Gate.Io vs Stormgain: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Gate.Io and Stormgain 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

Gate.Io

Stormgain

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Gate.Io is ideal if:

Perfect for advanced or algorithmic traders, offering powerful tools like trading bots, copy trading, extensive APIs, and access to derivatives across thousands of assets.
Great for altcoin hunters, thanks to one of the broadest selections in the market—over 3,800 cryptocurrencies and nearly 3,000 trading pairs.
Well-suited for passive earners, with diverse opportunities such as staking, crypto lending, auto-invest, and DeFi integration.

Stormgain is ideal if:

Beginner-friendliness meets power – A minimalist, intuitive interface plus demo account makes it easy to learn and explore advanced trading features privately.
All-in-one crypto toolkit – Combines spot, perpetuals, indices, crypto wallets, and cloud mining in one platform for users seeking versatility in one place.
High-leverage edge, higher risk – Offers substantial leverage and innovative tools, ideal for experienced self-directed traders—but demands careful risk control.

Gate.Io isn’t ideal if:

If you prioritize heavy regulatory oversight, Gate.io may fall short as it operates with lighter regulatory frameworks and lacks oversight by major global authorities.
If you're new to crypto and value simplicity, the platform’s advanced interface and multitude of tools can feel overwhelming rather than beginner-friendly.
If you need mobile-first usability, the mobile app may underperform compared to the desktop version, impacting ease of use on the go.

Stormgain isn’t ideal if:

You want broad token access – With only a handful of spot-available coins, it’s not suited for users hunting for diverse crypto holdings.
You prefer regulated platforms – As an unlicensed operation, it may not align with users who prioritize oversight within regulated environments.
You avoid high-risk strategies – Its ultra-leveraged tools are geared toward high-risk trading and may overwhelm those who prefer lower-risk, conservative approaches.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Gate.io employs a tiered VIP structure (from VIP0 to VIP16) that adjusts maker and taker spot fees based on your trading volume; you can also use the native GT token to reduce fees, and high-volume market makers may even enjoy negative maker fees via special rebate programs.

StormGain doesn’t use a traditional maker-taker tiered model—with trading fees generally structured as flat percentages that may vary by pairing instead of volume-based tiers or discounts tied to holding a native token.

Futures/Derivatives

Futures trading follows its own tiered fee system with options to reduce taker fees via points or VIP rates; funding rates (which fluctuate based on market conditions) apply to perpetuals and are recalculated periodically to balance long and short positions.

Futures trades typically incur a performance-based cost—where only profitable trades are charged a commission, plus a daily funding (swap) rate applies to open positions.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

While Gate.io doesn’t publish fixed spreads, its BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT markets benefit from deep liquidity and tight bid-ask spreads, ensuring competitive execution for high-volume traders.

Spreads are built into the execution price and vary by market conditions, but generally remain competitive on the most liquid BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT pairs.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Fiat transfers depend on location and may include bank wires, credit/debit cards via partners like Banxa or Simplex, and P2P, with varying processing times and gateway fees—not detailed here to maintain evergreen relevance.

Fiat can be funded via credit/debit cards or SEPA (in some regions); card payments carry a moderate fee and are processed almost instantly, while SEPA transfers are fee-free or low-cost but take one to several business days.

On-chain Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawal fees are dynamic and adjust to blockchain conditions such as congestion; for example, BTC withdrawal fee is dynamically priced and often lower than industry average, while certain networks like TRON adapt under energy-based models.

Withdrawals involve both a fixed network fee and a small percentage fee, e.g. for Bitcoin it’s a fixed BTC amount plus a fractional percent, similar for Ethereum and other supported networks.

Hidden Costs

Additional expenses may crop up via fiat-to-crypto conversion spreads, optional fees for expedited KYC, or premium services—these vary by region and user actions but are part of your effective cost.

Additional potential costs include currency conversion charges when depositing or withdrawing in non-base currencies and expedited refund or closed-account processing fees for certain administrative actions.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

You’d face a small spread on the spot pair, a spot taker fee (reducible via VIP or GT), possible conversion costs from EUR to USDT/BTC, and a dynamic blockchain fee when withdrawing—altogether, the total cost blends spread, trading fee, currency conversion, and network withdrawal cost.

If you use a card, you’d pay the purchase fee embedded in the execution rate (equivalent to a flat percentage), plus the spread, and then incur the standard withdrawal cost (fixed network fee + percentage) when sending to an external wallet—totaling one overall cost that combines those elements.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Gate.io supports a vast array of more than 3,600 to near 3,900 cryptocurrencies and over 2,500 to 3,800 trading pairs, covering everything from major coins to niche altcoins—its top 20 pairs by volume regularly include staples like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT.

StormGain offers around 80 cryptocurrencies, with the top 20 by trading volume typically including BTC, ETH, USDT, LTC, XRP, ADA, BNB, DOT, SOL, DOGE, LINK, MATIC, BCH, APE, AVAX, SHIB, UNI, LTC, TRX, and XLM paired mostly with USDT or BTC.

Product Range

The platform offers nearly every major trading and investment option, including spot, margin, perpetual futures, options, copy trading, grid bots, auto DCA, staking/earn programs, loan services, and even ETF-like passive products.

The platform supports spot and perpetuals trading, a built-in crypto wallet, cloud mining, but doesn’t offer margin, options, crypto-ETFs, staking/earn programs, loans, copy-trading, grid bots, or automated DCA features.

Liquidity

Gate.io consistently ranks among the global top three for 24-hour spot trading volume, demonstrating deep market depth—liquidity in BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT is robust, ensuring tight order book spreads and ample execution for sizeable trades.

StormGain’s liquidity on BTC and ETH pairs is moderate—enough to handle retail-level volumes with minimal slippage; exact numbers aren’t published, but order book depth is sufficient for standard-sized trades without major price impact.

Tools

Traders on Gate.io benefit from advanced tools including limit, stop, and OCO orders, trading alerts, rich native charting, comprehensive APIs with WebSocket support, and integrated TradingView charts for sophisticated analysis.

Traders can place common order types like limit, stop-loss, and OCO; they have access to basic alerts and charting powered by a native implementation similar to TradingView, plus API and WebSocket access for advanced or automated trading.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Certain sophisticated products like derivatives, futures, or margin trading may be restricted in specific regions due to regulatory constraints, meaning availability will vary depending on your jurisdiction.

Certain services—most notably perpetual derivatives—are unavailable in regulated regions (for example, not accessible to users in the U.S., U.K., and some EU jurisdictions), limiting product availability by country.

Innovation

Gate.io stays ahead in innovation with features like launchpad/token sales (IEOs), launchpool events, and flexible vs locked “earn” staking products—all part of its ecosystem-driven approach to expanding passive and active income streams.

While there’s no launchpad or launchpool, StormGain differentiates itself with on-platform cloud mining and occasional flexible earn opportunities, allowing users to earn by holding with option of flexible withdrawal rather than long-term locking.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Gate.io was founded in April 2013 by Dr. Lin Han and operates under the Gate Group umbrella from multiple jurisdictions, with its main legal base often linked to entities such as Gate Technology Ltd and other affiliates spread across regions.

StormGain is operated by StormGain LLC, officially registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and has its main operational base in London, UK, founded around 2019/2020, combining offshore registration with a London presence for its global operations.

Licenses/Registration

Gate Group holds a Class 4 VFA license in Malta, registrations as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Lithuania and Italy, plus operational approvals in Hong Kong, the UAE (DMCC and VARA), the Bahamas, and others—ensuring compliance across key markets.

The platform runs without formal licensing or registration under any major financial regulator (such as VASP or MiCA), operating outside the regulatory frameworks commonly applied to crypto services.

Custody

Gate.io uses its own custody infrastructure paired with third-party oversight, employs an open-source Merkle-Tree based Proof-of-Reserves system (upgraded with zk-SNARKs), audited by Hacken and standalone firms, offering transparency over asset backing far above 100 %.

StormGain uses its own custodial wallets with most customer funds stored in cold storage and the remainder in hot wallets for operations; it does not publish proof-of-reserves reports or details on auditing or the percentage held in cold storage.

Insurance & Protection Funds

Gate.io maintains the Gate SAFU fund—a reserve pool designed to serve as an emergency protection mechanism for user assets—offering a supplementary safety layer in case of extreme incidents.

There is no publicly disclosed third-party insurance or user fund protection scheme, meaning user assets are not safeguarded by insured pools or similar mechanisms.

Incident History

While Gate.io has avoided major publicized hacks, it made headlines in 2022 for helping return a mis-sent $416 million in ETH from another exchange—demonstrating a transparent response capability and operational integrity.

There are no publicly known major security breaches, freezing events, or regulatory penalties reported, but the lack of regulatory oversight and complete transparency means incident details—if any—are not widely documented.

Risk Controls

The platform includes robust security features such as mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA), anti-phishing safeguards, whitelisting of withdrawal addresses, tiered sub-accounts, and finely-granular API permissions for tailored access control.

StormGain supports two-factor authentication (2FA), enforces strong encryption, and stores funds across hot and cold wallets; however, it lacks more advanced safeguards like IP or withdrawal-address whitelisting, sub-account divisions, or granular API permission settings.

Transparency

Gate.io stands out for its high transparency—publishing monthly PoR reserve ratios (e.g., total reserves > $10 billion with ~128 % backing), providing public wallet addresses, and committing to service-level expectations through audit-backed disclosures.

The platform does not offer public monthly reports, a publicly viewable wallet, or service-level guarantees; transparency around reserve levels or operational metrics remains limited.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Gate.io supports fiat deposits via bank transfers, credit/debit cards, and third-party providers like Simplex, Banxa, and Mercuryo, though availability, limits, and processing times depend on your region.

You can fund your account using credit/debit cards or SEPA transfers (in supported regions), with minimums starting around USD/EUR 50, and card deposits are processed instantly while SEPA may take 1–3 business days.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

Gate.io requires KYC, using a tiered risk-based approach (from basic identity to advanced address verification) that determines your access and daily withdrawal limits—higher levels offer greater flexibility and limits.

StormGain allows basic trading with minimal or no KYC; more advanced access—like higher deposit/withdrawal limits—requires submitting identity verification, but exact tiers and thresholds are not publicly detailed.

Withdrawals

Withdrawal limits rise substantially with verification level (e.g., from USD 100k equivalent up to millions per day), and available networks such as TRC20, ERC20, BEP20 depend on the asset—processing times and fees vary.

limits, timing & networks

Customer Support

Gate.io provides 24/7 support through live chat and email, boasting fast response times, along with a comprehensive help center full of guides and FAQs.

StormGain offers 24/7 live chat, email support, and an extensive help center (knowledge base), with response times usually quick though occasionally slower during peak periods.

Languages & Localization

The platform is highly globalized, offering full support in over a dozen languages, and displays pricing and interface elements in common currencies like USD and EUR, accommodating diverse user bases.

The interface is fully available in English, and transaction data (like balances and fees) appear in local currency (e.g., EUR or USD) where applicable, with region-appropriate regulatory disclaimers shown.

App Quality & Stability

The Gate.io mobile app offers full trading functionality and real-time data, though user feedback notes occasional sluggishness or UI lag—especially under heavy load or rapid market moves.

Its mobile app boasts a high user rating (around 4.3 on Google Play with 97k+ reviews), is regularly updated, and maintains stable performance with few reported crashes.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Gate.io offers both “Lite” and “Pro” trading modes—Lite is streamlined and user-friendly for beginners, while Pro packs charts, order types, and data panels for experienced traders, giving users an adjustable interface that aligns with their skill level.

learning curve & modes

Performance

Order execution is generally swift, though during extreme market swings there can be minor delays or slowed UI responsiveness; KYC review waits can also stretch in bull phases when new registrations surge, causing temporary bottlenecks.

latency & stress resilience

Education

Gate’s learning platform features interactive tutorials, live articles, and a practicing simulator for options—though most materials are in English, they’ve recently added some Spanish-language content and step-by-step guides to ease onboarding.

academy, demo, Spanish content

Community

Gate.io supports an active user ecosystem with a Community Center, official blog updates, and social channels (including Discord/Telegram), plus a rewarding referral program that encourages peer sharing and learning.

forums, messaging, referrals

Integrations

Gate integrates natively with TradingView for advanced charting, supports external trading bots, and connects to tax/reporting tools like Blockpit—helping users with strategy automation and financial recordkeeping.

tools & tax workflows

Who Each One Is Best For

Gate.io is a strong fit for tech-savvy traders who value depth, flexibility, and ecosystem integration; it’s well-suited to those looking to level up from simple platforms but may feel dense for casual or beginner users who prefer straightforward, minimal interfaces.

This platform shines for beginner-to-intermediate traders seeking simplicity, demo practice, cloud mining, and in-built charts—less ideal for advanced users seeking tax integrations, multi-bot automation, or granular customization.