Overview
Coinbase is the biggest US-based crypto exchange and has been going since 2012. The main app suits beginners who want to buy and hold, while Coinbase Advanced is for active traders who want order books, lower fees and derivatives. It's licensed in a lot of places: Coinbase, Inc. holds a New York virtual currency licence, US futures run through Coinbase Financial Markets (an NFA member), UK e-money sits with CB Payments under the FCA, EU clients are covered by a MiCA licence from Luxembourg's CSSF and a CySEC-licensed derivatives arm, and Singapore has a MAS payment licence.
Accounts and costs
There's no minimum deposit. Buying in the simple app is convenient but pricey: you pay a spread of roughly 0.5% plus a transaction fee, and card buys cost more again. Advanced uses maker-taker pricing, from 0.40% maker and 0.60% taker down to 0.00% and 0.04% as your monthly volume grows. Coinbase One is a subscription that removes trading fees on eligible simple trades up to a limit, though the spread stays. Coinbase also keeps a sizeable share of staking rewards.
Platforms and markets
You get the Coinbase app and web site, Coinbase Advanced with full charting, and Advanced Trade APIs for bots. Advanced also connects to TradingView. There are 550+ spot pairs, and derivatives with leverage up to 10x: dated and perpetual crypto futures, plus commodity and stock perps where they're allowed. US futures are sized for retail, at 1/100th of a bitcoin.
Money in and out
In the US, ACH deposits and withdrawals are free, a wire costs $10 in and $25 out, and instant cash-outs to a debit card or PayPal run about 1.5%. SEPA costs around €0.15 in Europe. Crypto deposits are free, and sending crypto out costs the network fee.
Good
- Licensed across the US, UK, EU and Singapore, and listed on the Nasdaq
- Simple app for beginners plus Coinbase Advanced for active traders
- Regulated, retail-sized crypto futures for US traders through an NFA member
- 550+ spot pairs on Advanced with maker fees as low as 0.00%
- Free ACH deposits and withdrawals in the US
Watch for
- The simple buy flow is one of the more expensive ways to buy crypto
- Fees are hard to see before you trade
- Card purchases carry a much higher fee
- Coinbase keeps a large cut of staking rewards
- Stock and commodity perps aren't available to US users
Accounts and costs
What each account needs to open and what you pay to trade on it.
| Account | Min deposit | Pricing | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coinbase (simple trade) | None | A spread of around 0.5% built into the price plus a variable transaction fee; card buys cost more | — |
| Coinbase Advanced | None | Maker-taker fees by 30-day volume tier: makers 0.40% down to 0.00%, takers 0.60% down to 0.04% | Up to 10x on derivatives |
| Coinbase One | None | Subscription with zero trading fees on eligible simple trades up to a volume limit; spread still applies | — |
Regulation
Which entity holds which licence. Your protection depends on the entity you open an account with.
Investor protection: Coinbase Capital Markets Corporation is a SIPC member for securities
Platforms and markets
Platforms
Markets
Deposits and withdrawals
- Methods
- Bank transfer, Card, PayPal, Crypto
- Minimum deposit
- None
What traders say
Scores from the sites traders use, and our summary of what they're saying, checked 6 October 2026.
Coinbase splits its users more sharply than most platforms. It holds 4 stars on Trustpilot from about 23,200 reviews, but one review analysis found that pool roughly 43% five-star and 45% one-star, with little in between. Sitejabber, where unhappy customers dominate, shows 1.3 from about 830 reviews. Casual buyers tend to be satisfied; people who hit a frozen account or a support problem are not.
What traders like
Easy to start. Many Trustpilot and Reddit reviewers say Coinbase is the simplest way to buy crypto for the first time.
Regulated and listed. Reviewers often name its Nasdaq listing and two-step security as reasons they trust it, and some long-time users say they have never been hacked.
Explained holds. A few Trustpilot reviewers who had funds frozen elsewhere say Coinbase at least explained its holds, and one says it reimbursed them before finishing its investigation.
Common complaints
Frozen accounts and withdrawal holds. The most common complaint on Trustpilot, Sitejabber and r/Coinbase is accounts restricted without a clear reason, or cash and crypto that cannot leave for days or weeks after a deposit or an ID check.
No real support. Many say there is no phone line to a person, chat answers are generic, and escalations go unanswered.
Fees. Several reviewers and NerdWallet say spreads on the simple buy screen are not clear until after the trade, and some report high network fees on withdrawals.
Repeated verification. Some Reddit users say ID checks come back again and again.
Recently
September to October 2026: recent Trustpilot reviews still mix praise with complaints about funds held after deposits blocking external transfers, and Coinbase replies to most of them. Posts on an unrelated forum advertising phone numbers presented as Coinbase support also appeared in the last few weeks.
Where this comes from
Trustpilot: Coinbase's main review page, the largest pool of reviews.
Sitejabber: customer reviews, mostly negative.
Myfxbook (Coinbase Pro): trader reviews of the former Pro platform.
Reddit: an r/Coinbase thread weighing the complaints.
Verified reviews
Reviews from traders who've connected an account at Coinbase to Chartnaut, so you know they actually traded there. Opening soon.