Why people pick KuCoin
Two reasons, both specific: coins Binance does not list, and built-in trading bots. On everything else Binance is better or equal.
Altcoins
KuCoin built its reputation on early listing: many coins now traded everywhere first got a serious book here. On spot pair count it sits comfortably in the top five and clearly exceeds Binance.
It also differs from MEXC and Gate: KuCoin screens coins more strictly, so there are fewer dead pairs turning over a thousand dollars a day. It is the middle ground between Binance's strict listing and MEXC's near-unlimited one.
Trading bots built into the interface
A visible difference from Binance: grid and averaging bots live inside the exchange and are configured without code. Pick a pair, set a range and a number of levels, and it runs.
They behave predictably, but understand what they do: a grid bot earns on oscillation inside its range and loses when price leaves it. It is a tool for a sideways market, not a set-and-forget arrangement. On Binance the same usually means writing code.
Where Binance leads
Book depth, P2P and withdrawal network count. The gap is real on all three: an order of tens of thousands moves KuCoin's price further, and its P2P is small — in rarer currencies there may be no advertisements at all.
What to know about KuCoin
Two episodes. In September 2020 around 280 million dollars was taken from hot wallets: the exchange covered the loss, recovered much of it with help from projects and other venues, and users were unaffected.
In January 2025 KuCoin pleaded guilty before US authorities to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, paid around 297 million dollars and left the US market for two years; its founders stepped back.
Binance has its own version: a roughly four-billion-dollar settlement in November 2023. For a user outside the US the consequence is the same either way — stricter source-of-funds checks.
Who each suits
Binance — for core trading, size and P2P.
KuCoin — if you need altcoins Binance does not list, or want built-in bots without writing code.
