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

Trying to choose between Hitbtc and Upbit 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

Upbit

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Yes

Canada

United Kingdom

United States

yes

Europe

yes

Latin America

yes

India

China

Canada

yes

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

Upbit is ideal if:

Great for beginner-friendly trading: Offers a clean, intuitive interface and strong security, making it ideal if you're new to crypto and value simplicity.
Strong Asian market presence: Deeply localized in South Korea and Southeast Asia, with excellent liquidity and fiat integration in those regions.
Not suited for advanced instruments: If you're looking for margin, derivatives, or broad global fiat support, Upbit’s limited financial features may not fit your needs.

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

Upbit isn’t ideal if:

Limited product variety: Lacks margin, futures, copy-trading, loans, or crypto cards, restricting users seeking more advanced financial tools.
Geographically constrained: Primarily serves South Korea and select Asian markets; support and fiat options are limited for most global users.
Basic customer support: Relies mainly on ticket-based assistance with minimal tutorials or live help, which may not satisfy those wanting more hands-on guidance.

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.

Upbit applies a flat trading fee—typically around 0.20–0.25%—for both maker and taker spot orders across supported pairs, with no tiered discounts or native token rebates.

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.

Upbit does not offer futures or derivative instruments, so there are no maker, taker, or funding fees to consider.

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.

On major spot pairs like BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT, spreads are generally tight and reflective of high liquidity, though your precise rate depends on market depth at the time of execution.

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.

Upbit supports bank transfers for fiat, with deposit methods varying by region; fees and processing times vary according to local banking systems and verification levels.

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.

Upbit charges fixed network fees per asset (e.g. a fixed amount in BTC or ETH), which do not adjust dynamically based on network congestion.

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.

You might encounter costs such as currency conversion spreads, speedier KYC processing, or cross-border banking charges; these are not labeled as explicit fees but can subtly add to your overall cost.

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.

If you purchase €500 in BTC, your total cost includes the platform’s flat trading fee plus the market spread; withdrawing that BTC would then incur the asset’s fixed network withdrawal fee.

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.

Upbit lists approximately 260-263 cryptocurrencies (depending on the data source) and over 540 trading pairs overall, with the top 20 by volume dominated by KRW pairs like ETH/KRW, XRP/KRW, and BTC/KRW, reflecting its regional liquidity strength.

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.

Upbit focuses exclusively on spot markets and does not offer margin, perpetual futures, options, crypto ETFs, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA; however, it does include staking/earn services for select assets.

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.

Upbit’s 24-hour trading volume typically ranges in the multi-billion-dollar bracket, and its order books for BTC and ETH pairs exhibit strong depth, especially for KRW-denominated pairs, ensuring tight spreads and reliable execution.

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.

The platform supports limit, market, and stop-limit order types, plus charting tools and dashboards, API and WebSocket access, but lacks native TradingView integration and any alerting capabilities.

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.

Derivatives and advanced instruments are unavailable across the board, and even spot trading is restricted in regions like the United States, Japan, China, and Taiwan due to regulatory limitations.

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.

While Upbit does not host launchpads, launchpools, or flexible-vs-locked earn programs, it does offer staking options for select chains—but no advanced yield farming or investment pools.

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.

Upbit is operated by Dunamu Inc., a South Korean company founded in 2017, with its headquarters located in Seoul and expanding operations through entities such as Upbit Singapore.

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.

Upbit Singapore holds a fully licensed status as a Major Payment Institution under Singapore’s Payment Services Act, enabling regulated digital token services, while its Korean operations continue under the Virtual Asset Service Provider framework.

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.

Upbit maintains full custody of user assets, backed by recent audits confirming over-100 percent reserves for both digital assets and cash equivalents, alongside substantial cold-wallet holdings.

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.

The exchange has set aside dedicated user protection reserves, in the order of tens of millions USD, specifically to shield user assets in case of unexpected events.

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.

In late 2019, Upbit experienced a significant hack that resulted in the loss of roughly USD 48 million in Ethereum; since then, it’s reinforced internal controls and transparency protocols.

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.

Upbit employs robust safety measures such as two-factor authentication, internal self-trading restrictions, a proprietary market-monitoring system, and auditing to prevent insider trading, plus granular permission controls for API access.

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.

The exchange publishes periodic transparency reports including audit results and trading-behavior monitoring; while it doesn’t offer public wallet addresses or formal SLAs, it follows regulatory guidelines and discloses operational compliance measures.

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.

Upbit allows fiat deposits primarily via local bank transfers (e.g. KRW in Korea, SGD in Singapore) once you reach full verification; minimums vary, processing typically takes 1–3 business days.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

Upbit allows fiat deposits primarily via local bank transfers (e.g. KRW in Korea, SGD in Singapore) once you reach full verification; minimums vary, processing typically takes 1–3 business days.

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.

Upbit uses a four-level KYC system—ranging from basic identity checks to full verification with bank linkage—and higher levels unlock larger deposit and withdrawal capacities.

Withdrawals

limits, timing & networks

Crypto withdrawals are permitted across major networks like ERC-20 and TRC-20, with daily limits scaling by KYC level and typical processing within hours.

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.

Support is available through email and a robust FAQ/help center; users in Korea generally experience faster responses, while international users may wait longer and have less localized documentation.

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 is available in native English and Korean, displays balances in local currencies (KRW or SGD), and adheres to the relevant local regulatory framework for each region.

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.

The Upbit mobile app is known for its stability and smooth performance, with regular updates, low crash rates, and quick feature rollouts aimed at both beginners and experienced users.

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.

The Upbit interface strikes a smart balance between clarity and functionality—offering a simplified view for beginners while still providing comprehensive charts and real-time data for more experienced users, although it doesn’t explicitly label modes as “Lite” or “Pro.”

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.

Order latency remains low even during high volatility, and there are no widespread reports of system crashes; however, during market peaks, KYC verification queues may grow noticeably longer, affecting 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.

While Upbit doesn’t offer demo accounts or a Spanish-language academy, it provides a detailed help center and tutorials that guide beginners through trading, deposits, and security.

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.

Official community channels such as forums or Telegram groups are limited; referral programs exist but are less central to the user experience compared to peer-driven groups and third-party platforms.

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.

Upbit supports Open API and WebSocket for developer access and trading automation, but lacks native TradingView integration, external bot marketplaces, or built-in tax/accounting tool 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.

Upbit is best suited for traders who prioritize a clean, stable interface with transparent spot trading, high liquidity, and a regional focus—especially those located in supported Asian markets looking for reliable, everyday trading rather than highly automated or global multi-tool ecosystems.