Bybit vs Lighter

Bybit is a centralized exchange with a broad menu of coins and trading types, from spot and futures to options and tokenized stocks. Lighter is a decentralized exchange built around futures trading, with no fees on either spot or futures. The main split: Bybit gives you range and features, while Lighter gives you a focused, zero-fee trading venue.

Bybit vs Lighter

Category	BBybit9/10	LLighter7.5/10
Overview
CryptoWinRate score	9/10 (higher)	7.5/10
Founded	2018	2022
Headquarters	Dubai	United States
Founder	Ben Zhou	Vladimir Novakovski
CEO	Ben Zhou	Vladimir Novakovski
KYC	Required	No KYC
MiCA licence	No	No
EU platform	Via Bybit EU	—
Availability
Available in your country	—	—
Restricted countries	42 countries	1 country
Deposits and withdrawals
Deposit methods	18 methods	5 methods
Withdrawal methods	6 methods	1 method
24-hour withdrawal limitKYC 0	$20,000	—
24-hour withdrawal limitKYC 1	$1,000,000	—
24-hour withdrawal limitKYC 2	$2,000,000	—
Trading fees
Spot maker fee	0.1%	0%
Spot taker fee	0.1%	0%
Futures maker fee	0.02%	0% (lower)
Futures taker fee	0.055%	0% (lower)
Options feesmaker/taker	0.02% / 0.03%	—
Coins and markets
Spot assetscrypto	380 (higher)	2
Futures contractscrypto	711 (higher)	205
Options assets	8	—
Stocks	552	—
ETFs	18	—
FX pairs	65	—
Indices	20	—
Commodities	22	—
Leverage and margin
Max leverage	100×	50×
Spot margin	10×	—
Features
Spot	Yes	Yes
Futures	Yes	Yes
Options	Yes	No
P2P	Yes	No
Demo Trading	Yes	No
Copy Trading	Yes	No
Trading Bots	Yes	No
Loans	Yes	No
Lending	Yes	No
Staking	Yes	No
Debit card	Yes	No
Security
Proof of reserves	YesAttestation ↗	Self-custody
Cold storage	Yes	Self-custody
Two-factor authentication	Yes	Self-custody
Withdrawal address whitelist	Yes	Self-custody
Anti-phishing passphrase	Yes	Self-custody
Reported hacks	YesSource ↗	—
Sign-up bonus
Bonus	$30,000	—
	Visit Bybit ↗Read review →	Visit Lighter ↗Read review →

Availability in your country is checked live against each exchange's restricted-country list.

Who should choose Bybit

Bybit fits traders who want choice and tools in one place. It covers 380 coins on spot and 577 coins with futures, plus options on 8 coins and 552 tokenized stocks. Leverage runs up to 100x, the highest of the two. You also get copy trading, trading bots, staking, lending and a demo mode. KYC is required. There is no MiCA licence, so customers in the EU sign up with Bybit EU instead, a separate platform that holds a MiCA licence.

Who should choose Lighter

Lighter suits traders focused on futures who care most about cost. Both spot and futures trades carry 0% maker and 0% taker fees, so there is nothing skimmed off each trade. As a decentralized exchange, KYC is optional, which means a lighter sign-up. The trade-off is narrow scope: only 2 coins on spot, 205 coins with futures, no options, no staking, no card, and leverage capped at 50x.

Verdict

Pick Bybit if you want a wide range of coins, higher leverage and extra features like options, tokenized stocks and copy trading. Pick Lighter if you trade futures and want zero fees with optional KYC. For most all-round needs Bybit fits; for pure low-cost futures, Lighter does.