11 Best Crypto Futures Trading Platforms in 2025

Crypto futures trading has grown in popularity immensely and now dominates the crypto markets in terms of trading volume. The ability to go long or short on a cryptocurrency with leverage gives traders an easy way to speculate on price movements in the highly volatile crypto market.

There are now dozens of exchanges where traders can access crypto futures, but a few of them stand out above the rest. In this article, we will feature the best crypto futures trading platforms available today based on several factors, including liquidity, diversity of futures trading products, maximum leverage, reliability, and more.

The 11 best crypto futures trading platforms: Examining top options for 2025

In the following sections, we are going to examine the best futures trading platforms in the crypto space right now. Keep in mind that most crypto derivatives platforms are not available to US users due to regulatory limitations. The only fully legal option for US users who want to trade crypto derivatives is Coinbase, which gained a license for offering micro-sized BTC and ETH futures contracts in 2023.

1. Binance Futures – The #1 destination for crypto futures trading

Binance Futures is the best crypto futures exchange, in our opinion, and the market seems to agree—Binance Futures is by far the largest crypto futures platform in terms of trading volume and often has more than double the daily volume of its next closest competitor on any given day.

Binance Futures is the derivatives platform of Binance, which is the world’s biggest crypto exchange in terms of spot market activity as well. On Binance Futures, traders can access futures contracts tracking the price of well over 100 different cryptocurrencies, which is a very attractive feature since some crypto futures exchanges only offer products tied to the top coins, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Binance also offers users the option of opening a demo trading account, which users can use to test new trading strategies.

To add to this flexibility, traders can choose between futures contracts priced and settled in stablecoins, as well as futures contracts priced and settled in their underlying cryptocurrency. Binance Futures offers very high leverage. In fact, the available leverage is so high that most traders won’t ever need to use the maximum allowed leverage.

All of these factors, combined with the fact that the platform has a very competitive fees, which are further reduced for BNB holders, make Binance Futures a very good candidate for anyone looking for a crypto futures trading platform. 

Trade Crypto Futures on Binance Futures

2. Coinbase – The best choice for US users

Coinbase Advanced (formerly Coinbase Pro) is an offering by Coinbase specifically aimed at experienced traders who need access to a wider variety of orders, trading tools, and crypto derivatives instruments. Coinbase Advanced is the only exchange on our list that has a license for offering crypto derivatives products to US customers, although it's worth noting that the selection of contracts is very limited.

Retail traders from the US can trade nano-sized Bitcoin (1/100 of a BTC) and Ethereum (1/10 of an ETH) futures. The selection of available contracts is wider for international users and includes perpetuals for ADA, AVAX, DOGE, DOT, LINK, and several other cryptos. It's worth mentioning that Coinbase offers derivate trading via its institutional investor-focused Coinbase Derivatives Exchange as well, which the company created after acquiring a CFTC-regulated futures exchange, FairX, in 2022.

Coinbase has been in operation for more than a decade, and they have established a strong reputation for their security practices. If you're from the US and looking for a dependable futures trading platform that doesn't require massive leverage or access to small market cap altcoins, Coinbase Advanced is definitely an option worth considering. 

Trade Crypto Futures on Coinbase Advanced

3. KuCoin – Best for altocoin trading

KuCoin is a prominent cryptocurrency exchange renowned for its extensive selection of over 820 cryptocurrencies, making it a preferred choice for altcoin traders. Operating since 2017, the platform offers a comprehensive suite of services, including spot trading, margin trading, and futures trading, catering to both beginners and seasoned traders.

KuCoin's futures trading platform provides access to over 300 futures contracts, allowing users to go long or short with leverage, thereby capitalizing on market volatility. The exchange supports both USDT-margined and coin-margined contracts, offering flexibility in trading strategies.

Additionally, KuCoin offers features such as cross margin mode, enabling traders to utilize their entire account balance as margin across all positions, enhancing capital efficiency. KuCoin's competitive fee structure and advanced trading tools make it a compelling option for those looking to engage in crypto futures trading.

Trade Crypto Futures on KuCoin

4. PrimeXBT – Versatile trading platform with crypto futures and copy trading

PrimeXBT is a trading platform that lists a variety of assets, including cryptocurrency futures. PrimeXBT provides futures contracts for popular cryptocurrencies – examples include Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, BNB and Solana. 

Traders on PrimeXBT can access high leverage, as the leverage offered by the exchange ranges from 2x all the way up to 200x. In addition, PrimeXBT has a competitive fee structure for its crypto futures, with a 0.01% fee for maker orders and a 0.02% fee for taker orders. PrimeXBT caters to both advanced traders as well as beginners, as they provide walkthroughs and educational materials that ensure users can make their first trades with confidence.

On PrimeXBT, users can choose between isolated or cross margin, which gives the platform a lot of flexibility when it comes to trading strategies and portfolio management. That flexibility is enhanced even further by the fact that PrimeXBT can also be used to trade forex, commodities, and indices in addition to cryptocurrencies.

The platform also offers the Covesting copy trading module, which allows PrimeXBT users to automatically follow the moves made by more experienced traders. Another feature that sets PrimeXBT apart from its competitors is that the platform's trading interface is fully customizable, as users can add, remove, resize, and move various elements according to their preferences. 

Trade Crypto Futures on PrimeXBT

5. Bybit – An overall solid platform for crypto derivatives trading

Bybit is a similar type of exchange to Binance in terms of listed cryptocurrencies and trading products, and the similarity also extends to Bybit’s futures offering. Bybit started off in 2018 as a platform that exclusively offered futures trading, only introducing spot markets later down the line. 

Despite the exchange diversifying its product suite in recent years, futures trading remains the strongest future of Bybit. On Bybit, users can access futures that are settled in either the USDC or USDC stablecoins, but the exchange also offers futures contracts that are priced and settled in the underlying cryptocurrencies.

On Bybit, traders can find futures tied to a very large selection of cryptocurrencies, ranging from top assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum to more niche crypto assets such as Nano and Automata. The platform also has a very high leverage limit of up to 100x on certain futures contracts, so it can accommodate all kinds of trading strategies.

Trade Crypto Futures on Bybit

6. OKX – One of the most successful Binance competitors

OKX is yet another strong competitor in the crypto futures trading arena, handling billions of dollars worth of trading volume on a daily basis. As far as crypto contracts go, OKX provides perpetual swaps, futures, and options, resulting in a comprehensive suite of trading products. You can find a very wide range of cryptocurrencies listed on OKX, which makes the platform suitable both for altcoin traders as well as those who prefer to stick to the biggest coins only.

OKX also boasts a highly competitive fee structure, and users can reduce their fees even further if they hold the platform’s OKB tokens, generate a lot of trading volume, or do both.

A relatively unique feature of OKX is its trading bot marketplace, which gives users the ability to "follow" trading bots created by others. The creators of these bots earn a portion of the profits generated by their bots. Additionally, users can also introduce their own trading bots to this marketplace.

Trade Crypto Futures on OKX

7. Bitget – A crypto futures trading platform on the rise

Bitget is a relatively recent entrant into the cryptocurrency scene, but the exchange has been making a lot of right moves and has grown in prominence significantly in recent times. In terms of futures contracts, Bitget lists USDC-settled futures, USDT-settled futures as well as futures settled in the underlying crypto asset.

Bitget takes its futures trading offering to the next level with features such as trading bots, as well as copy trading, which allows users to automatically follow the trades made by more experienced traders. 

The exchange has also been trying to establish a foothold in the highly competitive crypto futures trading industry by introducing a variety of bonuses for new traders, as well as the KCGI futures trading competition.

While Bitget does list a solid variety of cryptocurrencies for futures trading, it's worth pointing out that the list of crypto futures that can be traded on Bitget is not quite as extensive as what you’ll be able to find on exchanges such as Binance, Bybit, and OKX. Still, the selection of coins that can be traded on Bitget should suffice for the vast majority of crypto traders.  

Trade Crypto Futures on Bitget

8. MEXC – Best exchange for trading new coins

MEXC is a cryptocurrency exchange known for its extensive range of digital assets, quick listing of emerging assets, and a user-friendly interface. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of services, including spot trading, margin trading, and futures trading, catering to both novice and experienced traders.

In the futures trading arena, MEXC provides both USDT-margined and coin-margined perpetual contracts, allowing traders to choose their preferred collateral type. The platform supports leverage up to 200x, enabling users to amplify their positions and potentially enhance returns. MEXC's futures trading interface is designed for ease of use, featuring advanced charting tools and real-time data to assist traders in making informed decisions. Additionally, MEXC offers competitive trading fees, with a maker fee of 0% and a taker fee of 0.02%. Users holding the platform's native MX token can enjoy further discounts on trading fees.

The exchange also provides educational resources and tutorials to help users understand futures trading concepts and strategies. With its robust security measures, high liquidity, and diverse product offerings, MEXC stands out as a reliable platform for crypto futures trading.

Trade Crypto Futures on MEXC

9. Kraken Futures – The most trusted exchange’s cryptocurrency futures platform

Kraken is a cryptocurrency exchange that was founded in 2011 and has since become one of the most trusted names in the crypto industry. Even though the exchange has been on the market for over a decade, Kraken has never had its cryptocurrency wallets hacked, which is, unfortunately, a rarity among cryptocurrency exchanges.

Even though Kraken is best known for its spot markets, the exchange also has a dedicated futures trading platform. This functionality can be accessed under the Kraken Pro banner. Just like Kraken’s spot markets, where a wide variety of cryptocurrencies can be traded, traders can also access dozens of different coins on Kraken’s futures platform.

While Kraken’s crypto futures offering is certainly worth checking out, it’s unfortunately not available in all jurisdictions. Notably, Kraken does not offer futures trading to clients from the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Canada, and an assortment of other countries.

Trade Crypto Futures on Kraken

10. BitMEX – A pioneering platform for crypto futures trading

BitMEX is a cryptocurrency exchange that was a pioneer in the crypto derivatives market, especially with its Bitcoin perpetual futures contracts. Although its market share has shrunk recently, it's still a robust platform for experienced traders.

BitMEX now also offers spot trading, but its primary strength lies in its crypto derivatives platform, which includes perpetual swaps and futures contracts. These contracts can be margined in BTC, USDT, or ETH.

BitMEX recently introduced the BMEX token, which is quite similar in design to other exchange tokens such as BNB, MX, and OKB. BMEX token holders get discounts on trading fees, and significant holders may even get fee rebates, which is a nice perk for active traders.

Trade Crypto Futures on BitMEX

11. Deribit – A reputable crypto derivatives platform

Deribit is a cryptocurrency derivatives platform that's most famous for its options products but also offers cryptocurrency futures trading as well.

While Deribit's options offering is limited to Bitcoin and Ethereum, it offers USDC-settled futures contracts for a variety of altcoins as well — examples include Avalanche, Algorand, Uniswap, Cardano, and Polkadot. When it comes to Bitcoin and Ethereum futures, users can choose futures settled in the respective cryptocurrency (i.e., BTC or ETH) or USDT.

Deribit offers up to 100x leverage on its perpetual futures, which is in line with industry standards for high-leverage trading. For Bitcoin and Ethereum, traders on Deribit can access not only perpetual contracts but traditional futures contracts as well. 

Overall, Deribit is a crypto trading platform with a strong reputation among traders and a very professional approach. Traders on Deribit can access a testnet version of the site where trading strategies can be tested without putting any real funds at risk.

Trade Crypto Futures on Deribit

Crypto futures FAQs

Now that we’ve taken a look at the best crypto futures trading exchanges let’s quickly answer some of the most common questions people have about cryptocurrency futures trading.

Can you trade futures on crypto?

Yes, you can trade futures on crypto assets. There are many different platforms that offer cryptocurrency futures contracts which allow users to go long or short on specific cryptocurrencies.

What is the best platform to trade cryptocurrency futures?

In our opinion, the best platform to trade cryptocurrency futures overall is Binance Futures, as it has the strongest liquidity and lists a very large number of cryptocurrencies. However, there are also other solid options in the cryptocurrency industry, such as Bybit, OKX, Bitfinex, and several others.

What is the cheapest futures trading platform for crypto?

Due to the different fee structures used by crypto exchanges, it’s impossible to say which futures trading platform is the cheapest. For example, some exchanges offer extremely low fees for traders with a large volume while charging significantly higher fees to traders that don’t generate a lot of volume. The fees on Binance and OKX, which are among the cheapest exchanges in the crypto futures trading industry, start at 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers.

How do I start crypto futures trading?

You can start crypto futures trading by opening an account with a platform such as Binance Futures or Bybit. After performing an identity verification check and funding your account with some crypto (most commonly USDT), you will be able to trade crypto futures. However, please keep in mind that cryptocurrency futures trading is very risky and can lead to substantial losses.

Are crypto futures always open?

Yes, crypto futures are always open on cryptocurrency exchanges. However, some traditional securities exchanges that list crypto futures, such as the CME, aren’t open 24/7.

The bottom line – There’s no shortage of good crypto futures trading platforms 

Regardless of whether you’re just starting with crypto futures trading or are already a seasoned veteran, you will likely be able to find a crypto futures trading platform that suits your needs. Hopefully, our list helped you identify the best such platforms available on the market today.

If you’re also looking to build your cryptocurrency portfolio in addition to trading futures, make sure to check out our list of the best cryptocurrencies for long-term investors.