The main difference between Coinbase and Robinhood is that Coinbase is a full-service crypto exchange, while Robinhood is a traditional stockbroker that also offers a limited set of cryptocurrency options.
Long story short: If you want advanced digital asset options such as crypto-to-crypto trades and staking, Coinbase has a wider selection of those options. But if you want access to other asset classes such as stocks in the same place you're trading crypto, then Robinhood offers a serviceable, low-cost alternative to dedicated crypto exchanges.
Here are some of the key points for crypto users to consider when deciding between Coinbase and Robinhood.
Robinhood is best for:
- No-fee crypto trading.
- Existing Robinhood customers who want dabble in crypto.
Robinhood at a glance
Account minimum | $0 for brokerage accounts, Robinhood Gold accounts and IRAs. |
Stock trading costs | $0. |
Options trades | $0 for equity options. $0.50 for index options, or $0.35 for Gold accounts. |
Account fees (annual, transfer, closing, inactivity) | No annual or inactivity fees. $100 ACAT outgoing transfer fee. Robinhood Gold costs $5 a month or $50 per year. Matching funds in IRAs may be taken back if money is withdrawn in less than five years. Instant withdrawals cost 1.75% of the amount withdrawn, with a minimum fee of $1 and a maximum of $150. |
Interest rate on uninvested cash | 0.01% for free accounts, 3.35% for Gold accounts |
Tradable securities | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Cryptocurrency, American Depositary Receipts for over 650 global companies, Futures, Fractional shares. Bonds only available in the form of bond ETFs. |
Number of no-transaction-fee mutual funds | Not rated; no mutual funds. |
Trading platform | Robinhood's mobile and web platforms are known for their smooth sign-up, funding and trading processes. The broker now also offers a desktop platform, Robinhood Legend. |
Mobile app | Mobile trading platform includes customizable alerts, news feed, advanced charting and ability to listen live to earnings calls for some companies. Reviews are mostly positive, although the average star rating on both iOS and Android is below the 4.5 star line. |
Research and data | Access to professional research from Morningstar and Level II market data from the Nasdaq Stock Exchange (with Gold subscription). |
Customer support options (includes how easy it is to find key details on the website) | 24/7 chat support. Phone support available from 7:00 a.m. ET to 9:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday. Decent suite of educational articles and webinar events, and an easily-navigable website. |
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. |
So which is better, Robinhood or Coinbase?
When it comes to cryptocurrencies, Coinbase is the clear winner here. Robinhood’s free trading is nice, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of crypto capabilities and the short list of cryptocurrencies to invest in.
If you value trading stocks and crypto on the same service, or if you want to start with a small, more curated selection of digital assets, then Robinhood could be a better fit, given the free trades.
Fees 0.03%-0.85%with smart exchange routing | Fees 0% - 5%varies by type of transaction; other fees may apply |
Account minimum $0 | Account minimum $0 |
Promotion Noneno promotion available at this time | Promotion Noneno promotion available at this time |
