Pointpay vs Altcoin Trader: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Pointpay and Altcoin Trader 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

Pointpay

Altcoin Trader

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Pointpay is ideal if:

All-in-one crypto platform Seamlessly combines exchange, wallet, payment, and banking tools in one accessible ecosystem—not just trading.
Tailored for all experience levels Offers Classic and Advanced interfaces for seasoned users, plus Quick Exchange for newcomers for fast, intuitive trades.
Engaging community ecosystem Includes staking, Vault savings, educational Learn & Earn, a Launchpad, and competitions—great for active and curious users.

Altcoin Trader is ideal if:

Ideal for newcomers seeking simplicity: Its intuitive interface and straightforward trading make onboarding smooth and stress‑free.
Perfect if you want seamless ZAR access: Supports direct South African Rand deposits and withdrawals tied to local banking systems.
Great for those who value passive earnings: Offers an interest‑bearing feature that lets you earn on crypto holdings without lock‑ins.

Pointpay isn’t ideal if:

Limited advanced trading Some users find it lacks powerful tools like leveraged futures or deep charting options for professional-grade strategies.
Occasional tech hiccups Reports of login issues, app performance quirks, and delayed customer responses suggest potential reliability concerns in mobile use.
Uncertain regulatory clarity Conflicting information surrounds its licensing and regulatory compliance, leading to varied user trust and coverage depending on region.

Altcoin Trader isn’t ideal if:

Not for multi-fiats or passive earners: Only accepts South African Rand and lacks earning tools like staking or interest accounts.
Not for advanced traders: Platform design is basic—missing advanced order types, robust charting, or professional trading tools.
Not optimal for large-volume traders: Lower liquidity and trading volume compared to big exchanges may affect execution of bigger trades.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

PointPay charges a flat maker-taker rate around 0.05%, offering up to 35% fee discounts for users holding increasing amounts of PXP tokens, with no tiered volume brackets beyond the PXP-based loyalty levels.

AltCoinTrader applies a flat fee of 0.10% for both maker and taker spot trades, regardless of your trading volume; there are no volume-based tiers or discounts for using any native token.

Futures/Derivatives

PointPay currently does not offer any futures or derivative trading, so there are no maker/taker or funding fees applicable.

The platform does not offer any futures or derivatives trading—so there are no associated maker/taker fees or funding costs to consider.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

While precise spread data isn’t published, the exchange is noted for offering competitive pricing that closely aligns with market prices on popular pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT.

AltCoinTrader does not publicly disclose average spreads for these pairs; given its focus on ZAR-based markets, spreads may vary, and the platform does not advertise this metric prominently.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Fiat deposits are facilitated via Mercuryo or MoonPay, and withdrawals are supported as well; deposits may include a small markup or cashback promotions but are generally straightforward, with processing times depending on the provider—often several hours to a couple of days.

You can deposit and withdraw South African Rand via EFT, bank transfer, Capitec Pay, and similar local methods—with deposit fees around 0.5% (capped at R95), and withdrawal fees set at 0.5% plus a fixed R16 (also capped at R95); deposits are typically credited within one to three days, depending on your bank.

On-chain Withdrawals

Withdrawals incur network (miner) fees, varying by cryptocurrency and network conditions (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX), rather than fixed platform fees, although PXP holders may enjoy reduced rates.

Withdrawal fees for cryptocurrencies are network-based and vary by coin—e.g., a BTC withdrawal costs approximately 0.00057 BTC—indicating a fixed fee per network rather than dynamic gas-based pricing.

Hidden Costs

currency conversion, inactivity, expedited KYC, etc.

Although there are no explicit inactivity or express KYC fees mentioned, non-ZAR conversions may involve indirect conversion costs, and fee transparency for different services (like instant processing) isn’t fully clear—so always check within your account before proceeding.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

If you buy €500 worth of BTC, your total cost would derive from the spread between buy/sell prices, a trading fee (e.g., ~0.05% discounted if holding PXP), and a subsequent withdrawal fee based on chain congestion and asset network—without quoting specific numbers to keep it evergreen.

Suppose you purchase the equivalent of €500 in BTC via the market; you’d pay roughly 0.10% in trading fee plus a spread embedded in the quote, and if withdrawing immediately you’d incur the fixed BTC withdrawal fee—altogether reflecting trading, conversion, and withdrawal without outlining exact amounts to keep it evergreen.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

PointPay supports well over 140–200 cryptocurrencies with around 179–224 trading pairs available; top-20 volume pairs include BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDC, SOL/USDT, USDC/USDT and others such as DOGE, ADA, LINK, AVAX, BNB.

AltCoinTrader supports approximately 37 unique cryptocurrencies across around 48 trading pairs, with the top 20 pairs by volume dominated by ZAR-based markets—including notable pairs like XRP/ZAR, BTC/ZAR, USDT/ZAR, and ETH/ZAR.

Product Range

At present, PointPay offers spot trading, staking (Vaults and flexible/locked terms), NFT and Launchpad features, savings/earn programs, and a multi-currency wallet; however, there’s no margin, perpetuals, options, ETFs, loans, copy-trading, grid bots, or automated DCA at this stage.

AltCoinTrader focuses on basic spot trading and includes a passive income product called “Easy Save,” but it does not offer margin or derivatives, crypto ETFs, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA tools.

Liquidity

Estimated 24-hour trading volume ranges from around $138 million to over $206 million; order-book depth appears substantial for primary pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, supporting solid liquidity for mainstream trading.

Liquidity is modest, with 24-hour trading volumes in the low-to-mid million-dollar range; although exact order book depth isn’t publicly shown, it’s likely thinner than on major global exchanges, especially for BTC and ETH markets.

Tools

PointPay supports limit, market, stop-limit, and OCO orders; it includes advanced TradingView charts with multiple indicators and timeframes, has alert features, and provides API and WebSocket support for algorithmic access.

The platform provides market and limit orders, slightly more advanced charting via TradingView Basic, and API access; however, features such as stop or OCO orders, price alerts, WebSocket data, or advanced charting tools are notably limited or absent.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Derivatives and leverage aren’t available yet, and certain products are restricted in regions like the U.S. and other sanctioned countries, meaning advanced trading tools may not be accessible depending on your location.

Being South African-based, AltCoinTrader’s features are tailored mainly to ZAR-speaking regions, with no support for derivatives or advanced instruments—there are no explicit regional blackouts, but advanced products simply aren’t offered anywhere.

Innovation

The platform provides Launchpad projects, a multi-asset Vault with flexible and locked staking (3, 6, and 12 month terms), and regular staking promotions, all aimed at enhancing user participation and passive income opportunities.

AltCoinTrader doesn’t support token launch mechanisms or pools, but it does offer an innovative passive yield feature via Easy Save, which allows flexible, interest-like returns on idle crypto without lock-ins—offering a rare, flexible-earn option among regional exchanges.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

PointPay is operated by a Lithuania-based company founded in 2018, with its headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia, situating it within the European regulatory environment and offering it EU operational grounding.

AltCoinTrader (Pty) Ltd, founded around 2015 and headquartered in South Africa, operates under South African law with a visible company registration—making it a locally regulated and established crypto service provider.

Licenses/Registration

The platform currently holds a Lithuanian VASP license and is registered in the U.S. as a Money Services Business (Wyoming MSB), while actively pursuing additional licensing in the U.S. and enhanced compliance under recent European crypto frameworks.

AltCoinTrader is officially licensed by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) as a Category I/II Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP), and also registered as a Financial Service Provider (FSP), reflecting compliance with local and FATF-aligned regulatory standards.

Custody

PointPay uses both hot and cold wallets, including air-gapped cold storage, with user-controlled wallet options, although there is no publicized Proof of Reserves or explicit cold-storage percentage disclosure.

AltCoinTrader manages its own custody of user assets, employs a statutory audit confirming that client reserves exceed liabilities, and holds a major portion of assets in cold storage—though it doesn’t publicly provide a full-proof of reserves report.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There is no publicly available information suggesting that PointPay offers dedicated insurance coverage or protection funds for users’ assets.

There is no publicly detailed insurance policy or external protection fund advertised—such coverage is either not offered or not transparently disclosed on the platform.

Incident History

There have been no major reported hacks, systemic suspensions, or regulatory penalties associated with the platform to date, suggesting a clean operational track record.

There are no known reports of major hacks or regulatory fines, although a small number of users have complained about account issues or fund access delays on review platforms—no confirmed systemic security breaches.

Risk Controls

The platform enforces standard security layers including multi-factor authentication, encrypted transaction passwords, and tiered KYC levels; however, features like API-specific permissions, sub-accounts, whitelists, or anti-phishing tools are not prominently highlighted.

The platform enforces standard risk controls like two-factor authentication (2FA) and OTP-based withdrawal verification; more advanced tools such as whitelisting addresses, sub-account management, anti-phishing measures, or granular API permissions are not prominently featured.

Transparency

While PointPay commits to regulatory alignment and security, it does not currently publish regular audit reports, Proof of Reserves documents, public wallet addresses, or formalized SLAs for uptime or response times.

AltCoinTrader does not appear to publish monthly financial or transparency reports, does not offer publicly auditable wallet addresses, nor sets formal SLAs—though it does voluntarily participate in regulatory audits and maintains compliance processes under financial law.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

PointPay allows fiat deposits via intermediary services like Mercuryo and MoonPay, and possibly bank transfers, with straightforward minimums (e.g., around €25), though maximums vary by provider; processing times range from instant to a few hours or up to a couple of days depending on the channel.

AltCoinTrader accepts fiat deposits via local bank transfers and Ozow instant EFT, requiring a minimum of around R100 (approx. $6), with no stated maximum; processing usually happens within a few hours to one business day, depending on method and bank operations.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

PointPay’s KYC process is accessible through both app and website in five simple steps, typically completed within 24 hours; higher levels unlock full functionality such as trading, deposits, and withdrawals, while no-KYC users face limited access.

AltCoinTrader uses multi-tiered verification

Withdrawals

Withdrawals support common crypto networks (e.g., ERC20, TRC20), with limits like up to 10 BTC per withdrawal, and dynamic network fees; processing times have improved and can average 0.5 to 5 minutes for verified transactions.

Crypto withdrawals depend on the chosen network (ERC-20, TRC-20, etc.) and follow standard network protocols; fiat ZAR withdrawals offer a “near-instant” service (R250K max outside banking hours; R5M during) taking 5–15 minutes to process but up to 24 hours to reflect, and must be sent to a personal bank account in your name.

Customer Support

PointPay offers live chat (often backed by bots and staff available 24/7) plus email support, although response times may vary; a knowledge base or FAQ section is available to help users find answers independently.

Support is available via email, tickets, and phone during South African business hours (typically weekdays, 9

Languages & Localization

The platform supports multiple languages (over 18), displays fees in major currencies like EUR and USD, and has localized options for users—including regulatory adjustments based on region—for smoother experience.

The platform is presented in English, displays fees and balances in ZAR, and is fully oriented toward South African regulatory standards, offering smooth localization for users in that region while showing limited adaptability for others.

App Quality & Stability

PointPay’s mobile apps (iOS and Android) receive frequent updates with UI improvements and security enhancements (e.g., biometric login, 2FA fixes), though there are occasional user reports of withdrawal processing issues affecting app stability for some.

AltCoinTrader’s mobile app is generally stable and feature-rich in terms of basic trading, earning a middling performance score; while it supports TradingView charts, APIs, and indicators, there’s no public data on crash rates—user feedback indicates reliable stability but limited advanced features.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

PointPay offers distinct trading interfaces—“Quick Exchange” for fast, hassle-free trading, plus Classic and Advanced modes—which helps users smoothly transition from simple to more feature-rich views as they grow comfortable.

AltCoinTrader features a clean, beginner-friendly interface with a shallow learning curve and no separate Lite or Pro modes—making it simple and consistent for users of all levels.

Performance

A recent technological upgrade dramatically sped up load times and responsiveness, handling up to a million concurrent users, and significantly improving order execution even during high-volatility periods.

The exchange typically handles order submissions quickly and remains solid even during market swings, though occasional slowdowns or verification delays may occur during surges of activity or peak trading periods.

Education

PointPay includes a “Learn & Earn” program with interactive lessons and rewards; however, it currently lacks a full demo simulator or dedicated educational content in Spanish.

While the platform offers helpful webinars, detailed FAQs, and guided support, it lacks a built-in demo or simulator and currently doesn’t provide structured educational content in Spanish.

Community

The platform maintains an active presence via Telegram (English channel), regular AMAs, and a referral program that rewards users for inviting newcomers.

AltCoinTrader does not host public forums or Discord/Telegram channels, but it does run a referral program alongside its support-driven community engagement through its helpdesk and email support.

Integrations

PointPay integrates TradingView directly for in-platform charting, and provides API access, though there’s no evidence of official tax tools, accounting software partnerships, or third-party trading bot integrations at this time.

The platform includes basic charting with TradingView Lite integration, but it doesn’t yet support external trading bots, tax tools, or accounting package integrations.

Who Each One Is Best For

PointPay serves beginner-to-intermediate traders best—offering intuitive onboarding, guided trading modes, and educational incentives—while more advanced traders relying on professional-grade tooling or automation may find the platform’s current scope limited.

AltCoinTrader is ideal for South African beginners or casual traders seeking secure, straightforward ZAR-based buying and basic earning, but less suitable for advanced traders craving sophisticated tools or broader language and automation support.