Different jobs, not different tiers
Asking which is "better" misses the point: they do different jobs. Binance is the default venue with the thickest books. MEXC is where new coins appear first and a resting limit order costs nothing.
The zero maker fee: where MEXC wins outright
On MEXC a limit order that rests in the book and waits to fill costs nothing. That is the actual tariff, not marketing, and it changes the arithmetic of entire strategies.
It shows most clearly in triangular arbitrage: three trades at the usual 0.1% cost 0.3% — more than any triangle yields. At a zero maker fee those same three trades cost nothing. Of the six venues we poll, the working triangles today are almost exclusively on MEXC, and this tariff is exactly why.
Listings: first, with a caveat
On spot pair count MEXC is among the top three and usually exceeds Binance several times over. A fresh coin almost always trades here before anywhere else.
The caveat is mandatory: alongside real coins MEXC lists pairs turning over a few thousand dollars a day. On those a single order moves the price tens of percent, and a visible opportunity turns out to be unfillable. Binance has far less of this — its listing standards are stricter.
Hence the rule: on MEXC always check volume and book depth, not just price.
On durability
Binance is the largest venue in the world with the regulatory attention that brings: a four-billion-dollar US settlement in 2023 and strict checks since. MEXC is noticeably smaller and attracts less attention, but its margin of safety is smaller too.
Another MEXC trait: coins arrive fast and leave fast. A project that goes quiet gets delisted, so holding a long-term position in an exotic coin there is a risk of its own.
Who each suits
Binance — for core trading, size and storage. Thicker books, stricter listings, the largest P2P.
MEXC — for limit-order strategies where fees decide, and for catching new listings. Not for long-term storage.
