Coinlist vs Hitbtc: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Coinlist and Hitbtc 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

Coinlist

Hitbtc

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

United Kingdom

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Coinlist is ideal if:

Great for early-stage crypto hunters: If you're looking to participate in high-quality token launches before they hit mainstream exchanges—such as Solana or Flow—CoinList offers standout access through its vetted token sale platform.
Strong on compliance and security: With established regulations, risk controls, KYC/AML procedures, and features like two-factor authentication and cold-storage partnerships, CoinList appeals to users who value legitimacy and safety.
Designed for engaged investors: If you're into staking, DeFi lending, testnet rewards, and boosting your “Karma” score for better access, CoinList’s layered ecosystem suits committed or active crypto participants.

Hitbtc is ideal if:

Sophisticated API-driven tooling Perfect for algorithmic and pro traders leveraging fast REST, WebSocket, or FIX services and advanced order types like scaled or trailing entries
Extensive demo zone and broad pair availability Great for learning or testing strategies without risk, while enjoying access to hundreds of spot, margin, and futures pairs
Robust security and transparency systems Ideal if you value strong safeguards like cold storage, 2FA, session monitoring, and audit-friendly reporting

Coinlist isn’t ideal if:

If you're seeking instant fiat deposits via cards: CoinList typically requires bank transfers and doesn’t support card or alternative fiat methods for many international users, making funding less flexible.
If you're frustrated by lengthy identity checks: The verification process can be prolonged and document-heavy, which might discourage those wanting quick, hassle-free access.
If you rely on contactless customer communication: Users occasionally report slow support responses or difficulty navigating the interface, especially via mobile or self-service channels.

Hitbtc isn’t ideal if:

Frustration-prone customer support Resolving urgent account or withdrawal issues may take days or longer, leaving critical calls pending
Opaque corporate governance Unclear headquarters, anonymous leadership, and regulation gaps can hinder your confidence and legal recourse
Inactivity-fee risks & asset access issues Long idle periods may lead to unexpected charges or frozen funds without clear notifications

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

CoinList Pro applies a volume-tiered system where maker and taker costs progressively reduce for higher 30-day trading volumes, eventually reaching near-zero for top tiers, with occasional token-based rebates in special programs.

HitBTC applies a tiered fee system where initial maker/taker rates decrease with higher 30-day trading volumes, and the highest tiers may even reward maker activity—while holding the native HIT token can further reduce spot and margin trading costs.

Futures/Derivatives

Futures and perpetual contracts remain in beta and follow similar tiered fee logic, while funding rates fluctuate with market conditions and are designed to balance the perpetual contract pricing relative to spot.

Futures (including perpetuals) follow fixed maker/taker pricing that can drop with volume tiers, and while there’s a funding or liquidation cost element applied per position, no dynamic funding fees like funding rate cycles are noted.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

Spreads on major pairs are generally tight due to deep order books, though exact values vary with market volatility and time of day.

Spreads on major liquid pairs remain competitive, typically tight due to deep order books and active liquidity, though exact spread sizes aren’t publicly fixed and fluctuate with market conditions.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Users can fund via bank wire or ACH (when supported); outgoing wires incur flat fees, while deposits usually arrive within a few business days and withdrawals are delayed due to holding requirements.

HitBTC doesn’t directly support fiat deposits or withdrawals through bank or wire; instead, you must use third-party providers (like credit/debit card services) to buy crypto, which incurs third-party fees and varies in speed depending on provider.

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals incur network fees set by the blockchain (e.g. Bitcoin, Ethereum), which are dynamic and based on chain activity—not fixed by CoinList itself.

Withdrawal costs are adjusted dynamically based on each network’s conditions—this means fees adapt in real time depending on blockchain traffic rather than being a fixed flat fee.

Hidden Costs

There are no hidden inactivity or covert conversion charges, though recovery fees and processing surcharges may apply for special cases like mistaken chain deposits or express document reviews.

While no explicit fees for inactivity, KYC acceleration, or base currency conversion are listed, indirect costs may arise through third-party fiat services, prolonged KYC delays, or transaction spread during conversions.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

When you purchase €500 in BTC, your total cost combines the spot spread and applicable tiered trading fee, plus the blockchain’s network fee when you withdraw—keeping the model flexible rather than giving fixed numbers.

If you purchase €500 worth of BTC via a credit card provider, you’d incur that provider’s fee (often a few percent), face the execution spread on BTC, and then pay a dynamic network withdrawal cost when moving BTC off-platform—creating a bundled cost beyond a simple fee.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

CoinList supports around 70 cryptocurrencies and between 72 to 80 trading pairs, focusing on high-quality tokens in its limited but curated marketplace.

HitBTC hosts between roughly 300 to over 500 cryptocurrencies and hundreds—likely between 500 to 2,300—trading pairs, while the top 20 by volume typically includes heavy-hitters like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, ADA/USDT, SOL/USDT and AAVE/USDT.

Product Range

CoinList offers spot trading, OTC access, and beta perpetual futures; it does not currently provide margin, options, crypto ETFs, grid bots, copy trading, nor automated DCA tools.

HitBTC supports spot, margin, and perpetual futures trading, along with staking functionality; it does not offer options, crypto ETFs, copy trading, or automatic DCA tools.

Liquidity

Exact figures aren’t publicly available, but CoinList tends to show limited 24-hour volume and modest order book depth, especially relative to major exchanges.

The exchange processes substantial 24-hour trading volume—often several hundred million dollars—and offers solid book depth for liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, fostering efficient execution in large-size orders.

Tools

The platform supports advanced order types (e.g., stop, stop-limit, trailing, post-only), offers API/websocket access, but lacks native TradingView or built-in alert functionality.

HitBTC provides advanced trading tools, including limit, stop, and OCO order types, customizable price alerts, TradingView-integrated charting, and robust API access via REST, WebSocket, and FIX.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Certain services—including derivatives and the launchpad—are not accessible to users in the U.S., Canada, and other restricted jurisdictions, due to regulatory and licensing constraints.

Derivatives and some advanced features are unavailable in jurisdictions such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and various sanctioned regions, even while spot trading remains globally accessible in most locales.

Innovation

CoinList shines in early access via its launchpad and incentivized testnets; for staking, it distinguishes between locked launchpad tokens and staking funds, but doesn’t emphasize flexible earn programs.

The platform does not currently support launchpads or launchpools, and while it offers staking, it appears geared toward flexible-use models rather than fixed-term or locked reward schemes.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

CoinList is operated under Amalgamated Token Services Inc., with founding roots in 2017 and primary headquarters in San Francisco; services are offered through subsidiaries including CoinList Markets LLC, registered in the U.S. as a Money Services Business and money transmitter. (Based on legal info and state filings.)

Htechno Business LTD (and operators such as Ullus Corporations/Hit Solutions Limited) runs the platform, having launched around 2013 with ties to both Saint Vincent & the Grenadines and Hong Kong, plus branch operations in Chile.

Licenses/Registration

CoinList Markets LLC is registered in the U.S. as a money transmitter with FinCEN and several states, reflecting compliance with relevant virtual asset service provider (VASP) requirements; while lending arms like CoinList Lend are not licensed lenders. (Inferred from entity disclosures.)

The exchange does not hold explicit financial licenses (e.g., VASP or MiCA-based EU registration), and while it conducts KYC and AML compliance, its regulatory standing remains relatively informal and varies by user region.

Custody

Asset custody is managed through partnerships with leading custodians such as BitGo, Gemini Custody, Anchorage, Finoa, Copper, Coinbase Prime, and Fortress Trust—many held in insured cold storage; CoinList also introduced its own in-house custody arm (CoinList Digital Asset Services) to custody select assets. (Based on service info.)

HitBTC retains a high percentage of assets in cold storage (roughly 80–90 %), conducts external wallet-balance proofs, and states it’s never been breached or lost custody of user funds—though full audit reports are not publicly published.

Insurance & Protection Funds

Funds held with custodial partners benefit from their insurance policies covering cold storage, and CoinList imposes no wallet or custody fees, enhancing transparency and alignment with user costs.

There appears to be no formal insurance coverage or dedicated protection fund for user assets, meaning that gamblers with large holdings are not shielded against operational or platform risks.

Incident History

CoinList settled a notable regulatory matter in 2023—an OFAC penalty over inadvertent sanction-related breaches—thus underscoring prior oversight but also willingness to remediate; there are no widely publicized hacks or fund losses reported.

The platform claims zero successful hacks or asset losses since inception; however, users have occasionally reported account freezes or withdrawal delays, though there’s no record of formal penalties or regulatory sanctions.

Risk Controls

The platform mandates two-factor authentication via authenticator apps, works with vetted custodians, and enforces KYC/AML screening; it also relies on strong internal security practices, though features like whitelists, sub-accounts, and granular API permissions are not prominently offered.

Security tools include mandatory two-factor authentication (via app or YubiKey), withdrawal whitelists, phishing safeguards, session kill-switches, and granular API access, plus identity recovery protocols for lost 2FA.

Transparency

CoinList publishes legal disclosures and maintains a public legal repository but does not appear to offer monthly Proof-of-Reserves reports, public wallet addresses, or formal SLAs—though its collaborations with regulated custodians and structured legal documentation contribute to transparency.

HitBTC supports transparency through public wallet-address disclosures for proof-of-reserves, but does not regularly publish monthly audit reports or uptime SLAs, and further formal documentation remains limited.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

You can deposit via credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, which typically credit instantly; bank wires (ACH, SEPA, domestic, international) are supported in eligible regions with processing times ranging from same-day (domestic) to a few business days—specific minimums and maximums aren’t publicly listed and can vary by user and region.

HitBTC does not support direct fiat deposits via bank transfer or e-wallets; any fiat funding goes through third-party providers such as card processors, which bring their own limits and variable processing times.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

All users must complete full identity verification—basic or advanced tiers aren’t differentiated publicly—and the process typically takes 0–3 business days for individuals, with stricter document requirements and activity restrictions until completion.

HitBTC offers tiered account statuses—unverified “starter”, “verified”, and “qualified”—each unlocking progressively higher crypto withdrawal and (insider-access to) fiat limits, with basic trading accessible even without KYC.

Withdrawals

Limits, Timing & Networks

limits, timing & networks

Customer Support

Support is available via email and help-desk tickets through the portal, with response times often within a day; there is no live chat or phone support, and the help portal serves as the central knowledge base.

Support is primarily via ticket or email (not live chat), with a knowledge base available, and response times can slow during busy periods despite claims of 24/7 availability.

Languages & Localization

The platform operates primarily in English, with fees and balances displayed in USD or EUR, and regulatory disclosures aligned with local requirements in supported jurisdictions—but localized language support remains limited.

The platform is natively in English, shows prices in USD or EUR, but does not tailor regulatory disclosures or fees for local jurisdictions—geospecific clarity is limited.

App Quality & Stability

The new CoinList mobile app (updated August 12, 2025) delivers a clean, user-friendly experience with push notifications and integrated wallets; while generally stable, occasional crashes can happen and reinstall or support tickets are recommended for resolution.

HitBTC’s mobile app is actively maintained and used for trading on the go, though it may lack some features from the web interface; official crash-rate data isn’t published, but periodic updates continue to improve stability and UX.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

CoinList offers a streamlined interface where the “Pro Trading” experience is now fully integrated into the main dashboard, eliminating the need to switch platforms and smoothing the transition for both beginners and more advanced users.

The platform balances usability for beginners with depth for pros; while there’s no “Lite/Pro” toggle, the demo mode offers a simplified environment, and the main interface supports both intuitive order entry and advanced API-driven workflows.

Performance

The platform generally delivers responsive trade execution under normal conditions, though high-demand launch events may introduce delays; rapid surges in registrations have previously led to temporary verification backlogs during bull markets.

HitBTC generally delivers low-latency order execution, though market surges can spike system load; its real-time system monitor dashboard reveals live queues and statuses of deposits, withdrawals, and trading availability.

Education

CoinList does not currently provide demo or simulation tools or educational content in Spanish—its platform is largely English-focused, though users receive guidance around token launches and participation workflows.

The exchange offers a fully functional demo/simulator with virtual funds to practice strategies across spot, margin, and futures markets, supplemented by support articles and multilingual content; while resources exist, dedicated Spanish-language materials are limited.

Community

CoinList fosters a tight-knit community via its official blog, Discord, and Twitter; it also runs an active referral program that rewards users for inviting others to explore token events and trading.

HitBTC supports community engagement via its blog, Reddit, and Telegram channels, and runs a referral program, though standalone forums or Discord-based discussions appear minimal.

Integrations

The platform lacks native TradingView embeds or third-party trading bot support, and does not offer integrated tax tracking or accounting tools at this time.

The platform integrates with TradingView-style charts natively, supports robust external bots through REST, WebSocket, and FIX APIs, and while it doesn’t offer tax tools, traders can export trade reports for accounting tasks.

Who Each One Is Best For

CoinList is best suited for proactive crypto enthusiasts looking to participate early in token launches within a compliant, streamlined environment, rather than users seeking beginner-friendly simulators or full suite trading integrations.

HitBTC suits algorithmic and experienced traders seeking deep asset coverage and programmatic access, while demo tools lower the entry barrier—but newcomers without comfort in API or report-driven accounting may find it less straightforward.