Review Methodology
Every exchange on our rankings is scored on the same six dimensions. The overall rating (out of 5) is a weighted blend, and each review's pros, cons and verdict must trace back to these checks.
The six dimensions
| Trading costs (25%) | Published spot and futures maker/taker fees, funding rate behaviour, withdrawal fees, and how far VIP or token discounts actually reach for a normal user. |
|---|---|
| Security record (20%) | Hack history and how losses were handled, proof-of-reserves publication, cold storage claims, and account-freeze complaint patterns in public user reports. |
| KYC & access (15%) | What is possible without KYC (trading, deposits, withdrawal limits), verification friction, and regional restrictions that affect real users. |
| Product depth (15%) | Listed markets, leverage range, copy trading, bots and order types — scored for usable quality, not feature-list length. |
| Liquidity (15%) | Order book depth and spreads on major pairs at typical retail sizes, and slippage behaviour in fast markets. |
| Support & transparency (10%) | Response quality, documentation, fee page clarity and how the exchange communicates incidents. |
Rules that override scores
- Figures come from each exchange's published pages; where a claim cannot be verified we say so in the review rather than guessing.
- Referral relationships are disclosed and do not affect scores — the rating formula is identical for partners and non-partners.
- Every review carries its last-update date. When an exchange changes fees or limits, the score is re-run, not patched.