binance.com and binance.us are neither the same website nor the same company. binance.com is the global main site (serving all regions except the US), while binance.us is an independent company registered in the US. Accounts are not shared between the two, and there are significant differences in coins and features. If you don't live in the US, you should go to the Binance Official Site by default; for mobile install the Binance Official App, and iPhone users can follow the iOS Install Guide. This article lays out the differences clearly.
Historical Background: Why Two Sites?
Binance was founded in Shanghai in 2017. In 2019, as US regulation tightened, the global main site stopped serving US residents. In the same year, Binance partnered with the US-based BAM Trading Services to launch binance.us, which obtained MSB licenses in multiple US states on its own. The two are in a brand-licensing partnership, sharing the "Binance" name but operating as legally independent entities.
This is crucial: regulation, custody of funds, listing decisions, and operating teams are all independent on each side. Problems at binance.us don't affect the binance.com global site, and vice versa.
Regulation on Each Side
| Item | binance.com | binance.us |
|---|---|---|
| Registered entity | Multiple overseas subsidiaries | BAM Trading Services Inc. |
| Primary licenses | Licensed locally per region | US FinCEN MSB + state-level licenses |
| Users served | Global (excluding US residents) | US residents only |
| User scale | Hundreds of millions globally | Several million in the US |
| Flagship token BNB | Native support | Supported |
The Three Most Direct Differences
Difference 1: Completely Independent Account Systems
An account registered on binance.com cannot log into binance.us, and vice versa. KYC data, 2FA, API Keys, and asset balances are not shared at all. If you want to use both sites, you must register two independent accounts with different email addresses.
Difference 2: Huge Gap in Coin Count
binance.com supports over 350 cryptocurrencies and 1,400+ trading pairs. binance.us, constrained by US regulation, lists only about 150 coins with roughly 300 trading pairs. Many popular altcoins (especially early-stage Meme coins and new DeFi tokens) simply don't exist on the US site.
Difference 3: Very Different Product Lines
Here's how the two compare on common products:
| Product | binance.com | binance.us |
|---|---|---|
| Spot trading | Supported | Supported |
| USD-M futures | Supported | Not supported |
| Coin-M futures | Supported | Not supported |
| Margin trading | Supported | Partial (some states) |
| Options | Supported | Not supported |
| Dual Investment | Supported | Not supported |
| C2C/P2P | Supported | Not supported |
| Launchpad | Supported | Not supported |
| Earn products | Supported | Mostly Staking |
| NFT marketplace | Supported | Closed |
In short: binance.us only offers compliant spot trading and a few derivatives; other product lines can't be offered under current US law.
Differences in Fees and Deposits/Withdrawals
Fees
binance.com standard spot fee is 0.1% maker/taker, or 0.075% with BNB discount. binance.us standard fee is around 0.4%, or 0.3% with BNB discount — noticeably more expensive overall. Both have VIP tier discounts, but the thresholds differ.
Deposits and Withdrawals
- binance.com: 80+ fiat channels globally, supports P2P, credit cards, third-party payments, SEPA, SWIFT, and more
- binance.us: mainly USD ACH, Wire Transfer, and USD Debit Card — US-based bank accounts only
Even if a non-US user somehow registers on binance.us, deposits won't go through (banks reject ACH from non-US accounts).
Which Site Should You Use?
The decision logic is actually simple:
- Living in mainland China, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, or Africa: use binance.com global main site
- US citizens or green card holders physically in the US: must use binance.us; using binance.com triggers risk control
- Holding a US visa for a short stay: don't register on the US site — use mobile 4G + global site
- Need futures, options, or advanced Earn products: only the global site supports them; the US site does not
Can One Person Open Accounts on Both?
Theoretically yes, but you can't activate both accounts on the same IP. binance.com explicitly prohibits US residents from registering — if you fill US as your region, registration will be rejected. Conversely, binance.us requires users to be US residents with a US Social Security Number (SSN); non-US users won't pass KYC.
Are the iPhone and Android Apps Different Apps?
Yes. The Binance apps on the App Store and Google Play are actually two separate apps:
- "Binance: Buy Bitcoin & Crypto" → corresponds to the binance.com global site
- "Binance.US" → corresponds to the US site
Check the name and developer before downloading: the global site's developer is "Binance Inc.," and the US site's is "BAM Trading Services Inc." Installing the wrong one returns "Not available in your region."
FAQ
I'm Chinese but Studying in the US — Which Do I Use?
If you're in the US, use binance.us, because binance.com rejects service requests from US-based IPs. Using binance.us requires a US SSN and a US bank account; without those, you temporarily can't use a crypto exchange — use binance.com after returning home.
Is BNB the Same Token on Both Sites?
The BNB token itself is a unified ERC-20/BEP-20 asset, but the two sites don't support direct internal transfers. To move it from one site to the other, you have to use an on-chain withdrawal (receive address, wait for confirmations, pay gas fees) — same as sending to any external wallet.
Some News Says Binance Has Been Penalized by Regulators — Which Side?
Over the past few years, both sides have had regulatory events of varying severity. The US site faced CFTC and SEC lawsuits in 2023, some of which have been settled; the global site has undergone compliance overhauls in multiple jurisdictions. When reading the news, note which entity it concerns — don't attribute one side's issues to the other.
Can I Use the binance.us App in China?
Technically you can download and open it, but during registration you must fill in a US address and SSN — without those, you can't register at all. There's no realistic way for non-US residents to use binance.us.
How Do I Know Which One I'm Logged Into?
Check the root domain in your browser's address bar: binance.com is the global site, binance.us is the US site. On the mobile App, check the icon and name — the one with "US" in it is the US version; without it is global.