Bybit vs MEXC: BTC futures cost $5.50 vs $2 per $10,000, but Bybit trades nearly twice the volume

Fees side by side

Bybit's rates come from its Trading Fee Structure page, updated November 5, 2026, using the VIP 0 row. MEXC's come from its spot exchangeInfo and contract detail APIs.

MEXC prices each pair separately, so BTC is not the whole story. Across its 1,425 USDT spot pairs, the API lists a 0.08% taker fee on 984 pairs, 0.2% on 258, 0.05% on 179 and zero on 4. Across 1,090 USDT perpetuals, 563 carry 0.01% / 0.04%, 430 carry 0% / 0.02%, 91 carry zero and 6 carry 0.04% / 0.10%.

Bybit charges more in its special zones. Adventure Zone and xStocks spot pairs are 0.20% at VIP 0, and Innovation Zone perpetuals are 0.04% maker and 0.11% taker. Its fee falls with VIP level: VIP 1 pays 0.08% taker on spot and 0.04% taker on perpetuals, and qualifies at $100,000 in assets, $1 million in 30-day spot volume or $10 million in 30-day derivatives volume.

What a $10,000 trade costs after the rebate

Both venues carry a 30% share in our partner registry, with code 48553 on Bybit and code 4BRhe on MEXC, and our comparison page has both sign-up routes. Neither is flagged for automatic settlement, so check how the payout reaches you after you register. The rebate is a share of the fee paid, not of the trade amount.

A BTC limit order that rests on MEXC pays no fee under the API field, which leaves nothing to rebate. On Bybit the same maker order on the perpetual costs $2 before the rebate, or $1.40 after it.

If the rebate size is the reason you are comparing, Bitget's registry row is worth a look. Its 0.06% perpetual taker fee on $10,000 is $6, and up to 60% back with code nexu888 is $3.60, for a net $2.40. That sits between these two venues, and the Bitget exchange page has the terms. We also ran Bitget vs MEXC in October.

SponsoredBitget

Partner rebate share60%Up to

Check regional eligibility and account terms

→Enter the code when you sign up: nexu888

Sign up on Bitget →Codenexu888Copied

SponsoredBybit

Partner rebate share30%Up to

Check regional eligibility and account terms

✓Code applied automatically by the sign-up link: 48553

Sign up on Bybit →Code48553Copied

Funding can erase the fee gap

Fees are paid once per trade. Funding repeats. Both venues charge BTC funding every eight hours, and at 08:42 SGT the rate was 0.0092% on MEXC and 0.0050% on Bybit. A $10,000 long paid $0.92 and $0.50 per period at those rates.

That $0.42 gap comes to $1.26 a day. Opening and closing with market orders on MEXC saves $4.90 after rebates, so at that one reading a long held for about 3.9 days would give the saving back. Funding changes every period and can flip sign, so treat this as a method and check live numbers on our funding rates page.

Volume and order books point in different directions

The depth ranges come from three order-book snapshots taken between 08:44 and 08:46 SGT, and MEXC's open interest is our arithmetic: 624,229,958 contracts at 0.0001 BTC each. Each venue reports through its own API, so small differences in method are possible.

Bybit has the larger traded volume. MEXC displayed more resting size near the price in all three snapshots. Displayed orders can be pulled, and three snapshots over two minutes prove little, so this table does not show which venue fills a large order better. A small market order on each venue, compared against the mid price at that moment, will tell you more for the coin you trade.

Coins, contracts and maximum leverage

At 500x the initial margin is 0.2%, so a 0.2% move against you consumes it before any fee. BTC moved 1.63% within about two hours on November 6, as we covered in our report on the jobs data. The maximum applies at the contract level, and your account's limit can depend on position size and region.

KYC and access

Bybit's KYC FAQ says at least Standard verification is mandatory for all products. Standard needs an identity assessment and proof of identity, Advanced adds proof of address, and Pro adds enhanced due diligence. Bybit says the process usually takes about 15 minutes and can take up to 48 hours, and that country restrictions follow nationality rather than current residence. For non-VIP accounts, the page lists 1 million USDT a day at Standard and 2 million at Advanced.

MEXC's terms page returned HTTP 403 to us. Our Bybit vs MEXC comparison records the MEXC User Agreement as requiring identity verification, with withdrawal limits that rise by KYC tier and no official limit published for unverified accounts. Plan to verify on either venue before depositing much.

Regulators treat the two differently in the register entries on that page, last checked October 14, 2026. Bybit shows nine entries, including licences recorded with France's AMF, Germany's BaFin and Austria's FMA, plus a warning from Japan's FSA. MEXC shows three: warnings from Dubai's VARA and Japan's FSA, and an application with Türkiye's SPK. South Korea also ordered MEXC's website blocked in October. Check your own country on each venue's sign-up flow.

Which one fits

Choose Bybit if you trade the main perpetuals in size, want a larger BTC volume base and documented verification levels, or use fee tiers tied to volume. Start on the Bybit exchange page and enter code 48553 at registration.

Choose MEXC if your main cost is BTC or major-coin taker fees, or you want a smaller coin that Bybit does not list. Start on the MEXC exchange page and enter code 4BRhe at registration.

Quick answers

Is MEXC cheaper than Bybit?

On BTC, yes by listed rates: 0.02% against 0.055% on perpetual taker orders. On other coins it depends on the pair, since 258 MEXC USDT spot pairs show a 0.2% taker fee, twice Bybit's standard rate.

Does Bybit or MEXC have higher leverage?

MEXC's API lists 500x on BTC and ETH perpetuals. Bybit's lists 150x.

Do both need KYC?

Bybit says Standard verification is mandatory for all products. Our comparison page records identity verification in MEXC's User Agreement, but we could not open that page in this run.

What we could not verify

We did not compare withdrawal fees, because neither venue gave us a comparable public quote in this run. We did not test the rate charged on a live MEXC account, the rebate payout schedule or availability by country.