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

Trying to choose between Firstrade and Bydfi 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

Bydfi

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

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.

Bydfi is ideal if:

Great for automation fans – If you enjoy trading bots, copy trading, or demo accounts, BYDFi delivers robust tools to trade efficiently without constant manual oversight.
Suited to traders chasing leverage – With support for high-leverage strategies and user-friendly interfaces, it's a solid pick for aggressive traders seeking powerful instruments in an accessible format.
Ideal for global beginners and pros alike – Its intuitive design and broad feature set make it equally approachable for new users just starting and those looking for advanced trading options.

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.

Bydfi isn’t ideal if:

No staking or lending features – If you're seeking income through asset staking or crypto loans, BYDFi currently doesn’t offer these options.
Limited fiat withdrawal support – Converting crypto into local currency outside the platform can be inconvenient or unavailable directly within BYDFi.
Advanced tools might overwhelm newcomers – Beginners may find features like high-leverage derivatives and automated bots more complex than user-friendly.

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.

BYDFi charges a flat maker and taker fee of 0.1% for all spot trades; while VIP tiers may offer reductions, there’s no native-token discount outlined as standard.

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.

Perpetual contracts carry a maker fee of 0.02% and taker fee of 0.06%, and the funding fee is exchanged every eight hours depending on market sentiment (positive or negative)—paid by longs to shorts or vice versa.

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.

For major perpetual pairs, typical bid-ask spreads hover around 0.06%, reflecting tight pricing in high-liquidity markets.

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 providers like Banxa, Transak, Coinify, and Mercuryo; fees and processing speeds vary by region, with no flat rate transparency but generally fast credited times.

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.

Fixed vs Dynamic Network Fees

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.

There’s a small fee embedded in crypto-to-crypto conversions, and while no inactivity fees are standard, express KYC or other convenience services may involve additional charges.

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.

Purchasing €500 of BTC would incur a spot fee (~0.1%) plus any spread embedded in the quote, and if you then withdraw on-chain, you’d pay the network-based withdrawal fee—combining all these into the total cost.

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.

Offering a robust selection, BYDFi supports over 550–900 cryptocurrencies and 600–800+ trading pairs for spot markets; the top 20 by volume typically include BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT and other high-liquidity altcoin pairs.

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 delivers a versatile range of trading tools, including spot, perpetual derivatives (Coin-M & USDT-M), copy trading, automated bots (grid, martingale), DCA strategies, demo accounts, on-chain trading via MoonX, but currently lacks options, ETFs, staking, or lending.

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.

Liquidity remains moderate compared to major exchanges—with mid-level 24-hour volume and modest order book depth for BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT—implying that traders may encounter slightly wider pricing gaps than on deeper venues.

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.

BYDFi includes a comprehensive toolkit

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.

Certain regions face limitations—derivatives or high-leverage tools may be unavailable in places like the United Kingdom or other restricted jurisdictions, reflecting regulatory constraints in those locales.

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.

The platform shines with its innovative MoonX on-chain engine offering DeFi access to hundreds of thousands of token pairs, and provides flexible bot-driven strategies, yet it doesn’t currently offer launchpad/pool features or staking/earn products.

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.

BYDFi is legally operated by BYDFi Blockchain Limited, founded in April 2020, and is headquartered in Singapore; it serves a global client base under that corporate structure.

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 Money Services Business (MSB) registrations in both the United States (FinCEN) and Canada (FINTRAC), but lacks explicit VASP or MiCA licensing in Europe, though it remains active across EU states.

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.

BYDFi uses its own custody with deep cold storage and multi-signature wallets, and transparently publishes proof-of-reserve data showing full backing plus buffer for assets like BTC, ETH, and USDT, along with a user protection fund of 800 BTC.

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 protection fund equivalent to 800 BTC is maintained to safeguard users’ assets in case of emergency situations or platform distress.

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.

There are no public records or reports of hacks, service suspensions, asset freezes, or regulatory fines associated with BYDFi to date, indicating a clean operational track record.

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.

The platform enforces multi-layered risk safeguards such as Google Authenticator–based 2FA, withdrawal whitelist, anti-phishing systems, and granular API or sub-account permissions for additional user control.

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.

BYDFi publishes regular proof-of-reserve disclosures and maintains segregated user funds, though it does not appear to offer publicly visible monthly audit reports, wallet explorers, or guaranteed service-level agreements (SLAs).

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.

BYDFi allows fiat deposits through credit/debit cards, e-wallets, and bank transfers via partners like Transak, Coinify, Alchemy Pay, and Mercuryo; minimums vary by method, card and e-wallet deposits are typically nearly instant, while bank transfers may take 1–3 business days.

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.

BYDFi offers trading with no KYC initially, but requires KYC for fiat withdrawals and higher limits; unverified users have lower withdrawal caps, while verified accounts unlock substantially higher limits and access to promotions.

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.

Crypto withdrawals depend on verification level and risk-controls; limits escalate from modest (e.g., ~1.5 BTC/day) for unverified users to higher tiers for verified ones, and you can withdraw via supported networks like ERC20, BEP20, TRC20, with processing subject to blockchain conditions.

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.

BYDFi offers 24/7 live chat and email support, with a comprehensive FAQ and Help Center for self-service; response times are generally fast, especially via live chat, and documentation covers most common user inquiries.

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 provides a multilingual interface, displays balances and fees in multiple currencies (EUR, USD), and adapts to local regulations in supported countries, though full regulatory compliance varies by jurisdiction.

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.

The BYDFi mobile app is regularly updated and widely reported as stable and responsive, with minimal crashes noted by users—reflecting consistent maintenance and enhancements over time.

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.

Users describe BYDFi’s interface as intuitively unified—a single layout that handles both spot and futures trading seamlessly—making it accessible for beginners while offering sufficient power for advanced users, though explicit “Lite” vs. “Pro” toggles aren’t prominent.

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.

BYDFi’s robust infrastructure and low-latency design ensure fast order execution even during surges, reducing slippage and delays common in highly volatile periods.

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 exchange offers a fully functional demo trading environment and a Q&A support hub, though comprehensive educational materials or guides in Spanish are limited or not prominently featured.

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.

BYDFi maintains active official communities across Discord, Telegram, X, and Medium, and offers referral programs that reward users for onboarding others—building engagement through a global network.

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.

Seamless integration with TradingView enables direct charting and trade execution inside the platform; plus, BYDFi connects with third-party tax tools like CoinLedger and Divly via API or CSV exports for streamlined financial tracking.

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.

BYDFi suits traders who value low-latency order execution, demo environments, community engagement, and powerful interface features—all in a unified layout—making it ideal for users transitioning from beginner to more sophisticated strategies.