Coinstore vs Valr: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Coinstore and Valr 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

Coinstore

Valr

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United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Coinstore is ideal if:

If you value broad crypto exposure and early-stage token access, Coinstore gives you hundreds of assets, frequent launchpad listings, spot and futures markets, plus staking and IEO options.
If intuitive design and mobile-first trading matter, its sleek interface and fully featured app make it beginner-friendly yet functional for seasoned traders.
If security and operational reliability are top priorities, it employs strong safeguards—cold storage, multi-sig wallets, real-time risk controls—though some community reviews note occasional trust concerns.

Valr is ideal if:

Ideal for mobile-first traders Offers both a streamlined “Simple Buy/Sell” interface for quick trades and a robust exchange terminal with TradingView charts—perfect whether you're on the go or want advanced control.
Great for institutions and high-frequency traders Comes with institutional-grade APIs, subaccounts, and deep liquidity options tailored to algorithmic and corporate trading strategies.
Strong choice if you value security and regulation Backed by reputable investors and regulated across South Africa, Europe, and Dubai, offering peace of mind for users in jurisdictions where it's licensed.

Coinstore isn’t ideal if:

If you want smooth fiat on-ramp/off-ramp capability, Coinstore’s crypto-only deposits and withdrawals limit seamless transitions with traditional currency.
If you expect fast, reliable customer support, multiple user reports highlight slow responses, unresolved tickets, and issues during high-volatility periods.
If you prioritize regulatory security, Coinstore’s limited licensing and operating in unregulated or gray jurisdictions may offer less legal protection and recourse.

Valr isn’t ideal if:

Not ideal if you're seeking global fiat flexibility Limited to a handful of fiat currencies, it doesn't support many global financial methods like PayPal or cards beyond ZAR.
Not ideal for complete beginners needing guidance Lacks educational tools, tutorials, and demo trading—so newcomers must learn by doing.
Not ideal if you need broad crypto variety or margin options Offers a narrower selection of assets and more restricted leverage choices than many mainstream exchanges.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Coinstore applies a flat 0.2% maker and 0.2% taker fee for spot trading regardless of volume, offering no stated discounts tied to holdings of a native token or tiered volume structure.

VALR uses a tiered structure where increased 30-day trading volume leads to lower or even negative maker fees and reduced taker fees on both fiat and crypto spot trades.

Futures/Derivatives

Perpetual futures trades charge maker fees of 0.02% (reduced from 0.025%) and taker fees of 0.06%, while funding rates apply periodically on open positions to align with spot market prices.

Perpetual futures follow the same volume-tiered schedule—makers may pay zero or negative fees, while takers benefit from progressively lower percentages as volume rises; funding occurs regularly based on market conditions (but specific rates fluctuate over time).

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

Though not published directly, Coinstore’s flat-fee structure and spot liquidity suggest spreads in major pairs remain competitive and tight—suitable for standard crypto trading.

Spreads are generally tight, aligning with industry norms for highly liquid pairs, ensuring minimal difference between buy and sell prices.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Fiat access is enabled via third-party partners like Mercuryo, Banxa, or Paxful using methods such as card payments or bank transfers; Coinstore doesn’t charge for this, but the providers may, and fiat-to-crypto conversion times can range from minutes up to several hours.

Fiat deposits (wire, SEPA, card, EFT depending on the currency) are free of platform fees and usually post within two days; bank withdrawals follow standard local banking hours and policies, with occasional small charges and speed options.

On-chain Withdrawals

Coinstore charges the network’s actual blockchain fee for withdrawals—dynamic and network-dependent (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX)—with no fixed platform-added rate.

Crypto withdrawals incur variable, network-based fees that depend on blockchain congestion—no fixed flat rates from the platform itself.

Hidden Costs

There are no reported inactivity fees or express-KYC charges, but conversion rates may differ subtly depending on the fiat provider; Coinstore itself does not layer on hidden surcharges.

There are generally no surprise or maintenance fees—no inactivity charges, no hidden conversion costs, and premium KYC (if offered) doesn’t carry extra fees unless noted at the point of use.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

Buying €500 worth of BTC via a fiat-crypto provider yields USDT/USDC credited—no Coinstore fee—then trading that for BTC incurs a 0.2% spot fee plus usual bid-ask spread; if withdrawing on-chain, you’ll also pay the dynamic network fee.

If you were to purchase €500 of BTC, your total would include a modest trading fee (based on your tier), a minimal spread typical of liquid markets, and your withdrawal cost would depend on the chosen network’s fee at that time.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Coinstore lists roughly 380+ cryptocurrencies across 410+ USDT-denominated pairs, and its top 20 by 24-hour trading share include heavyweights like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, SOL, XRP, BNB, DOGE, TRX, among others.

VALR lists over 75 cryptocurrencies across roughly 60–71 trading pairs; top volume pairs typically include BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT, and BTC/ZAR.

Product Range

The platform offers spot trading, perpetual futures with up to 100× leverage, Earn programs (staking), crypto Launchpad features, and API access; however, it does not support options, ETFs, margin beyond futures, copy trading, grid bots, DCA automation, or lending.

VALR offers spot trading, spot margin with up to 5× leverage, and perpetual futures with leverage up to 60×. It also supports staking/earn programs and lending, but lacks options, crypto ETFs, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA products.

Liquidity

Recent data shows daily trading volume around $4B, with aggregated BTC/USDT volume surpassing $1.6B and ETH/USDT around $2B—demonstrating strong liquidity and depth for those core pairs.

The exchange typically handles over US$30 million in daily trading volume, with deep liquidity on major BTC and ETH pairs facilitating tighter order book depth.

Tools

Coinstore supports basic order types (market, limit), TradingView charts, and API/WebSocket trading, but lacks advanced order features like stop-limit, OCO orders, price alerts, or native order-management tools.

You can place limit, market, and stop-limit orders (including OCO equivalents). VALR offers advanced charting integrated with TradingView, configurable alerts, and both API and WebSocket access for real-time trading and data needs.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Certain features—including derivatives, Launchpad, and Earn—are restricted in regions such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the U.S. (and territories), Iran, North Korea, and Syria.

Some jurisdictions are restricted from offering certain features—derivatives, for example, are only available in qualifying regions, meaning not every user can access margin or futures products depending on local compliances.

Innovation

Coinstore stands out with its Launchpad token sales, enabling early project participation, and an Earn program offering staking-like yield, often including both flexible and locked-duration options for yield seekers.

While VALR doesn’t offer launchpads or launchpools, it does provide both flexible staking and lending options alongside traditional locked products, giving users varied approaches to earning on their assets.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Coinstore is operated by COINSTORE PTE. LTD., a company incorporated in Singapore around 2020; its headquarters and legal operations fall under Singapore’s jurisdiction framework.

VALR operates through several legal entities including VALR Proprietary Ltd (established 2018, headquartered in South Africa), VALR EU in Poland, and regional branches in India and Dubai—demonstrating a multi-jurisdictional operational structure.

Licenses/Registration

There’s no confirmed evidence that Coinstore holds formal VASP or MiCA registration, suggesting it’s not licensed under European or similar regulatory regimes.

VALR holds multiple regulatory approvals

Custody

Coinstore appears to manage assets in-house rather than through external custodians; no public proof-of-reserves, audits, or explicit cold storage percentages are provided on its platform.

VALR maintains a fully reserved custodial model, where all user funds are held 100% backed and are never lent out. Transfers of crypto assets require multi-signature approvals across secure locations, with funds stored in both cold and hot wallets using multi-sig technology.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There’s no indication that Coinstore offers any form of insurance coverage or dedicated protection fund for user assets.

There’s no publicly stated insurance or user protection fund offered—VALR emphasizes full reserves and strong internal safeguards rather than insured coverage.

Incident History

Coinstore has no widely known history of hacks, regulatory suspensions, account freezes, or public fines, indicating a relatively clean incident record in the publicly available data.

There are no publicly documented major security incidents, hacks, suspensions, or regulatory fines affecting VALR to date, reflecting a clean track record.

Risk Controls

The platform employs standard security features such as 2FA, and may offer API permissions and anti-phishing safeguards, but lacks mention of features such as address whitelists or granular sub-account controls.

VALR implements robust user protections

Transparency

Coinstore does not publish monthly transparency reports or share public wallet addresses for client auditing, nor does it provide a formal SLA or guaranteed uptime documentation.

VALR does not publicly publish monthly financial or reserve reports, nor does it offer a public wallet or explicit service-level agreements (SLAs); transparency is delivered through regulatory registration and communication rather than open-ended disclosures.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Coinstore enables fiat deposits through third-party providers like Mercuryo, Banxa, or Paxful—accessible via “Buy Crypto”—offering payment methods such as bank transfers, credit/debit cards, or e-wallets; transaction limits vary depending on the provider, with options typically starting at around $10, and completion times ranging anywhere from minutes to several hours or sometimes up to a day, depending on process and KYC timing

Users can deposit ZAR via EFT or South African-issued Visa/Mastercard (3D Secure), while USD and EUR can be sent via SWIFT or SEPA transfers (converted to stablecoins). ZAR card deposits incur around a 3.9% fee; EFT is free. USD deposits require a minimum of $5, while EUR has a €1 minimum. Processing times vary—from instant for cards to up to 48 hours for bank transfers.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

Coinstore employs two KYC tiers—Basic and Advanced—which unlock progressively higher withdrawal limits; for example, Basic allows single withdrawals up to 4,000 USDT and daily totals of 10,000 USDT, while Advanced increases these to 50,000 USDT per transaction and 300,000 USDT daily

VALR employs a tiered KYC system with different levels (standard and Fully-Verified Plus). Higher levels, enabled by features like 2FA, unlock significantly higher withdrawal limits—ranging from fractions of a BTC up to 100 BTC daily.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals are subject to your KYC level limits, are processed via standard blockchain networks (e.g., ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20), and typically complete in alignment with network congestion—Coinstore itself doesn’t impose fixed withdrawal fees but passes on the actual network charges, and transactions may include necessary memos or tags depending on the coin

Daily crypto withdrawal limits depend on KYC status (up to 100 BTC). Users can choose networks like ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, and more; fees are dynamically quoted. Fiat (ZAR) withdrawals follow local banking hours, with free standard or paid fast transfers depending on the bank.

Customer Support

Coinstore offers 24/7 customer support through email, a live chat interface, and ticket submission; however, a call center is not available, and user feedback frequently notes delays and drawn-out resolution times, despite live-chat access being technically continuous

VALR offers 24/7 support through a chatbot, email/ticket system, and a searchable knowledge base. Response via live chat or phone is limited, but the help center is comprehensive.

Languages & Localization

The platform and help center support multiple languages—including English, simplified and traditional Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, and Korean—while displaying transaction amounts in local fiat formats where supported; however, localized regulatory disclosures vary depending on user region

The platform operates primarily in English (with limited additional language support), displays prices in local currencies like USD, EUR, or ZAR based on region, and reflects applicable regulatory contexts transparently.

App Quality & Stability

Coinstore’s app utilizes TradingView integration for charting and appears to be regularly updated, offering a responsive mobile and web trading experience; although there’s no publicly available data on crash rates or explicit stability metrics, the platform does emphasize a seamless UI in partnership with TradingView tools.

VALR offers both web and mobile interfaces. Mobile apps are regularly updated, delivering smooth charting and trading experiences. While exact crash rates aren’t disclosed, user feedback suggests the app is generally stable, with no major performance complaints in recent updates. (No explicit crash rate data available.)

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Coinstore delivers a clean and intuitive interface tailored for newcomers, without separate “Lite” and “Pro” tiers; there’s no steep learning curve, making it especially approachable for casual or first-time traders, though advanced users may find some features limited.

The platform offers a dual-interface approach—with a beginner-friendly “Simple Buy/Sell” mode for quick swaps and a more advanced trading terminal for experienced users, creating a smooth progression as your familiarity grows.

Performance

The platform tends to execute trades with acceptable speed, but during high-volatility spikes, users report occasional app lag and platform instability; bull-market KYC queues have sometimes delayed onboarding or higher-tier access.

VALR delivers generally low-latency execution and stable performance even during busy periods, with no widely reported system outages or KYC bottlenecks—even in volatile market conditions.

Education

Coinstore offers basic educational content and news via its platform, but lacks a dedicated academy, demo simulator, or Spanish-language learning materials—leaving room for improvement for non-English speakers and hands-on practice features.

There’s no formal academy, demo account, or Spanish-language content on VALR; educational guidance is minimal, placing the learning responsibility primarily on the user.

Community

Coinstore maintains official Telegram channels for updates and community interaction, and runs a referral program offering standard 30% trading fee rebates (up to 60% for affiliates) on spot and futures trades—though no web forums or Discord server appear available.

VALR supports a referral program and maintains communication channels through its support portal and social media, but doesn’t feature official forums or active Discord/Telegram communities.

Integrations

The platform includes its own built-in charting tools and APIs for automation, but it does not support TradingView integration, external trading bots, or tax/accounting tool compatibility—limiting ease of integration with third-party trading ecosystems.

The exchange integrates TradingView natively for charting and supports external trading bots through its API, yet it lacks built-in tax reporting or bookkeeping tools.

Who Each One Is Best For

Coinstore is best suited for beginner to intermediate crypto traders who value simplicity, access to a wide asset range, and mobile-first convenience; it’s less ideal for advanced traders seeking deep analysis tools, full automation, or comprehensive educational modules.

VALR shines for mobile-first traders and corporate users seeking advanced tools and clean interfaces, but may feel limited for beginners needing educational support or for users seeking tax and community integration.