Robinhood and Coinbase are two of the biggest names in the trading platform industry and both are designed to be easy for beginners. Robinhood offers users stocks, ETFs and more in addition to crypto.
Coinbase has a streamlined crypto experience, including earning options and a wide asset selection. Find out which exchange is best when Finder compares Robinhood and Coinbase.
Disclaimer: This page is not financial advice or an endorsement of digital assets, providers or services. Digital assets are volatile and risky, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Potential regulations or policies can affect their availability and services provided. Talk with a financial professional before making a decision. Finder or the author may own cryptocurrency discussed on this page.
Round 1: Robinhood vs. Coinbase on vital statistics
Coinbase and Robinhood are both US-based exchanges available to US residents, but neither has FCA registration for their UK customers.
Robinhood offers users stocks, ETFs, crypto and more within a single platform, while also offering a cash card for users. Coinbase offers users a seamless cryptocurrency platform experience, with tons of helpful information, earning opportunities such as staking, and its own Visa debit card.
Crypto fees are likely lower with Robinhood but it offers a paltry selection of assets compared to Coinbase.
Coinbase supports exponentially more cryptocurrency coins and tokens than Robinhood. Robinhood only offers users 12 crypto assets and is missing some major assets like Cardano (ADA), Polkadot (DOT) and Avalanche (AVAX).
Coinbase has all of the assets that Robinhood offers and more. In addition, Coinbase supports staking for some of its crypto assets, allowing users to earn a passive income.
Coinbase supports a wide range of fiat currencies through credit and debit card purchases, while also supporting direct deposits of GBP, EUR, CAD, SGD and USD. Robinhood only supports deposits and withdrawals of USD. Both platforms support direct deposit of US paychecks into trading accounts.
Robinhood charges no fees for buying and selling cryptocurrencies, but there is a spread between buy and sell prices. This means there are times when you’ll pay a much higher price or sell for a lower amount on Robinhood than on another platform.
Coinbase has a more complex fee structure, with different fees for instant buy and sell, spot trading and converting.
Robinhood also has free USD withdrawals and deposits.
Deposit Fees
Wire transfer: $10
Trading Fee
Maker: free Taker: free
Maker: 0.00 - 0.4% Taker: 0.05 - 0.6%
Withdrawal Fees
Wire transfer: $25
Deposit methods
Bank transfer, Cash, Debit card
Bank transfer (ACH), Debit card, PayPal, Wire transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Coinbase has a proprietary wallet: Coinbase Wallet. It’s fully noncustodial and compatible with multiple blockchain networks like Ethereum, Solana and more.
The wallet can store NFTs from any supported blockchain as well. This allows you to interact with decentralized apps (dApps) like decentralized exchanges (DEXs) or NFT marketplaces.
Robinhood offers only an exchange wallet, though it has a proprietary wallet in development. Robinhood didn’t even allow deposits or withdrawals of crypto until May, 2022.
Winner: Coinbase
Round 6: Ease of use
Both Robinhood and Coinbase are designed for beginners who have no trading experience. They both have smooth user interfaces and easy-to-find buying and selling tools.
However, Coinbase is solely focused on crypto, making it a simpler task for new users to focus on crypto rather than being distracted by other investment options.
Winner: Coinbase
Round 7: Security
Both Coinbase and Robinhood have experienced breaches. Coinbase was hacked in October 2021, affecting 6,000 users, though they were reimbursed. Robinhood experienced a data breach in November 2021, with 5 million email addresses and 2 million customer names being stolen.
Coinbase has insurance for both crypto and fiat holdings, while Robinhood has FDIC insurance for fiat but no insurance for crypto. It should be noted that Robinhood has had multiple incidences where they halted trading of specific assets, affecting users’ ability to take profit or stop a loss.
Winner: Coinbase
Coinbase vs. Robinhood winner: Coinbase
Taking 6 out of 7 rounds, Coinbase is our winner by a landslide. Coinbase offers more crypto assets, better fiat support including fiat trading pairs, its own wallet, better insurance and an easy-to-use platform. It also offers users earning opportunities.
Robinhood may have lower fees, but it has a small crypto offering and not much else for crypto users. If you’re looking for a platform with stocks and crypto, Robinhood is a good choice, but Coinbase is clearly better for those interested in crypto.
Disclaimer: This page is not financial advice or an endorsement of digital assets, providers or services. Digital assets are volatile and risky, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Potential regulations or policies can affect their availability and services provided. Talk with a financial professional before making a decision. Finder or the author may own cryptocurrency discussed on this page.
Whether products shown are available to you is subject to individual provider sole approval and discretion in accordance with the eligibility criteria and T&Cs on the provider website.
Evan Jones is a writer for Finder. Evan was introduced to cryptocurrency during the 2017 bull market and has been writing about it full-time since 2019. Having already completed a degree in history, he has completed an editing certificate.
Learn about BitFinex cryptocurrency exchange where you can buy and sell 100+ coins and tokens. Discover features, fees and more in Finder’s BitFinex review.
Check out our complete review of Coinbase to see if it’s safe, weigh up pros and cons, compare fees and learn what you can do on it beyond simply buying cryptocurrency.
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