3Commas vs Cryptohopper vs Bitsgap vs unCoded: The Honest Trading Bot Comparison 2026
By Tommy Tietze
By Tommy Tietze, CEO of ArrowTrade AG
Transparency note: unCoded is our own product. This comparison is written as honestly as possible regardless, including the points where the competition is better than us. We believe a fair comparison builds more trust than a polished one.
If you search for a trading bot in 2026, you quickly land on the same four or five names. Most comparisons online are affiliate-driven and rank by commission, not by substance. What's missing is a comparison that calculates the actual costs over 12 months, takes the custody question seriously, and honestly says which bot is right for whom.
That's this article.
The Comparison Criteria
Before we dive into the individual bots, here are the seven criteria we compare by. They're sorted by importance for long-term use, not by marketing relevance.
Custody model:
Where is your API key stored? Who potentially has access?
Hosting:
Cloud (provider's servers) or self-hosted (your server)?
Pricing:
What do you actually pay over 12 months?
Strategies:
Which trading strategies are available?
Exchanges:
Which exchanges are supported?
Security:
What protection mechanisms exist?
Support and community:
What happens when something doesn't work?
3Commas
3Commas is the market leader with over 2 million users and one of the oldest platforms in the space (founded 2017). The platform supports 14 exchanges and offers DCA bots, grid bots, copy trading, and a SmartTrade terminal for manual trading.
Custody and hosting: Cloud-based. Your API key sits on 3Commas servers. You don't need your own server. The platform experienced an API key leak in 2022, where user keys were compromised. 3Commas has since rebuilt its security architecture, but the incident remains in the community's collective memory.
Pricing: Subscription model. Free plan (heavily restricted), Pro plan starting at 59 USD/month, Expert plan starting at 79 USD/month, Custom plan for large portfolios. Over 12 months on the Pro plan: 708 USD.
Strategies: DCA bots, grid bots, HODL bots, copy trading (marketplace with other users' strategies), SmartTrade (manual with automation features). No HFT, no micro-trading.
Strengths:
Largest user base in the market, active community
Broad exchange support (14 exchanges)
Copy trading as a low-effort entry point
Extensive documentation and tutorials
Mobile app
Weaknesses:
API key stored on third-party servers (cloud custody)
API key leak in 2022 (security incident)
Subscription model: you pay even in losing months
No self-hosted option
No HFT or micro-trading
Best for: Beginners and intermediate users who prioritize convenience, use multiple exchanges, and want to trade with DCA or grid strategies. Anyone who wants to start quickly and is willing to store their API key in the cloud.
Cryptohopper
Cryptohopper was founded in 2017 in Amsterdam and has over 1 million users. The platform positions itself as a strategy marketplace with a strong focus on copy trading and AI-powered signals.
Custody and hosting: Cloud-based. Your API key sits on Cryptohopper's servers.
Pricing: Subscription model. Pioneer (free, very limited), Explorer starting at 29 USD/month, Adventurer starting at 49 USD/month, Hero starting at 99 USD/month. Over 12 months on the Adventurer plan: 588 USD.
Strategies: DCA bots, grid bots, third-party signals (marketplace), AI-powered trading signals, copy trading, strategy designer (visual editor). No HFT.
Strengths:
Strategy marketplace with hundreds of pre-built strategies
Visual strategy designer (no programming skills required)
Backtest function in the browser
Paper trading for risk-free testing
Media presence (Bloomberg, Forbes, CoinDesk)
Weaknesses:
Cloud custody (API key on provider servers)
Subscription even in losing months
Marketplace strategies are often below average (no quality gate)
AI signals are a black box without traceable methodology
No self-hosted option
Best for: Users who want to copy ready-made strategies without developing their own. Anyone who uses the marketplace for inspiration and is willing to pay extra for other traders' signals.
Bitsgap
Bitsgap was founded in 2018, is registered in Dubai, and claims over 800,000 users and 4.7 million bots created. The platform positions itself as a multi-bot portfolio management tool with an AI assistant.
Custody and hosting: Cloud-based. API key on Bitsgap's servers.
Pricing: Subscription model. Basic starting at 25 EUR/month, Advanced starting at 59 EUR/month, Pro starting at 128 EUR/month. Over 12 months on the Advanced plan: approximately 768 USD.
Strategies: DCA bots, grid bots, futures bots (with leverage), combo bots (DCA + grid combined), AI assistant for bot configuration. No HFT.
Strengths:
Combo bot concept (DCA + grid combined) is unique
AI assistant for bot configuration
Portfolio management across multiple exchanges
659 Trustpilot reviews (4.0/5)
Futures trading for advanced users
Weaknesses:
Cloud custody
Subscription regardless of performance
Futures trading with leverage significantly increases risk (liquidation danger)
Dubai registration offers less regulatory security than EU or Switzerland
Most expensive provider in this comparison (Advanced plan)
Best for: Advanced traders who want to combine DCA and grid and appreciate futures trading as an additional option. Anyone managing an extensive portfolio across multiple exchanges.
unCoded
unCoded is developed by ArrowTrade AG in Brig, Switzerland. The software is a self-hosted spot trading bot for Binance with a profit-sharing pricing model. The product specializes in micro-trading (many small trades per day) and operates exclusively on the spot market.
Custody and hosting: Self-hosted. The bot runs on your own VPS. Your API key never leaves your server. Non-custodial in the strictest sense: no third party stores your credentials.
Pricing: Profit-sharing. 30% on realized profits (standard), 20% with community bonus. No monthly subscription. If the bot earns nothing, you pay nothing. Plus VPS costs (approximately 7-15 EUR/month). Test license: 25 USD.
Strategies: Micro-trading and micro-DCA. Specialized in high-frequency small trades on the spot market. The bot only sells positions when they're in the profit zone. No futures, no leverage, no grid in the classical sense.
Strengths:
Only commercial self-hosted bot with profit-sharing
Non-custodial: API key stays on your server
Spot-only: no liquidation risk from leverage
Profit-sharing: you only pay on success
Swiss AG with an identifiable team
Web dashboard (live since Feb 2026) for configuration and monitoring
Every trade transparently traceable
Weaknesses:
Only Binance as an exchange (no multi-exchange support)
Self-hosted requires a VPS (setup effort approximately 1-3 hours)
No copy trading, no strategy marketplace
Smaller community than 3Commas or Cryptohopper
No futures trading (a feature for some, a drawback for others)
No mobile app (dashboard accessible via browser)
Best for: Investors who want to maintain full control over their capital, value spot-only as a security feature, and prefer a fair pricing model. Anyone willing to set up a VPS (or use the premium setup service) and primarily trades on Binance.
Pricing Comparison: What You Actually Pay Over 12 Months
The monthly prices on provider websites don't tell the full story. What matters are the total costs over a year, including trading fees and VPS costs where applicable. Here are three scenarios with 10,000 USD of capital.
The performance values (5%, 10%, 25% per year) are deliberately chosen as a comparison baseline. They are not return promises and do not refer to any specific bot.
Scenario 1: Weak year (5% performance, 500 USD gross profit)
3Commas Pro: 708 USD subscription + 80 USD Binance fees = 788 USD costs. Net: -288 USD.
Cryptohopper Adventurer: 588 USD + 80 USD = 668 USD. Net: -168 USD.
Bitsgap Advanced: 768 USD + 80 USD = 848 USD. Net: -348 USD.
unCoded (30% profit share): 150 USD share + 80 USD fees + 84 USD VPS = 314 USD. Net: +186 USD.
In a weak year, every subscription bot loses money. You earned 500 USD and paid more than that in costs. unCoded stays in the green because the share scales with performance.
Scenario 2: Standard year (10% performance, 1,000 USD gross profit)
3Commas Pro: 788 USD. Net: +212 USD.
Cryptohopper Adventurer: 668 USD. Net: +332 USD.
Bitsgap Advanced: 848 USD. Net: +152 USD.
unCoded (30%): 300 USD + 80 USD + 84 USD = 464 USD. Net: +536 USD.
Subscriptions consume 47 to 85 percent of profit. Profit-sharing takes 46 percent including all ancillary costs.
Scenario 3: Good year (25% performance, 2,500 USD gross profit)
3Commas Pro: 788 USD. Net: +1,712 USD.
Cryptohopper Adventurer: 668 USD. Net: +1,832 USD.
Bitsgap Advanced: 848 USD. Net: +1,652 USD.
unCoded (30%): 750 USD + 80 USD + 84 USD = 914 USD. Net: +1,586 USD.
In a strong year, subscriptions become competitive. Fixed costs matter less when gross profit is high. With the community bonus (20% instead of 30%), unCoded comes to 744 USD in total costs, putting it on a similar level to the more expensive subscriptions.
Summary: Profit-sharing is clearly cheaper in weak and average years. In very good years, the models converge. Across multiple years with alternating market phases, profit-sharing is the calmer route for most users.
Security Comparison
The security question is the deciding factor for many investors. Here are the four bots in direct comparison.
Where is your API key stored?
3Commas: On 3Commas servers (cloud)
Cryptohopper: On Cryptohopper servers (cloud)
Bitsgap: On Bitsgap servers (cloud)
unCoded: On your own server (self-hosted)
What happens if the provider gets hacked?
Cloud bots: Your API key is potentially compromised. The attacker could place trades on your account (but cannot withdraw if withdrawal is disabled).
unCoded: Your key is unaffected because it was never stored on an external server.
What happens if the provider goes bankrupt?
Cloud bots: The bot stops immediately. You keep access to your Binance account but lose all configurations and the platform.
unCoded: The bot continues running on your server. Future updates are missing, but operations are not interrupted.
Does the bot need withdrawal permissions?
None of the four providers require withdrawal permissions. All work with API keys that only have trading rights. This is the industry standard.
Security incidents:
3Commas experienced an API key leak in 2022.
No comparable incidents are known from Cryptohopper, Bitsgap, or unCoded.
Feature Comparison at a Glance
Exchange support:
3Commas: 14 exchanges
Cryptohopper: 12 exchanges
Bitsgap: 15 exchanges
unCoded: 1 exchange (Binance only)
Available strategies:
3Commas: DCA, grid, copy trading, SmartTrade
Cryptohopper: DCA, grid, signals, AI trading, copy trading
Bitsgap: DCA, grid, futures, combo (DCA+grid)
unCoded: Micro-trading, micro-DCA (spot-only)
Futures / leverage:
3Commas: Yes (optional)
Cryptohopper: Yes (optional)
Bitsgap: Yes (futures bots)
unCoded: No (deliberately spot-only)
Copy trading / marketplace:
3Commas: Yes
Cryptohopper: Yes (extensive)
Bitsgap: No
unCoded: No
Mobile app:
3Commas: Yes
Cryptohopper: Yes
Bitsgap: Yes
unCoded: No (browser dashboard)
Company headquarters:
3Commas: Tallinn, Estonia
Cryptohopper: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bitsgap: Dubai, UAE
unCoded: Brig, Switzerland
Which Bot for Which User Type?
You want to start quickly and don't need technical setup? 3Commas or Cryptohopper. Cloud setup in under 30 minutes. Large community and plenty of documentation. Accept that your API key sits on third-party servers.
You want to copy ready-made strategies without developing your own? Cryptohopper with the strategy marketplace. The largest selection of copyable strategies. Quality varies widely, your own due diligence is required.
You want to combine DCA and grid and also use futures? Bitsgap with the combo bot. A unique combination in the market. Be aware of the liquidation risk with futures bots.
You want full control over your capital and fair pricing? unCoded. Self-hosted, non-custodial, profit-sharing. Accept the higher setup effort and the limitation to Binance.
You trade on many different exchanges simultaneously? 3Commas or Bitsgap. Both support 14-15 exchanges. unCoded supports only Binance.
You absolutely don't want futures or leverage? unCoded. Spot-only is a design decision there, not a missing feature. With the other providers, you need to make sure you don't activate futures bots yourself.
FAQ
Which bot is the best? There is no universally best bot. It depends on your priorities. If security and custody matter most: unCoded. If convenience and variety matter most: 3Commas or Cryptohopper. If you want to combine DCA and grid: Bitsgap.
Can I use multiple bots at the same time? Yes. You can create multiple API keys on Binance and run different bots in parallel. Some users combine a cloud bot for copy trading with a self-hosted bot for micro-trading.
Which bot has the best returns? None of the providers can guarantee returns. Performance depends on the chosen strategy, market conditions, and configuration. Compare the pricing models (what you pay) rather than the return promises (what the provider claims).
Is a self-hosted bot more secure than a cloud bot? Regarding who has access to your API key: yes. With a self-hosted bot, the key never leaves your server. With a cloud bot, it sits on the provider's servers. Regarding whether the bot has fewer bugs or works better: not necessarily. Infrastructure security and software quality are two different things.
What happens to my money if a provider gets hacked? With a cloud bot: your API key could be compromised. With withdrawal permission disabled, the attacker can't initiate a withdrawal, but they could place unauthorized trades. With a self-hosted bot: your key is unaffected because it was never on the provider's server.
Why does unCoded only support Binance? Binance is the world's largest spot exchange with the highest trading volume and best liquidity. For micro-trading, high liquidity is critical because every trade needs to be executed quickly and at a good price. Multi-exchange support is on the roadmap, but quality on one exchange takes priority over quantity on many.
Is it worth switching from 3Commas to unCoded? If you primarily trade on Binance, value non-custodial architecture, and prefer a fair pricing model: yes. If you use copy trading, trade on multiple exchanges simultaneously, or need a mobile app: no. The switch itself takes one to three hours (set up VPS, install bot, create API key).
Is there a free trial? 3Commas has a restricted free plan. Cryptohopper offers paper trading. Bitsgap has a trial period. unCoded offers a test license for 25 USD that lets you run real trades on your own account, not a demo mode.
