Head to head · Exchange market data · October 2026 research run
HTX trading API vs MEXC API
MEXC API scores 56.3 (C) on agent readiness against HTX trading API's 43.3 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. HTX trading API leads on agent ergonomics. Both do exchange market data.
Best crypto exchange APIs and MCP servers for AI agents · All 210 exchanges comparisons
Which one, for what
Best for Spot and USDT-margined derivatives for agents that can hold an HTX key, with no MCP server and no testnet.
Ahead on
- Agent ergonomics, 69 against 64
Watch for
No official MCP server; the only one in the MCP registry is a third party's read-only ticker server
MEXC API C
Best for Spot and futures for agents in served countries that want a vendor-built MCP server with read-only and confirmation modes.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 43 against 38
- Schema & documentation, 64 against 40
- Security & auth, 65 against 51
- Payments & pricing, 31 against 15
- Maintenance & community, 75 against 57
- Transparency & trust, 58 against 25
Also in its favour
- Runs on your own machine
Watch for
No sandbox or testnet; only an order-validation endpoint
Why the edge
Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.
Transparency & trust MEXC API +33
HTX trading API 25
The editorial half. A closed service whose user agreement exists but couldn't be read (script-drawn pages), so the licence clarity is unknown rather than unclear (10 of 30). The privacy policy was not read (0 of 30, unchecked). The testnet shutdown and the 2022 changelog entries are dated, with no deprecation policy (5 of 20). No subprocessor or data-location statement read (0 of 20). 10 + 0 + 5 + 0 = 15.
MEXC API 58
The editorial half. A closed service with a dated user agreement naming MEXC (Comoros) Ltd; the CLI is UNLICENSED on npm (15 of 30). The privacy policy names no entity, states no retention periods and relies on standard contractual clauses for transfers (10 of 30). The changelog flags endpoints as "will be discontinued soon" without dates and the futures log records removals (8 of 20). Third parties are named by category only, with no subprocessor list or data locations (5 of 20). 15 + 10 + 8 + 5 = 38.
Schema & documentation MEXC API +24
HTX trading API 40
No OpenAPI or other machine-readable contract found in the docs or the GitHub accounts (0). No llms.txt on htx.com, and the readable reference is a static page (0). Each endpoint states its purpose and parameters, without when-to-use guidance (12 of 20). Parameter tables carry types, required flags and enums for order types and states (10 of 15). Request and response examples throughout and error-code tables with messages (11 of 15). Versions v1 and v2 are mixed in one reference whose last changelog entry is 24 June 2022, while HTX's newer docs on htx.com couldn't be read (7 of 15). 0 + 0 + 12 + 10 + 11 + 7 = 40.
MEXC API 64
No OpenAPI found; a Postman collection and the CLI's 25 capability reference files are the nearest machine-readable contract (5 of 25). llms.txt on mexc.com, written for assistants and pointing at the API docs and legal pages (7 of 10). Per-endpoint pages with purpose, parameters and permissions, without when-not-to-use guidance (13 of 20). Typed parameters with enums for order types, statuses and intervals (11 of 15). Examples on each endpoint and a separate error-code page with numeric codes and messages (13 of 15). Versioned API (v3) with a dated changelog of 72 entries to 23 October 2026 (15). 5 + 7 + 13 + 11 + 13 + 15 = 64.
Maintenance & community MEXC API +18
HTX trading API 57
Read as a closed service. The readable changelog ends on 24 June 2022, but the official contract SDKs were pushed on 21 October 2026 and the spot SDKs in April and July 2026, so the API surface is still being maintained; judgement call (20 of 30). SDK pushes on 30 July, 23 August and 21 October 2026 are commits, not releases (10 of 20). A Telegram group for API support and a support centre, neither tested; GitHub issues not read (8 of 15). Official SDKs in five languages (15). No CI seen, dependencies not checked (4 of 10). 20 + 10 + 8 + 15 + 4 = 57.
MEXC API 75
Read as a closed service. Last dated change 23 October 2026 in both the spot and futures logs (30). Spot entries on 14 August, 24 August, 11 September and 23 October 2026, futures on 1 September, 11 September, 19 October and 23 October (20). An API support Telegram group, a ticket form and dated changelogs; GitHub issues not read (10 of 15). The official SDK repository was last pushed in February 2024 while the CLI is current (10 of 15). The CLI ships platform binaries with no dependencies and no public repository or CI; the SDK is stale (5 of 10). 30 + 20 + 10 + 10 + 5 = 75.
Payments & pricing MEXC API +16
HTX trading API 15
No machine payment protocol (0). The fee schedule at htx.com/fee is drawn by script and answered no text, so no price is recorded first-hand (0 of 20, unchecked). Public market data needs no key, card or account; trading needs a verified and funded account. Judgement call (15 of 20). A person must sign up in a browser and pass identity checks (0). 0 + 0 + 15 + 0 = 15.
MEXC API 31
No machine payment protocol (0). Fees published without login on MEXC's own fee guide (20 October 2026) and a 2024 announcement, with a separate API futures schedule; the fee page itself is drawn by script (16 of 20). Public market data needs no key or card; trading needs a verified and funded account. Judgement call (15 of 20). A person must sign up in a browser, and futures need identity verification (0). 0 + 16 + 15 + 0 = 31.
Security & auth MEXC API +14
HTX trading API 51
HMAC-signed keys with Read, Trade and Withdraw permissions, sub-user keys without Withdraw, up to 20 bound IPs, revocation in the account and a 90-day expiry without IP binding. The AccessKeyId and the HMAC signature travel as query parameters; the secret does not, so no deduction for a secret in the URL (24 of 30). Read-only keys and withdraw-free keys exist; no server-side confirmation for orders or withdrawals (14 of 20). The API returns the exchange's own data, no untrusted content (10). No per-call log or key-use history found for the operator (3 of 15). No security.txt, disclosure policy or certification found on the pages that loaded (0 of 20). 24 + 14 + 10 + 3 + 0 = 51.
MEXC API 65
Granular permissions (account read, trade, withdraw, transfer), per-pair restriction, up to 10 linked IPs, 90-day expiry without an IP, renewal and revocation in the account, 30 keys per account (26 of 30). A read-only MCP mode that hides write tools, a confirmation step before orders and transfers in the CLI and MCP, and --yes that agents are told not to add; nothing server-side confirms an API order (17 of 20). The API returns exchange data, and the CLI security page warns that agents may be led by web pages or files into unwanted actions (12 of 15). CLI confirmations are logged and reported to MEXC with no operator access described; an apiKeyInfo endpoint shows key settings (6 of 15). No security.txt, disclosure policy or bug bounty found; a proof-of-reserves page exists (4 of 20). 26 + 17 + 12 + 6 + 4 = 65.
Reliability MEXC API +5
HTX trading API 38
Read with the hosted lines. No status page found; status.htx.com does not resolve and nothing on htx.com was readable (0). No readable incident history (5). Rate limits documented per endpoint with numbers, 100 order calls per 2 seconds per UID and so on, with remaining-quota headers (15). No 429 or Retry-After behaviour is documented and the only limit error named is 1006 for conditional orders; a client-order-id unique within 8 hours and an idempotent withdrawal id give safe retries on writes (8 of 15). No SLA found (0). The spot and swap APIs are generally available (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 8 + 0 + 10 = 38.
MEXC API 43
Read with the hosted lines. No status page found; status.mexc.com does not resolve and llms.txt points to a maintenance-updates feed (0). No readable incident history (5). Rate limits documented with numbers, 300 weight per 10 seconds per IP, 500 per UID, 12 order requests a second per UID, 100 WebSocket messages a second (15). 429 and 418 carry Retry-After with ban lengths stated, a 5xx is to be treated as unknown rather than failed, an order-test endpoint exists, and newClientOrderId is optional with no idempotency promise (13 of 15). No SLA found (0). Spot and futures are generally available, futures order placement having reopened on 31 March 2026 after being closed since July 2022 (10). 0 + 5 + 15 + 13 + 0 + 10 = 43.
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | HTX trading API | MEXC API | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 38 | 43 | MEXC API +5 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 40 | 64 | MEXC API +24 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 69 | 64 | HTX trading API +5 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 51 | 65 | MEXC API +14 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 15 | 31 | MEXC API +16 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 57 | 75 | MEXC API +18 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 25 | 58 | MEXC API +33 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | E 43.3/100 | C 56.3/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | HTX trading API | MEXC API |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | HTX | MEXC (Comoros) Ltd |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | stdio | |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Tools exposed | 0 | 299 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-21 | 2026-10-23 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | 2026-10-13 |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2026-06-01 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | yes |
| Popularity | 684 stars | 315 stars |
Verdicts
HTX trading API
HTX's API has per-endpoint rate limits, read, trade and withdraw key permissions with IP binding, and SDKs in five languages. No official MCP server exists, the testnet is closed, the public reference is still Huobi's with a 2022 changelog, and the fee schedule, terms and restricted countries are on script-drawn pages we couldn't read.
MEXC API
MEXC publishes granular key permissions, per-pair key limits, weighted rate limits with Retry-After and a dated changelog, and its official CLI runs a read-only-capable MCP server with confirmation before any fund movement. There is no sandbox or status page, API futures orders pay a higher fee schedule, and the user agreement excludes the US, UK, EU members and others.
Before you call either
HTX trading API
- Ask the operator for a key with Read and Trade only and bound to your IP addresses; a key without IP binding expires after 90 days
- Send a fresh client-order-id of up to 64 characters with every order and reuse it only on retry; a repeat within 8 hours answers invalid.client.order.id
- Watch X-HB-RateLimit-Requests-Remain and pace at under 100 order calls per 2 seconds per UID; limits are shared by every key on the account
- There is no testnet; try order logic with the smallest size the market allows
- Confirm the person's country is served before trading; the restricted list in the user agreement couldn't be read here
MEXC API
- Use a key limited to SPOT_ACCOUNT_READ and SPOT_DEAL_WRITE, the pairs you trade and your IP addresses; keys without a linked IP expire after 90 days
- Start the MCP server as
mexc mcp spot --read-onlyunless the task trades, and never pass--yes; orders and transfers wait for the person's confirmation - Call POST /api/v3/order/test before a live order, since there is no sandbox
- On 429 or 418 wait for Retry-After; order placement and cancellation share 12 requests a second per UID, and repeated breaches ban the IP for up to 3 days
- Treat a 5xx on an order as unknown, not failed, and query the order before retrying; set newClientOrderId so the order can be found
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, HTX trading API or MEXC API?
MEXC API scores 56.3 (C) on agent readiness against HTX trading API's 43.3 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. HTX trading API leads on agent ergonomics.
Do HTX trading API and MEXC API need an API key?
Both need an API key.
Can an agent call HTX trading API and MEXC API without installing anything?
No hosted endpoint is listed for HTX trading API. MEXC API runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.
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Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/htx-vs-mexc.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/htx.json·/api/v1/tools/mexc.json - From a terminal
anchor compare htx mexc(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "htx", "b": "mexc"}at/mcp, no key