They are not the same. binance.com is Binance's global main site, operated by Binance Holdings Ltd; binance.us is an independent compliance sub-site specifically serving US users, operated by BAM Trading Services Inc. (brand name Binance.US). The two have non-interoperable accounts, different coin listings, and different futures rules. Users in Mainland China, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, and Southeast Asia use the main site binance.com on a daily basis, while only US identity users use binance.us. To register for the main site, enter through the Binance Official Site; get the Android APK from the Binance Official App; for iOS US App Store installs, see the Download Center. This article lays out the 6 categories of differences.
The 6 Most Critical Differences
Different Operating Entities
| Item | binance.com | binance.us |
|---|---|---|
| Brand name | Binance | Binance.US |
| Operating company | Binance Holdings Ltd | BAM Trading Services Inc. |
| Registration location | Cayman Islands / Malta / UAE | Delaware, USA |
| First CEO | CZ (Changpeng Zhao, has stepped down) | Brian Shroder (former) |
| Founded | July 2017 | September 2019 |
The two companies have a licensing/partnership relationship, not a parent/subsidiary relationship. Binance.US gets brand and tech licensing from Binance but operates independently — independent operations, independent regulation, independent financials.
Account Systems Are Not Interoperable
An account registered on binance.com cannot log in to binance.us, and vice versa. To use both sites, you must register two separate accounts:
- Main site account email = US site account email is allowed (the same email can be used to register on both sites separately)
- Two separate KYC processes are required
- Two separate 2FA bindings are required
- Assets cannot be internally transferred between the two sites; only on-chain withdrawals (with miner fees) work
Different Target User Groups
| Dimension | binance.com | binance.us |
|---|---|---|
| Serves | Global users outside the US | US identities only |
| KYC documents | Passport / ID card | US SSN + driver's license / passport |
| Supported languages | 40+ | English primarily |
| Registration requirements | 18+ | 18+ and in a US compliant state |
| Prohibited states | None | Hawaii, New York, Vermont, Texas, etc. |
US users accessing binance.com are automatically blocked and redirected to binance.us — this is a compliance requirement.
Huge Difference in Coin Listings
The main site binance.com lists 400+ spot trading pairs and 200+ futures trading pairs. The US site binance.us, limited by the SEC and state securities laws, lists only about 150 spot pairs, and in 2023-2024 successively delisted AVAX, MATIC, SOL, ADA, ATOM, SAND and other tokens the SEC deemed "securities."
Comparison of common coin coverage:
| Coin | binance.com | binance.us |
|---|---|---|
| BTC | Yes | Yes |
| ETH | Yes | Yes |
| USDT | Yes | Yes |
| USDC | Yes | Yes |
| BNB | Yes | Yes (suspended in 2023, later restored) |
| SOL | Yes | Delisted 2023 |
| ADA | Yes | Delisted 2023 |
| MATIC | Yes | Delisted 2023 |
| XRP | Yes | Yes (restored after the US victory) |
Futures Business Differences
The main site binance.com offers perpetual futures, delivery futures, and options with up to 125x leverage; the US site binance.us has no derivatives at all, only spot trading and fiat channels. This is because the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has extremely high licensing requirements for crypto derivatives, and Binance US still has not obtained one.
Fees and Fiat Channels
| Item | binance.com | binance.us |
|---|---|---|
| Spot default fee | 0.1% | 0.4% (4x higher) |
| With BNB discount | 0.075% | 0.32% |
| Fiat channels | USD/EUR/GBP and other wire transfers | USD only, supports ACH / wire / debit card |
| Fiat deposit/withdraw | Mostly free | ACH free, wire $15 |
| Minimum withdrawal | By coin | By coin, generally higher than the main site |
US site fees are clearly higher — the reason being compliance cost and reserve audit requirements.
Should Chinese Users Use binance.us
Not Recommended
For users in Mainland China, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and other Asian regions, registering binance.us is almost meaningless:
- Registration requires a US SSN (Social Security Number) — without a US identity, you can't even register
- Even if you managed to register, there are fewer coins, higher fees, and no futures
- Fiat channels only support USD; Chinese bank cards can't use ACH
- When your IP isn't in the US, your account may be frozen by risk controls
The Main Site binance.com Is the Default Choice
For users without a US identity, the only correct choice is binance.com:
- Registration supports Mainland China phone numbers and emails
- KYC supports Mainland China ID cards, HK/Macau/Taiwan IDs, and passports
- Supports RMB C2C (Alipay / WeChat Pay / bank card)
- 400+ coins, complete futures and financial products
- 0.1% spot fee, or 0.075% with the BNB discount
FAQ
Q1: I have BTC on binance.com. Can I transfer it directly to binance.us
No internal transfer. The two platforms are independent companies, so the only option is on-chain withdrawal: initiate a BTC withdrawal on binance.com → fill in binance.us's BTC deposit address → wait for 2 block confirmations to credit. Miner fees come out of your own pocket — BTC network fees are generally 2-10 USDT equivalent.
Q2: I registered an old account on binance.com with my US identity. Can I still use it
Very likely no. From 2019-2023, Binance screened US identity users step by step based on IP + KYC address, and such accounts on the main site were required to migrate to binance.us or be closed. If you log in to your main site account now and see a "No longer supports US users" notice, your account has been restricted — withdrawal only, no trading.
Q3: Is binance.us safe — could it run away
binance.us is regulated by state Money Transmitter Business (MSB) licenses in the US and is also a FinCEN-registered entity with monthly reserve audit reports. Its security meets US fiat exchange industry standards, but liquidity, depth, and coin variety are far below the main site.
Q4: Are the API keys of the two platforms interoperable
Not interoperable. API keys are bound to specific accounts. binance.com keys can only call main site APIs; binance.us keys can only call US site APIs. Quant programs that need to connect to both platforms must apply for separate keys and configure separate endpoints.
Q5: Does Binance plan to launch independent sites for other countries
Possibly. Over the past few years, Binance has launched binance.com.au (Australia), binance.co.jp (Japan), binance.fr (France), binance.ae (Dubai), binance.bh (Bahrain), and other local compliance versions. This is an inevitable choice under the trend of tightening regulation, but the main site binance.com remains the global core entry and won't be replaced by regional sub-sites.