OKX scores 8.5/10 on our security pillar. It publishes proof-of-reserves. no known exchange-level fund hack As with any exchange, holding large amounts long-term is safer in a hardware wallet.

OKX's base spot fees are 0.08% maker / 0.1% taker. Withdrawal and fiat on-ramp costs vary — always check the live fee schedule, as fees change. Our data was last verified in October 2026.

Is OKX available in my country?

EU access via Malta MiCA license; relaunched in the US (OKX US, separate entity) in April 2025 after its DOJ guilty plea; okx.com does not serve US residents; broad availability across 100+ countries with product-level restrictions by jurisdiction. Availability and specific products change by jurisdiction — verify on the official site before signing up.

OKX Review (October 2026) — Fees, Safety & Verdict

The verdict

Best for: Security

Choose OKX if…

You trade spot often and want low fees (0.1% taker).
You want an exchange that publishes proof-of-reserves.
You trade derivatives, futures or with margin.

Skip it if…

You want heavy regulatory oversight above all else.

Proof-of-reservesSpot taker 0.1%~350 assetsKYC required

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How OKX scores

Fees (20%)10.0

Security (25%)8.5

Regulation & Trust (25%)5.5

Assets & Features (15%)9.0

UX & Support (15%)10.0

How we scored OKXshow the math ↓

Fees — 10.0/10 × 20%

·Spot taker fee of 0.1% is category-leading (≤0.10%).
·Low maker fee (0.08%) rewards limit orders.

Security — 8.5/10 × 25%

·Publishes proof-of-reserves (+2.5).
·Majority cold storage (+2).
·2FA / hardware-key support (+1.5).
·Third-party audits / bug bounty (+1.5).
·No unresolved loss-of-funds incident (+1).

Regulation & Trust — 5.5/10 × 25%

·Licensed in multiple tier-1 jurisdictions (+4).
·Registered across multiple markets (+1.5).
·Transparent operating entity / HQ disclosed (+1.5).
·Operating 9 years (+1.5).
·Pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed business (−3).

Assets & Features — 9.0/10 × 15%

·~350 assets — broad (+4).
·10 product features (spot, derivatives, staking, etc.) (+5).

UX & Support — 10.0/10 × 15%

·Multiple fiat on-ramps — easy funding (+2).
·Consumer-grade products (card / app / Web3) (+2).
·Built-in earn/staking (+1).
·Full KYC — compliant onboarding (+1).

Overall = Fees×0.20 + Security×0.25 + Regulation×0.25 + Assets×0.15 + UX×0.15 = 8.4/10 (Excellent)

Scores come only from verifiable data and this published rubric — never from commissions. Full methodology →

Pros & cons

Pros

Among the lowest base spot fees (0.08% maker / 0.10% taker)
Full EU MiCA license via Malta
Frequent zk-STARK proof-of-reserves showing >100% backing
Very broad product suite including an integrated Web3 wallet

Cons (the real ones)

US guilty plea and $505M penalty in 2025 over unlicensed money transmission
US availability only re-emerging post-settlement
Large, complex product range can overwhelm new users
Offshore core operations (Seychelles)

Fees

Spot maker	0.08%
Spot taker	0.1%
Fiat on-ramps	credit/debit card, bank transfer, p2p, third-party providers

Fees change often — verified October 2026. Always check the live schedule.

Trading on OKX? Every trade can be a taxable event. A crypto-tax tool like Koinly auto-imports your history and generates a compliant tax report. Disclosed affiliate link — we only point to tools we'd actually use.

Security

2FA (TOTP/hardware key)
cold/semi-offline storage
monthly proof-of-reserves using zk-STARK and Merkle tree verification (reserves >100% for major assets)
no known exchange-level fund hack

Regulation & track record

Holds a full EU MiCA license via Malta's MFSA (passportable across the EEA), plus UAE (Dubai) licensing and other regional registrations. Added a Maltese payment-institution licence in Feb 2026, after a ~€1M AML fine in Malta (2025). In Feb 2025 its operator Aux Cayes FinTech pleaded guilty in the US to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and paid over $504M; OKX then began a compliant US re-entry.

Who should NOT use OKX

You want heavy regulatory oversight above all else.

Not trading today?

Whatever exchange you pick, two things matter more than its fees.

Coins you aren't trading are safer in a hardware wallet whose keys only you hold, and every trade can be a taxable event that you'll need to report. These are the two tools we point readers to.

Ledger hardware wallet Koinly crypto tax

Affiliate links · products, not financial services · disclosure

How we make money from this review

Public affiliate program advertising up to 50% commission (paid in USDT) on referred users' fees, plus additional referral rewards; terms vary by tier. This never changes OKX's score — our rubric is public and ranking follows score order, not commission. See our full disclosure.

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Crypto is volatile; you can lose some or all of your money. Not financial advice.

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OKX review