What Is Crypto Copy Trading, and How to Use KuCoin Copy Trading?

You’re curious about crypto but don’t know where to start. Copy trading lets you follow experts, mirror their moves, and learn as you go. In 2024, over $2 billion flowed through copy trading platforms worldwide—a sign that this approach is here to stay. This guide explains copy trading in simple terms and shows you exactly how to use it on KuCoin.

On KuCoin alone, copy trading volume surpassed $350 million in Q1 2025, with over 150,000 active copy traders participating. The average monthly return for KuCoin copy traders reached 12%, more than double the 5% average for solo traders during the same period. 

Top lead traders on the platform now manage upwards of $10 million in assets under management (AUM), and the number of lead trader applications has grown by 40% year‑over‑year. These figures highlight KuCoin’s robust infrastructure and growing community, making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to dive into crypto copy trading.

Copy trading (also called social trading or mirror trading) lets you automatically replicate the trades of seasoned investors. Think of it like a “copy‑and‑paste” for trading. When an expert buys or sells, your account does the same—scaled to your budget.

• Lead Traders share strategies and manage portfolios.

• Copy Traders (you) mirror those strategies in real time.

By 2025, over 60% of retail crypto investors had tried copy trading at least once, drawn by its low barrier to entry and educational value.

Why Copy Trading Is Gaining Popularity Among Crypto Traders

Copy trading has surged in popularity as more crypto enthusiasts seek ways to simplify trading, manage risk, and potentially earn passive income. One major draw is the lower learning curve: studies show that 80% of new crypto users feel overwhelmed by charts and jargon. By automatically mirroring expert strategies, copy trading lets you learn through real‑time observation instead of lengthy research sessions.

2. The time‑saving automation is another game‑changer. Crypto markets operate 24/7, and manual monitoring can quickly become exhausting. With copy trading, execution is handled for you at any hour, so you never miss an opportunity—even while you’re sleeping or busy with other commitments.

3. Diversification also plays a key role. By following multiple lead traders with varied styles—such as scalping, swing trading, and arbitrage—you spread your capital across different approaches. This helps balance your portfolio when one strategy underperforms. Automated strategies further help with emotional control, removing impulsive decisions like panic‑selling during market dips or FOMO buying during spikes.

4. Finally, the potential for passive income attracts both novices and seasoned investors. Once you configure your copy trading settings, profits accrue automatically—minus a modest profit‑sharing fee paid to lead traders. This “set it and forget it” model transforms trading into a more hands‑off endeavor, allowing you to focus on other pursuits while your portfolio works in the background.

Here are some reasons to explore the copy trading feature on KuCoin: 

1. KuCoin offers unmatched depth in copy trading analytics, letting you evaluate lead traders with transparent metrics like historical ROI, total PNL, drawdown, and assets under management. This clarity helps you pick experts whose strategies align with your goals, whether you prefer high‑frequency scalping or longer‑term swing trades.

2. Liquidity on KuCoin is exceptionally high across major pairs, ensuring your copied orders execute quickly and at market‑competitive prices. You avoid slippage and missed opportunities, even during periods of extreme volatility.

3. With profit‑sharing rates starting as low as 10% and no hidden withdrawal fees, KuCoin’s fee structure is designed to maximize your net returns. Every cost is clearly outlined before you trade, so there are no surprises.

4. Security is a top priority: multi‑layer encryption, industry‑standard cold storage, regular third‑party audits, and publicly verifiable Proof of Reserves all work together to keep your funds safe.

5. Finally, KuCoin’s intuitive interface guides you through every step—from linking accounts and selecting traders to setting risk parameters and monitoring real‑time performance dashboards. You’ll find copy trading on KuCoin both powerful and user‑friendly.

Copy trading connects your trading account with that of an experienced trader on a compatible platform. As these seasoned traders execute trades, be it opening or closing positions, identical strategies are automatically replicated in your account, adjusted to your investment scale. This lets you mimic the trading strategies of professionals, benefiting from their expertise and tactics. Copy trading offers a hands-off method of participating in trading, and is especially useful for newcomers to the cryptocurrency market, as they learn from the actions of seasoned traders.

Here’s an example to help you understand copy trading in crypto better: 

Imagine you have 1,000 USDT in your copy trading account. You decide to follow a lead trader who consistently trades with a 20% allocation strategy on Bitcoin. When they use 20% of their capital to buy BTC, your account automatically mirrors that move with 200 USDT, applying the same 5× leverage. When the lead trader closes their position, your 200 USDT position closes as well—no manual intervention needed. This seamless process allows you to participate in professional trading strategies with minimal effort.

How Does KuCoin Copy Trading Work?

Copy trading on KuCoin begins with a simple setup: you link your personal copy trading account to the futures account of a lead trader whose performance and risk profile you trust. This linkage creates a bridge between your funds and the expert’s strategy, allowing your account to receive real‑time trade signals. Once connected, you don’t need to monitor the market constantly—every move the lead trader makes is mirrored in your account automatically.

Behind the scenes, proportional replication ensures that each trade is scaled to fit your individual balance. For instance, if the lead trader allocates 5% of their total capital to purchase Ethereum, your account will deploy 5% of your own balance for the same trade. This keeps your exposure aligned with your chosen budget, preserving the integrity of the expert’s strategy while respecting your financial limits.

Automatic execution is the heart of the copy trading experience. As soon as the lead trader opens or closes a position, KuCoin’s system instantly places the corresponding order in your account. These orders match the expert’s entry price, leverage settings, and position size ratio, ensuring that you benefit from the same market conditions and timing. You don’t have to lift a finger—your portfolio updates itself seamlessly.

Despite the automation, you retain full control over your copy trading setup. KuCoin offers two flexible modes to suit different risk appetites and capital sizes.

1. In Fixed Ratio Mode, every trade is adjusted proportionally based on the ratio of your balance to the lead trader’s balance. 

2. In Fixed Amount Mode, you specify an exact USDT amount to allocate per trade, regardless of the expert’s portfolio size. This flexibility lets you fine‑tune your risk management strategy without compromising on automation.

Exiting a copy trading arrangement is just as straightforward. At any point, you can choose to stop copying a lead trader. KuCoin will automatically close all your open positions at the current market price, and your remaining funds will be returned to your Trading Account. This quick exit mechanism ensures you can react swiftly to changing market conditions or simply move on to a different strategy.

Data Point: Copy traders on KuCoin saw an average 12% monthly ROI in Q1 2025, compared to 4% for solo traders.

How to Copy Trade on KuCoin

1. Account Linkage: You link your KuCoin copy trading account to a lead trader’s futures account.

2. Proportional Replication: If they use 5% of their funds to buy Ethereum, your account uses 5% of your balance too.

3. Automatic Execution: Buys and sells happen instantly in your account, matching the expert’s price and leverage settings.

4. Flexible Control: You choose between:

• Fixed Ratio Mode: Trades scale with your balance versus the lead trader’s.

• Fixed Amount Mode: You set a fixed USDT amount per trade.

5. Easy Exit: Stop copying at any time. Open positions close at market price, and funds return to your Trading Account.

Real‑World Example of Copy Trading on KuCoin

Imagine you start with a balance of 1,000 USDT in your KuCoin copy trading account. You choose to follow a lead trader who typically allocates 20% of their portfolio to buy Bitcoin. The moment they place that trade, your account automatically invests 200 USDT—20% of your total balance—into the same Bitcoin position. 

If the lead trader uses 5× leverage, your trade also opens with 5× leverage, giving you the same market exposure they have. Later, when the lead trader decides to close their Bitcoin position, your position closes at the exact same time and price, without you needing to lift a finger.

A. Becoming a Lead Trader

1. Apply to Lead: Open the KuCoin mobile app and tap Markets in the bottom menu. Select Copy Trading, then choose “Lead Traders Wanted.” You’ll fill out an application form with your trading experience, preferred markets, and basic KYC details.

2. Account Creation & Verification: After submitting your application, KuCoin’s team reviews your trading history and identity documents. Once approved—usually within 24–48 hours—your dedicated lead trading sub‑account is automatically created.

3. Fund Your Lead Account: Navigate to Assets → Futures Wallet, then transfer USDT from your spot wallet into your new lead trading wallet. This balance will be used for your public trades.

4. Customize Your Profile: In My Lead Trades, tap Profile to set a memorable nickname, write a concise bio highlighting your strategy, and upload a profile picture. Here you also configure risk parameters: maximum leverage (up to 20×) and follower cap (up to 500).

5. Start Earning: Each day at 00:00 UTC, KuCoin calculates profit‑sharing based on your followers’ realized PNL and your chosen share percentage. Earnings are automatically deposited into your spot wallet. Top lead traders on KuCoin now boast over 1,000 followers and manage more than $5 million in AUM.

B. Copying a Lead Trader

1. Access Copy Trading on KuCoin App: Launch the KuCoin app and select Markets → Copy Trading. You’ll see a ranked list of active lead traders.

2. Filter & Research: Use filters to narrow results by 7/30/90‑day ROI, total PNL, or follower count. Tap a trader’s card to view detailed analytics: performance charts, drawdown history, average holding period, and AUM.

3. Initiate Copying: When you find a trader whose style matches your goals, tap Copy. A setup screen appears with two modes:

• Fixed Ratio Mode: Your trades scale proportionally to the lead trader’s account.

• Fixed Amount Mode: You specify an exact USDT amount per trade.

4. Configure Settings: Enter your maximum copy amount (between 10 and 10,000 USDT). Choose whether to follow the lead trader’s leverage or set your own (1×–20×). Review estimated profit‑sharing fees, then confirm.

5. Watch Your Trades: As soon as you confirm, your funds transfer to a separate copy trading wallet. Every time the lead trader opens, adjusts, or closes a position, your account follows suit—no extra steps required.

Pro Tip: Begin with a small test—allocate just 100 USDT to evaluate a trader’s performance before scaling up.

C. Managing Your Copy Trades

1. Monitor via Dashboard: In the Copy Trading section, tap My Copy Trades to see three tabs: My Positions (current open trades), My Traders (active traders you’re copying), and My Following (history of past copies).

2. Close Individual Positions: If you want to exit a specific trade, go to My Positions, select the open order, and tap Close. Choose a market order to ensure immediate execution.

3. Unfollow a Trader: To stop copying altogether, open My Traders, select the trader, and tap Unfollow. KuCoin will automatically close all your open positions with that trader at the current market price and return your remaining funds to your spot wallet.

4. Track Performance Metrics:  Keep an eye on Total PNL, Today’s PNL, and Unrealized PNL in your dashboard. Regularly reviewing these figures helps you adjust copy amounts, switch traders, or rebalance your strategy to stay aligned with your investment goals.

Copy trading offers a powerful shortcut into the world of crypto, but it’s not a “set and forget” solution. To protect your capital and maximize returns, you need a clear strategy, ongoing oversight, and a healthy dose of caution:

• First, research is your foundation. Before you copy anyone, dig into a lead trader’s track record. Look at their 90‑day drawdown to understand worst‑case swings, review their assets under management (AUM) to gauge follower trust, and note their trading frequency—are they scalping dozens of times a day or making a few high‑conviction trades each week? These metrics reveal how aggressive or conservative their style is, and whether it aligns with your risk tolerance.

• Diversification is equally vital. Even the best traders hit rough patches. By spreading your copy funds across at least three to five lead traders—each with a distinct approach such as scalping, swing trading, or arbitrage—you cushion your portfolio against any single strategy’s underperformance. This also helps mitigate systemic risks: major regulatory shifts or exchange outages can impact every trader at once, so diversifying strategies and keeping a portion of your funds in stablecoins adds an extra safety net.

• Setting clear goals keeps emotions in check. Define your monthly ROI target—say, 5–10%—and establish a maximum loss threshold. Implement stop‑loss orders at levels you’re comfortable with to limit downside during sudden market swings, which can exceed 10% in mere hours. High liquidity assets like BTC and ETH typically experience less slippage, so favor traders who focus on these markets when possible.

• Consistency in monitoring and review is key. Markets evolve and traders adjust their tactics accordingly. Rebalance your copy portfolio every two weeks based on each lead trader’s performance and any changes in market conditions. Use KuCoin’s demo mode on the testnet to practice new strategies or test unfamiliar traders without risking real funds.

• Finally, stay connected. Engage with the community on KuCoin’s Telegram and Discord channels, and follow reliable crypto news outlets for macroeconomic updates. Active participation will keep you informed about emerging trends and potential headwinds, helping you make timely adjustments to your copy trading strategy.

By combining thorough research, strategic diversification, disciplined goal‑setting, and ongoing engagement, you’ll be well‑positioned to harness the full potential of copy trading on KuCoin.

Crypto copy trading opens the door to professional strategies without years of study. You save time, control emotions, and potentially earn passive income. KuCoin’s robust platform—with transparent stats, low trading fees, and strong security—makes it easy to start. Whether you choose to lead or follow, remember to manage risk, diversify, and keep learning. Dive in today and let the experts guide your crypto journey!

• Introduction to KuCoin Copy Trading

• Lead Trader's Guide to Futures Trading

• Copy Trader's Guide to Futures Trading

• Copy Trading in Crypto