Binance vs Coinbase - which exchange is better? Ultimate guide by Cryptogeek team

Compare Binance vs Coinbase

Binance and Coinbase are the two loudest names in the crypto exchanges industry. Can we single out the best one of these brands? One of them (Binance) is superior in terms of liquidity and set of features but falls short when it comes to law-abidance. The other (Coinbase) is so legit and safe that it successfully went public on NASDAQ but doesn't support as many crypto coins as Binance and collects higher fees. Both Binance and Coinbase are great but which one wins on points? Now you can check it out. Read our analysis!

Comparison at a Glance

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Bright side:	Binance offers the richest set of trading features, it has the biggest user base and liquidity and collects the smallest fees. The best selection of altcoins.	A user-friendly cryptocurrency marketplace available in most countries. Coinbase does a great job at working with regulators and making its operation fully legitimate. Institutional-grade security.	Binance.US collects low fees and has high liquidity.	Coinbase Pro is a user-friendly high-liquidity crypto exchange operating in most countries. Coinbase does a great job at working with regulators and making its operation fully legitimate. Institutional-grade security.
Flipside:	The company is accused of money laundering and other crimes. Binance is not available in the USA, UK, Germany, and many other countries. Better work with regulators is needed.	No features for crypto traders. The highest fees among the platforms we compare in this article.	The exchange is not available in most locations. The support team is criticized by users. A small selection of supported coins.	Too few available indicators. High fees.
Improvements needed:	The support team leaves much to be desired. The interface can seem quite complex for newbies.	Coinbase supports below 100 cryptocurrencies. Many exchanges have more to offer.	There is not much info about the security measures applied by Binance.US.	Coinbase Pro supports not many coins.
Total Score:	6.8 out of 10	6.5 out of 10	4.8 out of 10	7 out of 10

What Is Binance?

Binance is a relatively young cryptocurrency exchange launched in China in 2017. The platform was developed under the leadership of an experienced cryptocurrency entrepreneur Changpeng Zhao and quickly gained a prominent user base becoming the crypto exchange with the biggest trading volume in the world.

Due to an unfriendly regulatory environment towards the cryptocurrency industry in China, Binance had to relocate its headquarters to the Cayman Islands. Binance exchange became not available in several countries including the UK and the USA and is under IRS and DOJ investigation. The reason is that Binance is not complying to the anti-money laundering rules.

As for the main characteristics of Binance, this platform is popular for a huge selection of supported coins (over 380), an easy registration process, low fees, and quick trades execution (Binance performs nearly 1.5 million transactions per second). Users can enjoy airdrops and receiving rewards for holding coins. There is a native Binance token called Binance Coin. It is one of the top 5 cryptocurrencies in terms of market cap. The coin grants its holders numerous benefits.

What Is Coinbase?

Coinbase is an American company responsible for the crypto exchange Coinbase Pro, a trading platform Coinbase, Coinbase wallet, etc. The company was founded in 2012 by two young programmers Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam. As early as October 2012, Coinbase provided Americans with a rare opportunity to buy crypto coins with bank transfers using an intuitive interface. By 2014, Coinbase became the trading platform for over one million users. In 2015, the separate professional exchange called Coinbase Exchange was launched, later it got the name Coinbase Pro.

The initial app for buying cryptocurrencies called Coinbase is still in effect, however, it is probably not as popular as Coinbase Pro as the latter provides wider trading opportunities. The Coinbase platform, nevertheless, is still a decent and user-friendly service for buying cryptocurrencies. It allows purchasing cryptocurrencies with credit cards, PayPal, and many other payment methods. What's more interesting is that PayPal can be used to withdraw money from Coinbase. As the 100% legit and law obedient company, Coinbase safeguards the users funds and data with a strong and complex security system.

What Is Binance.US?

Binance.US was launched shortly after the ban of Binance in the USA in 2019. For several months, Brian Brooks served as the CEO of Binance.US, however, in August 2021 he quit his position. As mentioned above, Binance had to cease its operations in the USA due to the failure to comply with anti-money laundering rules. Binance.US was designed to meet all the legal requirements existing in the USA. The team behind the exchange turned out to be successful enough to recreate a very similar platform to the original exchange. This time Binance managed to comply with the law in most states. As of August 2021, in 7 states of America, Binance.US is not available.

Binance.US provides a bit over 50 cryptocurrencies available for trading. The security level provided by Binance.US is supposed to be on the level similar to the Binance main exchange. The exchange interface and design is close to the parent platform.

What is Coinbase Pro?

Coinbase Pro is the name of the exchange that first was called Coinbase Exchange and then rebranded temporarily for Global Digital Asset Exchange (GDAX), and finally to Coinbase Pro in 2018. The initial Coinbase trading platform is rather a fiat-to-crypto (and vice versa) gateway than an exchange. Coinbase Pro is a different thing. This platform allows trading in a usual sense — with charts, order book, and other standard attributes of a conventional crypto exchange.

Like the rest of the Coinbase's products, Coinbase Pro has an institutional-grade security where users' money are stored in the vaults. Moreover, all the funds are insured by FDIC. The trading fees on Coinbase Pro are much lower than on Coinbase as the latter is more suitable for quick buys-in at any cost. It's understood that traders who are focused on profit wouldn't have tolerated high trading fees. More than that, to help traders prevent the losses Coinbase Pro provides numerous types of orders. Just like Coinbase, Coinbase Pro can serve as an entry-level exchange as it allows to exchange fiat money for crypto coins.

Main Features Comparison

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Main Features:	Charts and numerous indicators KYC-compliant Hundreds of supported currencies and NFT tokens Support for crypto-to-crypto orders of different types Futures trading is supported OTC-trading desk (over 10,000 USDT per trade) Crypto can be bought with fiat money via Simplex Margin trading Derivatives trading Stocks trading	Licensed & 100% legit enterprise Institutional-grade security Fiat-to-crypto exchange KYC and AML-compliant Over 90 supported cryptocurrencies	Support of 60 cryptocurrencies and over 100 crypto-to-crypto markets Buy Crypto feature allowing buying crypto with fiat money The minimum trade threshold is set at $10 Several types of orders are supported The staking feature is supported	Nearly 100 supported coins Over 280 active markets Fiat-to-crypto gateway Institutional-grade security Real-time charting Several order types support KYC and AML-compliant
Pros:	Low fees The high amount of supported coins NFT marketplace High liquidity Strong security Margin trading allows earning extra profits Easy signup process Fees discounts for BNB tokens holders	Perfect security and reputation Ease of use Support for multiple payment methods Withdrawals to PayPal are supported	Low fees High liquidity Easy sign-up process Fees discounts for BNB tokens holders	Perfect security and reputation Support for multiple payment methods High liquidity
Cons:	Not available in the US, the UK, and a number of other countries The interface isn't considered beginner-friendly The company is under investigation The support team is responding to users' queries with delays	No functionality for traders High fees A limited number of supported coins No diversity in order types	Not available in several states of the USA The interface isn't considered beginner-friendly A limited functionality A limited number of supported coins A $10 minimum threshold can turn the beginners away No in-depth info over the protection measures applied by the exchange	Relatively high fees Only a small amount of indicators is available A limited number of supported coins

Binance Main Features

Hundreds of supported currencies

Binance offers a wide selection of the supported cryptocurrencies which amounts to over 380 as of August 2021. This diversity of the supported crypto coins allows traders to profit on little-known tokens as well as trading the top coins. Additionally, Binance provides users with an NFT marketplace where traders can purchase or sell unique crypto tokens.

Derivatives trading, futures trading, stocks trading, margin trading, and OTC trading are supported

Binance provides traders with a rich set of trading types. One of the most radical ways of multiplying trading profits is margin trading. On Binance, traders can enjoy up to 10x leverage. Using leverage is available for futures trading, as well. On Binance, it is possible to use different assets as collateral which provides more freedom to traders.

OTC desk allows traders to buy and sell huge amounts of crypto (over 10,000 USDT in value) without placing orders in the order book. Such trades don't affect the market prices and are not affected by the market, as well.

Through the Derivatives section, you can enter the futures market on Binance. There are different instruments that support perpetual and delivery contracts in several cryptocurrencies including stablecoins such as USDT and BUSD. Binance offers a multi-feature derivatives board that can become a fruitful experimentation ground for traders.

Apart from cryptocurrencies, Binance allows users to trade stocks including Apple, Tesla, Coinbase Global, and several others. The stocks are traded against BUSD.

Binance supports 7 types of orders and provides a rich set of indicators

There are two trading interfaces on Binance: standard and advanced. In fact, both of them provide users with robust tech indicators and a convenient working environment to analyze the market and make well-considered trading decisions. Market fluctuations take unexpected turns at times, so it is important for traders to prevent losses in cases of wrong decisions. To avoid losses, traders are free to choose from 7 supported types of orders all of which are aimed at limiting the possible harm of trading mistakes. On Binance, you can post the following orders: market orders, limit orders, stop-limit orders, stop-market orders, trailing stop orders, post only orders, and limit TP/SL orders.

Derivatives trading, futures trading, stocks trading, margin trading, and OTC trading are supported

Binance Pros and Cons

Pros

Low fees

Binance charges nearly the lowest trading fees in the industry — only 0.1% per trade while those who trade in large amounts or use BNB to pay fees enjoy fee discounts. Withdrawal fees on Binance are considered below the average, too.

The high amount of supported coins

Binance has always been oriented toward listing as many interesting coins as possible. While some people were criticizing the platform for listing so-called "shitcoins" others were glad to use the opportunity to earn on obscure coins. Lately, Binance uses a stricter approach while choosing what coin to add to its roster. However, after all, Binance still has a wide selection of nearly 400 supported coins.

NFT marketplace

In 2021, non-fungible tokens became a thing. Binance has swiftly reacted to a new trend adding an NFT marketplace to its platform. If you look for an easy way to purchase NFTs, Binance is one of the good options.

High liquidity

Binance is the world's champion in liquidity among crypto exchanges. Daily trading volume of Binance is so high that the exchange doesn't even have real rivals by this characteristic. High liquidity guarantees fast execution of trading orders which increases the level of traders' control over their actions.

Strong security

Binance provides enough measures to ensure the safety of trading on the exchange. When the exchange was hacked, all the stolen funds were compensated. The accounts are safeguarded by Cryptocurrency Security Standard (CCSS) protocol. Users can protect their accounts with 2-factor authentication and withdrawal address whitelisting. In most cases, 2fa is enough to secure your funds and data from hackers.

Margin trading allows earning extra profits

Margin trading on Binance allows experienced traders to gain ten times more than they can be using no leverage. Apart from using trading bots, margin trading is the only way to multiply the profits from your crypto investments tremendously. Not many exchanges provide a margin trading feature but on Binance you can boost your profits via leveraged trading.

Fees discounts for BNB tokens holders

Binance has its native token called Binance Coin (BNB). Holders of this token or users paying fees in BNB enjoy fee discounts and other benefits.

Cons

Not available in the US, the UK, and a number of other countries

Binance is available only in several countries. As times goes by, Binance becomes banned in more countries. The last instance is the UK. The large and important US market was cut from Binance in 2019.

The interface isn't considered beginner-friendly

While most top exchanges did a huge amount of work to make their interfaces as user-friendly as possible, Binance is usually mentioned as the platform that can seem a bit unintuitive for newbies. Of course, it doesn't make the exchange attractive for beginners.

The company is under investigation

The United States Department of Justice and Internal Revenue Service are investigating the alleged Binance involvement in tax violations and money laundering.

The support team is responding to users' queries with delays

Many exchanges get criticized over the slow support team however it doesn't excuse Binance. Sometimes, the delay in response from the support can end up in losing huge amounts of money considering how volatile the crypto market is.

Coinbase Main Features

Licensed & 100% legit enterprise

Coinbase has a BitLicense and works with the US Internal Revenue Service and the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS). It makes the platform a fully legit and accountable enterprise which is not an easy task in the USA. More than that, the status of the public company implies that Coinbase is subjected to external audits and is trustworthy.

Institutional-grade security

Coinbase is a rare cryptocurrency platform protecting the funds of its users by FDIC insurance. More than that, the licenses, external audits, and ties with the institutions make Coinbase accountable hence a trustworthy company. The assets of users are stored offline. Users are recommended to protect their accounts via other measures including 2-factor authentication (via a special mobile app or text messages). Hardware security keys are supported, too.

Fiat-to-crypto exchange

Coinbase can be used to purchase numerous cryptocurrencies in exchange for fiat money. So even if you don't have any crypto at all, you can buy some on Coinbase. As the platform is available in dozens of countries, you can deposit your local money on Coinbase or at least convert it to a different currency that is accepted on the platform. All in all, Coinbase provides residents of most countries with the opportunity to buy cryptocurrency with fiat money.

Over 90 supported cryptocurrencies

Coinbase supports quite many cryptocurrencies. Some might argue that many top exchanges support hundreds of coins while Coinbase has less than 100 digital assets in its roster as of August 2021. However, the number of supported coins is constantly growing and the reputation of the listed coins is really good. Moreover, there are many exchanges that support fewer coins than Coinbase.

Coinbase Pros and Cons

Pros

Perfect security and reputation

For years, Coinbase has built up a strong reputation. You will barely see anyone sane-looking who calls Coinbase a scam. For years, the platform was safe and responsible. We cannot state that there were no incidents but Coinbase was good at responding to users and helping them if the problems took place. For sure, Coinbase is the company with neatly the best reputation in the entire industry. No wonder, it was one of the first major crypto companies to go public.

Ease of use

Coinbase is a platform with the basic functionality for buying cryptocurrencies. Understandingly, this company has to be as simple in use as it's only possible. Coinbase has managed to provide a user-friendly interface and certainly, this played a huge role in making this platform one of the most popular in its field.

Support for multiple payment methods

This feature cannot be underestimated as when you are new to cryptocurrencies and have only limited experience in sending your money to foreign financial service, it's better to have as many supported payment methods as possible. It helps new users to get onboard without the need to sign up to new money transfer services. The payment methods supported for US customers are bank account (ACH), wire transfers, instant cashouts to bank accounts, debit/credit cards, PayPal, and ApplePay. The customers from other countries can use other payment methods relevant for their regions.

Withdrawals to PayPal are supported

Fiat money that you have on your Coinbase account can be withdrawn instantly to PayPal. Such withdrawals are totally free of charge. That's a great feature as you can get cash any moment without paying fees. It gives users freedom. Not many exchanges can offer anything like this.

Cons

No functionality for traders

Coinbase doesn't provide much features for users looking to earn via trading cryptocurrencies. As Coinbase takes high fees and doesn't provide charts and diverse order types, all you can do on the platform is buy some crypto coins, not earning through trading it. This makes Coinbase non-functional for crypto traders.

High fees

Coinbase charges users with higher fees than most other top platforms where people can buy cryptocurrencies.

A limited number of supported coins

Many exchanges offer much wider selections of coins than Coinbase. It can be a problem for those who look for buying obscure altcoins.

Binance.US Main Features

Support of 60 cryptocurrencies and over 100 crypto-to-crypto markets

Binance.US is a separate company that uses the technology of the original. Binance exchange and bears its name. So there are certain differences between the two, and one of the most obvious is that Binance.US supports only 60 cryptocurrencies — more than 6 times less than Binance. Nevertheless, 60 supported coins still provide enough room for trading and experimenting. We cannot say that 60 is too little or not enough to make profits.

Buy Crypto feature allowing buying crypto with fiat money

Binance.US provides its users with a Buy Crypto feature allowing those who don't have any crypto yet to buy their first cryptocurrencies via several payment methods. The Buy Crypto section has a clean interface without much info so it is easy for inexperienced users to quickly buy, sell, or convert crypto there. The minimum purchase is $20. You can use a crypto wallet or a bank account for the transaction.

Several types of orders are supported

This feature cannot be underestimated as it provides a strong opportunity to control the amounts you lose in case of wrong decisions. Cryptocurrency trading is a risky enterprise and limit orders, stop-limit orders, and other types of orders allow you to avoid huge losses even if the market behaves unpredictably. Without such types of orders, trading might be too hard to handle.

The staking feature is supported

On Binance.US users can stake 6 cryptocurrencies, namely VET, XTZ, ATOM, EOS, ONE, and ALGO. Binance.US doesn't collect fees for staking. The staking rewards are distributed on the monthly basis.

Binance.US Pros and Cons

Pros

Low fees

Binance.US fees are corresponding with the fees collected by the main Binance platform and we know that these rates are nearly the lowest on the market. Trading fees start at the 0.1% rate and can be decreased depending on the monthly trading volume or as a result of BNB token used as a currency for paying the fees. The Instant Buy fee is 0.5%. Traders with over $10 million trading volume per month don't pay fees at all.

High liquidity

Binance.US is among the world's top 10 crypto exchanges by liquidity. High liquidity guarantees fast execution of trades and better control over the trading process.

Fees discounts for BNB tokens holders

BNB holders can enjoy a number of benefits on Binance.US. For instance, if you pay transaction fees in BNB, you get a 25% discount.

Cons

Not available in several states of the USA

Despite the fact that the exchange's name could suggest that you will be able to access Binance.US, there are 7 states where Binance.US is not available. The states are Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, New York, Texas, and Vermont.

The interface isn't considered beginner-friendly

Although Binance.US (just like Binance) is recognized as the platform suitable for beginners in terms of features, it might look too complex when it comes to interface. Nevertheless, the Binance.US interface is not a rocket science so after some time anyone can use this exchange properly.

A limited functionality

Compared to a parent platform Binance, Binance.US has fewer features whether we speak of the number of supported coins or types of trading available for users. For instance, both exchanges support OTC trading but if you want to use margin trading, Binance.US won't give you such an option.

A limited number of supported coins

As of August 2021, there are only about 60 supported cryptocurrencies on Binance. Most top exchanges support more coins.

No in-depth info over the protection measures applied by the exchange

The lack of anyhow detailed information about the ways Binance.US safeguards the users' funds and data can be seen as a disturbing sign. The exchange provides standard functions like 2fa so users can protect their accounts, however, we don't know what is done on the exchange's side in terms of security.

Coinbase Pro Main Features

Nearly 100 supported coins

On Coinbase Pro you can choose from a relatively big selection of coins which includes over 90 digital assets. Such a diversity allows not only to trade the top coins but also benefit from drastic price fluctuations of the little known assets.

Fiat-to-crypto gateway

Coinbase Pro allows its users to exchange fiat money for cryptocurrencies. So even if you don't have any digital assets yet, you will be able to start using Coinbase Pro right away and get your first crypto coins there. The coins can be bought via the bank account. Apple Pay, PayPal, bank cards, SEPA, SOFORT, 3D Secure Card, and other options are supported, as well.

Institutional-grade security

Just like Coinbase, Coinbase Pro has a top-notch security level. The platform is licensed and is tied to powerful financial institutions. It is audited regularly. The funds on Coinbase Pro are insured and are stored offline.

Several order types support

On Coinbase Pro, there are several supported order types. Market order, limit order, and stop order are the basic ones. Limit orders have subtypes such as Post Only and Allow Taker. On top of that, there are advanced order types including Good 'Til Canceled, Immediate or Cancel, and Fill-or-Kill. This set of order types allows traders to adjust the trading precision, gain the maximum profits and avoid losses.

Coinbase Pro Pros and Cons

Pros

Perfect security and reputation

As a part of the Coinbase company, Coinbase Pro exchange has the flawless reputation and can be considered as one of the best protected crypto trading platforms. The deposited assets are insured and are stored offline. Users have enough instruments for protecting their accounts from hackings.

Support for multiple payment methods

Coinbase Pro is a convenient platform as it allows users from different countries to use their local payment services to deposit fiat money to the exchange where users can buy cryptocurrencies. The wide choice of available payment methods makes it possible for users to deposit money via the most comfortable way.

High liquidity

Coinbase Pro is an exchange with the highest liquidity in the USA. Globally, Coinbase Pro is the third exchange in terms of trade volume after Binance and Huobi. High liquidity increases the chances of the fast successful outcome of posting orders.

Cons

Relatively high fees

Coinbase Pro collects bigger fees than most top crypto exchanges. Takers and makers trading below $10,000 per month have to pay 0.5% per trade. That's at least twice as much as many other exchanges charge for trading.

Only a small amount of indicators is available

Coinbase Pro provides only two indicators for market analysis. That's not much compared to most other big exchanges.

A limited number of supported coins

While the amount of supported coins is over 90 and can't be called small, there are many exchanges that provide bigger selections that include hundreds of tokens.

Binance vs Coinbase vs Binance US vs Coinbase Pro: Comparison by Factors

Basic Information

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Visits per week	Over 25 million	Over 18 million	Below 1 million	Over 3 million
Daily trading volume	Over $28 billion	Not disclosed	Оver $1 billion	Over $4.4 billion
Operating countries	Not fully operable in the US, Germany, Italy, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Netherlands, and Hong Kong	Not available in Hawaii and countries affected by sanctions programs administered by the U.S. Treasury	Available only for the US residents. Not available in the following states: Hawaii, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Louisiana, Texas, and Idaho	Not available in Hawaii and countries affected by sanctions programs administered by the U.S. Treasury
License	No	BitLicense and and the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) license	Local licenses in 43 states of the USA	BitLicense and and the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) license
Foundation year	2017	2012	2019	2015
Headquarters location	The Cayman Islands	No headquarters	The USA	No headquarters
Team	Public	Public	Anonymous	Public
Total Score	7/10	8/10	4/10	8/10

Beginner-friendliness

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Ease of use (1 to 5)	3/5	5/5	3/5	4/5
Verification time	Up to 15 business days	5 days on average	Up to 15 business days	5 days on average
Educational materials	Binance provides a decent FAQ section, a strong knowledge base via Binance Academy, in-depth analysis via Binance Research, a blog, and more.	Coinbase provides a solid Learn section with general info about cryptocurrencies and trading. Additionally, there is a detailed help section.	Binance.US has a helpful FAQ section and a blog.	Coinbase provides a solid Learn section with general info about cryptocurrencies and trading. Additionally, there is a detailed help section.
Integrated newsfeed	News section	News section	No	News section
Total score	6/10	10/10	4/10	10/10

Currencies and Deposits

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Supported crypto coins	384	90+	50+	94
Supported national currencies	19	Currencies of over 100 countries	Only USD	Currencies of over 100 countries
The number of active markets	1396	-	117	284
Minimum trading amount	0.0001 BTC	2 units in local currency	0.0001 BTC or $10	2 units in local currency
Maximum trading amount	No limit	$1,000,000	No limit	$1,000,000
Available types of transactions	P2P, sell, buy, buying crypto for fiat money, deposits, withdrawals, numerous order types	Sell, buy, buying crypto for fiat money, deposits, withdrawals	Sell, buy, buying crypto for fiat money, deposits, withdrawals, numerous order types	Sell, buy, buying crypto for fiat money, deposits, withdrawals, numerous order types
Fiat money deposits	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Available payment methods	Credit/debit card, wire transfers, SEPA, SOFORT, N26, Revolut, Simplex, Etana, cryptocurrencies, etc.	Banking card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Bank Transfer, SEPA, Ideal/SOFORT, Instant Card Withdrawals, 3D Secure Card, cryptocurrencies	Credit/debit card, wire transfers, cryptocurrencies	Banking card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Bank Transfer, SEPA, Ideal/SOFORT, Instant Card Withdrawals, 3D Secure Card, cryptocurrencies
Fiat-to-crypto pairs	No	Yes	No	Yes
Total score	7/10	7/10	3/10	7/10

Trading Features and Earning

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Order types	7 order types	1 type	5 order types	8 order types
Margin trading	10x leverage	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
The number of active markets	1396	-	117	284
OTC trading	Yes	Not supported	Yes	Not supported
Referral program rewards	Up to 40%	Up to 10%	Up to 40%	Not supported
Mobile app	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Analytical tools	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Available payment methods	Candlestick charts, depth charts, time intervals, drawing tools, technical indicators including Moving Averages, Bollinger Bands, and many others.	Not supported	Candlestick charts, Moving Average (MA) indicators, Relative Strength Index (RSI), Stochastic Oscillator, and more.	Candlestick charts and exponential moving averages.
Native token	Binance Coin	No	No	No
Benefits for native token holders	25% trading fee discounts, airdrops, staking potential	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Staking of other currencies	11 coins can be staked	6 coins can be staked	7 coins can be staked	6 coins can be staked
API keys	Available	Available	Available	Available
Total score	10/10	2/10	6/10	3/10

Fees

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Taker-Maker system	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Margin trading	10x leverage	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Maximum trading fees	0.1%	Not disclosed	0.1%	0.5%
Minimum trading fees	0	Not disclosed	0	0
Fiat money deposit fees	0 - 4.5% depending on the payment method	0 - 3.99% depending on the payment method	0.5%	0 - 3.99% depending on the payment method
Cryptocurrency deposit fees	0	0	0	0
Fiat money withdrawal fees	$1 - $15 depending on the payment method	0 - $25 depending on the payment method	$1 - $15 depending on the payment method	0 - $25 depending on the payment method
Cryptocurrency withdrawal fees	0.0005 BTC	-	0.0005 BTC	0
Total score	7/10	4/10	9/10	6/10

Security

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Customer Service (1 to 3)	1/3	1/3	1/3	1/3
Traffic encryption	Not disclosed	SSL and AES-256 encryption	Not disclosed	SSL and AES-256 encryption
Integrated wallet	Trust Wallet	Coinbase Wallet and Vault Wallet	Trust Wallet	Coinbase Wallet and Vault Wallet
Funds insurance	No	FDIC insurance	No	FDIC insurance
Fiat money deposit fees	0 - 4.5% depending on the payment method	0 - 3.99% depending on the payment method	0.5%	0 - 3.99% depending on the payment method
2-factor authentication	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Address whitelist	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Percentage of money stored offline	Over 50%	98%	Not disclosed	98%
Other security features	Security checks in cases logins from new IPs Email alerts The website is protected with CCSS	Private keys are encrypted (AES-256 encryption) and are stored distributed The website traffic is protected with SSL encryption Security checks initiated in cases of logins from new devices or IPs	No such	Private keys are encrypted (AES-256 encryption) and are stored distributed The website traffic is protected with SSL encryption Security checks initiated in cases of logins from new devices or IPs
KYC/AML compliance	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Anonymity of users	Identity verification is obligatory	Identity verification is obligatory	Identity verification is obligatory	Identity verification is obligatory
Total score	6/10	8/10	3/10	8/10

Reputation

	Binance	Coinbase	Binance.US	Coinbase Pro
Hacking incidents	1	0	0	0
Problems with the law	Yes	No	No	No
User reports	Binance is widely considered to be one of the best crypto-to-crypto exchanges although many users complain about no response from the support team. More than that, some users find the interface too complex for newbies.	Coinbase is known as a trustworthy secure platform. However, its fees are considered to be too high and the functionality is stripped down. The support team is criticized for lack of helpful responses.	Binance.US is criticized for a slow support service and troubles with withdrawals which can take months.	Coinbase Pro is a trusted platform which is at times recommended as a great exchange to start with as it's easy to use and secure. However, commissions and the work of the support team draw criticism.
Total score	5/10	7/10	5/10	8/10

Conclusion

It's safe to say that all of these platforms are good for certain groups of crypto investors depending on their needs, location, and other factors. We should take into consideration that Coinbase is an older company than Binance so it had more time to meet the requirements of regulators and create a fully-legitious environment for buying and selling crypto. Binance didn't have this time, but it managed to quickly create a platform that offered people a handy tool for crypto trading at low costs. Unfortunately, this success was partly outshadowed by legal issues which hopefully will be solved at some point in the future.

As of now, Binance.US lacks most of the benefits of the other three platforms. Unlike Coinbase Pro, it has friendlier fees and unlike Binance, it is available in most states of America. Traders will prefer Binance.US to Coinbase because the latter doesn't offer trading functions, it's rather a marketplace, not an exchange. As for the rest of the characteristics, Binance.US falls short.

In terms of features, Binance is a superior exchange to Coinbase Pro but it is a bit more risky in terms of security and trustworthiness and more importantly it is not available in many countries where people can easily access Coinbase Pro. The original Coinbase marketplace can be a great place where you can buy cryptocurrencies using the most convenient payment method. You won't be scammed, your account will be safe. Yes, you will be charged higher fees, but that's what you pay for comfort and peace of mind. Coinbase is a no-go if you want to be a day trader.

Methodology

There are 7 sections in our comparison by factors chapter: Basic Information, User-friendliness, Currencies and Deposits, Trading Features and Earning, Fees, Security, and Reputation.

Each section has a 10 score scale. In the Basic Information section, platforms can get up to 3 scores for crucial characteristics such as liquidity and the availability of the platform around the globe, and up to 2 scores for good work with regulators, and 1 score for having a public team and having a huge user base. Please note that as Coinbase is not an exchange in the usual sense, it doesn't have a liquidity record. However, the platform has a trading volume, so we gave it a 1 score by this factor.

User-friendliness cannot be underestimated as the crypto industry is still growing by attracting new inexperienced people. The platforms creating the most user-friendly environment make a great contribution to the further development of the crypto world. In the User-friendliness section, the platforms can get up to 5 scores for ease of use and up to 3 scores for quick account verification time. Having decent educational materials gets platforms one more additional score. 1 score is also given to the platforms that have custom news feeds.

In the Currencies and Deposits sections, platforms can get up to 3 scores for having a huge selection of supported coins, up to 2 scores for the biggest number of supported fiat currencies. 2 more scores go to the platforms with the biggest number of supported payment methods. Also, each platform can get 1 score for the biggest maximum trading limit and one more for the smallest minimum trade. One more score goes to the platforms with fiat-to-crypto pairs.

The Trading Features and Earning section table has 10 rows. Each row brings 1 score to a platform that excels at least 2 other platforms by this factor. The rest of the platforms get zero for this factor.

In the Fees section, the platform gets up to 3 scores for the lowest trading fees and the other 3 scores for the lowest withdrawal fees. 2 scores go to the platforms with the lowest fiat money deposit fee and the other 2 scores to the platforms with the lowest fiat money withdrawal fees. The Not Disclosed position gives the platform one score by the considered factor.

The Security section shows how many protection features can be implemented by the users of the platforms and how much work the platform itself does to protect the funds and data of users. Up to 3 scores were supposed to be the highest score for the decent work of the support team, however, based on the users' feedback, every platform got only 1 of the 3 scores. Decent traffic encryption, 2-factor authentication, an integrated wallet, fund insurance, address whitelist feature, a huge percentage of funds stored offline, and having additional security measures — each of these factors can bring up to one more score.

And finally the Reputation section. Zero hacking incidents gives the platform 2 scores, the lack of ongoing problems with the law gives the platform 2 scores more. In the final row, based on the users' feedback we give each platform up to 6 scores considering the amount of negative feedback, the frequency with which people recommend the platform to others, and name it the best or one of the best.

The final score (the total score that you see at the very first table “Comparison at a Glance”) is an average rating based on the 7 scores by factors.

Coinbase vs Huobi Global