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

Trying to choose between Firstrade and Remitano 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

Remitano

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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

Yes

China

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.

Remitano is ideal if:

Great for beginners – user-friendly, peer-to-peer model with escrow protection makes crypto buying and selling straightforward for new users.
Strong regional access – wide support for local payment methods in developing markets, making it highly accessible in many countries.
Limited for pros – lacks advanced trading tools and deep liquidity, so experienced traders may find it too simple.

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.

Remitano isn’t ideal if:

Not for fee-sensitive traders – peer-to-peer pricing can include seller markups and less transparency, making it less cost-effective than alternatives.
Too basic for advanced strategies – lacks margin, leveraged trades, and sophisticated order types for power users.
Dependent on counterparties – trade delays or stalls may occur if the other party doesn’t act promptly, disrupting the experience.

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.

Remitano operates mainly as a P2P marketplace where maker fees typically apply (around 1 %) and takers often pay none; there are no published volume-based discounts or native token rebates.

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.

Remitano currently does not provide futures or derivatives trading, so there are no maker, taker, or funding fees to report.

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.

As a P2P platform, Remitano doesn’t publish formal spread data for these pairs—prices are negotiated individually, so spreads may vary by offer and are not standardized.

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.

methods, fees, timing

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 fee by network (BTC, ETH, TRX, etc.)

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.

currency conversion, inactivity, KYC express, etc.

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.

“Buying €500 in BTC” (fee + spread + withdrawal)

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.

Remitano supports around 30–40 cryptocurrencies overall, with the most active pairings centered on BTC, ETH, USDT, XRP, and LTC, reflecting the highest liquidity and trading frequency.

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.

Remitano focuses on P2P spot trading and instant crypto-to-crypto swaps. It does not offer futures, margin, perpetuals, options, ETFs, grid bots, copy trading, or automated DCA—but it does support staking and some lending/earn products.

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.

24h volume & order-book depth

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.

You can place basic order types like market and limit, with swap functionality. There are price alerts and a clean interface (including mobile), but no advanced charting, OCO orders, TradingView integration, or full API/WebSocket feed.

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 are not offered anywhere, and traditional P2P trading is unavailable in select regions like Canada, the UK, Singapore, and others, depending on local regulation.

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 includes staking and earn products (flexible vs. fixed terms may vary by asset), as well as token swap tools—but lacks launchpad, launchpool, or structured investment pools beyond basic staking.

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.

Grasp who runs it

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.

Remitano adheres to anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) protocols based on FATF frameworks but does not hold formal VASP/VISA licenses under EU MiCA or equivalent regulatory regimes.

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.

User funds are held through in-house custodial systems with most crypto stored offline in cold storage; however, there’s no public proof-of-reserves or verified audit disclosures available.

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.

The platform does not advertise insurance or user asset protection funds beyond its standard custodial responsibilities and escrow mechanism.

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 have been no widely publicized hacks or regulatory penalties against Remitano; the exchange emphasizes asset protection and operational stability in its communications.

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.

Remitano enforces two-factor authentication, withdrawal whitelist options, phishing safeguards, escrow-backed P2P trades, and periodic security audits to protect user assets and enhance transactional safety.

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.

The exchange does not publish monthly transparency reports, SLAs, or public wallet addresses—its operational disclosures remain limited, focusing more on user security than open audit data.

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.

Users can deposit fiat via linked bank transfers or “Fiat Wallet,” with minimums and maximums emerging from their KYC level; processing times vary by country and can be near-instant in some regions or take up to a few days depending on banking systems.

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.

KYC is mandatory and structured in tiers—from basic phone verification to advanced identity and peer certifications—each unlocks higher deposit, buy, and withdrawal thresholds and broader functionality.

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 your verification level and support major networks like ERC-20, TRC-20, and BEP-20, with typical processing done within the blockchain’s normal timeframes, though exact thresholds and durations vary by region and asset.

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.

Remitano offers round-the-clock live chat and email support, backed by a robust help center and forum—response times are generally quick for chat, with slightly slower email replies, and an extensive FAQ base for self-service.

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 operates natively in English and many local languages, displays fees in local fiat (EUR, USD, etc.), and adapts interface and regulatory disclosures to your country for a localized experience.

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 mobile and web apps are praised for reliability and ease of use, with fast deposits/withdrawals and a solid user interface; user reviews (e.g. Google Play) rate performance around 4.3 stars, indicating overall stability and regular updates.

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.

The interface prioritizes simplicity—ideal for beginners—with clear navigation and essential features; it recently introduced a lightweight “Remitano Lite” mini-app within Telegram, offering ultra-fast trades and onboarding.

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.

Trades generally execute swiftly thanks to P2P matching and escrow, even during volatile periods, and the platform’s minimal infrastructure helps avoid downtime; though in high-demand bull markets, KYC approvals might slow down due to verification surges.

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.

Remitano does not currently offer formal learning modules like academies or demo trading tools, and while its Help Center provides support, there’s limited dedicated educational content—especially lacking in Spanish-language tutorials.

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.

Remitano maintains an active official Telegram channel and bot for updates and support, in addition to a user forum and a referral program that rewards members for inviting others.

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 offers a clean in-app trading experience but lacks integrations with advanced tools like TradingView, external trading bots, tax calculators, or accounting software—favoring a streamlined, standalone approach.

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.

Remitano shines for users seeking fast, intuitive P2P trading—particularly newcomers and regional traders in developing markets—while those needing advanced features, automation, or deep analytics may find it too pared-down for their needs.