HTX vs Gate Fee Rebate 2026: 50% vs 70% Back, Spot Compared

Gate is the cheaper of the two on fees: after rebate, spot nets out at 0.035% on Gate versus 0.11% on HTX, roughly 3× apart, and the futures taker rate at 0.015% versus 0.03%. On rebates, binding through Fee Otter (code FEEOTTER on both) gives 50% on HTX futures and 70% on Gate futures (fees checked September 24, 2026; rebate rates checked October 2026).

Compared with the typical KOL referral codes that pass back only 20% or 25%, binding through Fee Otter returns 50% on HTX and 70% on Gate: 2.5× and 3.5× a 20% code. In money terms, on 1,000 USDT of monthly fees a common 20% code returns 200 USDT, HTX returns 500 USDT and Gate returns 700 USDT. Head to head, the biggest gap is spot: HTX lists spot at 0.2%, twice Gate's 0.10%. That high spot fee is also where the rebate matters most on HTX: at 100,000 USDT of spot volume a month, our code (FEEOTTER) returns 50 USDT more per month than a common 20% code. Below we compare item by item and finish with a verdict per scenario.

Quick verdict

• Spot is the biggest gap: HTX spot is 0.2%/0.2%, Gate 0.10%/0.10%. After rebate, HTX nets 0.11% and Gate 0.035%.
• Futures are closer: futures maker is 0.02% on both; taker is 0.06% on HTX and 0.05% on Gate. After rebate, the futures taker rate is 0.03% on HTX and 0.015% on Gate.
• More than double a common code: binding through Fee Otter gives HTX 50% on futures and 45% on spot, 2.5× a 20% code; Gate gives 70% on futures (65% on spot), 3.5×.
• On 1,000 USDT of monthly fees, a common 20% code returns 200 USDT; through Fee Otter, HTX returns 500 USDT and Gate 700 USDT.
• Adding a code later: neither has a public way to add a code after sign-up; existing Gate users re-register with a new email, existing HTX users register a new account through our link with the code FEEOTTER, which both exchanges use (see the HTX rebind guide).

List fees: HTX spot costs twice Gate's

A fee rebate is a percentage of the fee, so start with the base rates. These are the standard (VIP 0) list prices on both exchanges:

Fees verified on 2026-09-24 (each exchange's official fee schedule). · Methodology

HTX's 0.2% spot fee sits at the high end of the exchanges we compare: on 100,000 USDT of spot volume, HTX charges 200 USDT and Gate 100 USDT. On futures the gap is only 0.01 percentage points on taker orders: 1 million USDT of futures taker volume costs 600 USDT on HTX and 500 USDT on Gate. Always check the official pages for current rates: HTX fee schedule, HTX USDT-M futures fee explainer, Gate fee announcement.

HTX's token discount is deeper than Gate's: paying with HTX or TRX takes 25% off spot fees, so 0.2% becomes 0.15%, and only one of the two can be active at a time (see HTX's TRX deduction announcement). Gate's GT rate for spot is 0.09%. Even after discounts, HTX's spot list price is still more than 1.5× Gate's.

Rebate rates: what each exchange pays through Fee Otter

Both rebates have two layers: an automatic rebate the exchange returns through the referral-code setting (30% on HTX, 20% on Gate), plus a Fee Otter extra rebate (20% on HTX, 50% on Gate).

Most KOL codes you can find online pass back 20% or 25%. On 1,000 USDT of monthly fees:

If you are already a VIP on an exchange and want to rebind or sign up on another one, contact support and we can help you apply for special trading benefits or a higher rebate rate.

For how the extra rebate is paid out, see how the rebate is settled. For Gate's rebate details, see the Gate fee rebate guide.

Spot net cost: the rebate claws back HTX's fee, but Gate is still about 3× cheaper

There is one formula: net rate = list rate × (1 − rebate rate). Start with spot, where the two differ most:

On HTX spot, our code cuts your net rate from 0.16% with a common code to 0.11%, returning an extra 0.25 USDT on every 1 USDT of fees. Head to head, though, once both are bound through Fee Otter Gate's spot net rate is only about a third of HTX's, because Gate's list price is half and its rebate rate is higher.

With platform-token discounts (rebate calculated on the discounted fee):

• HTX with HTX or TRX: 0.15% × 55% = 0.0825%.
• Gate with GT: 0.09% × 35% = 0.0315%.
• Result: HTX's discounted 0.0825% is still more than 2× Gate's undiscounted 0.035%.

In money terms, at 100,000 USDT of monthly spot volume with no token discount: HTX fees are 100,000 × 0.2% = 200 USDT and Gate fees 100,000 × 0.10% = 100 USDT.

At the same 100,000 USDT of monthly spot volume, Fee Otter returns more than a common 20% code every month: 50 USDT more on HTX (600 USDT a year) and 45 USDT more on Gate. The higher HTX's spot fee, the bigger the rebate in absolute terms, which is the strongest reason for HTX users to bind a high-rebate code.

Now take a single trade. Buy a coin with 10,000 USDT and later sell it all, for 20,000 USDT of volume in one round trip. HTX charges 20,000 × 0.2% = 40 USDT: you net 32 USDT with a common 20% code and 22 USDT through Fee Otter. Gate charges 20,000 × 0.10% = 20 USDT: 7 USDT net. So on HTX the price must rise 0.22% (22 ÷ 10,000) just to cover fees, versus 0.07% on Gate. For spot traders who go in and out several times a month, that hurdle shows up directly in returns.

How to decide on spot: on fees alone Gate spot is about 3× cheaper than HTX, roughly 900 USDT a year (75 × 12). But if your assets, favourite pairs or deposit habits already live on HTX, switching may not pay off, and the practical move is to bind the code FEEOTTER and bring HTX spot down from 0.16% to 0.11%. For the general playbook, see fee rebates for spot investors.

Futures net cost: Gate is about half of HTX

HTX's user agreement restricts derivatives trading in several jurisdictions and excludes some regions from all services, so check it for your country before planning futures on HTX (see the HTX user agreement). Where futures are available, here are the taker net rates:

Futures maker is 0.02% on both: HTX nets 0.01% and Gate 0.006%. At 500,000 USDT of monthly futures volume, all taker, HTX fees are 300 USDT and Gate fees 250 USDT; after the rebate HTX nets 150 USDT (300 × 50%) and Gate 75 USDT (250 × 30%), a 75 USDT monthly gap. On the same 500,000 USDT of futures taker volume, a common 20% code leaves you paying 240 USDT on HTX and 200 USDT on Gate; Fee Otter brings that down to 150 and 75 USDT. For more worked examples, see effective perpetual fee after rebate.

Fundamentals: founding year, proof of reserves and pair counts

• Founded: both in 2013. HTX was formerly Huobi and rebranded in 2023; see HTX's rebrand announcement.
• Proof of reserves: HTX publishes Merkle-tree reports monthly; the June 2026 report shows reserve ratios of 100%–105% for its main assets (BTC 103%, ETH 100%), 44 consecutive months of reports; see the HTX proof-of-reserve page. Gate commits to 100% reserves verified with a Merkle tree plus zk-SNARKs.
• Pair counts (official public APIs, 2026-09-24): HTX has 604 spot pairs online and 357 USDT-M contracts trading; Gate has 2,220 tradable spot pairs, a much wider small-cap selection.
• Where rebates land: on both, the automatic rebate (30% on HTX, 20% on Gate) goes to your exchange account and the extra rebate to your Fee Otter available balance; the extra rebate is paid as on-chain USDT on BNB Smart Chain (BEP20) to an address you own.

Tokenized US stocks: Gate is measured, HTX not yet

Gate's futures list includes tokenized US stock perpetuals, which have had their own fee table since 2026-09-01, still 0.02%/0.05% at VIP 0. Against Binance's 198 TradFi perpetuals as the reference set, Gate covers 183; on 2026-09-20 we measured 24-hour notional volume of about 34.6 million USDT for CL (crude oil) and about 11.4 million USDT for MSTR. We have not yet measured HTX's tokenized stocks, so we don't compare them here. Full data: tokenized stock perpetual fee comparison.

Adding a code later and rebinding: neither has a window

Neither exchange has a public way to add a referral code after sign-up, and once a binding is recorded it cannot be changed. The difference is what existing users can do:

HTX: the code goes in at sign-up

On HTX's sign-up page the "Invitation code (optional)" field is collapsed by default; open it and check that it shows FEEOTTER before submitting. If you already have an HTX account without a code, rebind by registering a new account through our signup link; see the HTX rebind guide. Step-by-step: HTX referral code.

Gate: just use a new email

One Gate KYC identity can register up to 5 accounts, so existing users simply sign up again with a new email through our link; the old account can stay. After rebinding, Gate pays 70% in total: 700 USDT back on 1,000 USDT of monthly fees, 500 USDT more than a common 20% code. Full steps: Gate rebind guide for existing users.

Which one should you pick?

• Mostly spot, cost is what matters → Gate. Spot nets 0.035%, about a third of HTX's 0.11%.
• Your assets and pairs already live on HTX → stay, but bind the code FEEOTTER: spot net falls from 0.16% with a common code to 0.11%.
• HTX derivatives are restricted where you live → use HTX for spot only; for futures, Gate's taker net is 0.015%.
• Trading tokenized US stock perpetuals → Gate, where we have measured listings and volumes.
• You use both → bind both. Rebates show in one dashboard.

For the full ranking across all the exchanges we support, see the crypto exchange fee rebate comparison.

Next step: new users can sign up to HTX with our code and sign up to Gate with our code, then bind the UID on Fee Otter; existing Gate users can follow the Gate rebind guide. On 1,000 USDT of monthly fees, that is more than a common 20% code every month: 300 USDT more on HTX and 500 USDT more on Gate.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper, HTX or Gate?

Gate. Spot lists at 0.10% on Gate versus 0.2% on HTX; after binding through Fee Otter, spot nets 0.035% on Gate (0.10% × 35%) and 0.11% on HTX (0.2% × 55%), and futures taker nets 0.015% on Gate and 0.03% on HTX.

Is a referral code worth it with HTX's 0.2% spot fee?

Yes, and the higher the fee, the more it is worth. 100,000 USDT of monthly spot volume costs 200 USDT in fees; a common 20% code returns 40 USDT, while binding through Fee Otter returns 90 USDT, 50 USDT more each month.

What is the HTX referral code?

FEEOTTER. It is filled in automatically when you sign up through the dedicated link.

Can everyone trade HTX futures?

No. HTX's user agreement (updated 2026-09) bars derivatives in several jurisdictions and excludes regions such as Hong Kong and mainland China from all services, so check it for your country.

Can I add a referral code to HTX after signing up?

There is no public way to do so. If your HTX account was opened without a code, rebind by registering a new account through our link: withdrawals work without KYC up to 2 BTC per day, and L1 basic verification makes them unlimited. See the HTX rebind guide.

Do I have to close my old Gate account if it has no code?

No. One Gate KYC identity can register up to 5 accounts, so sign up again with a new email through our link; the old account can stay.

How much more do I get through Fee Otter than with a typical KOL code?

On 1,000 USDT of monthly fees, a common 20% code returns 200 USDT; through Fee Otter, HTX returns 500 USDT and Gate 700 USDT.

ⓘ Rates in this article are for futures; spot: HTX 45%, Gate 65%.

Further reading

• Bybit vs Gate fee rebate comparison
• Rebinding rules across exchanges
• Automatic vs extra rebate explained

This article is for information and research only. It is not investment advice or asset management, and no returns are guaranteed. Fees are standard (VIP 0) list prices; rebate rates follow what the Fee Otter platform shows in real time. HTX and Gate may change their fees and rules; official announcements prevail.