Overview
About KuCoin
KuCoin is known as a go-to exchange for altcoins, listing many tokens early and offering one of the widest selections of trading pairs in the market. Beyond spot it provides margin trading and perpetual futures.
AutoTrader connects to KuCoin with an API key, secret and passphrase. Your strategies trade spot pairs in your own KuCoin account, using a key limited to trading permissions.
Supported markets
What you can trade on KuCoin
The asset classes KuCoin offers, and popular symbols you can automate with AutoTrader.
Asset classes offered
- Spot crypto
- Crypto margin
- Perpetual futures
Popular crypto markets
- BTC/USDT
- ETH/USDT
- KCS/USDT
- SOL/USDT
- XRP/USDT
- PEPE/USDT
- DOGE/USDT
- SUI/USDT
Symbols shown are examples. Exact availability depends on your country, account type and the broker's current listings.
Fees & accounts
Trading KuCoin: costs and where it's available
Fees and account types
KuCoin uses maker-taker fees with VIP levels based on 30-day volume or KCS holdings, and different base rates for different groups of coins. At the time of writing, the base rate for major spot pairs is around 0.1% for both maker and taker, and paying fees in KCS gives a discount. AutoTrader's market orders pay the taker rate. Check KuCoin's fee page for current rates, especially for smaller altcoins, which can be in higher-fee groups.
KuCoin separates balances into Funding and Trading accounts, and API spot orders can only use the Trading account. Sub-accounts with their own API keys are a convenient way to ring-fence capital for each strategy.
Availability and regulation
KuCoin operates internationally from Seychelles and requires identity verification to trade. In early 2025 it agreed to exit the US market as part of a settlement with US authorities, so US residents should not use it. Several other countries restrict or prohibit access, and KuCoin has been pursuing local licensing in markets such as the EU. Check KuCoin's list of restricted regions and its terms for your country before depositing.
For automated trading
Automating KuCoin: strengths and limitations
Strengths
- The very wide altcoin catalogue lets you run the same strategy across many smaller tokens that are not listed on more conservative exchanges.
- Sub-accounts with individual API keys make it easy to give each strategy its own balance and limit how much any one strategy can spend.
- The mandatory API passphrase and granular permissions let you create a key limited to spot trading, with transfers and withdrawals disabled.
- Many altcoins trade in both USDT and BTC quote pairs, giving flexibility in which currency a strategy accumulates.
Limitations
- Liquidity on smaller altcoins can be thin, so market orders from AutoTrader may suffer noticeable slippage; check the order book depth before automating a niche pair.
- Funds left in the Funding Account are invisible to API trading, a common cause of insufficient-balance errors for new users.
- Newly listed tokens can be extremely volatile in their first days, and AutoTrader's stop-loss executes at market, so fills can be worse than the stop level.
Get started
How to connect KuCoin to AutoTrader
- 01
Log in to KuCoin, open the account menu and go to API Management, then choose Create API.
- 02
Select API trading, give the key a name and set an API passphrase. The passphrase is chosen by you and AutoTrader needs it, so store it safely.
- 03
Enable General and Spot Trading permissions only. Leave Withdrawal, Transfer, Margin and Futures unchecked.
- 04
Optionally add IP restrictions for extra security, then confirm with your trading password and 2FA code.
- 05
Copy the API key and secret; the secret is only displayed once.
- 06
Move the funds you want to trade from your Funding Account into your Trading Account, then paste the key, secret and passphrase on AutoTrader's Exchanges page.
Strategy ideas
Strategies that suit KuCoin
Breakout Trading Strategy
KuCoin's altcoin markets often move in sharp range breakouts, which breakout rules can capture on liquid USDT pairs.
Read the strategy guide →Volume Analysis
Volume confirmation helps filter false moves on thinner KuCoin altcoin pairs, where price can shift on little participation.
Read the strategy guide →Portfolio Rebalancing Strategy
A basket of KuCoin altcoins can be periodically rebalanced to target weights, spreading risk across the wide selection.
Read the strategy guide →FAQ
KuCoin automation: frequently asked questions
Why does AutoTrader say my KuCoin balance is zero?
KuCoin keeps deposits in the Funding Account by default, and API spot orders can only use the Trading Account. Open your KuCoin assets page, transfer the quote currency, usually USDT, from Funding to Trading, and refresh the connection in AutoTrader. If you use a sub-account, make sure the funds are in that sub-account's Trading Account.
Which KuCoin API permissions should I enable?
Enable General, which allows reading balances and orders, and Spot Trading, which allows placing and cancelling spot orders. That is all AutoTrader needs. Leave Withdrawal and Transfer off, and do not enable Margin or Futures, because AutoTrader only places spot market orders on KuCoin.
Can I use KuCoin from the United States?
No. KuCoin agreed in 2025 to stop serving US customers as part of a settlement with US authorities, and US residents should not open or use accounts. Using a VPN to get around the restriction breaches KuCoin's terms. US-based traders can connect AutoTrader to Kraken or Coinbase Advanced instead.
Is it safe to automate low-cap altcoins on KuCoin?
It can work, but the risks are higher than on major pairs. Thin order books mean market orders can move the price, spreads can be wide, and stops can fill well below their trigger. Start with small investment amounts, favor pairs with meaningful daily volume, and test first in paper mode where it is available.
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