Best Crypto Exchange Referral Codes 2026: Compared

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By DegenApps Research Desk, updated 2026-10-12

How exchange referral programmes work

The exchange pays the referrer a share of the trading fees you generate. Some let the referrer pass part back to you as a rebate (Binance, KuCoin, Aster), some give you a fixed fee discount (Hyperliquid: 4% on your first $25M of volume), and some give task-based welcome bonuses (Bybit, OKX, MEXC).

CEX referral terms compared

Exchange	Trading fees	What you get	Referrer earns	KYC
BybitFeatured sign up →	0.10% maker / 0.10% taker on spot and 0.02% / 0.055% on perpetuals at VIP 0; rates can vary by region	A welcome gift for completing sign-up tasks (amount and tasks vary by campaign); bonuses are margin/fee credit and cannot be withdrawn	Referrers earn 20% of referees' net fees, up to 30% with more referrals, for 365 days; capped at $5,000 per quarter since 7 Feb 2026	Required
BitgetFeatured sign up →	0.10% maker / 0.10% taker on spot at the base level; 20% off (0.08%) when paying in BGB; rates may vary by region	Not published	Affiliates earn up to 50% of invited users' spot and futures fees, set by monthly evaluation	Required
WEEXFeatured sign up →	Futures 0.02% maker / 0.08% taker; spot rates on the WEEX fee page	A rebate only if the affiliate sets one (affiliates can pass back up to 80% on futures and 50% on spot)	Affiliates earn up to 70% of direct referrals' fees (up to 10% from sub-affiliates); spot fees count since 4 Aug 2026	See exchange
PionexFeatured sign up →	0.05% per trade, per the Pionex fee page	A fee discount only if the inviter allocates part of their commission to you	Inviters earn a fixed 20% of spot and 15% of futures fees from valid referrals (who deposit at least 100 USDT)	See exchange
Binance	0.10% maker / 0.10% taker on spot at the base level; 25% off when paying fees in BNB	A kickback (fee rebate) only if your referrer chooses to share one	Referral Pro: referrers start at 20% of spot/margin fees and 10% of futures fees, rising to 50% by quarterly performance; referrers can share part as a kickback to you	Required
OKX	Tiered by VIP level; see official fee page	Welcome rewards for completing tasks; tasks and amounts depend on your region and sign-up date	Affiliates earn a default 30% of invitees' fees, up to 50% by monthly level; the regular referral program gives both sides task-based rewards that differ by region and campaign	Required
MEXC	0% maker / 0.05% taker on spot per MEXC; since 1 Feb 2026 zero fees only on USDC and selected pairs	A futures bonus if you deposit 100 USDT and trade over 500 USDT of futures within 7 days of sign-up	Referrers earn 40% of friends' spot and futures fees (up to 50% in some regions) for 1,080 days	Tiered; required for higher limits
KuCoin	Tiered by VIP level; see official fee page	Cashback only if your referrer sets one	Referrers earn 25% of invited users' trading fees at the start, for 365 days after registration; referrers can share part as cashback	Required
HTX	Tiered by VIP level; see official fee page	Not published	Regular inviters earn 30% of invitees' net trading fees on spot and futures; approved HTX Affiliates up to 60%	See exchange
Crypto.com	Tiered by VIP level; see official fee page	Up to $50 of CRO when you complete your first CRO lock-up (at least 1,000 CRO) after Advanced KYC	Exchange referrers earn a CRO bonus of $10 to $2,000 based on the referee's first CRO lock-up, plus 50% of the referee's net trading fees for 12 months	Required (Advanced level for referral rewards)
Kraken	Tiered by VIP level; see official fee page	A bonus after a fiat deposit and qualifying trades within 30 days; amount depends on the offer shown in your app	Both you and the referrer get a bonus (up to $75 each on the standard offer; $20 fixed on the Kraken Pro app offer); the referrer is capped at 10–20 paid referrals	Required
Bitfinex	Tiered by VIP level; see official fee page	A 6% rebate on margin funding fees, falling 0.5% every 30 days	Affiliates earn 18% of direct members' margin funding fees (6% second level, 2% third), each falling 0.5% every 30 days	See exchange
Poloniex	Tiered by VIP level; see official fee page	10% cashback on your own trading fees for 60 days	Inviters earn 20% of friends' spot and futures fees, permanently	See exchange
Backpack	Base tier 0.08% maker / 0.10% taker on spot; lower tiers by volume, assets or staked BP; USDT/USDC at 0%	Not published	Referrers earn 10% of trading fees from KYC'd users they onboard (not on Equity Perps), claimable for 24 months	Required

DEX referral terms compared

Exchange	Trading fees	What you get	Referrer earns	KYC
Hyperliquid sign up →	Tiered by 14-day volume; see the fee table in the docs	A 4% fee discount on your first $25M of volume (not for vaults or sub-accounts)	Referrers (after $10,000 of their own volume) earn 10% of referred users' fees, less the discount, on their first $1B of volume	No KYC (connect a wallet)
Aster sign up →	Perps: 0% maker / 0.04% taker on general crypto pairs; 0.10% taker on Group B pairs	A fee discount if your referrer passes part of the 10% to you	Default 10% commission that the referrer can split with you; relationships last 365 days	No KYC (connect a wallet)
edgeX sign up →	Tiered by 14-day volume and VIP level; regular users 0.04% maker / 0.07% taker on spot	Not published	Referrers earn 5%, 15% or 30% of referrals' fees depending on active referrals and 14-day volume	No KYC (connect a wallet)
Lighter	0% maker / 0% taker on Standard accounts (perps and spot); Premium and Plus accounts pay fees	Not published	Not published	No KYC (connect a wallet)
Jupiter	Perps: 0.06% to open and 0.06% to close, plus price impact, hourly borrow fees and SOL network fees	Not published	Not published	No KYC (connect a wallet)
Uniswap	No Uniswap Labs interface fee; you pay the pool fee (v3 tiers 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.30% or 1%; v2 0.30%) plus network gas	Not published	Not published	No KYC (connect a wallet)

Trading and copy-trading apps

Exchange	Trading fees	What you get	Referrer earns	KYC
Coinpilot sign up →	Pro: 0.05% Coinpilot platform fee per copied trade on Hyperliquid (plus Hyperliquid's own fee, up to 0.045%) and a one-time $1 activation fee per new wallet; 1% per trade on Polymarket copy trading; Lite has its own tiered fee	A 10% rebate on Coinpilot Pro trading fees if you enter a referral code at sign-up (not available in Lite)	Referrers earn 40% of direct referrals' Coinpilot fees, plus 5% / 3% / 1% over three further levels (up to 49% for normal users); applies to Pro only	See exchange
Liquid sign up →	0.05% base fee or less on perpetual futures, 0.90% on prediction markets, no Liquid fee on spot; the exact fee shows on the order ticket	10% off Liquid's fee on perps (0.05% to 0.045%) and prediction markets (0.90% to 0.81%); the code can only be entered at sign-up	Referrers earn 10% of eligible Liquid fees by default, up to 50% for some referrers, paid as claimable USDC	See exchange

How to pick one

Check first that the exchange serves your country, then compare the fees you will actually pay, not the headline bonus. Bonuses usually need deposits and trading volume and cannot be withdrawn. For self-custody, a DEX such as Hyperliquid or Aster avoids exchange custody risk but needs a wallet and carries liquidation risk.

Risks

On a centralised exchange the exchange holds your funds: if it fails, freezes withdrawals or blocks your region, you can lose access. Many exchanges do not serve certain countries, and using one where it is not allowed can get your account closed. Bonuses usually come with deposit and trading tasks and cannot be withdrawn. DEXs leave custody with you but carry smart-contract and liquidation risk. Never trade money you cannot afford to lose.

Exchange pages

Frequently asked questions

Which exchange referral gives a direct fee discount?

Hyperliquid publishes a fixed 4% discount on your first $25M of volume. Others depend on campaigns or on how much the referrer shares.

Do I need KYC?

Most CEXs listed require KYC (marked per exchange). The DEXs listed only need a wallet.