Coinbase Review
Coinbase Digital Currency Exchange isn't available on Finder right now.
- Fiat currencies
- 23
- Supported assets
- 271
Our verdict
A deep dive into Coinbase's features, fees and offerings to help you decide if it’s the right platform for your crypto journey.
Coinbase is a popular exchange that’s flexible enough to work for both beginners and advanced investors. It features a user-friendly interface, premium memberships and an advanced trading platform, which you can customize to meet your preferences. New this year is the launch of perpetual-style futures, giving traders access to more than 20 futures and perpetual contracts across crypto, energy and metals. Coinbase also offers its own integrated Coinbase Wallet, rebranded as the Base App, which supports staking, NFT trading and on-chain DeFi positions. However, it may not be the best choice for the most cost-conscious investor, as there are a lot of variable fees, and they are not published in advance.
Pros
-
Generous selection of 250+ cryptocurrencies
-
Recurring buys feature
-
No minimum to open an account
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Instant deposits for most payment types
Cons
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High fees
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Disappointing customer service reviews
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Recent data breach
Details
Product details
| Product Name | Coinbase Digital Currency Exchange |
| Fiat Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, MXN, HRK, CZK, DKK, CLP, BGN & 13 more |
| Cryptocurrencies | BTC, ETH, ADA, SOL, DOT, LTC, DAI, UNI, ETC, XLM & 261 more |
| Deposit Methods |
Bank transfer (ACH) Debit card PayPal Wire transfer |
| Trading Fee |
Trading: Varies based on trade Spread: Varies based on trade Taker fee: 0.05% to 0.60% Maker fee: 0.00% and 0.40% |
| Deposit Fees |
ACH: $0 Wire (USD): $10 |
| Withdrawal Fees |
ACH: $0 Wire: $25 |
Coinbase is best for investors wanting a wide range of crypto options
Where Coinbase really shines is its selection of crypto. It offers more than 250 cryptocurrencies, allowing you to find all the top crypto on one platform. From bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) to chainlink (LINK) and tether (USDT), there is a generous selection of all the cryptocurrencies you need to round out your profile.
Advanced investors may notice certain coins like BNB (BNB), Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Toncoin (TON) missing from the lineup, but they are sure to appreciate the easy conversions available right on the platform.
The overall convenience of having so many coins on a single platform is one of the reasons Coinbase is the self-proclaimed largest publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange today.
Coinbase’s plans
Coinbase One allows you to upgrade your crypto services, with plans starting at $4.99 a month.
There are three plans available: Basic, Preferred and Premium, depending on your trading activity. You can trade derivatives and enjoy access to over 550 spot pairs, including 237 USDC pairs and 22 stablepairs. Maker fees are as low as 0.0% on spot pairs, and there is no minimum required portfolio size. There are no trading fees, either, although a spread applies.
There are no staking or unstaking fees, and unstaking your crypto only requires $1. For added peace of mind, Coinbase assures its customers that its investors have never lost crypto while staking with the company.
| Basic | Preferred | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $4.99/month $49.99/year | $29.99/month $299.88/year | $299.99/month |
| Coinbase commission (for applicable crypto; standard 35% commission otherwise) | 31.75% | 28.5% | 25.25% |
| Limit for zero trading fees | $500/month | $10,000/month | Unlimited |
| Account protection coverage | $1,000 | $10,000 | $250,000 |
| Staking rewards boost | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| 4.5% APY on USDC (4.1% standard rate thereafter) | Up to $10,000 | $30,000 | All Coinbase USDC |
| 25% RAT spot rebate | $100/month | Unlimited | |
| Free wires | |||
| Coinbase One card eligibility | Annual plan only | ||
| Customer support | Basic | 24/7 Priority | Concierge |
What we like about Coinbase
Investing in Coinbase crypto has several advantages, such as a recurring buy feature, an integrated crypto wallet, a stacked rewards program for free crypto and available debit and credit cards.
Perpetual Styles Futures
New this year to Coinbase is the launch of US perpetual-style futures. It is one of the first products of this kind in the US. This addition to the Coinbase lineup brings international perpetual futures to a US audience while meeting Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulations.
US Perpetual-Style Futures give investors access to over 20 futures and perpetual contracts, covering crypto, energy and metals. They closely track the spot price of the underlying asset, trying to match the spot price as much as possible. It is long-dated with a five-year expiration, no monthly expirations and up to 10x intraday leverage, plus 24/7 trading. Investors also benefit from specific tax advantages, allowing the use of the 60/40 tax rule to reduce overall tax liability.
Unlike international perpetual futures, which accommodate any contract size, US Perpetual-Style Futures have two set contract sizes:
- nano Bitcoin Perpetual Futures (BTC-PERP)
- nano Ether Perpetual Futures (ETH-PERP)
There are two settlements that take place during designated cash adjustment periods. Funding has hourly accrual, and you can use the cash in your account to fund your account. Fees start at 0.02% per contract, in addition to a minimum of $0.15 trading fee per contract.
Integrated Coinbase wallet
Coinbase offers its own self-custody crypto wallet where you can conveniently store your crypto, collectibles and on-chain DeFi positions.
Coinbase recently rebranded its Coinbase Wallet to the new Base App, with new features for expanded functionality. You can stake crypto and buy and sell NFTs using a number of payment methods, including digital payments in over 120 countries. You can also earn USDC rewards.
Recurring buys
Coinbase offers recurring buys, allowing you to automate your investments. You may set up one of the following intervals:
- Weekly
- Monthly
- 1st and 15th of the month
You can use your cash balance or any of your payment methods, including USD and USDC.
Rewards and perks
Coinbase has several bonuses and promotions you can earn with your crypto account. In 2024 alone, Coinbase customers earned over $450 million in rewards.
To start, new accountholders can earn up to $200 in crypto with their first cryptocurrency purchase on Coinbase. Then, Coinbase offers variable rewards rates of up to 14% APY on your crypto.
Its plans include other useful perks, although some benefits may vary based on region.
- Up to 5% USDC rewards
- Up to 10% APY for staking your ETH, ADA, SOL, ATOM or XTZ
- TradingView advanced charting tools
- On-chain partner deals, like up to $10 in gas
- Member prizes from monthly sweepstakes
- Dedicated customer support 24/7/365
- Pre-filled Form 8949 for tax time
If you are new to Coinbase and were a VIP trade with another crypto exchange, Coinbase will reward you with lower fees when you submit proof of past trading volume exceeding $500,000 monthly.
Advanced features for high-net-worth investors
Coinbase goes beyond the standard services to offer a fully inclusive experience. Its plans include a special membership exclusively for high-net-worth clients who need expanded support with their investments.
The Private Client membership is designed for substantial portfolios, whether the personal investment account for an ultra-high-net-worth investor or a living trust. There is a dedicated trading desk to execute large trades on your behalf, and you will receive institutional research and insights to keep you informed about market fluctuations and help guide your investments.
If you hit a snag, you have personalized support with your own dedicated account manager to help.
Debit and credit cards
For easier access to your crypto, Coinbase offers both debit and credit cards.
Coinbase Debit Card
The Visa Coinbase Card is available to customers throughout the US, except Hawaii. This prepaid card gives you rewards on your everyday purchases. Crypto rewards are rotating, and you can switch at any time to maximize your earnings. It is something users frequently praise in their reviews.
You have a choice of spending in USD or crypto, with no fees on either. There are no opening requirements and no spending requirements, and you save money with no annual fees. However, certain limits apply, as Coinbase does not allow some purchases, like gambling, lottery tickets and transactions from securities broker-dealers.
Choose from a physical or virtual debit card. Either way, your card carries the standard debit protections, like two-factor authentication, card freezing and PIN change. Your account also comes with 24/7 dedicated phone and email support.
Coinbase One Card
If you want a crypto credit card, you can also sign up for the waitlist for the American Express Coinbase One Card, coming later in 2025. Coinbase One members will enjoy free access, while non-members will need to pay $49.99 annually for their membership.
You can continue growing your investments with up to 4% back in bitcoin rewards for every purchase and up to 4.5% in boosted USDC rewards. Coinbase will also give you 5% more staking rewards on crypto like ether and solana. Plus, you can receive $120 in transaction credits and a $10 monthly gas reimbursement delivered to your Base smart wallet. There are no trading fees on your first $500 in monthly trades, and no foreign transaction fees apply.
Where Coinbase falls short
Despite its advantages, Coinbase does have some drawbacks to consider before opening an account.
Poor fee transparency
Coinbase charges certain fees when you buy, sell or convert cryptocurrency. However, these fees are not published in advance. Instead, these fees are variable and calculated when you place your order. They are based on factors like the asset, size of your order, location, payment method and current market conditions.
You can see the fees before you hit submit, but you still have to put together an actual order to determine what they are. Therefore, it is difficult to budget your future transactions.
High fees
Coinbase tends to charge higher fees than other exchanges. Its fees include network transaction fees, also known as miner fees. Other fees that may apply include:
- Transfer fee. A transfer fee applies when you send crypto from your Coinbase wallet to another wallet, and this is calculated at the time of the order.
- Lightning Network fee. You may also incur a Lightning Network fee, which is paid to Coinbase’s micropayment network. When you send bitcoin from Coinbase using the Lightning Network, you will incur a processing fee equal to 0.2% of the amount of bitcoin transferred.
- Transaction fee. Cash transactions may incur an additional fee, and credit transactions incur a flat 2% fee if Coinbase has to sell your BTC collateral.
Because Coinbase does not calculate your total fees until you prepare an order, there is no way to know the total cost of your transaction in advance.
Increased security risk
Coinbase has been subject to certain security issues over the years. Most recently, Coinbase suffered a data breach in May 2025, affecting almost 70 million customers after cybercriminals bribed overseas Coinbase support agents.
Stolen information did not include logins and passwords, but it did include data like names, contact information, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, government-ID images, masked bank-account numbers and some bank account identifiers. Account data, including account balances and transaction histories, was also accessed.
Coinbase countered the $20 million ransom demand with a $20 million reward for information about the crime. Additionally, the US Department of Justice launched an investigation in response.
Coinbase has also suffered some other attacks in the past:
- 2021: Coinbase customer funds and sensitive personal data were stolen, affecting more than 6,000 customers.
- 2023: Coinbase employees fell victim to an SMS phishing campaign by the hacker group 0ktapus.
To prevent future attacks, Coinbase continues to improve its security measures, offering enhanced protections like two-factor authentication, mobile biometrics and YubiKey support. There is also password protection and multi-approval withdrawals in Coinbase Vault, while Coinbase custody offers segregated and insured cold storage for extra protection.
Poor customer support
Many Coinbase reviews complain of its poor customer service. They say it is difficult to get in touch with a live person, with most inquiries routed to automated chatbots rather than live support.
That said, Coinbase also provides 24/7 support by phone and email.
Is Coinbase legit?
Coinbase calls itself the “largest publicly traded crypto company in the world.” However, it is not without its problems.
Coinbase faced some regulatory issues in 2023. It settled with New York regulators for $100 million for poor anti-money laundering and Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols. It also faced a cease and desist order and a $5 million penalty from the New Jersey Attorney General, as well as a $3.6 million fine by the Dutch Central Bank for failure to register with the appropriate government authorities. It has since experienced other regulatory fines and charges, but most have been resolved or dismissed.
Today, Coinbase strives toward better financial transparency, publicly releasing its quarterly financial statements and undergoing annual audits by an independent third party. It also maintains its Bug Bounty program, which invites its customers to provide feedback on the company’s security vulnerabilities. Coinbase offers rewards in return for this feedback.
Listed Coinbase crypto exchange assets
Coinbase offers an impressive collection of cryptocurrencies, with over 250 available for trading.
Popular assets on Coinbase
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Tether (USDT)
- XRP (XRP)
- Solana (SOL)
- USDC (USDC)
- Cardano (ADA)
- Chainlink (LINK)
- Shiba Inu (SHIB)
- Sui (SUI)
- Hedera (HBAR)
- Polkadot (DOT)
- Stellar (XLM)
- BNB (BNB)
- Dogecoin (DOGE)
- TRON (TRX)
- Toncoin (TON)
- Hyperliquid (HYPE)
- Bitget Token (BGB)
All Coinbase crypto assets
How to sign up for Coinbase
Opening a Coinbase account is a straightforward process.
- Download the Coinbase mobile app and tap Create Free Account.
- Enter your email address and tap Continue. Check your email for your verification code and enter the code into the app.
- Create a password and tap Continue.
- Type your name as it appears on your government-issued ID. Tap Continue.
- Add your phone number. Select Continue.
- Enter the SMS verification code you received via text.
The process is the same if you choose to open an account using your browser. To get started, visit the website and sign up for an Individual account.
There is two-step verification to verify your phone number. You will also need to verify your identity to enjoy full functionality. Visit the Document Verification link to complete the process and upload the approved identification. You may be asked to take a photo or video to confirm your identity.
Customer experience
| BBB accredited | No |
|---|---|
| BBB rating | A- |
| BBB customer reviews | 1.08 out of 5 stars, based on 382 customer reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 14,239 customer reviews |
| App Store Score | 4.7 out of 5 stars, based on 1,800,000 customer reviews |
| Google Play Score | 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 879,000 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 22 January 2025 |
Coinbase reviews from customers remain mixed. Some Reddit users express trouble with transfers and adding funds to their accounts, while others complain about fees. Customer service is also described as subpar.
On Trustpilot, Coinbase earns a 3.9 out of 5.0 rating. Users largely consider it a user-friendly platform, even for beginner investors just getting started. Coinbase reviewers praise its security, user-friendly platform and simple withdrawals. Meanwhile, complaints mostly center on account lockouts and verification issues, while others claim it’s hard to reach customer service.
Compare Coinbase to other platforms
Compare similar platforms by available asset types, trade fees and minimum deposit requirements. SelectGo to site to sign up for an account.
Disclaimer: Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex and involve significant risks – they are highly volatile and sensitive to secondary activity. Performance is unpredictable and past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before relying on this information. You should also verify the nature of any product or service (including its legal status and relevant regulatory requirements) and consult the relevant Regulators' websites before making any decision. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
Your reviews
Shane Finder
Contributor
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Joshua Finder
December 23, 2018
Hi Glenda,
Thanks for getting in touch with finder. I hope all is well with you. :)
Yes, you can hold your money in Coinbase and withdraw it when you are ready. Usually, withdrawal of money is done through wire transfer.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua
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Afolabi
September 27, 2018
Hi,
Please i would like to know whether coinbase has minimum/limit of amount to be received into ones wallet, especially ETH. I received some amount of GWEI from a gaming app, which reflected on Recent Activity of my wallet but never reflected on my wallet balance. Can you enlighten me please.
Thanks
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Joshua Finder
October 01, 2018
Hi Afolabi,
Thanks for getting in touch with finder. I hope all is well with you. :)
Coinbase does not specifically mention the transfer limits on their website. However, the company says it determines your limits based on your account details, which also include verification and successful purchases made on the account.
if your coin isn’t in your wallet yet, you may want to wait for a few days. If after waiting, the coin is still not in your wallet, then you might want to directly get in touch with Coinbase.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua
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Brian
January 31, 2018
I am trying to open an account but my debit card keeps getting rejected. Can you give me a reason? Thanks
Joanne Finder
February 19, 2018
Hi Brian,
Thank you for visiting finder, we are a financial comparison website and general information service.
A CVN error can appear when the numbers you entered cannot be successfully verified with your card’s issuing bank or if it is card type that Coinbase does not support.
In order to fix this error, you need to make sure that you have entered your 16 digit card number, as well as the 3-4 digit security code on the back of your card correctly.
At this time, Coinbase can only accept Visa or MasterCard credit and debit cards with the residential billing addresses. Discover, American Express, or prepaid cards of any type are not supported as of today.
For further questions you may need to reach out to Coinbase.
Cheers,
Joanne
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FLOYD
January 26, 2018
HOW CAN I PURCHASE LUMENS(XLM)?
joelmarcelo
February 06, 2018
Hi Floyd,
Thanks for leaving a question on Finder. You can check out our guide on where and how to purchase Lumens. If you need anything else, send us a message anytime.
Cheers,
Joel
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joelmarcelo
January 26, 2018
Hi Floyd,
Thanks for leaving a question on finder. Our guide on how to buy, sell or trade Stellar Lumens (XLM) will provide information on how the Stellar network works and how you can use Lumens.
If you have further questions, we are always glad to help.
Cheers,
Joel
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Eleanor P
January 22, 2018
Every time I click on “create an account” I get the same page over again and still don’t know how to create an account.
Ash
January 30, 2018
Hi Eleanor,
Thank you for reaching out to us.
To make your account on Coinbase through our page above, kindly click on the green ‘Go to site’ button to be redirected to their webpage. Once you are on their homepage, at the right top corner you will see ‘Sign up’. Upon clicking it, you will need to fill-in the needed details to ‘Create your account’.
If error still persists, you can try these troubleshooting guide below:
*Clear your cache/ browsing history
*Use different browser/ update the version of your current browser
*Use a different device (e.g. if you are using a mobile handset, switch to laptop or desktop)
I hope this helps.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us again if you have additional questions.
Cheers,
Ash
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Glenda
December 22, 2018
Can I open an account and sell my bitcoin and hold it in US dollars until I open a US bank account?