Top Brokers For Perpetual Futures In 2026

Looking for the best broker for trading perpetual futures? After we opened trading accounts, specifically evaluated their perps, and assigned them ratings, these trading platforms came out on top in our tests.

Written By
Michael MacKenzie

Fact Checked By
Royston Wild

Edited By
William Berg

Updated
July 27, 2026

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Your capital is at risk. Trade only with funds you can afford to lose.

Tested with a live trading account Accept traders from United States

Our Top Pick in USA 1

Compare OKX and Crypto.com Details

Showing 4 of 4 matching brokers

1

OKX

4.1/5 our rating

Available in United States Not available in United States

Rating breakdown

Regulation & Trust 2.8

Assets & Markets 4.5

Fees & Costs 4.0

Platforms & Tools 3.8

Customer Support 2.5

Education 3.5

Research 3.0

Accounts & Banking 3.5

Visit OKX Read Review

OKX provides a wide range of perpetual futures, including USDT-margined swaps for major markets like BTC and ETH. In May 2026, it launched pre-IPO futures for SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Fees are competitive, with standard futures costing about 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers, with funding usually exchanged every 8 hours. Signing up and logging in were complicated during testing due to many security steps, but the app and platform worked well for futures once we chose 'futures' from the top menu and analyzed prices with the visible order book data and advanced charting tools.

Demo Account
✓

Minimum Deposit
10 USDT

Minimum Trade
Variable

Leverage
✗

Copy Trading
✗

Regulator
FinCEN, VARA

Instruments
Spot, Futures, Swaps, Options, X-Perps

Platforms
AlgoTrader, Quantower

Account Currencies
USD, EUR, GBP, INR, JPY, SGD, RUB, AED, SAR

Automated Trading
✓

AI
✓

Guaranteed Stop Loss
✗
2

Crypto.com

3.5/5 our rating

Available in United States Not available in United States

Rating breakdown

Regulation & Trust 3.9

Assets & Markets 4.0

Fees & Costs 3.3

Platforms & Tools 4.0

Customer Support 2.5

Education 3.8

Research 3.8

Accounts & Banking 3.8

Visit Crypto.com Read Review

Crypto.com provides one of the best apps for trading perpetual futures. Despite initial issues with error messages during sign-up, the trading experience was excellent once accessed. It offers BTCUSD-style perpetuals in USD and various TradFi assets like gold, silver, crude oil, and natural gas. US index ETF perps such as SPY and QQQ, along with pre-IPO contracts on OpenAI, Anthropic, and SpaceX, are also available. The fees are among the lowest, especially during promotions like the 2026 offer with 0% maker fees and taker fees starting from 0.02%. TradingView charts offer tools for in-depth analysis of short-term price movements.

Demo Account
✗

Minimum Deposit
Varies by payment method

Minimum Trade
$1

Leverage
✗

Copy Trading
✗

Regulator
MAS, AMF, CySEC, CBI, ASIC, FINTRAC, CIMA, VARA, OAM, HCMC, CFTC, OSC, KoFIU, FCA (registered for MLR only), SEC (securities only)

Instruments
Crypto, Stocks, ETFs, OTC Options, Tokenized Stocks, Prediction Markets and Strike Options (US only)

Platforms
Own, TradingView

Account Currencies
USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, ZAR, TRY, SEK, NOK, DKK, CHF, HKD, PLN, CZK, AED, SAR, HUF, BRL, KES

Automated Trading
DCA Auto-Staking

AI
✗

Guaranteed Stop Loss
✗
3

Kraken

3.9/5 our rating

Available in United States Not available in United States

Rating breakdown

Regulation & Trust 3.0

Assets & Markets 3.8

Fees & Costs 3.9

Platforms & Tools 3.5

Customer Support 3.8

Education 3.0

Research 1.5

Accounts & Banking 3.8

Visit Kraken Read Review

Kraken offers a wide range of perpetual futures with over 300 assets like crypto tokens and pre-IPO stocks. You can leverage up to 50x on these perpetuals, with quick execution for easy exits at target prices. We found buying a perpetual contract simple: download the app with a QR code, select ‘Perps,’ choose an asset like SOL, enter the amount in fiat or crypto, and set the leverage. You can cash out of your position with one tap.

Demo Account
✓

Minimum Deposit
$10

Minimum Trade
Variable

Leverage
✗

Copy Trading
✗

Regulator
FINTRAC, AUSTRAC, CySEC, CBI

Instruments
Cryptos, xStocks, Pre-IPO Perpetual Futures

Platforms
Kraken App, Kraken Pro, Kraken Futures, AlgoTrader, Quantower

Account Currencies
USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, CHF

Automated Trading
Kraken Futures is integrated in other platforms which have bots: Bookmap, Caspian, FMZ Quant, Gunbot, HaasOnline, Hyndor, Margin

AI
✗

Guaranteed Stop Loss
✗
4

Coinbase

3.5/5 our rating

Available in United States Not available in United States

Rating breakdown

Regulation & Trust 3.5

Assets & Markets 4.3

Fees & Costs 3.5

Platforms & Tools 4.0

Customer Support 2.5

Education 3.8

Research 2.3

Accounts & Banking 4.3

Visit Coinbase Read Review
This post contains affiliate links, and this website will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking the links.

Coinbase offers over 180 perpetual futures, fewer than some other providers. However, it has one of the most user-friendly platforms and apps, making it easy for new users to manage trades. It provides useful social data on individual perps, like the number and value of open contracts. The entry barrier is low, with just 1/100th of a Bitcoin needed for a BTC perpetual and a 0.0009% funding rate.

Demo Account
✗

Minimum Deposit
$0

Minimum Trade
$2

Leverage
✗

Copy Trading
✗

Regulator
CSSF, CBI, CySEC, BaFin, MAS, OSC, ASIC, BMA

Instruments
Crypto, Stocks, ETFs (US only), Pre-IPO Perpetual Futures (non-US)

Platforms
Coinbase, Advanced Trade, Wallet, NFT, TradingView

Account Currencies
USD, EUR

Automated Trading
Algo trading via Coinbase Advanced API

AI
✓

Guaranteed Stop Loss
✗

Perpetual Futures Brokers Compared

Review the features available to support perp traders:

Broker	USD Account	Margin Trading	Regulator	Crypto Spread
	✓	✓	FinCEN, VARA	Variable
	✓	✓	MAS, AMF, CySEC, CBI, ASIC, FINTRAC, CIMA, VARA, OAM, HCMC, CFTC, OSC, KoFIU, FCA (registered for MLR only), SEC (securities only)	0.075% (spot), 0.034% (derivatives)
	✓	✓	FINTRAC, AUSTRAC, CySEC, CBI	0-0.26% average
	✓	✗	CSSF, CBI, CySEC, BaFin, MAS, OSC, ASIC, BMA	0.5% - 1% (BTC)
Broker	USD Account	Margin Trading	Regulator	Crypto Spread

Broker Details Comparison

Broker	Demo Account	Minimum Deposit	Minimum Trade	Leverage	Assets	Platforms
	✓	10 USDT	Variable	✗	Spot, Futures, Swaps, Options, X-Perps	AlgoTrader, Quantower
	✗	Varies by payment method	$1	✗	Crypto, Stocks, ETFs, OTC Options, Tokenized Stocks, Prediction Markets and Strike Options (US only)	Own, TradingView
	✓	$10	Variable	✗	Cryptos, xStocks, Pre-IPO Perpetual Futures	Kraken App, Kraken Pro, Kraken Futures, AlgoTrader, Quantower
	✗	$0	$2	✗	Crypto, Stocks, ETFs (US only), Pre-IPO Perpetual Futures (non-US)	Coinbase, Advanced Trade, Wallet, NFT, TradingView
Broker	Demo Account	Minimum Deposit	Minimum Trade	Leverage	Assets	Platforms

Safety Comparison

Compare how safe the Top Brokers For Perpetual Futures In 2026 are.

Broker	Trust Rating	Guaranteed Stop Loss	Negative Balance Protection	Segregated Accounts
	2.8	✗	✗	✗
	3.9	✗	✗	✓
	3.0	✗	✗	✓
	3.5	✗	✗	✓
Broker	Trust Rating	Guaranteed Stop Loss	Negative Balance Protection	Segregated Accounts

Mobile Trading Comparison

Compare the mobile trading features of the Top Brokers For Perpetual Futures In 2026.

Broker	Mobile Apps	iOS Rating	Android Rating	Smart Watch App
	Android & iOS	4.6	4.3	✗
	iOS & Android	4.7	4.5	✗
	✓	4.7	4.2	✗
	iOS & Android	4.7	4.0	✗
Broker	Mobile Apps	iOS Rating	Android Rating	Smart Watch App

Comparison for Beginners

Compare how suitable the Top Brokers For Perpetual Futures In 2026 are for beginners.

Broker	Demo Account	Minimum Deposit	Minimum Trade	Education Rating	Support Rating	Fractional Shares	Demo Competitions
	✓	10 USDT	Variable	3.5	2.5	✗	✗
	✗	Varies by payment method	$1	3.8	2.5	✗	✗
	✓	$10	Variable	3.0	3.8	✗	✗
	✗	$0	$2	3.8	2.5	✗	✗
Broker	Demo Account	Minimum Deposit	Minimum Trade	Education Rating	Support Rating	Fractional Shares	Demo Competitions

Comparison for Advanced Traders

Compare how suitable the Top Brokers For Perpetual Futures In 2026 are for advanced or professional traders.

Broker	Automated Trading	VPS	API	AI	Pro Account	Leverage	Low Latency	Extended Hours
	✓	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
	DCA Auto-Staking	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
	Kraken Futures is integrated in other platforms which have bots: Bookmap, Caspian, FMZ Quant, Gunbot, HaasOnline, Hyndor, Margin	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗
	Algo trading via Coinbase Advanced API	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
Broker	Automated Trading	VPS	API	AI	Pro Account	Leverage	Low Latency	Extended Hours

Accounts Comparison

Compare the trading accounts offered by Top Brokers For Perpetual Futures In 2026.

Broker	Demo Account	Interest on Cash	Islamic Account	Joint Account	Managed Account	PAMM	MAM	LAMM	Pro Account
	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
	✗	USD: 5%	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Broker	Demo Account	Interest on Cash	Islamic Account	Joint Account	Managed Account	PAMM	MAM	LAMM	Pro Account

Ratings Of The Best Perp Futures Brokers Compared

See how our leading perp trading platforms scored in core testing categories:

Broker	Trust	Platforms	Assets	Mobile	Fees	Accounts	Research	Education	Support
	2.8	3.8	4.5	4.5	4.0	3.5	3.0	3.5	2.5
	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.6	3.3	3.8	3.8	3.8	2.5
	3.0	3.5	3.8	4.5	3.9	3.8	1.5	3.0	3.8
	3.5	4.0	4.3	4.4	3.5	4.3	2.3	3.8	2.5
Broker	Trust	Platforms	Assets	Mobile	Fees	Accounts	Research	Education	Support

Fee and Cost Comparison

Compare the cost of trading with the Top Brokers For Perpetual Futures In 2026.

Broker	Cost Rating	Fixed Spreads	Inactivity Fee	EUR/USD Spread	Crypto Spread
	4.0	✗	$0	✗	Variable
	3.3	✗	$5	✗	0.075% (spot), 0.034% (derivatives)
	3.9	✗	$0	✗	0-0.26% average
	3.5	✗	$0	✗	0.5% - 1% (BTC)
Broker	Cost Rating	Fixed Spreads	Inactivity Fee	EUR/USD Spread	Crypto Spread

Customer Ratings

Compare how customers of these brokers feel about them, with real user ratings from Trustpilot, the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Broker	Customers	Trustpilot Score	Trustpilot Reviews	Android App Rating	iOS App Rating
	50,000,000	2.4	1,784	4.3	4.6
	150,000,000	2.0	9,458	4.5	4.7
	15,000,000	3.2	9,305	4.2	4.7
	108,000,000	4.0	23,275	4.0	4.7
Broker	Customers	Trustpilot Score	Trustpilot Reviews	Android App Rating	iOS App Rating

How Popular Are The Best Perpetual Futures Brokers?

Find out how many traders have already chosen these providers:

Broker	Popularity
Crypto.com	150,000,000
Coinbase	108,000,000
OKX	50,000,000
Kraken	15,000,000

Why Trade With OKX?

4.1/5

OKX is a preferred choice for traders seeking new cryptocurrencies and projects for investment. Traders can benefit from its copy trading feature and automated bots.

Christian Harris
Review Author

Pros

OKX serves 50 million clients worldwide and is licensed by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.
A wide range of blockchain products, including DeFi services, NFTs, games, and 400+ established and emerging coins
In 2025, OKX obtained a MiFID II license, allowing it to offer regulated derivatives products in Europe, ensuring confidence.

Cons

The broker's platform and features might be hard to understand for new traders.
The firm has limited regulatory oversight, which is common for crypto exchanges.
Customer support quality varied during testing.

Visit OKX Read Review

Why Trade With Crypto.com?

3.5/5

Crypto.com is ideal for new crypto traders looking to buy, sell, and trade over 400 digital tokens. Its strike options and prediction markets cover financial, economic, election, sport, and cultural events. As a CFTC-regulated platform, it provides a secure choice for US traders interested in binary-style contracts using an easy-to-use app.

Jemma Grist
Review Author

Pros

Crypto.com now offers over 9,000 stocks and ETFs in some regions, helping traders diversify across sectors.
The platform tracks cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, prediction markets, and tokenized Wall Street stocks in one interface, making multi-asset management and insights easier.
In 2026, Crypto.com introduced BTC Rewards for the Crypto.com Visa Signature® Credit Card, targeting crypto enthusiasts who trade and spend in cryptocurrency.

Cons

Customer support mainly uses chatbots and email, with limited reliable phone support from our testing. This may cause delays in solving urgent issues like account access or transaction problems, which can be frustrating for crypto traders needing quick help.
The app has high bid-ask spreads on many coins, which can be expensive for traders using market orders. Wide spreads mean the buying price is significantly higher than the selling price, reducing profits, especially in low-volume trades.
Fees apply to crypto and fiat withdrawals, which can be significant for active traders making smaller transfers. The minimum withdrawal limits are also high, limiting flexibility in managing smaller portfolios or immediate liquidity needs.

Visit Crypto.com Read Review

Why Trade With Kraken?

3.9/5

Kraken is suitable for traders seeking a variety of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, and a strong history of security.

Christian Harris
Review Author

Pros

Enjoy low trading fees on Kraken Pro.
3D secure required
Kraken Pro offers perpetual futures through a CFTC-regulated platform.

Cons

Low leverage on spot trading
Pro account's verification process is slow.
Does not support many newer altcoins

Visit Kraken Read Review

Why Trade With Coinbase?

3.5/5

Coinbase is great for beginners who want an easy-to-use platform to buy and sell various cryptocurrencies, with strong security and regulatory compliance. However, its fees are higher than competitors in our tests, and it’s less suited for short-term traders.

Christian Harris
Review Author

Pros

Users can automatically direct their paycheck into USDC or other cryptocurrencies, with a daily deposit limit of $200,000.
Coinbase, listed on Nasdaq, complies with strict financial regulations and is licensed in the US, UK, and Europe. It offers security features like FDIC insurance for USD balances (up to $250,000) and two-factor authentication (2FA).
Coinbase Advanced now integrates TradingView, a rare feature for crypto exchanges, enabling users to trade spot and futures markets directly from real-time charts with advanced technical analysis tools.

Cons

Advanced Trade provides TradingView charts but lacks research tools like news feeds, economic calendars, and AI market insights.
Crypto fees are high based on tests, especially when compared to competitors like Kraken and BitMEX, particularly on the regular trading platform.
Customer support is frustrating during testing because most help options require login, making it difficult for locked-out users or those without accounts to get assistance.

Visit Coinbase Read Review

This post contains affiliate links, and this website will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking the links.

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Filters

Methodology

We went through every broker in our evolving directory and checked whether they offered perpetual futures contracts. For those that did, we opened accounts to test and evaluate the perps, considering the breadth of contracts, fees, tools, and security features. We then rated and ranked every provider to list the top perp trading brokers.

How To Compare Perpetual Futures Brokers

Every perp trader has slightly different needs and interests. To help narrow your search, focus on these five key areas:

Costs: Many traders and brokers focus on the commission, but a core cost of trading perpetual futures is the funding rate. These are periodic payments that go between longs and shorts to keep the contract in pace with spot prices. A broker may advertise no commission on perps, but their funding process may still bleed your account over days and weeks.
Liquidity: We’ve seen some brokers advertise high trading volumes, but really look for market depth of 2% (the volume of resting orders close to the mid-price). Thin order books can cause slippage in perp trades, which is especially important for big positions using leverage because if they go through at unfavorable prices, that can erode any ‘cheap fees’.
Contracts: Check if a provider offers linear contracts (collateralized in stablecoins like USDT) and inverse contracts (collateralized in the underlying crypto). If you go long on an inverse contract in a down market, this can trigger a double-loss: your position loses value, and your collateral simultaneously depreciates.
Trust: This is vital, because firstly, perpetuals remain a fairly new class of futures contracts. But also because they’re often offered by crypto exchanges from our investigations, which, as a class of trading providers, have experienced their fair share of hacks and security issues, plus regulatory scrutiny. If they’re crypto-focused platforms, check for proof of reserves to get some confidence that your collateral exists and is protected.
Tools: Perps are generally traded with leverage by experienced traders requiring advanced order types. Examples of orders to look for include Reduce-Only orders (prevents you from accidentally opening opposite positions when stops trigger) and Post-Only orders (guarantees maker rebates and avoid taker fee traps). Access to an API can also help with efficient execution.

Ultimately, in our tests, we saw that brokers with the lowest headline commission may not be the cheapest overall because recurring funding and slow or poor execution can cost more than the transaction fee.

Why The Rise In Perp Futures?

We’ve watched a wave of CFD providers, crypto exchanges, and prediction market platforms roll out perpetual futures contracts in recent years, with Kraken, Coinbase and Pepperstone adding them in June and July of 2026 alone.

There are two reasons for the rise of perps:

US regulations: In May 2026, the CFTC came out to approve the first perpetual futures contracts, enabling regulated venues in the US to start rolling them out.
24/7 trading: Brokerages are increasingly looking to give hungry retail traders opportunities to trade around the clock, so where traditional futures close on weekends, perps are being used to provide additional trading opportunities.

The Real Cost Of Holding A Perpetual Future

Fees when dealing with perps can be complex. To bring it to life, let’s look at an example…

I decide to open a $10,000 BTC perpetual position, taking a long trade. My broker charged a 0.05% taker fee, and the current funding rate is 0.01% every eight hours. To keep this realistic, let’s also factor in a minor 0.02% ($2.00) bid-ask spread and execution slippage cost upon entry.

Here is how the true cost of holding this position for exactly 24 hours comes out:

Opening Fee: $10,000 × 0.05% = $5.00
Estimated Daily Funding Cost: Over 24 hours, funding is settled 3 times. Since I am long and the funding rate is positive (+0.01% per interval), I must pay the shorts.
Calculation: $10,000 × (0.01% × 3) = $3.00
Slippage/Spread: $2.00
Closing Fee: $10,000 × 0.05% = $5.00
Approximate Total Cost (1 Day): $5.00 (open) + $5.00 (close) + $2.00 (slippage) + $3.00 (funding paid) = $15.00

The Formula

To calculate the overall potential overheads on any perpetual position, we can use this basic formula:

Estimated Total Cost = Opening Fee + Closing Fee + Spread/Slippage ± Funding Payments

Perp funding is highly dynamic. If bearish sentiment takes over and the perpetual price drops below the actual spot price of e.g. Bitcoin, the funding rate can turn negative (e.g., -0.01% every eight hours). Because I am still holding my long position, the mechanics flip: instead of paying, I now receive funding from the short traders.

Adjusted Daily Funding: -$3.00 (credited directly to my margin balance)
Adjusted Total Cost (1 Day): $5.00 (open) + $5.00 (close) + $2.00 (slippage) – $3.00 (funding received) = $9.00