Updated September 24, 2026, after Bitget confirmed a hack worth around $350 million.
Bybit vs Bitget used to be a fight between crypto’s two biggest reward machines, with one clear difference on trust. Bybit had a $1.5 billion hack on its record. Bitget had a clean sheet. That difference disappeared on September 24, 2026, when an attacker drained Bitget’s wallets for around $350 million. Both exchanges now carry a hack story. What separates them is how each one handled it, and whether the rest of the package still holds up. This updated comparison covers fees, copy trading, liquidity, trust and rewards.
Quick verdict: Bybit wins, and no longer by a thin margin. It has deeper liquidity, MiCA-licensed EU access, and a hack recovery that has already proven itself. Bitget still wins copy trading outright and matches Bybit on rewards. For the deep dives, read our Bybit review and Bitget review.
Bybit vs Bitget at a Glance
| Bybit | Bitget | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 | 2018 |
| Spot fees (base) | 0.10% / 0.10% | 0.10% / 0.10% (0.08% with BGB) |
| Futures fees (base) | 0.02% / 0.055% | 0.02% / 0.06% |
| Max leverage | 125x | 125x |
| Spot coins | ~480+ | 1,300+ |
| Copy trading | Up to 10 masters | Largest ecosystem: 130K+ elite traders |
| Rewards | Launchpool, ByStarter | Launchpool, PoolX, Launchpad |
| Security record | $1.5B hack 2025, fully covered | ~$350M hack Sep 2026, recovery ongoing |
| EU (MiCA) | Yes (bybit.eu) | Varies by region |
Trading Fees: Still a Coin Flip
Nothing moved here. Spot fees match at 0.10%, with Bitget trimming to 0.08% when you pay in BGB. On futures, Bybit’s 0.055% taker narrowly beats Bitget’s 0.06%. Both charge 0.02% maker and both discount hard through VIP tiers. Over a normal month, the fee gap rounds to noise. This comparison gets decided in other sections.
Copy Trading: Bitget Keeps Its Crown
The hack didn’t touch Bitget’s product edge. Bybit’s copy trading is solid, letting you mirror up to 10 master traders with drawdown controls. Bitget built its whole identity here. Roughly 130,000 verified elite traders publish full public stats, over a million copiers follow them, and the product spans futures, spot and CFDs. Copiers pay about a 10% profit share on winning trades only. If copy trading is your strategy, Bitget still wins without a contest.
Liquidity and Trust: Two Hacks, One Proven Recovery
Bybit’s derivatives books are among the deepest in crypto, with around 710 contracts and top-tier open interest. Its MiCA license through bybit.eu gives EU users a fully regulated home.
Its scar is famous. In February 2025, Lazarus stole $1.5 billion in a single cold-wallet transfer. Bybit covered every loss from its own funds, never froze withdrawals, and now publishes monthly proof of reserves. That response turned the worst hack in crypto history into a proof of solvency.
Bitget now faces the same test. On September 24, 2026, an attacker moved around $350 million out of its hot and cold wallets across several chains. Withdrawals stalled for hours. The full timeline sits in our Bitget hack breakdown. Bitget has a Protection Fund backed by 5,500 BTC, worth about $351 million in July 2026, and CEO Gracy Chen says user funds are not at risk. Monthly proof of reserves still runs above 120%. The fund roughly matches the loss, so a full payout is possible. It just hasn’t happened yet.
Both records now carry a breach. Bybit’s recovery is finished and public. Bitget’s is a promise in progress. Until it’s done, Bybit holds the trust edge, on top of its deeper liquidity and EU cover.
Either way, both are custodial exchanges. Our self custody vs exchange guide explains how to keep long-term holdings clear of that risk.
Bybit EU: The Regulated Option Bitget Doesn’t Have
For European traders, this section may decide the whole comparison. Bybit runs a dedicated EU entity, Bybit EU, licensed under MiCA by Austria’s financial regulator. EU residents onboard through bybit.eu rather than the global site. That gives you a regulated counterparty, EU consumer protections and a supervisor to complain to if something goes wrong.
Bitget offers nothing equivalent. Its regulatory coverage varies by country, and it holds no MiCA authorization. After this week’s hack, that gap matters more than it did in August. A regulated exchange has capital and reporting duties. An unregulated one has a Protection Fund and a promise.
The trade-off is product scope. Bybit EU trims some of the global platform’s leverage and listings to meet MiCA rules. For most traders, that’s a fair price for legal clarity. If you’re in the EU, sign up through our Bybit EU referral link to land on the licensed entity from the start.
Bonuses and Rewards: Still a Draw
Both platforms remain reward monsters, and we partner with each.
Bybit runs Launchpool, where you stake MNT, USDT or USDC to farm new tokens, plus ByStarter token sales and near-constant campaigns. Every live offer sits on our Bybit project page.
Bitget answers with Launchpool, PoolX and Launchpad, a stack of equal density. New users can also claim a welcome package worth up to 6,200 USDT via our Bitget partner page.
This section ends in a tie again. Farming both pipelines still works. Just keep your Bitget balance to what you’re actively using until the recovery is complete.
Bybit vs Bitget: Final Words
So, Bybit vs Bitget: who takes it now? Bybit, more clearly than before. Deeper derivatives liquidity, a slightly cheaper taker rate, MiCA-licensed EU access, and a hack recovery already in the books. Bitget’s clean-record argument, which used to sway cautious traders its way, is gone.
Bitget still wins copy trading outright and ties on rewards. If it covers users in full and gets withdrawals flowing fast, this comparison tightens again. For now, the practical setup is Bybit as the primary venue, with Bitget alongside it for copy trading and its bonus pipeline at lean balances.
Want more head-to-heads? Check out our last review of OKX vs Binance. All our comparisons live in the exchange reviews hub.
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FAQ
Is Bybit better than Bitget? Yes, for liquidity, EU access and trust. Bybit’s hack recovery is complete and public, while Bitget’s is still in progress. Bitget wins clearly on copy trading, and rewards are tied.
Which is cheaper, Bybit or Bitget? Nearly identical. Bybit’s futures taker (0.055%) slightly beats Bitget’s 0.06%. Spot matches at 0.10%, or 0.08% on Bitget with BGB.
Which has better copy trading? Bitget, decisively. Its 130,000+ verified elite traders form the largest copy trading ecosystem in crypto, across futures, spot and CFDs.
Is Bitget safe after the hack? Bitget says user funds are not at risk, and its Protection Fund roughly matches the $350 million loss. Until withdrawals and payouts are fully back to normal, keep balances lean.
Is Bybit safe after the 2025 hack? Yes. Bybit covered the full $1.5 billion from its own funds without freezing withdrawals, and now publishes monthly proof of reserves.
Which has better bonuses? Both are top-tier. Bybit runs Launchpool and constant campaigns. Bitget runs Launchpool, PoolX and Launchpad plus a 6,200 USDT welcome pack.a
