In this Gate.io review, we’ll take an honest look at everything you need to know about this cryptocurrency exchange. We’ll cover the basics, like what is Gate.io, and its pros & cons, and dive into important topics like security measures and trading fees.
Whether you’re a crypto beginner or an experienced trader, this review will help you decide if Gate.io is the right trading platform for you.
Key Takeaways:
- Gate.io is a crypto exchange platform that supports over 1,700 cryptocurrencies and offers various advanced trading tools including spot, futures trading, and margin trading.
- The exchange employs robust security measures like cold storage, 2FA, PoR data, and anti-phishing codes to protect user assets.
- Gate.io provides innovative features such as copy trading, trading bots, and a comprehensive staking service to enhance user experience and investment opportunities.
Gate.io Exchange Review: At a Glance
| Type | Cryptocurrency trading platform |
| Headquarters | George Town, Cayman Islands |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Supported cryptos | 1,700+ |
| Features | Spot, futures, margin trading, copy trading, P2P trading, trading bots, staking, etc. |
| Maximum Leverage | 125x |
| Trading Fees | 0.1% maker-taker for the spot market0.02% maker and 0.05% taker for the futures market |
| Deposit Methods | Credit and Debit card, bank transfer, and 300+ on the P2P market |
| Mobile App | Gate.io app for Android and iOS |
| Supported Countries | 200+ excluding USA and UK |
| Customer support | Email, support center, and live chat |
What is Gate.io?
Gate.io is an old cryptocurrency exchange established in 2013. It started as Bter.com, a Chinese exchange, but rebranded to Gate.io in 2017 due to changes in Chinese cryptocurrency policies. The platform is now operated by Gate Technology Inc. and is headquartered in George Town, Cayman Islands. It has over 13 million registered users across 200+ countries.
It offers a wide range of services for cryptocurrency enthusiasts. It supports over 1,700 cryptocurrencies and has an average daily trading volume exceeding $1 billion. The exchange handles various types of trades, including spot trading, futures contracts, copy trading, leveraged tokens, and margin trading.
In addition to trading, Gate.io offers several other services. The “Convert” feature allows quick conversions between cryptocurrencies with a single click. You can also participate in liquidity mining, earning rewards by providing dual-asset liquidity to the market. It also offers copy trading and trading bots for those interested in automated trading.
The platform has also embraced the Web3 ecosystem, supporting decentralized applications (DApps) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) through its Web3 ecosystem. The exchange frequently hosts startup events and airdrops for new blockchain projects, giving users opportunities to earn and explore new technologies.
Pros of Gate.io
- Gate.io offers a wide variety of over 1,700 cryptocurrencies for trading
- The trading fees on Gate.io are competitive, with a maximum of 0.1% maker/taker
- Gate.io allows margin trading with up to 10x leverage
- It has a P2P marketplace with over 300 funding methods
- The exchange periodically offers “Startup” initial exchange offerings (IEOs)
Cons of Gate.io
- The user interface of Gate.io is less user-friendly compared to some competitors
- Limited fiat withdrawals
Gate.io Supported Cryptos
Gate.io supports over 1,700 cryptocurrencies and more than 2,300 trading pairs. It offers investment opportunities in a wide range of new altcoins and recently launched projects. The platform includes cryptocurrencies from various sectors, such as Metaverse, AI, DeFi, NFTs, RWAs, smart contracts, layer 2s, and more.
Here are some popular supported cryptocurrencies on Gate.io:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Cardano (ADA)
- Solana (SOL)
- Polkadot (DOT)
- Dogecoin (DOGE)
- Shiba Inu (SHIB)
- Chainlink (LINK)
- Avalanche (AVAX)
- Decentraland (MANA)
Gate.io Features Review
Gate.io Futures Trading
Gate.io offers both perpetual and delivery futures contracts. Perpetual futures are a type of contract that does not have an expiration date, allowing traders to hold positions indefinitely. This type of contract is available in two formats: USDT-margined and BTC-margined.
USDT-M contracts are settled in USDT, it’s a stablecoin, therefore no price fluctuation, while BTC-M contracts are settled in Bitcoin itself.
In addition to perpetual contracts, Gate.io offers delivery futures, which are traditional futures contracts with fixed expiration dates. These can be weekly or quarterly. Delivery futures also come in USDT-M format, settled in USDT.
Plus, Gate.io provides a testnet environment, similar to demo trading, where traders can practice and test their strategies without risking real assets. One of the notable features of Gate.io futures trading is the high leverage available. Traders can leverage their positions up to 125x.
Gate.io futures trading platform also provides options for cross and isolated margins.
- Cross margin allows traders to use their entire margin balance to avoid liquidation, which means the margin is shared among all open positions. This can help in reducing the risk of liquidation in volatile markets.
- Isolated margin lets you set a specific amount of crypto aside for each trade. If that trade goes bad, only the crypto you set aside is liquidated. This keeps the rest of your funds safe, but it also limits how much you can leverage your positions.
Gate.io Earn Services
Gate.io Earn offers various services for users to earn passive income on their crypto holdings.
- Simple Earn: This is a straightforward way to earn interest on idle assets. It functions similarly to a savings account, with interest paid out hourly. It supports major cryptocurrencies and offers easy subscription and redemption. The current highest APY (annual percentage yield) for USDT is 9.64%.
- HODL & Earn (Fixed Staking): This provides a variety of pre-packaged products that bundle assets with interest. It’s a one-stop investment center with fixed terms and competitive APYs. For example, the current highest APY for ETH (30 days) is 8%.
- Dual Investment: It is a unique product that allows you to earn regardless of market price fluctuations. It offers two settlement currencies (USDT or the invested cryptocurrency) at a target price and date.
- Crypto Loan: You can collateralize your crypto holdings to borrow other cryptocurrencies. This service is useful for accessing liquidity without selling assets. The interest rates vary depending on the loan terms.
- Cloud Mining: This allows you to participate in cryptocurrency mining without purchasing expensive equipment. Gate.io offers cloud mining contracts for various cryptocurrencies. For example, the current hashrate for BTC cloud mining is 50 TH/sec with 170 days duration.
Gate.io Trading Bots
Gate.io bots automate your trades, either by following a set pattern (like grid trading) or by reacting to market changes (like arbitrage or rebalancing).
Key Gate.io trading bots:
- Spot and Futures Grid: This bot trading capitalizes on price fluctuations within a defined range, automatically buying low and selling high to accumulate profits over time.
- Infinity Grid: The strategy extends the grid trading concept without any upper and lower limits.
- Smart Rebalance: Designed for portfolio management, this bot automatically rebalances asset allocations based on pre-defined targets.
- Arbitrage: This bot exploits price discrepancies across different markets, executing simultaneous buy and sell orders to capture profits from these differences.
- Spot Martingale: It involves doubling the investment after each loss to recover previous losses and achieve a profit.
Gate.io Order Types
Gate.io offers several advanced order types beyond market and limit orders to provide traders with more flexibility and control over their trades:
- Stop-Limit Order: This order combines aspects of both stop and limit orders. A stop-limit order is placed to buy or sell a cryptocurrency when it reaches a specified stop price. Once the stop price is reached, the stop-limit order becomes a limit order and will only execute at the specified limit price or better.
- Iceberg Order: It is used to place large orders without significantly impacting the market price. An iceberg order is a large single order that is divided into smaller limit orders, with only a portion of the order displayed on the order book. As the visible portions are filled, the hidden portions are gradually added to the order book, minimizing price slippage.
- IOC (Immediate-Or-Cancel): The order type ensures that the entire order is filled immediately or canceled. If the entire order cannot be filled immediately, the unfilled portion is canceled.
Gate.io Copy Trading
Gate.io also offers a copy trading platform. It may not be as diverse as other exchanges like Bitget or Bybit, but it is still a good starting point.
By following these experienced traders, you can potentially profit from their expertise without needing extensive market knowledge or experience. It offers copy trading for both the spot and futures markets.
The platform provides a diverse selection of traders to follow, each with their own trading strategies and risk profiles. You can browse through these traders’ profiles, viewing their performance metrics such as return on investment (ROI), win rate, and total assets under management (AUM).
Gate.io ETF Leveraged Tokens
Gate.io leveraged tokens, also known as leveraged ETFs, allow you to trade cryptocurrency with leverage without needing collateral.
These tokens are designed to provide a multiple of the daily returns of the underlying asset, often 3x and 5x. When you buy a leveraged token, you are essentially purchasing a share in a fund that uses futures contracts to amplify gains or losses.
For instance, if Bitcoin’s price increases by 5% in a day, a BTC3L (3x long Bitcoin leveraged token) token would ideally increase by 15%. Conversely, a BTC3S (3x short Bitcoin) token would decrease by 15% under the same circumstances. This leverage effect can significantly magnify both gains and losses, making these tokens suitable only for short-term trading and not for holding over long periods.
Gate.io handles the rebalancing of these tokens daily to maintain the target leverage ratio. This process involves adjusting the positions based on the market performance to prevent the leverage from deviating too much from the intended multiple. This rebalancing can also occur irregularly in highly volatile markets to avoid liquidation risks.
What are Gate.io Fees?
Gate.io charges fees for different types of transactions. The primary categories include spot trading fees, contract trading fees, and deposit & withdrawal fees.
Gate.io Spot Trading Fees
Gate.io uses a tiered maker/taker trading fee structure. Each tier offers different maker and taker fee rates, with reductions available through higher trading volumes, more GT holdings, and higher asset values.
Normally it’s 0.1% for both makers and takers, but you can get discounts by being a more active trader or holding more GT coins.
For instance, if you trade over 1,000,000 USDT in one month, you get a small discount, bringing the fee down to 0.9% for maker orders and 0.95% for taker orders.
Here is the full Gate.io spot fees overview:
| VIP Tier | Scheme I: Trading Volume | Scheme II: GT Positions | Scheme III: Account Asset Value | GT Debit Maker / Taker | VIP Rate Maker / Taker |
| VIP 0 | 0 USD | 0 GT | 0 USD | 0.09% / 0.09% | 0.1% / 0.1% |
| VIP 1 | 60,000 USD | 100 GT | 2,000 USD | 0.089% / 0.089% | 0.099% / 0.099% |
| VIP 2 | 120,000 USD | 300 GT | 4,000 USD | 0.088% / 0.088% | 0.098% / 0.098% |
| VIP 3 | 240,000 USD | 1,000 GT | 10,000 USD | 0.087% / 0.087% | 0.097% / 0.097% |
| VIP 4 | 500,000 USD | 2,500 GT | 20,000 USD | 0.086% / 0.086% | 0.095% / 0.096% |
| VIP 5 | 1,000,000 USD | 5,000 GT | 40,000 USD | 0.081% / 0.085% | 0.09% / 0.095% |
Gate.io Futures Fees
Gate.io also lets you trade contracts (futures) with separate fees. For new users, placing a maker order costs 0.02% and a taker order costs 0.05%. But just like spot trading, these fees can be lowered by trading more in a month or holding their GT coins.
Gate.io Deposit & Withdrawal Fees
Gate.io does not charge any fees for deposits, making it convenient for users to fund their accounts. However, withdrawal fees vary depending on the cryptocurrency being withdrawn. Each cryptocurrency has a specific withdrawal fee.
For example, the withdrawal fee for Bitcoin (BTC network) is 0.0001 BTC, and for Ethereum (ETH), it is 0.0012 ETH. These fees are updated regularly to reflect network conditions and ensure fair pricing.
Gate.io Payment Methods
Gate.io offers multiple channels for depositing cryptocurrency, providing flexibility and convenience for users.
- Express Buy: This feature supports many local payment methods and 100+ fiat currencies. This includes bank transfers, bank cards, simplex, Banxa, Mercuryo, and more.
- Debit/Credit Card: Gate.io supports the purchase of digital assets using debit or credit cards. It supports Visa or Mastercard for instant crypto purchases.
- P2P Trading: Peer-to-peer (P2P) trading on Gate.io enables users to buy and sell crypto directly with each other. This method supports 300 payment options and 100 fiat currencies. You will find all your local payment methods like Google Pay, Apple Pay, UPI, AirTM, Payeer, SEPA, and even cash payments.
- Gate.io card: It is a Visa debit card that allows you to buy, store, and spend cryptocurrencies. It integrates with the Gate.io platform, so you can easily spend your Gate.io wallet assets on various shops and merchants.
Gate.io Customer Service and Reviews
Gate.io offers multiple customer support channels. Live chat allows you to engage in real-time conversations with customer support agents. It is designed to address urgent inquiries and troubleshoot issues promptly. Live chat is accessible 24/7, ensuring assistance is available round the clock.
For less time-sensitive queries or detailed concerns, you can submit support tickets. This channel provides a structured way to communicate with the support team and allows for comprehensive problem descriptions. Response times for tickets may be longer.
Gate.io’s Help Center is a knowledge base containing a wealth of information, guides, and FAQs. You can search for solutions to common problems, learn about platform features, and access tutorials.
The Gate.io customer reviews are negative on Trustpilot with a 1.7/5 rating. However, it has a 4.2/5 rating on the Google Play Store.
Some users commend the responsiveness and helpfulness of the live chat agents, while others express frustration with the buggy user interface. It’s also worth noting that other crypto exchanges like Binance have similar ratings on Trustpilot.
Gate.io Security Measures
Gate.io prioritizes security through several robust measures. Each measure aims to protect users’ funds and data from various threats. Here is the overview:
- Cold Wallet Storage: To safeguard user funds, Gate.io prioritizes cold storage, keeping most assets offline and inaccessible to hackers. This significantly enhances security.
- Hot Wallet Security: It utilizes hot wallets for daily operations, holding a limited amount of funds for faster transactions. These wallets benefit from robust security measures, including constant monitoring and strict protocols, to counter online attacks.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): For enhanced security, it requires two-factor authentication (2FA) on all accounts. This adds an extra layer of verification, typically a code from your mobile app, to prevent unauthorized access.
- Anti-Phishing Code: This unique code appears in all genuine emails from the exchange, allowing you to easily distinguish them from phishing scams.
- Withdrawal Whitelist: This restricts outgoing funds to pre-approved addresses, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized withdrawals. Even in the event of a compromised account, your assets remain safe from transfers to unknown destinations.
- DDoS Protection: It ensures that the platform remains operational and accessible, even under attack. DDoS protection is critical for maintaining service availability.
- Proof of Reserves: They provide regular audits and public reports demonstrating that user funds are fully backed. This commitment to openness builds user confidence in the platform’s financial health.
Gate.io Supported Countries
Gate.io is available in over 200 countries, but its services are not available in all jurisdictions due to varying regulations.
The Gate.io restricted countries include but are not limited to the United States of America, Mainland China, Singapore, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Malta, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Crimea Region, Spain, Luhansk, Donetsk, Netherlands, Bolivia, UK, Myanmar, Venezuela, Uzbekistan, Austria, India, Indonesia and so on.
How to Get Started on the Gate.io Exchange?
Step 1: Create a Gate.io Account
Navigate to the Gate.io website and locate the “Sign Up” button. Clicking this button will lead you to the account creation page. Here, you’ll have the option to sign up using either your email address or phone number.
Additionally, you’ll likely be asked to input a referral ID if you have one. We offer the best Gate.io referral code, “gate-BgdCUgtf”, which when used can lead to up to $100 as a welcome bonus.
Step 2: Verify Identity
To access the full range of Gate.io’s features and services, you’ll need to verify your identity. This involves providing personal information and documentation as per Gate.io’s Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. The verification process may vary depending on your location and the level of access you seek.
Go to your profile section, click “Security Verification” and choose “KYC & Security”.
Step 3: Deposit Funds and Start Trading Crypto
With a verified account, you can deposit funds into your Gate.io wallet through a bank account (if supported) or using various payment methods and fiat currency, as discussed above.
Once your deposit is confirmed, you’re ready to start trading on Gate.io’s extensive platform. Go to “Trade” and choose “Spot”. Explore the available markets, choose your desired crypto pairs, and begin executing trades based on your investment strategy.
Conclusion
To sum up our Gate.io review, it is a well-established crypto trading platform. With more than 1,700 different cryptocurrencies available and advanced trading features, like regular buying/selling, futures contracts, copy trading, and margin trading, Gate.io is great for all kinds of traders.
While it may not be available in all countries including the US and Canada and has received mixed user reviews on its user interface, its commitment to security and transparency is noteworthy. It also has limited fiat-off-ramp options, which may be a barrier for beginners. However, you should carefully research the platform thoroughly based on your needs before making any decisions.
Gate.io Review: FAQs
Is Gate.io legit and safe?
Yes, Gate.io is a legitimate and safest crypto exchange. It is a long-standing platform that has been operating since 2013 with 13 million users.
To protect user assets, it implements strong security practices like cold storage, two-factor authentication, and withdrawal whitelisting. The exchange also offers 100% Proof of Reserves, assuring users that their funds are fully backed.
Is Gate.io allowed in the US?
Gate.io is not available to residents of the United States. Due to regulatory restrictions, the exchange has limited its services in several countries, including the US.
The regulatory landscape in the US is stringent, and many cryptocurrency exchanges choose to restrict their services in the country to avoid legal complications. As a US customer, you can read our Coinbase review.
Where is Gate.io based?
Gate.io was originally founded in China in 2013. However, due to changing regulations in China regarding cryptocurrencies, the platform rebranded in 2017 and moved its operations. Currently, Gate.io is headquartered in George Town, Cayman Islands.
Is Gate.io better than Binance?
Binance is one of the largest and highest trading-volume cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, known for its user-friendly interface, ample liquidity, and institutional services.
Gate.io, on the other hand, supports an impressive range of over 1,700 cryptocurrencies, which is more than what Binance offers (around 380). Gate.io’s user interface may not be as intuitive as Binance’s, but it offers competitive trading fees and established trading features like copy trading and automated bots. For more information, you can also read our full Binance review.
Does Gate.io require KYC?
Yes, Gate.io requires Know Your Customer (KYC) verification for depositing and trading crypto. However, you can still withdraw funds without KYC. New accounts start with a withdrawal limit of 100,000 USDT. Once an account passes the KYC-1 check, the withdrawal limit increases to 2,000,000 USDT. Accounts that pass the KYC-2 check, enjoy a higher withdrawal limit of 5,000,000 USDT.
