Cryptocurrency & Blockchain · head to head
CoinMarketCap vs KuCoin
CoinMarketCap
Cryptocurrency & Blockchain
The world's most-referenced price-tracking website
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: CoinMarketCap the free Basic plan gives historical data going back only 60 seconds, so it cannot answer any question about the past; KuCoin unavailable for U.S. traders until at least 2027 following regulatory issues; U.S. users have only withdrawal access
- They diverge on capability: CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, KuCoin covers Spot Trading.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CoinMarketCap and KuCoin actually diverge.
| Attribute | CoinMarketCap | KuCoin |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | Unknown |
| Founded | 2013 | 2017 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cryptocurrency & Blockchain).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in CoinMarketCap
- Price Tracking
- Market Cap Rankings
- Portfolio Tracker
- Crypto News
- API Access
- Binance
- Exchanges
Only in KuCoin
- Spot Trading
- Futures Trading
- Trading Bots
- Lending
- Staking
- KCS Token
- KuCoin Wallet
Both cover
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CoinMarketCap
- Cryptocurrency price and market capitalisation data over an APInot KuCoin
- Historical market data for analysis and backtestingnot KuCoin
KuCoin
- Exchangesnot CoinMarketCap
- Tradingnot CoinMarketCap
- Altcoinsnot CoinMarketCap
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CoinMarketCap
- The free Basic plan gives historical data going back only 60 seconds, so it cannot answer any question about the past
- Three years of history requires the $29 Builder plan and all time history the $79 Startup plan
- Free is capped at 15,000 credits a month and 50 requests a minute
- Rate limits are tiered separately from credits, from 50 a minute on free to 1,200 on Professional
- Enterprise pricing is custom despite listing 30,000,000 credits
KuCoin
- Unavailable for U.S. traders until at least 2027 following regulatory issues; U.S. users have only withdrawal access
- Customer support quality is variable with reported delays during high-volume trading periods
- Thin liquidity on lesser-known and altcoin trading pairs
- Limited educational materials and no insurance coverage for user assets
Pricing, plan by plan
CoinMarketCap
Free- FreeFree
- Price data
- Charts
- Portfolio
- API Basic$79/month
- 10K credits/month
- Historical data
KuCoin
Free- Basic AccountFree
- Spot trading at 0.10%/0.10% base fees
- Futures trading
- Staking and earning
Which should you pick?
Choose CoinMarketCap if
- You need price tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want market cap rankings.
Choose KuCoin if
- You need spot trading.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want futures trading.
Questions people ask
- Is CoinMarketCap or KuCoin better?
- Neither clearly leads. CoinMarketCap starts at Free and KuCoin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CoinMarketCap or KuCoin?
- CoinMarketCap starts at Free and KuCoin at Free.
- Does CoinMarketCap or KuCoin run on more platforms?
- CoinMarketCap runs on Web, Ios, Android. KuCoin runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use CoinMarketCap for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is CoinMarketCap best used for?
- CoinMarketCap is most often used for cryptocurrency price and market capitalisation data over an api, historical market data for analysis and backtesting. Of those, cryptocurrency price and market capitalisation data over an api and historical market data for analysis and backtesting are not what KuCoin is typically brought in for.
- What can CoinMarketCap do that KuCoin cannot?
- CoinMarketCap covers Price Tracking, Market Cap Rankings, Portfolio Tracker, Crypto News. KuCoin covers Spot Trading, Futures Trading, Trading Bots, Lending. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
KuCoin: Is KuCoin available in the United States?
KuCoin is unavailable for trading in the U.S. until at least 2027 following a January 2025 guilty plea. U.S. users have withdrawal-only access.
SourceKuCoin: What is KuCoin's trading fee structure?
Spot trading fees are 0.10%/0.10% base (0.08%/0.08% with KCS discount). Futures fees are 0.02% maker/0.06% taker. Withdrawal fees are network-dependent and dynamic.
SourceKuCoin: How many cryptocurrencies and trading pairs does KuCoin support?
KuCoin supports 1,115+ cryptocurrencies and 1,312+ trading pairs.
SourceKuCoin: What trading features does KuCoin offer?
KuCoin offers spot trading, futures/derivatives, copy-trading with leaderboards, P2P marketplace, staking, token launchpad (Spotlight), NFT/Web3 wallet, and automated trading bots including DCA, grid, and martingale strategies.
SourceKuCoin: What platforms does KuCoin support?
KuCoin is available as a web-based interface and native iOS and Android mobile apps with TradingView chart integration.
Source