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Bybit vs Bitget
Two derivatives exchanges of similar size and structure. In practice the choice is made by one feature.
Both links below are affiliate links — what that means. It does not change what is written here; every entry carries a drawback for the same reason.
Short answer
Choose Bybit if…You are trading your own book — the derivatives interface is the better one.
Visit Bybit →Choose Bitget if…Copy trading is why you are here. Bitget's pool of traders is large enough for the leaderboard to have some meaning; Bybit's copy product is the lesser of the two.
Visit Bitget →Side by side
| What is being compared | Bybit | Bitget |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2018 | 2018 |
| Based / registered | Dubai, with a UAE licence | Seychelles-registered |
| Who holds the assets | Custodial | Custodial |
| Identity verification | Required for most features | Required for most features |
| Available to US residents | No — Bybit lists the United States among excluded jurisdictions | No — US residents are excluded |
| Products |
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What each one is actually good at
BybitDerivatives are its centre of gravity rather than an add-on, and the trading interface reflects that — it is built for someone managing positions, not someone making a first purchase.
Worth knowing. Suffered a very large hot-wallet theft in February 2025 and covered customer losses, which is the outcome you want but not an event you want. Treat any exchange balance as a trading float, not storage.
BitgetCopy trading is its strongest product rather than a bolt-on, with a large enough pool of traders for the leaderboard to mean something.
Worth knowing. Copy trading flatters itself: leaderboards show survivors, and a trader with a spectacular three months is usually taking risk you would not accept if it were described to you plainly.
What about the fees?
We do not print a fee table, and the reason is not laziness. Fee schedules change without notice — Kraken rebuilt its tier system in July 2026 — and a stale number on a page that earns from its links is worse than no number at all. So here are both live schedules, from the source:
Once you have both numbers, the trading fee calculator turns them into what a year of your actual trading would cost — which is the number that decides this, not the headline rate.
Before you commit
Availability changes. Regulators bar platforms, platforms withdraw from markets, and this page was last checked on 2026-08-05 — confirm on the platform’s own terms that it serves your country before you sign up.
And whichever you pick: an exchange balance is a trading float, not storage. Anything you are not actively trading belongs in a wallet you hold the keys to.