What is Bittrex Global?
Bittrex Global is the international arm of US-based Bittrex, the cryptocurrency exchange platform founded in 2014 in Seattle, Washington. Its founders - Bill Shihara, Richie Lai, and Rami Kawach - together boast more than 50 years of experience in security and development for major tech firms such as Amazon, Microsoft and Blackberry.
What does Bittrex Global do?
Bittrex Global is an online cryptocurrency exchange platform that allows users to buy, sell and trade a wide range of over 250 different cryptocurrencies. Its services can be accessed on desktop as well as on iOS and Android devices. There are two different account types on Bittrex Global - Personal and Corporate - designed to suit either individual or institutional investors in their unique crypto trading needs. As well as simple buy/sell transactions, Global Bittrex users can browse a range of educational materials on crypto trading and customise the level of security on their account with “whitelisted” withdrawals and wallets.
Bittrex Global main features
- Available on browser, iOS and Android
- Two account types - Personal and Corporate
- More than 250 different cryptocurrencies available
- Educational materials for amateur investors
- Impressive optional security measures
- Comparatively high trading fees
Bittrex Global pros and cons
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Bittrex Global account types
Bittrex Global Personal Account
Bittrex Global offers a Personal Account designed specifically for individual investors to trade multiple cryptocurrencies. Its custom-built trading engine allows investors to buy, sell and trade over 250 different cryptocurrencies and execute orders in real-time for optimum profit potential.
Bittrex Global Corporate Account
Bittrex Global also has a Corporate Account, which offers all the same services as the Personal Account, but is specifically designed for trading on behalf of companies, such as Hedge Funds, High-Frequency Trading Firms, and Proprietary Trading Firms. The Corporate Account has some additional benefits too, including no funding limits, faster deposits, and priority customer support.
Upgrading from a Personal to a Corporate Account with Bittrex
Bittrex Global does not charge a fee to upgrade a Personal Account to a Corporate Account, and requests are usually approved within 7 working days. To request a Corporate Account, you must submit a Corporate Account Request form.
Bittrex Global Discover
One of Bittrex Global’s unique features is Discover - its own set of educational resources for users to learn about and improve their understanding of investing in cryptocurrency. Its wide range of guides, articles and podcasts cover everything from explaining what non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are to tips to avoid crypto scammers. This is an especially useful resource for beginner investors to get a better understanding of what they are putting their money into and to engage with the wider investment community.
Bittrex Global fees
Compared to alternative exchange platforms like Coinbase and Kraken, Bittrex Global has a straightforward fee structure across all kinds of transactions, following a maker-taker model to calculate its trading fees. You can read more about how maker and taker fees work in our article “Cryptocurrency: What are maker and taker fees?”.
Fees on Bittrex Global are determined based on your trading volume over the past 30 days between the hours of 00:30 and 01:30 UTC. You can check your current 30-Day Trading Volume by logging into your Bittrex Global account and navigating to Account > My Activity.
A notable downside to using Bittrex Global is that its fees - though simple - are considerably higher than most of its main competitors. Coinbase’s maker-taker fees peak at 0.50%, whereas CEX.IO and Kraken have much more favourable charges at 0.25% and 0.26% respectively. Therefore, if you are looking for straightforward crypto trading at a low price, Bittrex Global may not be the most suitable choice for you.
Below is a breakdown of Bittrex Global's tiered maker-taker fee schedule, showing its high initial fees which gradually lessen as the volume traded increases.
Bittrex Global maker-taker fee schedule
| 30-Day Trading Volume (USD) | Maker | Taker |
| 0 - 5k | 0.75% | 0.75% |
| 5k - 10k | 0.50% | 0.50% |
| 10k - 25k | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| 25k - 100k | 0.20% | 0.25% |
| 100k - 1m | 0.12% | 0.18% |
| 1m - 10m | 0.05% | 0.15% |
| 10m - 60m | 0.02% | 0.10% |
| 60m - 100m | 0.00% | 0.08% |
| 100m + | 0.00% | 0.05% |
Which cryptocurrencies can you trade on Bittrex Global?
Bittrex Global has one of the largest selections of cryptocurrencies for UK customers to trade with, including:
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Cardano
- Tether
- Dogecoin
- Litecoin
- Chainlink
- Lumen
- ZCash
- Dash
Bittrex Global’s extensive range of coins and tokens sets it apart from the majority of crypto exchange platforms in the UK, which typically only support between 40-80 options.
You can find out more about the 250+ cryptocurrencies you can trade on Bittrex Global on its website.
Bittrex Global customer support
Bittrex Global’s customer support team can assist investors with various types of enquiries, however, they can only be reached by submitting a request form on the website as there is no online live chat option or contact telephone number. This makes Bittrex Global’s customer support minimal compared to competitors such as Kraken, which has a 24/7 live chat and email service, and investors looking for advice or help with their holdings may find that it is time-consuming and difficult to get in touch with a member of Bittrex Global’s team.
Bittrex Global security
Thanks to its founders’ experience in data security, Bittrex Global puts a great deal of emphasis on protecting its users’ funds and personal information. It employs an “elastic, multi-stage wallet strategy” - moving data to cold, offline storage as an extra security measure - to ensure that the majority of funds are kept off the internet and minimise the risk of interference. Bittrex Global also enables Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all accounts, and users can opt to use the Google Authenticator app as part of their login process, although the company does not actually enforce either measure so it is up to the individual to employ them.
There is also a “whitelisting” feature which lets users insist that funds can only ever be withdrawn to their own, verified wallet. In addition, Bittrex Global has reportedly never been hacked before, so boasts a pristine security record to boot too. It is worth noting that as investing in cryptocurrency is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Bittrex Global users are not protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) should their assets become compromised, so anyone using it to trade or store cryptocurrency should take the utmost care to protect their public and private keys to prevent their cryptocurrency being lost or stolen.
Bittrex Global customer reviews
Bittrex Global has poor customer reviews on independent review site Trustpilot with just 2.3 out of 5.0 stars. However, the platform has never claimed its profile and has not responded to any negative comments in the past 12 months. This indicates that Bittrex Global does not interact with its Trustpilot review page and it may not be a suitable place to go in order to gauge how the firm handles customer complaints.
On the other hand, the Bittrex Global app has 4.2 out of 5.0 stars on Google’s Play Store, with positive reviews highlighting the wide selection of coins and tokens and the straightforward fee structure, although the negative reviews point out that withdrawing funds takes too long and it can be difficult to get a hold of support. It appears that customers’ experience of Bittrex Global varies widely by individual.
Alternatives to Bittrex Global
Bittrex Global’s main appeal over other crypto trading platforms is its vast selection of coins and tokens which you can trade with. With over 250 on offer, Bittrex Global far overtakes the next best from CEX.IO and Kraken, with around 80 each. On this basis, investors looking to trade altcoins - particularly the more niche varieties - will find that Bittrex Global gives them access to many kinds which are not necessarily supported by other platforms.
However, there is no getting away from the fact that Bittrex Global’s fees are quite steep, and those looking to minimise their trading costs would be better off using cheaper exchanges such as CEX.IO or Gemini, whose fees work out considerably less expensive. We summarise how Bittrex Global measures up to the competition in the table below. Alternatively, take a look at our list of the best crypto exchange platforms in the UK to compare the lowest fees, best security, and range of altcoins on offer.
Bittrex Global compared to the competition
| Exchange Platform | Bittrex Global | BlockFi | CEX.IO | Gemini | Coinbase | Uphold | Kraken |
| Transaction Fees | 0.00-0.75% | 0% (but charges for withdrawals) | 0.00-0.25% | 0.00-0.40% | 0.00-0.50% | 0% (but charges a spread between 0.85-1.25%) | 0.00-0.26% |
| No. of cryptocurrencies | 250+ | 7 | 110+ | 40+ | 50+ | 35+ | 65+ |
| Wallet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Trustpilot Rating | 2.3/5 | 3.6/5 | 4.7/5 | 1.2/5 | 1.6/5 | 2.6/5 | 2.2/5 |
The verdict
Overall, Bittrex Global is a great crypto trading platform for amateur and institutional investors specialising in altcoins and those looking to broaden their knowledge of the cryptocurrency sector. However, those interested in straightforward buy/sell transactions with more mainstream cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, would be better off using an alternative platform - such as Kraken or Gemini - with cheaper trading fees.
It is worth pointing out that cryptocurrencies can be highly volatile and as such, investing in crypto-assets is suited to sophisticated investors who understand the associated risks and are prepared to lose all the money they invest if they buy crypto-assets.