Coinbase review
Coinbase lets people buy, sell, store and earn cryptocurrency, through a beginner-friendly app and a separate order-book platform, Coinbase Advanced Trade, built into the same account. It is a publicly traded company, listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker COIN, and holds US money-transmitter licenses plus a New York BitLicense. Beyond spot trading, Coinbase has expanded into a self-custody wallet, staking, a subscription plan called Coinbase One, and in 2026 added regulated derivatives, prediction markets, and an AI investing assistant registered with the SEC and CFTC.
Coinbase key facts
- Website: www.coinbase.com
- Category: Crypto exchange
- Founded: 2012
- Headquarters: San Francisco (remote-first)
- Public status: Nasdaq-listed (COIN), direct listing April 2021
- Regulatory footprint: US money-transmitter licenses, New York BitLicense, MiCA license in Luxembourg for the EU
- Core products: Simple app, Coinbase Advanced Trade, Coinbase Wallet, Coinbase Prime, Coinbase One
- Assets: 350+ cryptocurrencies
- FYI Score: 95.8/100 (ranked #1 of the 48 crypto exchanges we track)
Trading and investing
- Beginner-friendly app for buying and selling crypto, priced with a spread plus a separate fee.
- Coinbase Advanced Trade: order-book trading with maker and taker pricing and no added spread, in the same account.
- CFTC-regulated futures and, since mid-2026, perpetual futures for US retail customers.
- Prediction markets on crypto prices, elections and economic indicators, powered by Kalshi.
Wallet and custody
- Coinbase Wallet: a separate self-custody app where the user holds their own keys.
- Coinbase Prime: institutional custody, execution and financing, held in a separately chartered, NYDFS-regulated trust company.
- Staking on proof-of-stake assets such as ETH and SOL, with Coinbase taking a share of the rewards.
Coinbase One (subscription)
- Three tiers, Basic, Preferred and Premium, each waiving trading fees up to a monthly volume cap.
- Boosted USDC yield and a companion debit card with crypto-back rewards.
- Premium adds a dedicated account manager.
New in 2026
- Tokenized US stocks, initially for non-US customers, tradable 24/7.
- Coinbase Advisor: an AI investing assistant registered with the SEC and CFTC.
- Bitcoin-backed mortgages and lending against staked Solana.
Markets
[object Object], [object Object], [object Object], [object Object]
Who Coinbase is for
For a retail crypto buyer, Coinbase's simple app is an accessible entry point, and Advanced Trade is there once a user wants lower fees and order-book control. Coinbase One is worth checking against actual trading volume, since its value depends on hitting the fee-free cap for a given tier.
Pros
- Regulatory standing many reviewers see as reassuring next to offshore exchanges: Nasdaq-listed, US-licensed, publishes financial results.
- Wide asset selection and multiple trading tiers in one account, from the beginner app to Advanced Trade.
- Cold storage and audited institutional custody, with commercial crime insurance on custodial holdings.
- Broad and growing product set spanning wallet, staking, card, derivatives and prediction markets.
- Strong educational content aimed at first-time crypto buyers.
Cons
- Fees are the most common complaint: the basic app's spread-plus-fee pricing runs noticeably higher than Advanced Trade.
- Recurring reports of account or fund lockouts triggered by security and compliance checks.
- Customer support is often described as slow and hard to escalate.
- A 2025 data breach involving bribed support contractors exposed customer data and drove a large remediation cost.
- Coinbase's cut of staking rewards is higher than typical DeFi or self-staking alternatives.
Coinbase FAQ
Is Coinbase safe?
Coinbase is a Nasdaq-listed, US-licensed exchange that keeps most customer crypto in offline cold storage and carries commercial crime insurance on custodial holdings. Crypto balances are not FDIC-insured; only USD cash balances get pass-through FDIC coverage. Coinbase also disclosed a data breach in 2025 involving bribed support contractors, which is worth weighing alongside its regulatory standing.
What are Coinbase's fees?
It depends on which part of the platform is used. The basic app combines a spread of roughly half a percent with a separate fee that can run from around 1.5 to 4 percent depending on size and payment method. Coinbase Advanced Trade, in the same account, uses a maker and taker schedule that starts higher for small volumes and drops toward zero at very high volume, with no added spread.
Is Coinbase regulated?
Yes, within the scope crypto exchanges are typically regulated. Coinbase holds US money-transmitter licenses and a New York BitLicense, its futures arm is CFTC-regulated, and its EU subsidiary holds a MiCA license covering all 27 member states. A 2023 SEC lawsuit alleging it operated as an unregistered securities exchange was dismissed with prejudice in 2025.
What happened with Coinbase's 2025 data breach?
Coinbase disclosed in May 2025 that bribed overseas support contractors had improperly accessed customer data, including names, contact details and masked identification numbers. Coinbase refused a ransom demand, offered a bounty for information on the attackers, and estimated total remediation and reimbursement costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Compare Coinbase with other crypto exchanges
See all crypto exchanges ranked by FYI →
Affiliate program terms
Home · CFD Brokers · Brokers · Crypto · Prop firms · Prediction markets · Media · Influencers · Solutions