Firstrade vs Bitget: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Firstrade and Bitget 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 September 1, 2025

Firstrade

Bitget

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Firstrade is ideal if:

Perfect if you value simplicity and self-led growth — Firstrade shines for investors who want a straightforward platform enhanced by rich educational content and intuitive tools like Options Wizard and FirstradeGPT.
Great for cost-conscious traders focused on the US market — It delivers commission-free trading across stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds, ideal if you prioritize low ongoing costs and trade U.S. securities.
Not ideal if you need advanced or global asset access — The platform doesn’t offer futures, forex, crypto, IPOs, or international markets, so it's not suited for highly diversified or exotic investment strategies.

Bitget is ideal if:

Versatile trading options – Combines spot, futures, margin, and copy trading along with automated tools to suit both beginners and advanced users
Built for trust and security – Emphasizes safety with cold/hot wallet separation, Proof of Reserves, real-time risk monitoring, and a sizable protection fund
Seamless, accessible experience – Boasts an intuitive interface across web and mobile, supported by global partnerships and strong user support networks

Firstrade isn’t ideal if:

If you seek automated or advisor-led services — Firstrade doesn’t provide AI-driven trading automation, robo-advice, or personalized financial planning options.
If you need access to non-U.S. or exotic markets — It excludes futures, forex, international equities, and advanced asset classes, limiting your global exposure opportunities.
If you prioritize sleek navigation and advanced macroscopic insights — The platform’s layout can feel cluttered, with limited portfolio tracking and broader market analytics visible at a glance.

Bitget isn’t ideal if:

If you prefer direct fiat deposits – Bitget emphasizes crypto-to-crypto trading and may not suit users wanting seamless fiat-to-crypto onboarding.
If you're regulatory-risk averse – It lacks top-tier regulatory oversight in some jurisdictions, which could concern users seeking high-level financial protection.
If you're uncomfortable with complex tools – Advanced features like futures and leverage could overwhelm inexperienced traders who prefer simpler platforms.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Firstrade does not operate on a crypto exchange-style maker/taker fee model since it primarily offers commission-free trading for stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds; there are no volume-based discounts tied to a native token.

Bitget applies a standard spot trading fee of 0.1% for both makers and takers, with a 20% discount available if you choose to pay using the native BGB token. VIP tiers, determined by trading volume and BGB holdings, offer further tiered reductions.

Futures/Derivatives

Firstrade does not support trading in futures, options on crypto, or any leveraged derivative contracts, so there are no maker/taker or funding fees in this category.

For perpetual futures, the maker fee is 0.02% and the taker fee is 0.06%, with potential discounts through the VIP program or BGB holdings; funding fees are not collected by Bitget but exchanged directly between traders every 8 hours.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

As Firstrade does not currently offer direct spot cryptocurrency trading, there are no applicable spreads for BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT pairs within its platform.

Bitget does not publish fixed spread data; spread tends to mirror tight market conditions on major liquid pairs, consistent with other active spot platforms—though slight variations may occur depending on real-time order book depth.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Deposits and withdrawals are processed via ACH, wire transfers, and check requests; ACH is typically free and fast (1–2 business days), while wires may have a fee and take 1–3 days depending on the bank.

Users can deposit fiat via credit/debit cards or third-party services; fees and processing times vary depending on the provider, while deposits may have third-party charges but no platform fee listed.

On-chain Withdrawals

Since Firstrade does not facilitate direct on-chain crypto transfers, there are no blockchain network withdrawal fees for BTC, ETH, TRX, or other tokens.

Withdrawal fees are dynamically adjusted based on network congestion; there’s no flat-rate model—actual costs vary by blockchain and are shown during withdrawal.

Hidden Costs

The main extra cost to be aware of is currency conversion for non-USD accounts; Firstrade does not charge inactivity or expedited account verification fees.

Bitget maintains transparency around fees—there are no inactivity fees, currency conversion happens at prevailing market rate (with no added margin), KYC is standard and fee-free, and other charges like copy-trading profit shares are openly disclosed.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

This action cannot be performed directly on Firstrade, as it does not provide native crypto purchasing; acquiring BTC would require an external platform, where costs would depend on that provider’s commission, spread, and withdrawal fee structure.

If you bought €500 of BTC via the spot market, you’d pay roughly 0.1% in fee (or about €0.50, less with BGB), plus a minimal spread typically embedded in execution price, and then pay a network-based withdrawal fee when moving the BTC on-chain. Let me know if you’d like a deeper dive into any of these!

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Firstrade offers trading in approximately 38–41 cryptocurrencies, focusing on spot pairs only—there’s no full order book with crypto-to-crypto pairings, just single-asset buys priced in USD on their platform.

Bitget offers hundreds of cryptocurrencies across spot and derivatives, with the top 20 liquid pairs by volume including BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT, SOL/USDT, BGB/USDT, USDC/USDT, among others, reflecting a broad but curated selection.

Product Range

Firstrade supports only spot cryptocurrency trading; it does not support margin, perpetuals, futures, options, ETFs on crypto, staking, lending, copy trading, grid bot tools, or automated DCA programs.

The platform supports spot, margin (both cross and isolated), perpetual futures, and copy trading, and also extends offering grid and DCA bots; additional services include staking/earn and flexible savings, though options, crypto ETFs, and loans are not core features.

Liquidity

Firstrade does not disclose actual 24-hour volume or order book depth data for crypto; trading occurs via their internal system with instant settlement but without traditional exchange-level liquidity metrics.

Bitget consistently ranks among the top global cryptocurrency exchanges for liquidity depth in BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, ensuring efficient execution even for large orders; real-time 24-hour volume is high and competitive among major platforms.

Tools

Their crypto offering includes basic order types, real-time quotes, charts, and research features, but lacks advanced tools such as stop/OCO orders, advanced charting, native TradingView integration, alerts, or API/WS access for crypto.

Users can access a full range of order types—limit, stop, OCO—and enjoy advanced charting tools, TradingView integration, price alerts, and a robust API/WebSocket for automation.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Crypto trading is available only to users in the United States; there are no crypto markets or services offered outside U.S. jurisdictions.

Derivatives and leveraged products are restricted or unavailable in certain regions due to compliance requirements—users should check local eligibility as access may vary by jurisdiction.

Innovation

Firstrade has not rolled out innovation tools like launchpad/launchpool, nor any flexible vs blocked crypto-earned programs—its crypto offerings remain simple and limited to direct spot purchases.

Bitget provides launchpad-like activities via its Web3 Launchhub, along with flexible earning (zero-lock staking) and competitive yield programs that encourage ongoing user engagement.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

The crypto service is delivered through Firstrade Crypto LLC, a U.S.-based subsidiary operating under parent company Firstrade Securities Inc., founded in 1985 and headquartered in Flushing, New York.

Bitget is legally registered in Seychelles under Bitget Holdings Pte Ltd, founded in 2018, and maintains additional operational offices in the UAE and Bahrain to support regional growth and compliance.

Licenses/Registration

Firstrade Securities operates as a registered broker-dealer under FINRA and the SEC; crypto trading itself is facilitated by Apex Crypto LLC, acting under regulatory standards but without explicit VASP or MiCA licensing.

The platform holds multiple regulatory registrations including MSB in the U.S., VASP in Poland, crypto licensing in Lithuania, and approvals in markets like Australia, Italy, the UK, and El Salvador—all supporting its pursuit of broader MiCA and regional compliance.

Custody

Cryptocurrency custody is handled by Apex Crypto LLC as a third-party provider—not held on Firstrade’s own infrastructure. There’s no publicly shared proof of reserves, audit reports, or stated cold-storage percentages.

Bitget uses self-custody solutions, regularly conducts Merkle-tree audits to maintain over 100% proof of reserves, and incorporates cold storage for a significant portion of user funds to ensure full backing and transparency.

Insurance & Protection Funds

While traditional account assets benefit from SIPC and possibly FDIC protections, crypto holdings are not covered under these programs and have no dedicated insurance or extra custodian protection.

A multi-million-dollar Protection Fund serves as a safety net alongside security standards such as ISO 27001

Incident History

Firstrade hasn’t suffered publicized hacks or major suspensions tied to its crypto platform; however, it recently received FINRA censure and a fine for misleading communications about crypto offerings via an affiliate.

Since its launch, Bitget has maintained an incident-free track record with no major hacks, enforcement suspensions, or regulatory penalties publicly reported, demonstrating consistent platform resilience.

Risk Controls

Firstrade enforces strong security measures including multi-factor authentication, SSL encryption, firewalls, fraud detection systems, phishing education, and a secure security center, but doesn’t highlight features like API permissions or sub-accounts for crypto.

Users benefit from robust protections like 2FA (via apps or passkeys), anti-phishing codes, PIN/fund codes, withdrawal address whitelists, sub-accounts, granular API permissions, and “cancel withdrawal” functionality to mitigate unauthorized activity.

Transparency

There’s no public monthly reporting or wallet audit data available for crypto holdings. Users rely on Firstrade’s Online Protection Guarantee for unauthorized trades, yet there’s no SLA or public wallet addresses disclosed.

Bitget delivers transparency through monthly audit-backed reserve disclosures, compliance reporting, and operations conducive to regulatory inquiries—though it doesn’t offer publicly viewable wallet addresses or formal SLA documentation.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Firstrade supports fiat deposits via ACH, wire transfer, check, and transfers from other brokerages; ACH from U.S. bank accounts is fee-free and takes a couple of business days, wires are faster but involve sending-bank fees, and check deposits vary by type and processing, with some available immediately.

Bitget supports bank transfers (e.g., SEPA), credit/debit cards, P2P, and third-party e-wallets—each method has varying minimums, limits, and processing times that are displayed during the transaction.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

There’s no formal tiered KYC structure; account opening requires ID verification, and once verified, users can access full services—there are no intermediate “basic” or “advanced” levels with differing limits.

Users must complete identity verification to enable fiat services; verification lifts default crypto withdrawal caps (e.g., from ~20,000 USDT/day to millions depending on VIP tier), while sub-accounts inherit verification from the main account.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals are available via ACH, check, or wire—ACH (up to $50,000 per day) is free and takes 1–2 business days, checks may take up to two weeks depending on delivery, and wires cost a fee and take several days; crypto token withdrawals (e.g. ERC20/TRC20) are not supported.

Fiat withdrawals use bank transfers (e.g., SEPA for EUR) with limits and processing times shown during execution; crypto withdrawals support major networks (e.g., TRC20, ERC20) and show exact time estimates and fees at withdrawal.

Customer Support

Support is offered via email and U.S. phone during business hours, complemented by a Help Center with FAQs—there’s no 24/7 live chat, and response times and knowledge base depth are moderate and office-hour dependent.

Bitget provides 24/7 live chat, email support, and a resource-rich help center; response times may vary, but guidance through chat is generally prompt, supplemented by a detailed knowledge base.

Languages & Localization

The platform and mobile app support English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese; the interface displays USD values only, with no localized support for Spanish or Euro-based users—reflecting its U.S.-centric design.

The platform is fully translated into major languages including English; fiat balances and fees are displayed in users’ preferred currencies, aligning with local regulatory and payment frameworks.

App Quality & Stability

The Firstrade app (iOS/Android) is well-rated, noted for intuitive navigation and sync across devices, though some users report occasional crashes; regular updates enhance features and UX, but no official crash-rate metrics are disclosed.

Bitget’s app is designed for stability, regularly updated to address bugs and performance; while exact crash statistics are not provided, user reviews indicate smooth usability across iOS and Android platforms.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Firstrade delivers a clean, beginner-friendly interface that helps new users get started quickly, though it doesn’t offer distinct “Lite” or “Pro” modes; advanced traders may find the layout functional but not deeply customizable.

Bitget features a dual-mode interface—’Lite’ for easy entry with a clean, beginner-friendly layout, and ‘Pro’ for advanced traders with full access to order books, indicators, and tools—making the platform adaptable to both novices and experienced users.

Performance

Firstrade offers solid performance under normal conditions, but during high-volatility events, users sometimes note slight delays in order execution; account verification remains swift even during surges, with KYC queues rarely causing major hold-ups.

Bitget’s infrastructure ensures rapid order execution with low latency and reliable uptime even during volatile market peaks, and while KYC volume may rise in bull markets, the process typically remains smooth with few delays reported on the platform.

Education

The platform provides a rich library of written and video educational resources for investing concepts, though it lacks a dedicated simulator or demo trading environment and does not yet offer educational content in Spanish.

The Bitget Academy offers comprehensive learning content—ranging from market guides to strategy deep-dives—and includes a futures demo simulator for real-time practice, with many resources also available in Spanish to support diverse learner needs

Community

Firstrade does not operate official community channels like Discord or Telegram. It did run a referral program in the past, but that has been discontinued, and users must rely on formal help centers rather than peer-driven forums.

Bitget maintains an active online presence with official communities across Telegram and Discord, a structured referral program rewarding both referrers and referees, and engagement via academy and social channels rather than open public forums.

Integrations

Firstrade recently integrated advanced research tools from Trading Central, but doesn’t support direct TradingView charting, bot trading, or built-in tax/accounting integrations—users rely on manual methods or third-party tools.

The platform integrates natively with TradingView for enhanced charting and supports external bot automation via its API, which connects seamlessly with third-party portfolio trackers and tax reporting tools for workflow efficiency

Who Each One Is Best For

Firstrade shines with investors who value a reliable, easy-to-use platform with educational support and occasional advanced tools—ideal for self-directed U.S. investors prioritizing simplicity over complex trading setups.

Bitget best suits traders who appreciate a polished interface with adjustable complexity, access to demo trading and smart automation tools, and seamless integration with external platforms—making it particularly friendly for both savvy beginners and algorithmic/institutional users.