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

Trying to choose between Poloniex 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

Poloniex

Stormgain

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Poloniex is ideal if:

Access to diverse altcoins and advanced trading tools Offers a broad range of cryptocurrency assets plus tools like futures, margin, and grid trading—great for users seeking variety and sophistication.
Fast, low-latency trading environment Its upgraded matching engine delivers faster order processing, higher throughput, reduced latency, and smoother overall trading performance.
Automated strategies and active trading features Supports automation with grid strategies, trading bots, and lending bots—ideal for users who value efficiency and hands-off execution.

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.

Poloniex isn’t ideal if:

Limited fiat integration may frustrate newcomers — if you don’t already hold crypto, the reliance on third-party fiat gateways can complicate entry.
Past security and regulatory issues might concern safety-prioritized users — a history of breaches and enforcement actions may raise red flags for conservative investors.
Customer support responsiveness remains uneven — multiple reports suggest slow ticket responses and occasional unresolved issues.

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

Poloniex applies a tiered fee structure based on your 30-day trading volume, where higher tiers reduce both maker and taker fees; if you hold TRX in your account, you qualify for an additional discount on those trading fees.

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 on Poloniex charges a flat maker and taker fee regardless of volume—with maker lower than taker—and while funding rates apply to perpetuals, they are variable and not fixed in the fee table.

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

Poloniex generally offers competitive spreads on high-liquidity pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, benefiting from its maker-taker model that promotes tighter order book pricing.

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 buy crypto using fiat via integrated third-party gateways such as Simplex or Mercuryo (cards, bank transfer, Apple Pay, etc.); expect a percentage fee and relatively quick fund availability, but withdrawal to fiat isn’t native and must be handled via these services too.

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 withdrawals incur a fixed network fee per asset—these vary by blockchain and may adjust with network congestion; you choose the network (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX) and Poloniex displays the current cost before confirming the withdrawal.

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

Beyond trading and withdrawal fees, there can be conversion costs when using fiat, indirect costs via third-party gateways, and potential eligibility or limit differences tied to KYC status—but Poloniex doesn’t charge inactivity or express processing fees explicitly.

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 buy €500 worth of BTC via a card gateway—you’d face a gateway fee percentage on top, then the trading fee plus a modest spread, and if you decide to withdraw the BTC on-chain afterward, you’d pay the network fee for that blockchain, all combined.

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

Poloniex supports over 700 to 770 cryptocurrencies and around 700 to 840 trading pairs; among the top 20 by trading volume, pairs like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, XRP/USDT, SOL/USDT, DOGE/USDT dominate, typically accounting for a significant share of the 24-hour volume.

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

Poloniex offers spot trading, margin and perpetual futures (with up to 100x leverage), staking/earn programs, lending services, futures copy trading, spot and futures grid bots, and DCA-style automated strategies—though it does not provide crypto ETFs or options natively.

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

Poloniex’s 24-hour trading volume generally ranges between ~$800 M and over $1.2 B, with BTC/USDT alone often seeing hundreds of millions daily, and ETH/USDT also attracting strong liquidity; while exact order-book depth data isn’t public, the high volumes imply solid market depth.

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 advanced order types like limit, stop, and potentially OCO (One-Cancels-Other), provides real-time charts and advanced technical analysis tools, and offers API and WebSocket access; though it does not explicitly integrate TradingView natively, charting is robust.

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 services—especially derivatives like margin and futures—are restricted in specific regions; notably, U.S. residents cannot access any Poloniex services, and other jurisdictions may face similar limitations.

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

Poloniex shows innovation through features like LaunchBase (token sales platform) and a flexible staking/earn framework, offering both open-term (flexible) and potentially locked-earn options, although detailed mechanics may vary.

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

Poloniex is operated by Poloniex, LLC, originally founded in 2014, headquartered in Delaware (with a principal business location in Massachusetts), and ultimately owned by Polo Digital Assets, Ltd. based in Seychelles.

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

Poloniex is not officially licensed or registered as a VASP in regulated jurisdictions and has previously faced enforcement actions for operating without registrations under U.S. securities laws, notably settling with the SEC for operating an unregistered exchange.

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

Poloniex maintains full proof-of-reserves using a Merkle tree system and publishes monthly reserve snapshots, starting with TRX; while traditional third-party audits or detailed cold-storage percentages aren’t publicly disclosed, the reserve transparency program is a step toward accountability.

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

The platform does not advertise a dedicated insurance fund or similar institutional-level protection to cover user losses from breaches or insolvency.

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

Poloniex settled a major enforcement case with OFAC over sanctions violations and with the SEC for unregistered operations; additionally, it endured a large hot-wallet breach in late 2023 that reportedly resulted in over $114 million in user losses.

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 exchange offers standard security tools including mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA), email freezing, anti-phishing guidance, and users are encouraged to manage account history and log out sessions manually; information on sub-accounts or granular API permissioning is not prominent.

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

Poloniex publishes its Proof-of-Reserves reports monthly and provides tools for users to verify their balances via Merkle proofs; however, it does not regularly publish monthly financial or operational reports, SLA terms, nor a public wallet trace log.

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

Users can deposit fiat using third-party gateways like Simplex via credit/debit card, bank transfers, and e-wallets; limits and processing times depend on the gateway and user’s verification level, with weekly caps around $50,000 for deposits.

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)

Trading and basic withdrawals are accessible without completing KYC (Level 1), capped at modest daily limits; completing full verification (Level 2) unlocks higher withdrawal and trading limits and access to margin/futures.

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 scale with verification—Level 1 up to ~$10,000/day (higher with 2FA), Level 2 up to ~$1,000,000/day with 2FA and whitelisting; withdrawals are processed via supported blockchains like ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, and timing varies with network congestion.

limits, timing & networks

Customer Support

Poloniex offers support via email and a self-help knowledge base; live chat and multilingual support appear limited, leading to mixed reviews on response times and ticket resolution.

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 interface is available primarily in English, supports fiat display in USD/EUR among others, and relies on third-party providers for payment—local regulatory compliance varies by user location.

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 Poloniex mobile app is generally stable and regularly updated on major app stores, although a precise crash rate isn’t published; user feedback indicates occasional bugs, but overall smooth trading and wallet use.

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

The interface balances simplicity with depth—while it doesn’t offer explicit “Lite” or “Pro” modes, the design refresh has made navigation and core features more intuitive for newcomers, yet power users can still access advanced tools once familiar with the layout.

learning curve & modes

Performance

Poloniex enhanced performance with its backend overhaul and new trading engine, resulting in reduced latency and improved stability during normal trading; however, very high-volatility periods may still challenge order execution speed, and user reports suggest occasional delays in KYC processing during bull markets.

latency & stress resilience

Education

While Poloniex lacks a dedicated trading academy or demo simulator on its site, it provides multilingual support (including Spanish) via help articles and blog content to guide users, though comprehensive interactive learning tools aren’t currently offered.

academy, demo, Spanish content

Community

Poloniex fosters community engagement through its Referral Center with multi-tier reward programs, ambassador levels offering commission boosts and even airdrops; it also maintains official Telegram and social media channels for announcements and community interaction.

forums, messaging, referrals

Integrations

The exchange supports bot integrations and external strategies via CCXT-certified APIs; automated bot services (e.g. DCA bots with trading signal support) are in use, and data compatibility with tax tools like Crypto Tax Calculator allows users to export trade history via API or CSV for tax reporting.

tools & tax workflows

Who Each One Is Best For

Poloniex is ideal for users who appreciate advanced trading tools with moderate learning curve, enjoy automated bot trading, and prefer a platform that supports integrations—while still being accessible to reasonably tech-savvy beginners—not as suited for those seeking built-in educational simulations or ultra-simplified 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.