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Binance vs CEX.IO

Comparing
two exchanges
Decided by
Editorial rating
Last reviewed
2026-08-27
Binance4.2

The largest crypto exchange by volume: the deepest bitcoin liquidity anywhere, the lowest headline spot fee of any major platform, and quarterly proof of reserves, under a settled US case and an independent monitor.

CEX.IO4.0

A card-friendly exchange licensed across most of the US, but currently closed to deposits and trading in Europe.

Verdict: Binance

Binance rates higher on our rubric: 4.2 against 4.0 for CEX.IO.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Binance
4.2
CEX.IO
4.0

Binance and CEX.IO, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

Binance and CEX.IO compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactBinanceCEX.IO
Editorial rating4.2 (favoured on this row)4.0
Published feesFrom 0.1% spot, maker and takerMaker-taker; card costs more
Maker fee0.1% at the base tier, falling with 30-day volume and BNB holdingsNot published
Taker fee0.1% at the base tier, falling with 30-day volume and BNB holdingsNot published
Identity verificationRequiredRequired
Bitcoin-onlyNoNo
Payment rails supported426
Countries ranked in181146
Ranks first in1000
Countries shared122122
Security record10 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-06-256 dated events, 1 incident, latest 2026-08-27
Founded20172013
HeadquartersNot statedLondon, United Kingdom
Last reviewed2026-08-122026-08-27

Where both Binance and CEX.IO are ranked

Each country guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.

Countries whose guide ranks both Binance and CEX.IO, with each platform's position in that guide.
CountryStatusBinance ranksCEX.IO ranksComparison
AlbaniaLegal#1#4
AngolaLegal#1#3
AnguillaLegal#1#4
Antigua and BarbudaLegal#1#4
ArgentinaLegal#1#5
ArmeniaLegal#1#4
ArubaLegal#1#4
AustraliaLegal#1#11Best exchanges there
AzerbaijanLegal#1#4
BahamasLegal#1#4
BahrainLegal#2#4
BarbadosLegal#1#4
BelizeLegal#1#3
BeninLegal#2#3
BhutanUnclear#1#3
BotswanaLegal#2#3Best exchanges there
BrazilLegal#1#8
BruneiUnclear#1#3Best exchanges there
Burkina FasoLegal#2#3
CameroonLegal#2#3Best exchanges there
Cape VerdeLegal#1#3
Caribbean NetherlandsLegal#1#4
Cayman IslandsLegal#1#4
ChadLegal#1#3
ChileLegal#1#5
ColombiaLegal#1#5Best exchanges there
ComorosLegal#1#3
Cook IslandsLegal#2#4
Costa RicaLegal#1#4
Cote d'IvoireLegal#2#3
CuracaoLegal#1#4
DjiboutiLegal#1#3
DominicaLegal#1#4
Dominican RepublicLegal#1#4
EcuadorLegal#1#4
El SalvadorLegal#2#4
Equatorial GuineaLegal#1#3
EritreaUnclear#1#3
Eswatini / SwazilandLegal#1#3
Falkland IslandsLegal#3#4
FijiLegal#2#4
French PolynesiaLegal#2#4
GabonLegal#2#3
GambiaLegal#1#3
GeorgiaLegal#1#5Best exchanges there
GhanaLegal#2#3
GrenadaLegal#1#4
GuatemalaLegal#1#3
GuineaLegal#1#3
Hong KongLegal#2#4
JamaicaLegal#1#4Best exchanges there
JordanLegal#2#4
KazakhstanLegal#1#4
KenyaLegal#3#4Best exchanges there
KiribatiLegal#2#4
KuwaitRestricted#2#4Best exchanges there
KyrgyzstanLegal#1#4
LesothoLegal#1#3
LiberiaLegal#1#3
MacaoUnclear#1#4
MadagascarLegal#1#3
MaldivesUnclear#1#3
Marshall IslandsLegal#2#4
MauritaniaLegal#1#3
MauritiusLegal#1#4
MexicoLegal#1#5Best exchanges there
MicronesiaLegal#2#4
MoldovaLegal#1#4
MongoliaLegal#1#3
MontenegroLegal#1#4
MontserratLegal#1#4
MozambiqueLegal#1#3
NamibiaLegal#1#3Best exchanges there
NauruLegal#2#4
Netherlands AntillesLegal#1#4
New CaledoniaLegal#2#4
New ZealandLegal#2#5
NigerLegal#1#3
NiueLegal#2#4
Norfolk IslandLegal#2#4
North MacedoniaLegal#1#4
OmanLegal#2#4
PalauLegal#2#4
PanamaLegal#1#4
Papua New GuineaLegal#2#4
ParaguayLegal#1#4
PeruLegal#1#5
Pitcairn IslandsLegal#3#4
Republic of the CongoLegal#2#3
RwandaLegal#2#3
SamoaLegal#2#4
São Tomé and PríncipeLegal#1#3
Saudi ArabiaUnclear#2#4
SenegalLegal#2#3
SerbiaLegal#1#4
SeychellesLegal#1#4
Sint MaartenLegal#1#4
Solomon IslandsLegal#2#4
South AfricaLegal#3#5Best exchanges there
Sri LankaUnclear#1#3
St. HelenaLegal#3#4
St. Kitts and NevisLegal#1#4
St. LuciaLegal#1#4
St. Vincent and the GrenadinesLegal#1#4
SurinameLegal#1#3
TaiwanLegal#1#4
TajikistanLegal#1#4
ThailandLegal#1#4
Timor LesteLegal#1#3
TogoLegal#2#3
TokelauLegal#3#4
TongaLegal#2#4
TurkmenistanUnclear#1#3
Turks and CaicosLegal#1#4
TuvaluLegal#2#4
UkraineLegal#1#4Best exchanges there
United Arab EmiratesLegal#2#5
UruguayLegal#1#4
VietnamLegal#1#4
Wallis and Futuna IslandsLegal#3#4
Western SaharaUnclear#1#3
ZambiaLegal#2#3Best exchanges there

Security records of the exchanges ranked in this comparison

Dated events from each review, newest first: breaches, enforcement actions, licences, audits and proof-of-reserves publications. Every exchange ranked here carries one.

Binance10 events

  1. 2026-06-25Licence

    Failed to obtain a MiCA licence and stopped serving EU clients

  2. 2025-12-08Licence

    Abu Dhabi regulator licensed the main Binance.com platform

  3. 2025-10-10Outage

    Pricing failure forced liquidations, 283 million dollars repaid

The full record, with sources, in the Binance review

CEX.IO6 events

  1. 2026-08-27Outage

    Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open

  2. 2026-08-27Licence

    Money transmitter licences in 38 states and DC under NMLS 1804170

  3. 2026-03-12Licence

    UK entity registered with the FCA under the money laundering rules

The full record, with sources, in the CEX.IO review

Frequently asked questions

Is Binance or CEX.IO better?

Binance rates higher on our rubric: 4.2 against 4.0 for CEX.IO. The rating weighs published fees, security record and local payment support; the table above sets each beside the other so you can check the score against the facts.

Which is cheaper, Binance or CEX.IO?

Binance: From 0.1% spot, maker and taker. CEX.IO: Maker-taker; card costs more. Those are each platform's published headline rates; card purchases and instant-buy widgets cost more than the order book on both, and each review carries the full schedule.

Where can I use both Binance and CEX.IO?

Both are ranked in our guides for 122 countries, including Albania, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina. Binance is ranked in 181 countries in all and CEX.IO in 146; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.

Has Binance or CEX.IO had a security incident?

Binance carries 2 incidents among 10 dated events, the latest on 2025-10-10: Pricing failure forced liquidations, 283 million dollars repaid. CEX.IO carries 1 incident among 6 dated events, the latest on 2026-08-27: Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open. Both reviews list every event with its source.

Do Binance and CEX.IO require ID verification?

Binance: required; identity verification is mandatory for all users; there is no unverified tier.. CEX.IO: required; identity verification is required before purchasing..

The full reviews: Binance and CEX.IO, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.

More comparisons

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