Pionex vs Stormgain: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Pionex 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

Pionex

Stormgain

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Pionex is ideal if:

If you value trading automation: Pionex is perfect for you with its built-in, cloud-based trading bots—free to use, no coding needed, and designed for hands-off strategies.
If you’re a beginner in crypto or bots: You’re in luck—user-friendly interface paired with in-depth tutorials makes it easy to get started and understand each bot’s purpose.
If you want flexibility and broad exposure: Pionex offers wide asset access plus both manual and automated tools under one roof, ideal if you like switching between trading styles.

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.

Pionex isn’t ideal if:

If you prefer fiat deposits and simplicity: Pionex doesn’t support direct fiat-to-crypto deposits, so newbies must first buy crypto elsewhere and transfer it in.
If you want risk-free practice: There’s no demo or virtual trading—every bot requires real funds, which might deter cautious beginners.
If you need instant, low-cost withdrawals: Some users report high fixed withdrawal fees and occasional delays, making it less convenient for quick exits or small transfers.

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

Both spot makers and takers pay a flat rate (around 0.05%) across all volume tiers, though VIP users with high volume may receive reduced maker fees as they climb VIP levels.

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 starts around 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker, with maker fees dropping further for VIP users; there’s no separate funding fee charged by Pionex, though users receive or pay the prevailing funding rate as per the perpetual contract—the profit or cost depending on market direction.

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

Pionex doesn’t publish exact spreads; however, based on industry norms and the platform’s aggregation model, spreads are typically tight and highly competitive on major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT.

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

You can deposit via credit/debit cards—with modest percentage fees depending on region—or via free SEPA (for EUR), Faster Payments (for GBP), and PIX (for BRL), with processing ranging from instant to a few business days; withdrawal fees vary especially for fiat, often via third-party gateways.

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

Withdrawal fees depend on the blockchain used—some are set (like BTC’s 0.0005 BTC), while token transfers on networks like Ethereum, TRON, or BNB Smart Chain follow either fixed or network-based pricing per coin listed.

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

There are no inactivity or platform maintenance fees, but third-party fiat deposit methods may incur conversion charges; express KYC or related services aren’t publicly detailed, so any extra cost may come from external providers.

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

Suppose you credit €500 via SEPA (no deposit fee), convert to USDT or BTC via a 0.05% trade (small fee plus tight spread), then withdraw BTC on-chain (e.g., a 0.0005 BTC fee)—your total cost would include that small trading fee, potential slippage, and the network withdrawal charge.

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

Pionex lists over 120 cryptocurrencies and maintains more than 200 trading pairs, with the top 20 by volume largely featuring major tokens like BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL, XRP, ADA—though exact rankings shift frequently.

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

Pionex offers spot trading, leveraged futures (up to 100×), numerous free built-in bots (grid, DCA, arbitrage, TWAP, spot-futures, margin-grid, reverse grid, Infinity Grid, etc.), plus copy trading; it also supports P2P fiat conversion, staking/earn programs, but doesn’t appear to provide options, ETFs, or crypto-lending services.

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

Pionex aggregates liquidity from major exchanges like Binance and Huobi, delivering high 24-hour volumes—reported in the tens of billions—and deep order books on BTC and ETH, ensuring tight execution and reliable bot performance.

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

The platform supports limit, market, stop, and OCO orders, alongside bot-driven strategies; while it offers customizable dashboards and APIs, there’s no native TradingView integration, so users rely on built-in charts or external tools.

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

Derivatives and advanced instruments like futures may be unavailable in certain regions (e.g., specific countries within Europe or Asia), while others are limited to spot and bot trading depending on local regulations.

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

Pionex doesn’t currently offer launchpads or launchpools, but it distinguishes itself with flexible earn programs and an ever-evolving lineup of AI-enhanced bots that automate strategies 24/7 without locking funds—championing passive innovation over token-sale hype.

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

Pionex operates through its global platform headquartered in Singapore (launched in 2019) and a U.S.-specific platform, Pionex.US, registered in Princeton, New Jersey—with each entity governed under its own legal structure.

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

It’s officially registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FinCEN in the U.S., but does not hold a MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) license, contrary to some reports.

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

User funds are held via partnerships with major exchanges; Pionex publicly conducts periodic Merkle Tree-based Proof of Reserves, audited independently by firms like Elite Partners and Moore, verifying assets exceed liabilities.

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

There’s no publicly disclosed insurance policy or dedicated protection fund for user assets, beyond the strong reserve and custody practices already in place.

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

To date, there are no known security breaches, hacks, fund suspensions, or regulatory penalties, reflecting a clean operational track record.

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

Security measures include mandatory 2FA, IP whitelisting, anti-phishing warnings, and KYC-based account levels; API permissions are likely granular, though sub-account features aren’t prominently promoted.

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

While formal systems like monthly public reports, SLAs, or a visible public wallet aren’t prominently published, the combination of PoR audits and the availability of verification tools offer a meaningful level of transparency.

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

You can deposit fiat via SEPA for euros, CHAPS/FPS for GBP, and PIX for Brazilian real—typically fee-free for bank methods, while cards and e-wallets (Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc.) are supported via third-party providers with higher fees; processing ranges from instant to a few business days.

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)

There are two verification tiers—Level 1 (country and full name) unlocks basic deposits and up to $20,000 crypto withdrawals per day, and Level 2 (ID + facial recognition) raises limits to around $1,000,000 daily and enables credit-card fiat purchases.

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

limits, timing, networks (TRC20, ERC20, BEP20)

limits, timing & networks

Customer Support

Pionex offers live chat accessible during working hours plus email support; response times can vary, and a robust help center with tutorials and FAQs is available to guide users when agents are offline.

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 primarily in English with options to display prices in € or $; fiat support is localized (e.g., SEPA in Europe), but there’s limited tailoring for regional regulations outside generic compliance.

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

Pionex’s mobile apps hold solid ratings—above 4+ on iOS and 4.4 on Android—with a large user base; while crash statistics aren’t public, consistent updates and high review scores suggest reliable performance.

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

Pionex’s interface is clean and intuitive, offering a gentle learning curve especially through its guided bot setup; instead of “Lite/Pro” tiers, it maintains a unified experience where features like bots and charts are accessible with minimal configuration—making it ideal whether you’re starting or experienced.

learning curve & modes

Performance

The platform has dramatically reduced data and order latency—now syncing in under 30 seconds—although there was a brief latency glitch during a peak futures volatility event in May 2024 that affected manual futures trades; KYC processing remains generally smooth, even in bull market surges.

latency & stress resilience

Education

While there’s no formal demo or simulator, Pionex offers multilingual support including Spanish in its blog and documentation, plus detailed step-by-step tutorials and bot walkthroughs that serve educational purposes effectively.

academy, demo, Spanish content

Community

Pionex fosters engagement via its community channels like Telegram for API and bot discussions, along with a bot marketplace where creators can monetize their strategies; referral programs are also active, rewarding users who bring in new traders.

forums, messaging, referrals

Integrations

You can integrate Pionex directly with TradingView via its Signal Bot (using alerts and webhooks), and also use the platform’s API to connect with external bot tools; however, dedicated tax or accounting tool integrations are not part of the current offering.

tools & tax workflows

Who Each One Is Best For

Pionex suits hands-off traders seeking robust automated tools and copyable strategies, as well as tech-savvy users who want to hook up custom setups via API or TradingView; those needing traditional charting ecosystems with accounting or simulator features might find it less tailored.

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.