Hitbtc vs Bitso: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Hitbtc and Bitso 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

Hitbtc

Bitso

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Yes

Canada

United Kingdom

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

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Hitbtc is ideal if:

Sophisticated API-driven tooling Perfect for algorithmic and pro traders leveraging fast REST, WebSocket, or FIX services and advanced order types like scaled or trailing entries
Extensive demo zone and broad pair availability Great for learning or testing strategies without risk, while enjoying access to hundreds of spot, margin, and futures pairs
Robust security and transparency systems Ideal if you value strong safeguards like cold storage, 2FA, session monitoring, and audit-friendly reporting

Bitso is ideal if:

Latin America–centric users: Tailored for users in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia with local currencies, payments, and regulatory coverage, offering a seamless regional crypto experience.
Beginners who value simplicity: Its intuitive interface and easy onboarding make it a solid entry point for anyone new to crypto trading.
Crypto holders seeking flexible future options: Features like Bitso+ (earnings on your holdings with no lock-ups) and a growing suite of tools make long-term crypto use more rewarding.

Hitbtc isn’t ideal if:

Frustration-prone customer support Resolving urgent account or withdrawal issues may take days or longer, leaving critical calls pending
Opaque corporate governance Unclear headquarters, anonymous leadership, and regulation gaps can hinder your confidence and legal recourse
Inactivity-fee risks & asset access issues Long idle periods may lead to unexpected charges or frozen funds without clear notifications

Bitso isn’t ideal if:

…you live outside Latin America: Access and services are focused mainly on countries like Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia, limiting availability elsewhere.
…you need a wide range of cryptocurrencies: Bitso’s portfolio is effective for mainstream assets, but lacks the extensive variety offered by larger global exchanges.
…you value fast, hands-on support: Customer service primarily relies on tickets and digital channels, which can result in slower response times when urgent help is needed.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

HitBTC applies a tiered fee system where initial maker/taker rates decrease with higher 30-day trading volumes, and the highest tiers may even reward maker activity—while holding the native HIT token can further reduce spot and margin trading costs.

Bitso applies a tiered maker–taker structure where fees decrease as your 30-day trading volume increases; for instance, in the USD (USDC) market, maker rates range from ~0.25% at low volumes to ~0.04% at the highest tiers, with taker rates starting around 0.30% and dropping to about 0.05%—there’s no native token discount program.

Futures/Derivatives

Futures (including perpetuals) follow fixed maker/taker pricing that can drop with volume tiers, and while there’s a funding or liquidation cost element applied per position, no dynamic funding fees like funding rate cycles are noted.

maker/taker and funding

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

Spreads on major liquid pairs remain competitive, typically tight due to deep order books and active liquidity, though exact spread sizes aren’t publicly fixed and fluctuate with market conditions.

While Bitso doesn’t publish exact spread figures, available data and reviews suggest it maintains competitive spreads on major, liquid pairs, though not necessarily as tight as ultra-high-volume global platforms.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

HitBTC doesn’t directly support fiat deposits or withdrawals through bank or wire; instead, you must use third-party providers (like credit/debit card services) to buy crypto, which incurs third-party fees and varies in speed depending on provider.

methods, fees, timings

On-chain Withdrawals

Withdrawal costs are adjusted dynamically based on each network’s conditions—this means fees adapt in real time depending on blockchain traffic rather than being a fixed flat fee.

fixed vs dynamic fees per network (BTC, ETH, TRX, etc.)

Hidden Costs

While no explicit fees for inactivity, KYC acceleration, or base currency conversion are listed, indirect costs may arise through third-party fiat services, prolonged KYC delays, or transaction spread during conversions.

currency conversion, inactivity, expedited KYC, etc.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

If you purchase €500 worth of BTC via a credit card provider, you’d incur that provider’s fee (often a few percent), face the execution spread on BTC, and then pay a dynamic network withdrawal cost when moving BTC off-platform—creating a bundled cost beyond a simple fee.

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

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

HitBTC hosts between roughly 300 to over 500 cryptocurrencies and hundreds—likely between 500 to 2,300—trading pairs, while the top 20 by volume typically includes heavy-hitters like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, ADA/USDT, SOL/USDT and AAVE/USDT.

Bitso offers around 100 trading pairs and supports roughly 55–100 cryptocurrencies, with top-volume instruments like BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, and USDC featuring prominently among the top 20 by liquidity.

Product Range

HitBTC supports spot, margin, and perpetual futures trading, along with staking functionality; it does not offer options, crypto ETFs, copy trading, or automatic DCA tools.

Bitso provides spot trading plus a flexible staking/earn product (Bitso Earn) and fiat-crypto remittances (via Bitso Shift), but it does not offer margin, derivatives (futures/options), ETFs, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA strategies.

Liquidity

The exchange processes substantial 24-hour trading volume—often several hundred million dollars—and offers solid book depth for liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, fostering efficient execution in large-size orders.

Daily volumes for major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT run into the tens of millions USD, offering sound liquidity and stable order-book depth, though not as deep as global mega-exchanges.

Tools

HitBTC provides advanced trading tools, including limit, stop, and OCO order types, customizable price alerts, TradingView-integrated charting, and robust API access via REST, WebSocket, and FIX.

Bitso supports market, limit, stop-loss, and stop-limit orders, integrates with TradingView for advanced charting, offers price alerts, and provides robust API/WebSocket access through its Bitso Alpha platform.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Derivatives and some advanced features are unavailable in jurisdictions such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and various sanctioned regions, even while spot trading remains globally accessible in most locales.

Certain advanced features like staking and fiat on-ramps are limited to Latin American residents; derivatives and margin aren’t offered at all, and access is restricted outside these primary markets.

Innovation

The platform does not currently support launchpads or launchpools, and while it offers staking, it appears geared toward flexible-use models rather than fixed-term or locked reward schemes.

Bitso excels with its flexible-earn staking (withdraw anytime, weekly rewards) and has broadened coverage into emerging DeFi space by adding new tokens like HYPE, though it doesn’t currently run launchpads or locked-pool offerings.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Htechno Business LTD (and operators such as Ullus Corporations/Hit Solutions Limited) runs the platform, having launched around 2013 with ties to both Saint Vincent & the Grenadines and Hong Kong, plus branch operations in Chile.

Bitso operates under the legal entity Badger Technology Company Ltd, incorporated in Gibraltar, with operations stretching across Latin America since its launch in 2014 out of Mexico City.

Licenses/Registration

The exchange does not hold explicit financial licenses (e.g., VASP or MiCA-based EU registration), and while it conducts KYC and AML compliance, its regulatory standing remains relatively informal and varies by user region.

The platform holds a pioneering DLT license from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and operates in Mexico under the local Fintech law as an authorized payment institution (IFPE).

Custody

HitBTC retains a high percentage of assets in cold storage (roughly 80–90 %), conducts external wallet-balance proofs, and states it’s never been breached or lost custody of user funds—though full audit reports are not publicly published.

Bitso uses its own custody infrastructure, reinforced with multi-signature controls and disaster recovery via CoinCover, and offers transparency through real-time security metrics via its Trust Center.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There appears to be no formal insurance coverage or dedicated protection fund for user assets, meaning that gamblers with large holdings are not shielded against operational or platform risks.

Bitso has complemented its digital-asset protection by partnering with CoinCover to provide additional risk mitigation and recovery mechanisms for user funds.

Incident History

The platform claims zero successful hacks or asset losses since inception; however, users have occasionally reported account freezes or withdrawal delays, though there’s no record of formal penalties or regulatory sanctions.

To date, Bitso has not experienced any known hacks or security breaches, and it has a track record of uninterrupted service without suspensions or major compliance penalties.

Risk Controls

Security tools include mandatory two-factor authentication (via app or YubiKey), withdrawal whitelists, phishing safeguards, session kill-switches, and granular API access, plus identity recovery protocols for lost 2FA.

The platform enforces robust risk safeguards including two-factor authentication (2FA), phishing prevention, transaction whitelists, and granular API permissions for institutional users.

Transparency

HitBTC supports transparency through public wallet-address disclosures for proof-of-reserves, but does not regularly publish monthly audit reports or uptime SLAs, and further formal documentation remains limited.

In the interest of openness, Bitso shares live security and compliance metrics in its Trust Center, though it does not produce regular reserve or transparency reports or public wallets.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

HitBTC does not support direct fiat deposits via bank transfer or e-wallets; any fiat funding goes through third-party providers such as card processors, which bring their own limits and variable processing times.

Bitso accepts fiat deposits via local bank transfers (e.g., SPEI in Mexico, Pix in Brazil), digital dollars through Payoneer, and in some markets, card deposits; minimum and maximum deposit amounts vary based on local regulations and bank systems, and transfer times generally align with domestic banking hours.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

HitBTC offers tiered account statuses—unverified “starter”, “verified”, and “qualified”—each unlocking progressively higher crypto withdrawal and (insider-access to) fiat limits, with basic trading accessible even without KYC.

There are typically three KYC tiers

Withdrawals

limits, timing & networks

Limits, Timing & Networks

Customer Support

Support is primarily via ticket or email (not live chat), with a knowledge base available, and response times can slow during busy periods despite claims of 24/7 availability.

Bitso provides support through live chat and an extensive Help Center ticket system, with response times typically within 24–48 hours and a rich knowledge base to guide users.

Languages & Localization

The platform is natively in English, shows prices in USD or EUR, but does not tailor regulatory disclosures or fees for local jurisdictions—geospecific clarity is limited.

The platform operates natively in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, displays fees in relevant local currencies, and tailors its services to comply with regional legal and regulatory frameworks.

App Quality & Stability

HitBTC’s mobile app is actively maintained and used for trading on the go, though it may lack some features from the web interface; official crash-rate data isn’t published, but periodic updates continue to improve stability and UX.

Bitso’s mobile app (available for iOS and Android) mirrors the web platform in functionality and offers a smooth trading experience with strong user reviews, suggesting stability and regular updates.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

The platform balances usability for beginners with depth for pros; while there’s no “Lite/Pro” toggle, the demo mode offers a simplified environment, and the main interface supports both intuitive order entry and advanced API-driven workflows.

Bitso caters to different skill levels by offering a stripped-down classic mode for newcomers and the more advanced Alpha Pro interface for serious traders—both seamlessly blend intuitive design with enhanced charting and order tools, making the learning curve manageable yet scalable.

Performance

HitBTC generally delivers low-latency order execution, though market surges can spike system load; its real-time system monitor dashboard reveals live queues and statuses of deposits, withdrawals, and trading availability.

Bitso’s Alpha Pro is optimized for fast trade execution and generally maintains uptime even during busy periods; however, during bull markets, KYC queues can lengthen, occasionally delaying full access for new users.

Education

The exchange offers a fully functional demo/simulator with virtual funds to practice strategies across spot, margin, and futures markets, supplemented by support articles and multilingual content; while resources exist, dedicated Spanish-language materials are limited.

Although Bitso doesn’t offer a trading simulator or demo, it does provide educational content—including guides and insights—in Spanish across its blog and Help Center, making it accessible for Spanish-speaking users seeking self-guided learning.

Community

HitBTC supports community engagement via its blog, Reddit, and Telegram channels, and runs a referral program, though standalone forums or Discord-based discussions appear minimal.

Bitso fosters community engagement through active channels like official Telegram groups and a referral program, though it doesn’t operate a public forum or Discord server specifically for user discussions.

Integrations

The platform integrates with TradingView-style charts natively, supports robust external bots through REST, WebSocket, and FIX APIs, and while it doesn’t offer tax tools, traders can export trade reports for accounting tasks.

Bitso integrates directly with TradingView, enabling charting and analysis of its full spot-pair range; it also supports external integration via its robust API, though it lacks built-in tax tools or direct accounting integrations.

Who Each One Is Best For

HitBTC suits algorithmic and experienced traders seeking deep asset coverage and programmatic access, while demo tools lower the entry barrier—but newcomers without comfort in API or report-driven accounting may find it less straightforward.

Bitso offers an ideal blend of simplicity and capability for Latin American users—from beginners enjoying the clean interface to intermediate traders accessing Alpha Pro—making it less suited for algorithmic traders, simulator users, or those needing integrated financial tooling.