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Customers around the world discover and begin their journeys with crypto through Coinbase. Approximately 98 million verified users, 13,000 institutions, and 230,000 ecosystem partners in over 100 countries trust Coinbase to easily and securely invest, spend, save, earn, and use crypto.
Coinbase is one of the oldest and most established platforms, but there are alternative exchanges that offer certain advantages over Coinbase like lower fees and better interfaces. In this article, we will go over the best alternatives to Coinbase so you can buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Best Coinbase Alternatives in 2024
Not all Bitcoin exchanges have the same fees, cryptocurrencies available for purchase, and features. That's why it helps to see which Coinbase alternative is best for your short-term and long-term investing goals.
Find the best Coinbase alternatives and decide which is the best option for you. Here are the best Coinbase alternatives with lower fees.
Robinhood Crypto – Best for No Cost
Robinhood is a great option for those who want to buy Bitcoin but want to avoid paying any fees. Robinhood is an investing app that allows you to buy and sell Bitcoin with no commissions is one of the top crypto exchanges.
If you're already familiar with how to buy and sell stocks, then buying Bitcoin on Robinhood will be super easy. In addition to buying Bitcoin (BTC) — you can buy Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin SV (BSV), Dogecoin (DOGE), Ethereum (ETH), Ethereum Classic (ETC), Litecoin (LTC) and more.
Details
- Fees: Free
- Pro: No fees for crypto trades and it is convenient if you already have a Robinhood brokerage account.
- Con: No crypto-to-crypto trading.
Summary
- User Interface: Easy to navigate and fully customizable
- Fees: Low
- Reputation: Trusted
Overall, using Robinhood Crypto to buy Bitcoin is smart, easy, and straightforward.
Robinhood offers the lowest cost to trade crypto on average. Buy, hold, and sell popular cryptocurrencies and stablecoins such as BTC, ETH, DOGE, SHIB, AVAX, LTC, UNI, ETC, LINK, XLM, AAVE, the list goes on. You can send crypto to Robinhood, or send crypto from your Robinhood account to other crypto wallets. It’s secure, simple, and you’ll never be charged deposit or withdrawal fees.
eToro – Best for Social Features
eToro has been a leading online trading platform since 2008 and was one of the first companies to support digital currency trading in 2013. The platform offers a crypto exchange that supports trading in over 30 cryptocurrencies, as well as an online brokerage platform with a limited selection of stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
This platform's engaging social features and vibrant community appeal to those who enjoy communal trading experiences. However, for those seeking a cost-effective crypto exchange, eToro's high trading fees might be excessive.
Details
- Fees: 1%
- Pro: The platform provides a communal experience, allows transferring cryptocurrency off-site, and offers extensive educational resources.
- Con: Not available in New York, Hawaii, Minnesota and Nevada, has limited customer service and no crypto-to-crypto trading pairs.
Summary
- User Interface: Easy to Navigate
- Fees: High
- Reputation: Average
eToro users can start trading cryptocurrencies, stocks, and ETFs with just $10 and mimic successful traders' moves on its innovative platform.
Trade popular crypto on eToro. Explore professionally managed portfolios. eToro is one of the world’s leading social investment communities that allows people to grow their knowledge.
Kraken – Best for Advanced Traders
As one of the largest and oldest Bitcoin exchanges in the world, Kraken is consistently named one of the best places to buy and sell crypto online, thanks to its excellent service, low fees, margin trading, versatile funding options, and rigorous security standards — but this is only part of the story.
They've been at the forefront of the blockchain revolution since 2011 and is one of the best Coinbase alternatives. Kraken offers tools and resources for new crypto investors, but is more targeted for advanced traders and offers over 130 crypto trading paries, more than 230 different cryptocurrencies and margin trading.
Details
- Fees: 0.16%-5%
- Pros: Over 230+ cryptocurrencies available, over 130 crypto trading pairs and low fees for advanced traders.
- Cons: The service has limited funding options, is not available in New York or Washington state, and charges high fees for purchases in USD.
Summary
- User Interface: Sleek design, a good overview of the trading market with lots of customizations.
- Fees: Low
- Reputation: Trusted
If you are trying to take your crypto investments to the next level, you can get started with Kraken here.
Kraken, an established leader in the crypto exchange market, combines top-notch security and a diverse selection of over 230+ coins in the U.S., all at a competitively low price point. Get started with as little as $10.
Gemini – Best Beginner Friendly Platform
Gemini is the best place to buy Bitcoin with a debit card instantly. Gemini makes it simple to research the crypto market, buy Bitcoin and other cryptos, and build a portfolio for the future of money. Gemini provides a user-friendly trading platform for beginners, an advanced system for serious traders, and a peer-to-peer trading portal, catering to both casual and experienced investors.
Details
- Fees: 0.5% – 3.49%
- Pro: Over 120+ coins available, available in all states, and an easy-to-use interface.
- Con: Complicated fees and limited customer service.
Summary
- User Interface: A beginner-friendly interface.
- Fees: High, Gemini's fee structure might be a significant drawback for newcomers to crypto.
- Reputation: Trusted
Gemini, known for its strong security and never having been hacked, is a user-friendly crypto exchange available in all U.S. states, including typically excluded New York. However, users should be aware of its relatively high and complex fee structure.
CEX.IO – Best for Experienced Traders
CEX.IO, a regulated global cryptocurrency exchange, offers a platform for buying, selling, borrowing, and earning crypto with a variety of assets and advanced features, suited for experienced traders but possibly overwhelming for beginners.
CEX.IO lets you buy Bitcoin with a credit card, ACH bank transfer, SEPA transfer, cash, or AstroPay. Purchases made with a credit card give you access to your Bitcoin immediately. CEX.IO works in the United States, Europe, and certain countries in South America.
Details
- Fees: Low 0.25% trading fee.
- Pro: Regulated and licensed, over 200+ large cryptocurrencies, provides an opportunity to earn crypto and offers crypto-collateralized loans.
- Cons: Beginners might find the plethora of products and services overwhelming, and the exchange has lower liquidity compared to other major global platforms.
Summary
- User Interface: Hard to navigate for beginners
- Fees: Average
- Reputation: Trusted
Launched in 2013, CEX.IO, a regulated global cryptocurrency exchange, allows trading, borrowing, and earning crypto with its extensive asset range and advanced features, ideal for seasoned traders but potentially overwhelming for beginners.
What is Coinbase?
Coinbase has emerged as one of the high-profile names in the Bitcoin world placing itself on the top as a one-stop solution for Bitcoins. Coinbase is a San Francisco based digital asset exchange that lets you turn your fiat currency into cryptocurrency. It is the main entry point into the cryptocurrency space for most people. It’s currently is the quickest and easiest way to buy Bitcoins in the US.
Create your Coinbase account and get $5 in free Bitcoin at Coinbase.
Details
- Fees: Coinbase charges 3.99% fees for credit/debit card purchases but you can get your coins instantly. 1.49% if you buy from your bank account.
- Pro: “Instant Buy” option available with credit card or debit card
- Con: Purchases made with bank transfer can take up to 5 days to complete
Summary
- User Interface: Easy to Navigate
- Fees: Average
- Reputation: Trusted
If you wanted to create a Coinbase account you can create a Coinbase account by clicking this link.
Coinbase offers over 100+ cryptos to trade, invest, or stake in. If you want to diversify your income sources through cryptocurrencies, Coinbase is an ideal platform to buy, sell, or even build your crypto portfolio.
Related: Coinbase vs eToro: Cryptocurrency Trading Comparison
What is Coinbase Pro?
Coinbase Pro (Coinbase’s exchange), is one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges in the United States. Users can fund their accounts via bank transfer, SEPA, or bank wire to use its trading platform. Coinbase Pro offers good prices and low fees, but their confusing user interface may initially prove difficult to navigate unless you are used to trading/investing in cryptocurrencies. In order to join Coinbase Pro, you'll have to create a regular Coinbase account.
Details
- Fees: Possible to buy bitcoins for 0% fees.
- Pro: One of the lowest fees available for US and UE users.
- Con: The user interface is not easy to navigate for beginners.
Summary
- User Interface: Difficult to Navigate
- Fees: Low
- Reputation: Trusted
If you wanted to create a Coinbase Pro account you can create a Coinbase account by clicking this link.
Coinbase offers over 100+ cryptos to trade, invest, or stake in. If you want to diversify your income sources through cryptocurrencies, Coinbase is an ideal platform to buy, sell, or even build your crypto portfolio.
Bitcoin for Dummies: What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that is open source and created for peer to peer money transfers. Imagine Paypal or Venmo without a central authority. No one to tell you what to pay, how to buy, when to buy with no worries of a huge fee.
Now imagine all your transactions becoming open to the public eye through pseudonymity. Bitcoin was created to combat the financial crisis that happened as the banks had too much power.
Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin created it to give the people the power of their money. No need for banks to hold your money. You hold your money in your own wallet.
Your wallet can consist of a paper wallet with just your Bitcoin hash address, a mobile/computer wallet or a cryptocurrency hardware wallet.
Benefits
- Quick: One major advantage of cryptocurrencies, in general, is that they are quick. If you buy something, the seller will get their coins pretty quickly. If you purchase with a Visa, they need to wait for the transaction to be accepted, then settle then go to your bank account in 3 days.
- Cheaper Transactions: Paypal and payment processors generally charge 3-4% of the fees and charge that from the seller. In this case, the buyer is paying the fees but it amounts to fractions of a percent.
- Paperless: Going into the age of digital, paperless is becoming bigger as more people are liking it. Digital currencies do not need a reason to be with paper as everything is done on your phone or computer.
- Irreversible Transactions: Some people think an irreversible transaction is a bad thing but there are ways to go around it. For sellers, it is a great idea because people cannot make unnecessary chargebacks as we see it being done on sites like eBay and Amazon. To make sure you’re not sending it to the wrong address, always send a minimal amount to the hash address to make sure it is correct.
- Appreciating Asset: With the way things are going, it seems like Bitcoin can’t keep going up forever. To be frank, not everything will go up forever. However, the difference between fiat and Bitcoin is that the government keeps printing more money while Bitcoin has a set amount that there will ever be which is 21 million total coins.
Apps Like Coinbase Can Save You Hundreds in Fees
Not every Bitcoin exchange has the same fee structures and features savings available so it’s good to shop around for the best Coinbase alternative for you. Even ones that have similar cryptocurrencies available to purchase will have different bonuses and features.
Furthermore, it’s worth noting that this isn’t an exhaustive list. There are a ton of places to buy Bitcoin.
We recommend going through the list of Coinbase alternatives and finding the ones that suit your needs and lifestyle so you can save the most amount of money (and make it).
Savvy investors everywhere are investing and trading with apps like Coinbase. But Coinbase is no longer the only player in the game. These other cryptocurrency exchanges that will help you save big on fees that Coinbase has.
