This is a real trade-off rather than a winner. MEXC is four times cheaper at 0.05% taker against Gate.io’s 0.20%. Gate.io’s PEPE book is roughly nine times deeper and it holds a MiCA licence.
If you are in the EU or EEA, it is not a choice: MEXC has no MiCA licence and is not authorised to serve you. Gate.io is.
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| MEXC | Gate.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker / taker fee | 0% / 0.05% | 0.20% / 0.20% |
| Cost on a $1,000 market order | $0.50 | $2.00 |
| 24h PEPE spot volume | $0.56M | $5.34M |
| EU (MiCA licence) | None | Yes |
| PEPE pairs | EUR, USDT, USDC, USD1 | USD, USDT, USDC |
| Listed assets | 2,000+ | 4,800+ |
| Verification to start trading | Light, with withdrawal limits | Full KYC |
| PEPE perpetual futures | Yes | Yes |
| United States | No | No |
| Founded | 2018 | 2013 |
MEXC saves you 0.15% against Gate.io — about $1.50 on a $1,000 order. Gate.io gives you a book
roughly 9.5× deeper. Which matters more depends entirely on your order size relative to those
markets.
| Order size | Fee saving on MEXC | Share of MEXC’s daily PEPE volume | Better choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200 | $0.30 | 0.04% | MEXC — slippage negligible either way |
| $1,000 | $1.50 | 0.18% | MEXC, marginally |
| $5,000 | $7.50 | 0.9% | Roughly even; depends on the book that day |
| $25,000 | $37.50 | 4.5% | Gate.io — slippage would swamp the saving |
The rule of thumb: below about a thousand dollars, take MEXC’s fee. Above a few thousand, take Gate.io’s
depth. And if you are trading anything approaching a percent of daily turnover, neither is ideal —
OKX is nearly 17× deeper than MEXC at a 0.10% fee.
MEXC holds no MiCA licence, so since 1 July 2026 it is not authorised to serve EU or EEA residents. Its
site loads in a European browser and it lists a PEPE/EUR pair, but neither of those constitutes lawful access — the
obligation sits on the platform, and the practical result is that you should not be building a position there. Gate.io holds
a CASP licence and can serve you. See our MiCA guide.
Our verdict. Gate.io if you are in the EU (where MEXC is not an option), or if you trade more
than a few thousand dollars at a time, or if you want the wider catalogue. MEXC if you are outside the EU,
buying small amounts, and optimising purely for fees. Honestly though, for PEPE specifically both are beaten by OKX, which
is cheaper than Gate.io and vastly deeper than MEXC.
It depends on size and location. MEXC is four times cheaper at 0.05% taker versus 0.20%, but Gate.io’s PEPE book is about 9.5 times deeper at $5.34M against $0.56M. Below roughly $1,000 the fee wins; above a few thousand the depth does. In the EU, only Gate.io is licensed.
Gate.io holds a MiCA CASP licence and can serve EU customers. MEXC has no MiCA licence, so it is not authorised to serve EU or EEA residents after 1 July 2026 – even though it lists a PEPE/EUR pair and its site still loads in Europe.
MEXC, substantially: 0% maker and 0.05% taker against Gate.io’s flat 0.20%. On a $1,000 order that is 50 cents versus $2.00. The caveat is that MEXC’s thinner order book can cost more in slippage than the $1.50 saved once orders get large.
For PEPE specifically, OKX beats both: cheaper than Gate.io at 0.08% / 0.10%, and about 17 times deeper than MEXC at $9.10M of daily volume, with a MiCA licence and direct USD and EUR pairs. MEXC and Gate.io make sense for their fee floor and catalogue breadth respectively, not for PEPE alone.