Uphold vs. Coinbase: Which crypto exchange is better?

Uphold and Coinbase are both solid choices for beginners, but choosing which is best for you can be hard. Uphold offers users more than just crypto, with commodities and stocks available. On the other hand, Coinbase offers users a simple crypto experience and has been in the industry for over a decade.

Find out which exchange comes out on top in our Uphold vs. Coinbase comparison.

Round 1: Uphold vs. Coinbase on vital statistics

Both Uphold and Coinbase are US-based exchanges accessible to US residents. Both platforms also offer users a debit card.

Uphold offers users precious metals and stocks among other alternative assets. Coinbase offers users a streamlined crypto experience, which may be more appealing to beginners.

Overall rating	★★★★★	★★★★★
Costs rating	★★★★★	★★★★★
Registered
Exchange location	USA	USA
Offers a debit card
Earn returns on crypto
	Go to site More Info	More Info

Winner: Draw

Round 2: Supported coins

Coinbase offers quite a few more crypto coins and tokens for buying, selling and trading than Uphold does. Uphold offers a wider range of assets because there are stocks and commodities available, but we’re evaluating this based on cryptocurrency support. That said, Uphold has a good selection of cryptocurrencies including Ripple (XRP), which Coinbase doesn’t support.

Number of tradeable crypto assets	247	250
	Go to site More Info	More Info

Winner: Coinbase

Round 3: Supported fiat currencies

Coinbase and Uphold support a comparable number of fiat currencies through credit and debit card channels.

Coinbase supports more direct fiat deposits, with USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, and SGD available, compared to Uphold only supporting USD, EUR, and GBP. Coinbase has more direct trading pairs with fiat than Uphold, but Uphold lets you swap any asset for anything on the platform, essentially meaning there are more pairs overall there.

Coinbase also supports channels like PayPal while Uphold does not.

Number of supported fiat currencies	27	23
Supported fiat currencies	GBP, ARS, AUD, EUR, INR, BRL, CAD, CNY, NZD, HRK, CZK, DKK, USD, HKD, HUF, ILS, JPY, KES, CHF, MXN, NOK, PHP, PLN, RON, SGD, SEK, AED	GBP, AUD, EUR, BGN, CAD, CLP, HRK, CZK, DKK, USD, GIP, HUF, ISK, CHF, MXN, NOK, PLN, RON, SGD, SEK, GGP, IMP, JEP
	Go to site More Info	More Info

Winner: Coinbase

Round 4: Fees and costs

Both Coinbase and Uphold have a variety of fee structures in place.

When comparing the base platforms, Uphold may have slightly lower fees for crypto compared to Coinbase’s flat rates based on transaction amount, but Coinbase Pro has much lower fees than Uphold does. Coinbase Pro also has ways to further reduce trading fees while Uphold doesn’t. Crypto withdrawals are cheaper on Coinbase, while fiat withdrawal fees are comparable.

Minimum deposits	US$10
Deposit Fees	Bank transfer: None Credit card: 3.99% Debit card: 2.49% Google Pay: None	Wire transfer: $10
Trading Fee	$1 flat fee on trades Spreads also apply	Maker: 0.00 - 0.4% Taker: 0.05 - 0.6%
Withdrawal Fees	Cryptocurrency: subject to network fees Bank transfer: None Google Pay: None	Wire transfer: $25
Deposit methods	Bank transfer, Credit card, Debit card, Bank transfer (SEPA), Apple Pay, Google Pay	Bank transfer (ACH), Debit card, PayPal, Wire transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay
	Go to site More Info	More Info

Winner: Coinbase

Round 5: Wallets

Uphold only has the exchange-based wallet, but Coinbase has its proprietary Coinbase Wallet.

The Coinbase Wallet is fully noncustodial and compatible with multiple blockchain networks. This means you can interact with decentralized apps (dApps) like decentralized exchanges (DEXs). The Coinbase Wallet also supports NFTs and can be used to buy and sell them.

Winner: Coinbase

Round 6: Security

Uphold has never been hacked. It’s compliant with multiple national regulators, has FDIC insurance, a fully transparent insurance and reserves funds for crypto and a bug bounty program.

Coinbase has FDIC insurance too, along with crypto insurance, but it was hacked in 2021 when 6,000 individual accounts were affected in the phishing scam, but Coinbase reimbursed affected users.

Winner: Uphold

Round 7: Ease of Use

Coinbase has been designed for beginners, it has a smooth user experience and straightforward process for buying and selling crypto assets.

Uphold also has a smooth user interface and allows you to swap between any of their supported assets on one trading page with only a couple of clicks. This is even more straightforward than Coinbase’s system which has different tabs for buying, selling, and trading.

Winner: Uphold

Coinbase vs. Uphold winner: Coinbase

By taking four out of seven categories, Coinbase is our winner when comparing it to Uphold. Coinbase offers its own proprietary wallet, more crypto support, fiat support, and a more crypto-focused experience.

That said, Uphold has a lot of great things to offer users, and those interested in more than crypto could do worse than using Uphold. Coinbase is simply one of the easiest crypto platforms for beginner traders.