Coinbase and Crypto.com are among the most popular places to buy cryptocurrencies, but they each have unique offerings. Coinbase, for example, has several features intended to create an onramp for beginners to learn about buying and selling cryptocurrencies. In addition, Coinbase makes it easy to trade one cryptocurrency for another or buy cryptocurrencies with fiat. However, with Coinbase, you'll pay a higher fee for this convenience.
Crypto.com, on the other hand, may have lower fees (depending on how you purchase your crypto). Crypto.com also has a more extensive selection of cryptocurrencies to choose from than Coinbase.
It's also worth noting that Coinbase is headquartered in the United States, and all of its services and offerings are available to U.S. users. Crypto.com, based in Singapore, has a range of offerings, but not all are available in the U.S.
Coinbase is best for:
- Cryptocurrency traders looking for convenience.
- Traders who want to easily convert one cryptocurrency to another.
Coinbase at a glance
Transaction fee | Varies depending on payment method, cryptocurrency type, transaction size and platform. We paid $5.82, or about 2.9%, for $200 in Bitcoin. |
Minimum trade | $1. |
Number of cryptocurrencies | More than 350 |
Crypto-to-crypto trading pairs | More than 550. |
Website transparency | Most important information, including investment minimums, supported assets and how to close the account, can be easily found on the website, but fees are difficult to find and understand. |
Staking offering | Rewards on a handful of coins, with rates up to about 14% |
Customer service | Phone, email and chat, though accessing these support options can sometimes be difficult. |
» Read our full review of Coinbase
Crypto.com is best for:
- Mobile-first users.
- Transactions with fiat, or traditional, currency.
- DeFi, or decentralized finance, tokens.
Crypto.com at a glance
Trading and transaction fees | No trading fee, but transactions using credit/debit cards cost up to 2.99%. |
Minimum trade | 0.0000104 BTC, or about $1. |
Number of cryptocurrencies | More than 400. |
Crypto-to-crypto trading pairs | 1,000+. |
Website transparency | Crypto.com's website is helpful, but it can be difficult to find information on how to close an account. |
Staking and rewards | Rewards for 30 coins, with rates up to 14.95%. |
Customer service | Crypto.com offers only chat-based help for most issues and limited phone service. |
» Read our full review of Crypto.com
Want to compare more platforms? View our list of the best crypto platforms and apps.
Methodology
How do we review cryptocurrency platforms?
All NerdWallet reviews and lists of the best investing products are created by our editorial team of full-time writers and editors, independent of any business relationships. In this case, our investing team's comprehensive review process evaluates and ranks platforms and companies that allow U.S. customers to buy and/or sell cryptocurrency. Our aim is to provide an independent, balanced assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgments on which ones will best meet your needs. We adhere to strict guidelines for editorial integrity.
We collect data directly from providers through detailed questionnaires, and conduct first-hand testing and observation through provider demonstrations. The questionnaire answers, combined with demonstrations, interviews of personnel at the providers and our specialists’ hands-on research, fuel our proprietary assessment process that scores each provider’s performance across more than 10 factors. The final output produces star ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars).
For more details about the categories considered when rating brokers and our process, read our full methodology.
