MEXC vs Gate.io: Fees, Coins, Futures and Which One to Use (October 2026)

Side-by-side: the numbers that decide it

All fee figures are the standard rate for a regular account before VIP tiers or token discounts. Gate's figures come from its official fee page (gate.com/fee, spot read 10 October, futures re-read 15 October 2026). MEXC does not publish a single schedule that matches its systems, so we read the per-pair fees MEXC's own public API returns for every market on 23 October 2026.

Our Gate.io vs MEXC comparison page keeps the checked fee rows, coin coverage and register entries side by side, with a source and date on each line.

Spot fees: why MEXC is cheaper on majors

MEXC's spot pricing is set pair by pair. In the 23 October API snapshot, every USDT spot pair carried a 0% maker fee. Taker fees split into three groups: 184 pairs at 0.05% (including BTC, ETH, SOL and DOGE), 1,082 pairs at 0.08% and 204 smaller pairs at 0.2%. XRP/USDT was one of four pairs at 0% for both sides.

Gate's fee page lists a flat 0.1% maker and 0.1% taker for a VIP0 spot account, falling to 0.09% / 0.09% when you pay fees in GT.

What that means in money: a $1,000 market buy of BTC costs $1.00 in fees on Gate at the standard rate and $0.50 on MEXC. A $1,000 limit order that rests on the book costs $1.00 on Gate and nothing on MEXC. Over a month of active trading on majors, MEXC's spot bill is roughly half of Gate's or less. The gap narrows on small-cap pairs, where MEXC's 0.2% taker tier is double Gate's flat 0.1%.

Futures fees and leverage

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Gate's official fee page shows 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker for VIP0 USDT perpetuals across all contract groups. One detail worth knowing: Gate's public contract API lists a different base rate on all 1,056 USDT contracts, a 0.01% maker rebate and a 0.075% taker fee. Account-level tiers decide what you actually pay, so check the fee shown on your order ticket before you size a position.

MEXC's contract API shows two main tiers. BTC and ETH perpetuals charge 0% maker and 0.02% taker, and 449 contracts sit on that tier. Another 602 contracts charge 0.01% maker and 0.04% taker. SOL/USDT was at 0% / 0% in the snapshot. On a $10,000 BTC position opened and closed with market orders, MEXC's taker fees total $4; Gate's fee-page rate totals $10.

Leverage caps differ too: up to 500x on MEXC's BTC perpetual and up to 200x on Gate's. Both numbers are far beyond what most traders should use; a 2% move against a 50x position already wipes the margin out.

Funding is the other running cost on perpetuals. Both venues appear on our funding-rate board, which shows current rates for the main contracts so you can see whether longs or shorts are paying.

Coin choice and new listings

Gate lists more markets: 2,180 tradable spot pairs against 1,867 symbols on MEXC. On the top-200 coins by market value, the two are close, at 156 for Gate and 152 for MEXC as of 12 October. MEXC has more perpetual contracts (1,206 USDT contracts against Gate's 1,056).

If your plan is to buy a specific new token, check both profiles on the day: listings change weekly. Our MEXC profile and Gate.io profile link to each venue's official listing announcements.

Licences and where each one operates

Our comparison page pulls entries from official regulator registers (as of 14 October 2026). Gate has licence entries with Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and the Malta Financial Services Authority, and a withdrawn entry with Hong Kong's SFC. MEXC's entries are warnings: Dubai's VARA and Japan's FSA have both listed it. Both have applications on file with Türkiye's Capital Markets Board.

In practice, a register entry tells you whether a local regulator recognises the platform in that country. It does not by itself make one venue safer than the other everywhere, but it does affect whether you can use the platform legally where you live, and whether local banks will accept transfers to and from it.

Which one should you use?

• Choose MEXC if you trade BTC, ETH or SOL actively, place a lot of limit orders, or trade perpetuals. The 0% maker fee and 0.02% futures taker fee on majors are lower than the standard futures rates at Binance (0.02% / 0.05%) and Bitget (0.02% / 0.06%).
• Choose Gate.io if you want one published fee schedule, trade many small-cap spot pairs where MEXC's 0.2% tier applies, or live in a market where Gate holds a licence and MEXC carries a regulator warning.
• Use both if you hunt new listings: an account on each lets you buy a token wherever it appears first. Keep long-term holdings off both exchanges and in your own wallet.

How to act on this

If you have settled on one, open it through our links so the code is attached from the first screen: Gate.io sign-up carries code nexubest and MEXC sign-up carries code 4BRhe. The comparison page shows both codes again next to the latest checked fees.

Quick answers

Is MEXC cheaper than Gate.io? On most markets, yes. MEXC charges 0% maker on spot and 0.05% taker on BTC, ETH and SOL, against Gate's 0.1% / 0.1% standard spot rate. On small pairs at MEXC's 0.2% taker tier, Gate is cheaper.

Which has more coins, MEXC or Gate.io? Gate has more spot pairs (2,180 vs 1,867) and slightly more of the top-200 coins (156 vs 152). MEXC has more USDT perpetual contracts (1,206 vs 1,056).

Which has higher leverage? MEXC, up to 500x on the BTC perpetual, against 200x on Gate.

Is Gate.io licensed? Gate has licence entries with Dubai's VARA and Malta's MFSA on official registers; MEXC has warning entries from Dubai's VARA and Japan's FSA.

Where do I see the fee I will actually pay? On the order ticket before you confirm. MEXC sets fees pair by pair, and Gate's account tier and GT deduction change the rate, so the ticket is the final word.