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7 Best Crypto Exchanges for Futures Trading
Making the jump from spot trading to futures trading is a big one. When I started trading futures, finding a good exchange to trade on was one of the hardest decisions, with every exchange advertising advanced features, high leverage, and low fees. But who can you really trust?
That’s why I’ve used my years of experience trading crypto futures to painstakingly test almost every major exchange over the last 2 years with FXEmpire. I risked my own money and spent hours trading on each platform, testing every feature to help you find the exchange that suits your needs best.
Since everyone has their own priorities, I’ve broken things down into several categories to help you find the best exchange for your own preferences.
List of Top Crypto Exchanges for Futures Trading
How Did FXEmpire Choose the Best Crypto Futures Trading Platforms?
When making a list of the best exchanges for futures trading, I had to consider a wide range of factors. These were some of the key criteria that I used to rank each exchange:
- Exchange security is my number one consideration when choosing an exchange, regardless of the use case. Whether you’re trading futures or buying $5 of Bitcoin for the first time, you always want to be using a secure, reputable exchange. I looked at the security measures available, reserve transparency, and custody practices on each exchange to focus on the ones with strong security and full transparency.
- Having a range of futures markets to choose from gives you more flexibility when looking for markets to trade. I tend to favor exchanges with a wider range of markets, especially if they offer TradeFi with stocks, indices, forex, and commodities. This lets you switch between markets depending on market conditions.
- High trading volume is vital when futures trading. You can have all the leverage and markets in the world, but it’s meaningless without high trading volume. I tested each exchange to see how reliable they were in executing orders regardless of market conditions and volatility.
- An advanced trading platform is especially important when trading futures. Having access to advanced features like TradingView technical indicators, conditional orders, and order book data helps support futures strategies. I spent hours testing each exchange to find those that have advanced features without being overwhelming and sacrificing user-friendliness.
- Trading fees can quickly eat into your profits, especially when trading futures with large position sizes and high leverage. I compared the maker/taker fees and funding fees on each platform to find the most cost-effective exchanges.
- Geographic availability and licensing are important, as many exchanges have separate restrictions for their futures products. I looked for exchanges that are both licensed and available in major regions like the US, EU, and UK, with minimal restrictions on futures products.
Best Crypto Exchanges for Futures Trading Comparison Table
| Exchange | Ranking | Taker/Maker | Available Crypto | Accepts Fiat | Payment Methods | KYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bybit | 4.6 Read Review | 0.1% / 0.1% | 482 | Yes | +2 | Yes |
Crypto.com | 4.3 Read Review | 0.5% / 0.25% | 432 | Yes | +5 | Full KYC Required |
Bitget | 4.7 Read Review | 0.1% / 0.1% | 528 | Yes | +3 | Yes |
YouHodler | No Rating Read Review | 0.3% / 0.3% | 97 | No | +5 | Yes |
BTCC | No Rating Read Review | 0.3% / 0.2% | 260 | No | Optional KYC (Required for Fiat Services) | |
Binance | 4.8 Read Review | 0.1% / 0.1% | 447 | Yes | +1 | Yes |
MEXC | 4.6 Read Review | 0.01% / 0% | 2179 | Yes | +3 | No |
Best Overall
- 482Available Crypto
- Payment Methods
- FeesLow
Why We Picked It
My personal favorite exchange to trade futures is Bybit. It’s one of the most popular exchanges among futures traders, and I’ve personally used it for over half a decade. It offers an advanced trading platform with a wide range of markets without cutting corners on security and regulatory compliance. It offers full Proof of Reserves, robust security measures, and EU licensing for total peace of mind.
- Having over 600 futures markets to choose from gives you more flexibility when it comes to trading strategies. Whether you prefer trading large-caps like BTC and ETH, or new trending memecoins with high leverage, Bybit has you covered. It also makes the exchange suitable for a wider range of traders and trading strategies.
- Its advanced trading platform gives you all the tools and features you need. I was impressed by the additions of AI-powered trading tools, which I found useful. That’s alongside Bybit’s advanced trading bots and TradingView integration for charting and technical indicators.
- TradeFi lets you trade stocks, indices, forex, and commodities, giving you more flexibility to choose between different trading instruments. This is something you don’t see on many crypto exchanges, and I was thoroughly impressed by the ability to trade traditional stocks and forex using my crypto balance.
Pros and Cons
- Over 600 futures markets
- Offers stocks, indices, forex & commodities
- Up to 100x leverage on futures
- Low trading fees & interest/funding fees
- Support for MetaTrader 5 with up to 500x leverage
- Futures trading is restricted in certain regions
Best for Advanced Traders
- 432Available Crypto
- Payment Methods+3
- FeesLow
Why We Picked It
I tested Crypto.com in early 2026, and since then, it has quickly become one of my favorite exchanges. It offers a cutting-edge trading platform, with a dedicated interface for advanced users, all without sacrificing security and transparency. Its licensing in major regions makes it a secure platform and an ideal choice if you’re looking to trade advanced strategies using API integration.
- Crypto.com’s advanced trading platform makes it a strong choice for advanced traders. Aside from the standard features like TradingView integration, you also get a range of advanced conditional order types and TIF settings. This lets you fine-tune your orders and enables specific strategies that rely on certain conditional order types that aren’t available on other exchanges.
- Its institutional-grade API makes Crypto.com ideal for algorithmic traders. Having FIX, REST, and WebSocket APIs gives you Direct Market Access with millisecond response times, which can be the difference between winning and losing trades. I found it was one of the only exchanges to offer FIX APIs, putting it above the rest for algorithmic and high-frequency traders.
- Licensing in the US, UK, and EU makes Crypto.com one of the most heavily regulated exchanges. This means it operates to the highest standards and complies with some of the strictest regulations in the world. Combined with its $750m insurance policy, you should have no problems trusting Crypto.com with your assets, no matter how large your trading capital.
Pros and Cons
- 220+ futures markets
- Up to 50x leverage
- Extremely low-latency infrastructure with FIX, REST & WebSocket APIs
- Comprehensive Proof of Reserves & $750m insurance policy
- Regulated in the US, UK, EU, UAE & more
- Futures trading is restricted in certain regions
Best for Deep Liquidity
- 528Available Crypto
- Payment Methods+1
- FeesLow
Why We Picked It
Before Bitget transformed into the Universal Exchange (UEX) that it is today, it started out as a derivatives-focused platform. It combines a highly liquid derivatives platform with advanced trading features, TradingView integration, a solid copy trading platform, and very low trading fees. As a UEX, you can trade thousands of stocks, tokenized stocks, CFDs, and commodities along with high-performance crypto derivatives.
- Deep Liquidity and High Leverage: Bitget supports more than 800 futures contracts with deep liquidity. Traders can enter positions with leverage of up to 150x on major assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum. During my testing in highly volatile market conditions, the platform handled order executions rapidly without any noticeable latency or slippage, which is vital when trading on margin.
- Zero FX Conversion Friction: The benefits of trading stocks on a crypto exchange show. Bitget settles its tokenized stock and commodity perpetual trades directly in USDT. What this means is that choosing Bitget means zero foreign exchange (FX) conversion losses, which can save you a lot of fees.
- Advanced Trading Tools present a high-performance infrastructure for experienced traders. Bitget features an extensive library of advanced trading tools with institutional-grade charting tools powered by TradingView. The platform also has major advanced order types including trailing stops, conditional orders, post-only options, and others. It also delivers high-leverage cross and isolated margin accounts across hundreds of futures pairs.
Pros and Cons
- World-class copy trading
- TradingView integration
- Diverse futures contracts library
- Very low trading fees
- Advanced toolkits
- Interface can be complex for beginners
- Restrictions for users in the United States
- Strict verification process
Best for Beginners
- -Available Crypto
- Payment Methods+3
- Fees-
Why We Picked It
I was pleasantly surprised by YouHodler when I tested it in early 2026. It might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of futures trading. But its MultiHODL feature simplifies high leverage trading, making it accessible for everyone, regardless of experience level. YouHodler is ideal for new traders who are looking to start trading with leverage without being overwhelmed by the complex interfaces on competing exchanges.
- MultiHODL makes futures trading easy by removing the complexity of dealing with funding fees and cross margin that can liquidate your entire account. MultiHODL uses a borrowing chain to create leverage, using your allocated capital as margin. This limits your losses to what you have allocated for a specific trade, which is handy when you’re starting out and don’t want to deal with cross and isolated margin.
- Its beginner-friendly interface makes futures accessible even if you’re new to trading. The MultiHODL interface is less daunting than traditional futures interfaces, with a price chart and simplified order form that makes it easy to go long or short. It’s easy to understand the order form, and the simple stop loss/take profit settings make it ideal for beginners and intermediate traders.
- Licensing and security are areas that YouHodler has focused on. It holds licenses in Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Argentina, which makes sure it complies with strict financial regulations. YouHodler also uses Ledger Vault technology to store your assets, with a $150m insurance policy, so you can rest assured that your assets are being stored securely.
Pros and Cons
- 110+ MultiHODL pairs
- Up to 70x leverage on MultiHODL
- Robust security measures & $150m insurance policy
- Licensed in Switzerland, Italy, Spain, & Argentina
- No Proof of Reserves information
- No demo trading
Highest Leverage
- 260Available Crypto
- Payment Methods
- FeesHigh
Why We Picked It
Based on my first-hand experience reviewing BTCC in late 2025, I found the exchange competed with other top-tier exchanges, offering some of the highest leverage in the industry whilst still being secure and stable. It also offers low trading fees and free, instant deposits via bank card. If you’re looking for an exchange with high leverage that doesn’t compromise on security or trading experience, BTCC is the one for you.
- With up to 250x leverage available on a range of futures markets, BTCC is one of my top choices if you’re looking for an exchange for high-leverage trading. While many competitors only offer high leverage on BTC and ETH, BTCC offers at least 50x leverage across all its markets. Many popular altcoins are available with 100x leverage, making it ideal for traders who want to trade a wider range of markets without sacrificing leverage.
- BTCC’s TradeFi lets you trade stocks, indices, forex, and commodities using your crypto futures balance. This opens the door to many more trading pairs and gives you the option to switch instruments depending on market conditions. You can trade with up to 50x leverage across all TradeFi markets, with spreads as low as 0.0077% on the S&P 500.
- Licensing in the US, Canada, and Europe means you can trust BTCC with your money. Holding licences from these major regions ensures BTCC complies with strict financial regulations. It also has a spotless security track record, with no loss of customer assets since it launched. Its licensing, regulation, and track record, combined with fully transparent Proof of Reserves makes BTCC a compelling choice if you’re looking to trade high leverage on a secure, legally compliant exchange.
Pros and Cons
- 200+ futures markets
- Up to 500x futures leverage
- Low trading fees
- Free fiat purchases with a bank card
- Regulatory compliant with no past hacks & full Proof of Reserves
- Limited range of conditional orders
Best for Liquidity
- 447Available Crypto
- Payment Methods
- FeesLow
Why We Picked It
As the world’s largest exchange, naturally, Binance has the deepest liquidity in the industry. It’s a popular choice among futures traders for its advanced trading platform, range of markets, and security. I’ve been using Binance for over 5 years now, and when we tested the exchange in late 2025, it performed well, ranking as one of the best exchanges we’ve reviewed.
- Having the deepest liquidity in the industry means you never need to worry about slippage or partial fills, regardless of your order size or market conditions. Binance does a great job of maintaining strong liquidity across all its markets, even the smaller niche coins. This also means Binance has the tightest spreads in the industry, just 0.0001% on BTC futures.
- Industry-low funding fees and competitive trading fees make Binance a compelling choice if you’re a fee-conscious trader. Its futures fees start at just 0.02% maker and 0.04% taker, which is beaten by only a few platforms. When testing the exchange, I also found it had the lowest funding fees in the industry, which is key if you’re someone who holds trades for several days.
- Its advanced desktop platform, in particular its dedicated desktop application, impressed me as it let me lock in without the distractions of a regular browser. You get integrated TradingView charting with over 100 technical indicators, as well as advanced conditional order types that support a wide range of strategies.
Pros and Cons
- Over 635 futures markets
- Offers stocks, indices, forex & commodities
- Up to 125x leverage for futures
- Perpetual & Delivery futures markets available
- Comprehensive Proof of Reserves & $1bn SAFU insurance fund
- Futures trading is restricted in certain regions
Lowest Fees
- 2179Available Crypto
- Payment Methods+1
- FeesLow
Why We Picked It
MEXC has had the lowest fees in the industry for several years now, with zero maker fees and industry-low taker fees. This, combined with its high leverage of up to 200x, makes it ideal if you want to trade high-leverage or high-frequency strategies without paying an arm and a leg in trading fees. When we tested MEXC in mid-2025, it scored highly for its low fees, high leverage, and advanced trading platform that offered a wide range of technical indicators and flash close for quickly exiting positions.
- Having zero maker fees and taker fees starting at 0.02% makes MEXC the cheapest major exchange for futures trading. Its funding fees are also extremely competitive, making it ideal if you trade large volumes or just want to minimize your fees.
- Its $100m insurance fund and full transparency help give peace of mind that you’re using a secure, trustworthy exchange. Its insurance fund is designed to fully reimburse users in case of a security breach, while its fully transparent Proof of Reserves lets you verify the exchange holds enough in reserve to back all user deposits.
- With over 800 futures markets, MEXC has one of the largest selections of markets in the industry. This gives you the flexibility to choose between trading major coins like BTC and ETH, or the latest memecoins that aren’t listed on other exchanges.
Pros and Cons
- Over 800 futures markets
- Up to 200x leverage on futures
- Zero maker fees & low taker fees
- Robust security measures
- Transparent Proof of Reserves & $100m insurance fund
- Unlicensed in many regions with restrictions on futures in certain regions
How to Choose the Best Platform for Futures Trading?
What is Futures Trading?
Futures trading lets you speculate on the price of a cryptocurrency without actually buying or selling the crypto itself. The most common type of futures trading is perpetual futures, or perps. When you open a perpetual futures trade, you’re simply trading futures contracts with no expiry date, which makes them ideal for longer-term trades. Perps also enable much higher leverage than other trading instruments, but this also comes with a much higher risk of liquidation.
What Fees Do I Have to Pay When Trading Futures?
If you’re looking to start trading futures, it’s important to know all the fees that apply, especially since futures trading fees are slightly different from spot and margin trading. The main types of fees to consider are:
- Maker/Taker Fees, which are the fees for simply opening and closing positions. Maker fees apply when using limit orders, while Taker fees apply when using market orders. Typically, you’ll find that Maker fees are much lower than Taker fees, since limit orders add liquidity to the exchange while market orders remove liquidity.
- Funding Fees are unique to futures trading. They’re periodic fees that are paid between traders with long positions and traders with short positions. Funding fees help keep the price of futures in line with the spot price. A positive funding rate means longs pay shorts, whilst a negative funding rate means the shorts pay the longs. As a general rule, if the market is bullish, the funding rate will usually be positive and vice versa.
- Deposit fees will also apply if you don’t already have crypto on the exchange you’re looking to trade with. Crypto deposits are usually free, but if you don’t own crypto yet and need to deposit fiat money, you may need to pay a deposit fee depending on the exchange.
What Are the Main Risks of Trading Futures?
Trading futures comes with much more risk and considerations than spot or margin trading. If you don’t fully understand the risks before you start trading, it can be a recipe for disaster. Here are the main factors to consider:
- High leverage can be a fast track to bankruptcy if you don’t manage risk. The same leverage that multiplies your gains will also multiply your losses just as fast. If you have a position at 10x leverage, a 10% move against you will wipe out your entire position, which in crypto can happen in a few hours.
- Liquidation is what happens if you don’t manage risk and the market moves against your position. If the market moves drastically, you might find your position is automatically closed, and you’ll lose any margin you put in.
- Funding Rate Risk is often overlooked, especially when trading niche markets with higher funding rates. If you’re on the wrong side of a high-funding-rate market, holding that trade for an extended period of time can create losses even if the market hasn’t moved.
- Emotional Trading is even more important when futures trading, since the leverage and intensity increase the pressure. It becomes easy to panic, overtrade, or revenge trade after losses. This is the biggest killer of accounts, and most new traders find themselves blowing accounts due to emotional decisions, not poor strategy.
Is Futures Trading Safe for Beginners?
Futures trading is one of the hardest things to get right in crypto, and it’s not something to throw yourself into without putting in the hours to learn and practice. Even if you’re a profitable spot trader, it doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be profitable trading futures. The combination of leverage, liquidation risk, and fast paced nature of futures makes the learning curve steep and expensive if you don’t put in the hours demo trading.
If you’re a beginner and you’re determined to make it work, I strongly suggest spending 2-3 months learning the markets and practicing on a demo account with virtual money. Spend the time getting comfortable trading with leverage and understanding how it can impact your trades. When you’re consistently profitable, move over to a live account with a small amount of money you’d be comfortable losing. Stick to 2-3x leverage in the beginning and treat it as a paid learning stage instead of a money-making exercise.
Why Do Trading Volume and Open Interest Matter When Trading Futures?
Trading Volume and Open Interest tell you a lot about how reliable an exchange or specific market will be to trade. Trading volume tells you the total value of contracts traded over the last 24 hours. High volume means the market is liquid, so your orders are more likely to get filled quickly at the price you want. Low-volume markets can cause problems, since wide spreads and poor liquidity make it harder to enter and exit positions.
Open Interest is simply the total value of all futures positions that are currently open on the exchange. High Open Interest combined with rising prices suggests that money is flowing in and there is a greater chance the trend continues. Falling Open Interest suggests traders are closing positions, and momentum may be slowing down.
About the Author
Shennon Hewa is a crypto trader and crypto journalist based in London. Active in the crypto space since 2017, he specializes in scalping, derivatives day trading, and swing trading. At FXEmpire, he has reviewed dozens of crypto exchanges and has extensive knowledge of platform strengths and weaknesses.
Why you can trust FXEmpire
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough, and accurate exchange reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.
Why you can trust FXEmpire
- List of Top Crypto Exchanges for Futures Trading
- How Did FXEmpire Choose the Best Crypto Futures Trading Platforms?
- Best Crypto Exchanges for Futures Trading Comparison Table
- Best Overall
- Best for Advanced Traders
- Best for Deep Liquidity
- Best for Beginners
- Highest Leverage
- Best for Liquidity
- Lowest Fees
- How to Choose the Best Platform for Futures Trading?