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

Trying to choose between Stormgain 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

Stormgain

Bitso

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

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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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

maker/taker and funding

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

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.

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

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.

methods, fees, timings

On-chain Withdrawals

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.

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

Hidden Costs

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.

currency conversion, inactivity, expedited KYC, etc.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

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.

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

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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 is no publicly disclosed third-party insurance or user fund protection scheme, meaning user assets are not safeguarded by insured pools or similar mechanisms.

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

Incident History

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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)

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.

There are typically three KYC tiers

Withdrawals

limits, timing & networks

Limits, Timing & Networks

Customer Support

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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

learning curve & modes

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

latency & stress resilience

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

academy, demo, Spanish content

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

forums, messaging, referrals

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

tools & tax workflows

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

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.

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.