KuCoin review: altcoin depth, a US exit and what 900 tokens actually costs
We funded a KuCoin account, worked through its KYC tiers, traded a low-cap altcoin at the standard 0.1% fee and checked which countries KuCoin has shut out since its 2025 criminal case.
6.9out of 106.9
Our verdict
KuCoin still lists more small-cap altcoins than almost any competitor at a flat, cheap 0.1% fee, and that depth is real. It is also permanently closed to US residents after a 2025 guilty plea and a March 2026 CFTC order, and its KYC tiers cap an unverified account at 30,000 USDT lifetime. Anyone outside the excluded list who wants altcoin breadth gets solid value; anyone weighing whether the exchange is trustworthy has to weigh that against a $297 million criminal settlement.
Best for: Non-US traders who want early access to small-cap altcoins at a flat, low fee
KuCoin built its reputation on listing coins other exchanges will not touch, and that reputation is still mostly earned. We opened an account, moved through its identity checks, funded it and placed a small-cap trade at the standard fee before writing any of this down.
Nearly 900 tokens, and that is the whole pitch
The number that matters here is breadth. KuCoin carries roughly 900 tradable tokens, a figure few rivals come close to matching, and a large share of them are the kind of low-cap project that gets a KuCoin listing months before it shows up anywhere with real regulatory oversight. For a trader hunting early exposure to a narrow niche, that is the entire reason to hold an account here rather than somewhere safer.
KuCoin's market page: BTC/USDT alongside dozens of smaller-cap listings
That depth carries a cost most traders never price in. A coin small enough to list on KuCoin before anywhere else is also small enough to move 40 percent on thin volume, and KuCoin's own liquidity on the tail end of its listings is nowhere close to what Binance or Coinbase offer on the same names elsewhere. Depth of listing is not the same thing as depth of order book.
Fees stay flat and cheap unless you trade huge size
Spot trading costs a flat 0.1 percent on both sides of the book at the base tier, which undercuts Coinbase's retail pricing without needing any volume commitment. Paying fees in KCS, KuCoin's native token, cuts that to 0.08 percent immediately.
KuCoin's VIP tier and fee schedule page
The VIP ladder runs 12 levels past that base tier, and the top one drops to 0 percent maker and 0.025 percent taker, a rate built for market makers and funds rather than a retail account. Level 5 is where the maker side hits zero, and Level 8 is where KuCoin starts paying rebates to makers instead of charging them. None of that matters to a trader placing a few hundred dollars a month; the base 0.1 percent is the number that applies to almost everyone reading this.
KuCoin has required identity verification for every new user since 2023, so the old anonymous sign-up path is gone. Level 1 asks for a name, email and phone and clears in minutes for most applicants. Level 2 adds a government ID and a live face scan, still mostly automated. Level 3 asks for more detail and goes through manual review, taking a few business days rather than minutes.
Skip verification entirely and the account caps out at 30,000 USDT in lifetime withdrawals, with fiat withdrawals blocked outright. Full Level 3 verification raises that ceiling to 999,999 USDT per rolling 24 hours, which is generous, but getting there means handing over the same documentation any bank would ask for. Anyone who chose KuCoin specifically to avoid that step will be disappointed.
The US exit is permanent, not a pause
In January 2025, KuCoin's operating entity pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed money transmitting business and agreed to pay close to $297 million in criminal penalties and forfeitures to the Department of Justice, closing the platform to all US residents as part of the deal. A separate CFTC civil action followed in March 2026, adding a $500,000 penalty and a consent order that bars US access indefinitely unless KuCoin registers as a foreign board of trade, a step it has shown no sign of taking.
That is a materially different situation from a temporary regional block. KuCoin's own Terms of Use exclude the US and its territories, plus Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, France, the Netherlands, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. A trader in any of those places cannot get past verification regardless of how the sign-up flow looks.
Who this account is actually for
A non-US trader chasing small-cap altcoin exposure before it reaches bigger venues gets genuine value from KuCoin's listing pace and its flat, cheap fee structure. We would not put meaningful long-term holdings on the platform given the scale of the 2025 penalty, and we would not recommend it at all to anyone in an excluded jurisdiction looking for a workaround; KuCoin's own KYC now blocks that path at the ID-check stage rather than after the fact.
What we liked
Around 900 tokens listed, among the broadest altcoin selection of any major exchange
Flat 0.1% spot maker/taker fee, dropping to 0.08% when paid in KCS
Top VIP tier reaches 0% maker / 0.025% taker for high-volume traders
Level 1 KYC needs only name, email and phone, and usually clears in minutes
What held it back
Permanently banned for US residents after a January 2025 guilty plea and a March 2026 CFTC order
Paid $297 million in DOJ criminal penalties plus a separate $500,000 CFTC fine
Unverified accounts are capped at 30,000 USDT in total withdrawals, ever
Also excludes Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong, France, the Netherlands and Ontario/British Columbia
Specs
Spot fee (standard)
0.1% maker / 0.1% taker
Spot fee with KCS discount
0.08% maker / 0.08% taker
Top VIP tier fee
0% maker / 0.025% taker (Level 12)
Tokens listed
~900
Unverified withdrawal cap
30,000 USDT lifetime, no fiat
Full KYC withdrawal cap
999,999 USDT per 24 hours
US status
Permanently excluded since March 2026 CFTC consent order
