This article compares Coinbase vs Crypto.com, which are both popular cryptocurrency platforms that provide access to a wide variety of features.
At a Glance
When comparing Coinbase vs Crypto.com, each platform has some similar features. They each also have features that set themselves apart from each other. They are both popular and trusted. Both platforms allow users to buy, sell, or trade crypto. Coinbase is a U.S. dollar stable coin. They use a maker-taker style pricing with slightly higher fees.
Crypto.com uses the crypto.com coin. The more a user stake means, the higher the benefit they will receive. This is the less expensive of the two platforms. They use a pricing structure that is also maker-taker style, but the details are different.
Each platform has some slight variation in features, but there is not a clear choice of which is the better platform. It depends on your needs as a trader.
Coinbase does have higher fees but also includes a wealth of information and an extremely easy-to-use trading platform. This makes it ideal for first-time crypto investors. On the other hand, Crypto.com has fewer educational resources, a wider range of coins, and lower fees. In addition, the interface is not as intuitive, making it better for an experienced investor.
How the Best Choice Was Determined
We reviewed the Coinbase vs Crypto.com platforms to determine all of the available features, fee structure, and limitations. It is critical that we use real data and facts to make determinations about the best overall choice. We appreciate the time it takes to understand and compare the various features fully. We spend as much time as necessary reviewing them. We also verify the accuracy of the information we are using. This allows us to have a deep understanding of the differences between the features and functionality found at Coinbase vs Crypto.com.
One of the ways we do this is to gather feedback from users, traders, and investors. We verify that we know the current pricing and services. We believe there is a significant value in the feedback from the users and that feedback is essential when making sound decisions. We feel it is critical to ensure that no false claims are used in our comparison. We dig deep into every feature to understand the options each platform provides.
Keep Reading
We have outlined the strengths and weaknesses of each platform so you can determine which platform, Coinbase vs Crypto.com, is right for you.
Coinbase vs Crypto.com
Coinbase Overview
Coinbase is ideal for the first time investor that may not know a large amount about investing or trading. They offer more than 150 currencies. In addition, Coinbase has several educational features that can help beginners to learn about the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies. This platform is easy to use, including trading one cryptocurrency for another or buying cryptocurrencies.
Coinbase does charge you a high convenience fee. The fees may be as high as a .50% spread for each trade. The fee for purchases changes based on the purchase type, credit card, Coinbase wallet, or bank account. There is a maximum trading amount for each day.
Pros:
- Paypal can be used for transactions
- Earn crypto as you use educational resources
- User-friendly designed interface
Cons:
- Highest fees of most platforms
- Fewer altcoins that can be traded
- Less fee discounts
Crypto.com Overview
Crypto.com has lower fees. The exact fee is based upon the method the crypto is purchased. In addition, they have a more extensive group of cryptocurrencies from which you can choose.
Crypto.com has a two-step verification to protect their users. Balances up to $250,000 are FDIC-insured. In addition, the platform has insurance against theft, utilizes cold storage, and uses a bug bounty program.
Pros:
- Much lower fees than other platforms
- They have additional benefits for staking CRO
- There are multiple ways to earn crypto or interest
Cons:
- There are complaints that customer service is not responsive
- There have limited educational resources
- Many coin options are not available in the U.S.
Comparison of Features
Fees
As a trader, one of the biggest differences between all of the platforms, especially Coinbase vs Crypto.com, is the fees that they charge. You always want to know the fee structure that each platform charges. This impact your bottom line because the fees come directly from your flow of cash. Most traders are looking for fees to be as low as possible.
Crypto.com keeps their fee structure simple with a maker-taker pricing model. The fees are around 0.40% for the maker fees, and they range from 0.10% to 0.40% for taker fees. Crypto.com offers huge discounts for those who stake CRO. They use a tiered system that allows users to earn larger discounts, up to 100% of the maker-taker fees, depending on how much they stake.
Coinbase charges an additional fee if you make purchases with a credit card. Coinbase also has maker-taker fees. These fees range from 0.00% to 0.40% for maker fees and range from 0.05 to 0.60 % in taker fees. Unfortunately, Coinbase is not the most transparent about its crypto trading fees. They are calculated when you place your order, but they are not published like other platforms are likely to do.
Similar to their trading fees, Coinbase has a withdrawal fee that they only disclose once you go through the transaction. Therefore, you can move money to your Coinbase wallet for free. However, if you move your crypto to a different external waller, there is a fee associated with doing so.
If fees are most important to you, then Crypto.com is the winner in this category because it has lower fees. However, Coinbase does offer more deposit options.
Security and Safety
Another key factor that is fundamental to determining which platform to select is security. Both Coinbase vs Crypto.com have top of the line security measures in place to help protect their users and their platforms. They are both safe and use industry standard or above industry standard security for the residents based in the U.S.
Both platforms are well known and trusted. They bug bounty hunters to seek out any security concerns. Those that are using Crypto.com in Hong Kong may find that there are different security rules for them.
In addition, their insurance only covers assets in cold storage. For this reason, they do not allow users to store funds in hot wallets. Coinbase has insurance that covers funds in both hot and cold storage. They do have less dollars of coverage overall.
Coinbase has $255 million in FDIC insurance coverage, and Cyrpto.com has $360 million in FDIC insurance coverage. Additionally, both platforms utilize multi-factor authentication.
Both of these platforms are fairly evenly matched when it comes to security and safety.
Available Cryptocurrency
When it comes to the cryptocurrency that is available in the platforms, Crypto.com has more to offer. Coinbase continues to add more, but they have not reached the same amount. Crypto.com supports over 150 cryptocurrencies, and Coinbase has over 100 tradable cryptocurrencies.
You will find some of the same cryptocurrencies on both platforms. They include:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Cardano (ADA)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Solana (SOL)
Both platforms also have the same major stable coins, such as:
- USD Coin (USDC)
- Tether (USDT)
There are some limitations on what currencies you can buy based upon where you live. For example, those living in New York cannot buy some of the currencies available on Coinbase. Those living in Connecticut cannot buy DAI on Crypto.com. If you live in Texas, you cannot buy PAX Gold (PAXG) on Crypto.com.
Unique Features
Both platforms have a mobile applications for their users. The apps can work on both iOS and Android devices. In addition, the digital wallets for both platforms also work in the mobile app. Despite this similarity, there are some definite differences between the two platforms.
Coinbase provides education and learning to a beginning trader. They have a large library of information about trading cryptocurrency to help new traders learn. Traders can take a course or watch a lesson about various altcoins. Once they complete this, they can earn a call amount of cryptocurrency. Usually, they earn about $3 or $10 worth of crypto.
The Coinbase Card is the same as a Visa debit card that became available to Coinbase users in the fall of 2021. This card allows them to earn up to 4% in rewards for every purchase. Coinbase has a native coin, USD Coin (USDC). In addition, users of the platform can hold onto USDC to earn a 0.15% annual percentage yield (APY).
Crypto.com started as a crypto payment platform. They offer several different products, including Visa cards, various ways to earn more crypto, and paying at checkout with crypto. In addition, they offer a small number of educational opportunities. The knowledge base available on the platform covers the basics of how to use the platform but not how to trade. They do have a blog and a section the call university.
The Visa card offered on Crypto.com has tiers that offer as much as 8% in rewards for purchases. They offer crypto pay which allows users to purchase gift cards with crypto or make certain purchases with crypto. They have crypto earn, which allows users to receive as much as 14.5% on their crypto deposits. They also offer crypto credit which is a loan for non-U.S. based users. They can borrow up to half of their crypto collateral.
Crypto.com has soft staking available for a myriad of assets on the exchange. They even sponsor trading competitions, and other events called The Syndicate. In addition, users have the ability to purchase assets at half the price.
Ease of Use
Both platforms are easy to use for traders of all strengths and knowledge bases. However, you will find that each one has some features that are easier to use than others.
Coinbase allows you to make a purchase of as much as $9,000 crypto assets with just a phone verification. Coinbase is a significantly easier platform to navigate if you are a beginning trader. The user interface makes it easy for users to navigate, and it is simple to buy and sell. Coinbase is a safer space for beginners to find their way around. This is a great space to learn and understand the terminology and types of transactions supported.
Coinbase is available in well over 100 countries, including the U.S., Canada, Singapore, and 39 European countries. However, residents of Hawaii cannot use Coinbase, and New York residents may also face restrictions.
On Crypto.com, to do anything on the platform, you must be verified. Signing up on the Crypto.com mobile app is simple, even with Know Your Customer (KYC) security. Once you have been verified through the app, you have automatically verified your exchange account also. This gives you instant access to all the features on both the platform and the mobile app.
Once you get on the platform, Crypto.com can be a little overwhelming and challenging to navigate. Investors in Hawaii can use Crypto.com, but New York investors cannot. It is available to residents in over 100 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Singapore, Canada, and the U.K.
Coinbase vs Crypto.com: The Winner
Best Overall
While there are many features between Coinbase vs Crypto.com that are similar, when it comes to the best overall platform, Crypto.com, is the way to go. Crypto.com is easy to use, has low fees, and has a wide variety and selection of cryptocurrency options. There is a slight amount of learning that you need to do to use the platform effectively, but it is easy to navigate. The fees on Crypto.com are lower than the fees on Coinbase. They offer users many products and discounts and allow you to use crypto as payment. Another benefit of Crypto.com is that it gives you access to more useful services the longer that you use the platform. This helps your earnings grow as you learn the platform.
Best for the Beginner Trader
Coinbase is ideal for beginning traders. Coinable does charge higher fees to users, but it does offer a wide range of information. The Coinbase platform is easy to use, which makes it ideal for the first time investor. Regardless if you use the mobile application or the website, it is easy for any trader to buy, sell, or exchange cryptocurrency. Coinbase offers a large number, more than 100, of cryptocurrency, and the number continues to grow. This platform accepts PayPal payments. You can earn crypto by watching educational videos. You can also earn crypto rewards when you make a purchase with the Coinbase Visa debit card.
Best for the Experienced Trader
Crypto.com is ideal for an experienced trader. It provides different routes for traders to earn staking rewards. It has low fees and an extensive range of coins to buy and sell. It does not offer a large number of educational resources. It has an interface that is not as easy to use to other platforms. Crypto.com is ideal for those that prefer to handle and manage their assets through a web browser. They offer a mobile application that provides a large amount of functionality that is not found on the web platform. Unfortunately, the mobile app is not available to residents that live in New York. There are extra perks on the platform, including Visa card rewards and reduced fees, but these perks must be unlocked with large amounts of CRO.
Now that you know all the information about Coinbase vs Crypto.com, there is no time like the present to get started. You may think it is challenging to create an account on Crypto.com, but it is much easier than you think.
Once you go to the Crypto.com website, you should move to the upper right hand corner and click on the sign up button. From there, you should follow the instructions on the screen to provide the platform with the necessary information that they need. This includes information like your email address and date of birth. They will send you a confirmation link where you can verify your identity. You must be over 18 years of age. Once you do that, you should click on the continue button. You are sent a verification via email with a one time password. You must confirm this registration. Next, you must enter the one time password and submit it. The last step you must take is to verify your phone number. You will be sent an SMS code for verification. Once you click submit, you are finished.
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