees notably reduced at top tiers

Futures/Derivatives

CEX.IO separates its derivatives platform from spot trading and applies different fee structures, but publicly available information on specific maker, taker, or funding rates is limited (often requiring account access or direct inquiry for clarity).

For perpetual futures contracts, BigONE charges 0.02 % maker and 0.06 % taker fees, with funding rate payments exchanged between long and short positions at regular intervals and no additional platform fee for funding itself

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

Spreads for major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT on CEX.IO are generally tight and in line with competitive market norms, helping ensure that trading costs remain low for highly liquid assets.

While BigONE-specific spread data is scarce, the exchange’s BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT pairs are generally expected to align with tight spreads seen across highly liquid platforms—typically well below 0.1 % for such major pairs

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

You can fund your account using various options—credit/debit cards, bank transfers (SEPA, SWIFT, ACH), digital wallets, and alternative services—with timing and fees varying by method and region, and listed transparently during transaction setup.

methods, fees, timings

On-chain Withdrawals

On-chain withdrawal fees differ depending on the blockchain (BTC, ETH, TRX, etc.) and are dynamically adjusted based on network conditions, rather than using a one-size-fits-all flat fee.

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

Hidden Costs

Beyond trading and transfer fees, there may be extra charges lurking in currency conversion margins, inactivity fees, or expedited KYC processing—but these are typically disclosed at the relevant step, not built into everyday trading.

Implicit costs can include exchange rate conversion within OTC trades, inactivity charges (none publicly indicated), expedited KYC processes (not clearly associated with extra cost), or fallback spreads embedded in peer-to-peer OTC fiat conversions—so while not labeled as fees, these can quietly affect overall costs.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

If you were to convert €500 into BTC, your total cost would combine the spot maker/taker fee, the market spread, and any withdrawal or conversion fee—resulting in a composite cost slightly above the raw crypto amount, depending on your payment method and network chosen.

Suppose you convert €500 via OTC into USDT or BTC (with a typical provider fee of ~2 %), then place a spot trade paying ~0.2 % spot fee and accept a spread of ~0.05 %; if you then withdraw BTC on-chain (0.0005 BTC fee), your total cost would roughly include

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

CEX.IO currently lists around 280 cryptocurrencies across approximately 829 trading pairs, with its highest-volume pairs including BTC/USD, ETH/USDT, ETH/USD, XRP/USD, LINK/USD—forming the bulk of daily activity.

BigONE supports over 500 cryptocurrencies across more than 170 trading pairs, with its top-20 by volume typically including heavyweights like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT, and SOL/USDT.

Product Range

CEX.IO supports spot trading, margin trading with up to 10x leverage, crypto staking and savings, and lending services; however, it does not currently offer perpetuals, options, ETFs, automated DCA, grid bots, or copy trading tools.

You’ll find a broad suite of offerings—spot, margin trading (up to 10×), perpetual futures (up to 100× leverage), structured products (like dual investment), lending, staking, liquidity-mining, copy-trading, grid-bots, and DCA-style automated tools.

Liquidity

Reported 24-hour trading volume on CEX.IO ranges in the tens to hundreds of millions of USD, with robust liquidity in major pairs like BTC and ETH—offering sufficient depth for swift execution without significant price impact.

The 24-hour trading volume is in the high hundreds of millions of dollars, and for key pairs like BTC and ETH, order book depth is robust enough to ensure smooth execution on sizable trades.

Tools

The platform provides basic order types such as limit and stop (plus OCO where available), access to advanced charting via its trading terminal, real-time price tracking, alerts, and full-featured APIs (REST, WebSocket, FIX on Prime) ideal for automated strategies.

BigONE supports a full range of order types—including limit, stop, TP/SL, OCO, post-only and reduce-only—along with trading alerts, advanced charting (TradingView integration), and both REST API and WebSocket access for automating or building strategies.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Certain features—including margin trading, staking, savings, and advanced product access—are restricted or unavailable in specific countries due to jurisdictional licensing and compliance requirements.

Some advanced products—especially derivatives—are not accessible in restricted regions such as the United States and China, limiting access based on user location.

Innovation

CEX.IO offers flexible staking and savings options under its “Earn” program that allow on-demand access to funds; however, it does not currently support token launchpad or launchpool initiatives.

The platform includes innovative features like flexible versus fixed staking options, launchpad/launchpool alternatives, and other evolving income opportunities to help users engage with new projects or yield mechanisms.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

CEX.IO operates through several entities

BigONE is operated by One Trading Limited, founded in 2017 and registered in Seychelles; it also operates under the regulated entity BigONE Eurasia based in Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), which is governed by the Astana Financial Services Authority.

Licenses/Registration

The exchange holds a U.S. Money Services Business registration with FinCEN and multiple state-level money transmitter licenses, a Gibraltar DLT provider license, Spanish VASP registration, and Lithuanian VASP status, reflecting a broad regulatory coverage across major markets.

The AIFC-based segment of BigONE holds licenses for operating as an investment exchange, clearing house, trading facility, and custodian—indicating formal oversight in that jurisdiction, though global licensing appears limited.

Custody

CEX.IO maintains a layered custody model—hot wallets with PCI DSS-compliant security and cold wallets secured via multi-signature and manual controls; fiat is held in segregated bank accounts—though no formal public proof-of-reserves disclosures or third-party audits are noted.

BigONE maintains a mixed custody model with segregated cold and hot wallets, employs multi-signature safeguards, and claims 100 % asset reserves with a mechanism enabling users to track reserves—though external audit or formal Proof of Reserves verification remains unpublished.

Insurance & Protection Funds

While CEX.IO provides FDIC insurance for USD balances held within participating U.S. banks up to typical limits, there is no general insurance for crypto assets beyond its rigorous internal security protocols.

The platform holds an internal insurance reserve pool which it drew upon to fully compensate users after a security breach, acting as a form of self-insured protection.

Incident History

The platform maintains a clean operational record with no major security breaches, public incidents, service suspensions, or regulatory penalties reported to date, underlining its reputation for reliability.

In July 2025, BigONE endured a supply-chain attack targeting its hot wallet, resulting in a $27 million loss—private keys remained intact, the threat was contained, and full user compensation was made from internal reserves.

Risk Controls

User protection is reinforced with mandatory KYC/AML procedures, two-factor authentication, address whitelisting, a proprietary transaction-monitoring system, and granular APIs aimed at enhancing security and user control.

Security measures include mandatory two-factor authentication, real-time wallet monitoring, cold-hot wallet separation with multi-signature use, encrypted key management, and a public bug bounty program to surface vulnerabilities.

Transparency

CEX.IO does not publish monthly financial or operational reports, nor provide public wallet addresses or formal service-level agreements (SLAs), although its regulatory compliance and security stance contribute to overall trust.

While BigONE communicates openly during incidents and allows reserve tracking, it currently does not publish regular reports, maintain a public wallet address, or offer formal service-level agreements.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

CEX.IO allows fiat deposits via bank cards (Visa/Mastercard), bank transfers (SWIFT, SEPA, ACH, Faster Payments), and e-wallets like Skrill and PayPal; limits depend on verification level—new users may be capped at around $1,000 daily and $3,000 monthly, with standard limits applied after three months—and deposits typically arrive instantly (for cards/e-wallets) or within 1–3 business days (for bank transfers) depending on the method and region.

BigONE doesn’t support traditional fiat deposits directly through bank transfer, card, or e-wallets; instead, users rely on its OTC desk, where they can use channels like Alipay or WeChat Pay to convert fiat to crypto for trading. No official minimums or maximums are advertised, and timings depend on third-party provider processing.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

CEX.IO enforces at least identity verification for full access to fiat features like card and transfer services; preliminary verification allows limited use, while higher account tiers—such as Enhanced or Corporate—lift deposit/withdrawal limits and enable large-scale operations.

BigONE features two identity verification tiers

Withdrawals

Limits, Timing & Networks

limits, speeds & networks

Customer Support

Users have access to help via live chat (mobile and web), email support, and an extensive knowledge base containing guides and FAQs—but response times vary and are influenced by location and request complexity.

The exchange offers 24/7 multilingual assistance via live chat and ticketing/email, though it lacks a direct call center; users can also consult an extensive FAQ and support library through the help center for self-service.

Languages & Localization

The platform is fully available in English (as its primary language), and shows amounts in USD or EUR depending on region; local regulatory compliance is reflected in the user’s jurisdiction which affects available payment methods and features.

BigONE’s interface supports over a dozen languages, including English, and displays trading figures in widely used currencies such as USD and EUR, but local regulatory nuances aren’t highlighted or tailored for specific jurisdictions.

App Quality & Stability

The CEX.IO app boasts a solid level of stability with regular updates; while precise crash rates aren’t publicly disclosed, the platform emphasizes performance enhancements and bug fixes in app release notes to deliver a smooth user experience.

The BigONE mobile app—available on iOS and Android—is reported to be stable and smooth, with fast loading times, no significant lags or crashes noted, frequent updates, and a responsive UI that supports real-time trading and charting.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

CEX.IO offers a single unified interface rather than separate “Lite” or “Pro” views, relying on straightforward layout and intuitive navigation to help both new and experienced users pick up functionality quickly and seamlessly.

BigONE delivers a clean and intuitive interface that’s approachable for newcomers yet robust for advanced users; mobile and web platforms provide streamlined default views for quick trades and a more advanced layout (pro-style) for detailed charting and order control.

Performance

The platform benefits from institutional-grade infrastructure designed to minimize order latency, but like many exchanges, occasional slowdowns can surface during extreme market volatility; onboarding generally remains efficient even during high-demand periods.

Order execution is generally fast and consistent, with minimal delays under normal conditions; even during high-volatility spikes, the system scales reliably, and KYC processing experience remains responsive without long queue delays—even in peak bull markets.

Education

CEX.IO University delivers free, beginner-friendly crypto education with a comprehensive glossary and lessons ranging from basic to advanced levels—though it currently lacks a live demo or simulator, and content in Spanish is available through its educational portal.

The platform offers educational resources like a learning center and trading guides, though a full demo or simulator isn’t currently available; Spanish content is moderate—translated basic materials exist but in-depth tutorials are primarily in English.

Community

The ecosystem includes an affiliate and referral program to reward users for spreading the word, but it does not prominently feature official forums or active Discord/Telegram communities as part of its outreach.

BigONE nurtures an active community with official channels on Telegram and Discord, maintains a robust referral rewards program offering fee discounts, and engages users through social updates rather than formal forums.

Integrations

The platform integrates TradingView for charting, offers fully featured APIs for external bot support, and allows data export for tax and accounting purposes, making it viable for integration into broader trading and reporting workflows.

There’s a built-in TradingView terminal for advanced technical analysis, supports integration with external trading bots via API, though it doesn’t offer native tax or accounting tools; users typically export data for external bookkeeping.

Who Each One Is Best For

CEX.IO is particularly well-suited for users seeking a balanced and compliant entry into crypto—from beginners who want ease of use and educational resources to semi-advanced traders needing reliable tools and external integration capabilities.

This platform suits a wide range—from beginner users who value simplicity and educational support to intermediate traders who want tools like grid bots and copy-trading, but power users seeking full tax or accounting automation may need complementary tools.