By Rashmi Goel
In terms of crypto investments, Coinbase is the best platform for both new and experienced investors, whereas Robinhood is primarily a stock trading platform that also features crypto investments. Coinbase and Robinhood are among the most popular cryptocurrency trading apps in the U.S. With beautifully designed, extremely intuitive apps, guided user experiences, and education, both companies help beginners become crypto experts. The apps also provide in-app newsfeeds to keep users informed about each investment. Plus, both have questionable fees. Robinhood provides commission-free crypto, stock, and options trading while Coinbase offers a wide selection of cryptocurrencies.
The two platforms provide access to Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies, but they take very different approaches to trade and investing. In order to assist you in finding the best exchange for your needs, we have compared the crypto selection, fees, security, and features of both Coinbase and Robinhood. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other popular cryptocurrencies are available through both Robinhood and Coinbase; however, Coinbase offers a greater selection of cryptocurrencies as well as the capability of transferring crypto between accounts. As a commission-free trading platform, Robinhood offers a wide range of assets (stocks, options, crypto), but also charges a spread fee. Besides offering intuitive mobile apps for trading on the go, both platforms include built-in market newsfeeds.
What Is Coinbase?
There is no doubt that Coinbase is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world by trading volume. It was founded by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam in 2012 and has become one of the world's largest crypto exchanges by trading volume. Having over 170 crypto assets available for trading on the platform, and nearly 100 million customers worldwide, Coinbase has emerged as one of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges on the planet due to the number of cryptos it offers. It prides itself on being a simple, easy-to-use app, which is ideal for cryptocurrency newbies who want an intuitive way to trade. Furthermore, this platform offers a sophisticated trading platform that gives traders access to more tools for trading and charting than the standard platform. There are some fees associated with Coinbase's basic version, and the advanced version offers competitive fees for traders in high volumes, but there is a charge for Coinbase's standard version.
Pros And Cons
Pros Cons
User-friendly. Beginners will find the Coinbase platform and mobile app to be one of the easiest ways to purchase crypto.
Cryptocurrency selection is extensive. The Coinbase platform currently supports over 170 cryptos (and counting), which isn't the most in the industry, but it's a decent selection for most crypto traders.
A variety of educational resources. Crypto newbies can learn while earning while using Coinbase's built-in video training and crypto rewards program, which helps them gain a better understanding of a relatively complex subject matter (i.e., crypto projects), instead of spending countless hours trying to grasp fairly complex material. Fees are high. Coinbase charges high fees for orders that are less than $200. If you include an additional surcharge for debit or credit card purchases, users can quickly pay over 10% for small purchases. The Advanced Trade platform, which launched just recently, offers fees that are much more reasonable.
Margin trading prohibited. In contrast to Robinhood, Coinbase discontinued margin trading in 2020. Furthermore, futures trading and derivative products are not offered by the company.
What is Robinhood?
Founded in the United States, Robinhood provides fee-free trading of stocks, ETFs, options contracts, and cryptocurrencies. Even though "commission-free" trading may sound appealing, Robinhood does collect a "spread" fee, which is the difference between the buy and sell prices. The Robinhood investing app is one of the most intuitive tools for new investors, making it easy for them to get started. There are also 11 cryptocurrencies available, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Known for its meme stonks and some clever ways to earn money, Robinhood offers an easy user experience and a wide range of asset types.
Pros And Cons
Pros Cons
Zero fees. The Robinhood program does charge a spread, but overall, the "no-fee" trading option is a benefit for users who wish to avoid high trading fees.
There is more to crypto than just access to it. The Robinhood app has been very popular among investors due to its ability to diversify into stocks, ETFs, and even options trading as well as crypto.
A mobile application. With guided tours of the trading screens, simple summaries of each investment, and a built-in news feed, Robinhood is hands-down one of the easiest trading apps around.
There are hidden fees. It has been reported that Robinhood is taking "payment for order flow," receiving fees for routing payments to preferred processors, as well as collecting a spread fee, potentially charging you more than an asset is worth. Take note of the prices of those orders.
The crypto selection is very limited. Unlike most exchanges, there are only 11 cryptos to choose from, which limits your options for trading.
Fees Between Coinbase And Robinhood
Coinbase: Depending on the transaction and platform used, Coinbase charges fees for buying, selling, and trading cryptocurrency. A very high surcharge is also charged for purchases made using a debit or credit card. Due to the lack of a fee schedule on the standard platform, it is difficult to determine the actual amount of fees until the final confirmation screen of the trade. With Coinbase, crypto deposits are free, while crypto withdrawal fees are determined by the currency and blockchain network. Cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals are currently not possible through Robinhood.
Fees: Trades under $200 require a fee between $0.99 and $2.99, and trades over $200 require a fee between 1.49% and 3.99%. Depending on the volume of 30-day trades, advanced: up to 0.60% / 0.60%.
The trading options are: purchase/sale, stake.
There are several funding options: electronic transfer, automatic clearinghouse (ACH), debit card, PayPal, and cryptocurrency deposits.
Selection of currencies: more than 160 cryptos and five fiat currencies.
Process of verification: Approximately two to three minutes.
Robinhood: There is no commission charged by Robinhood when users purchase or sell crypto on its platform, but it does collect a "spread," which is the difference between the "bid" and "ask" prices. It is important to note that this fee is not transparent and may result in you paying more for the asset than its current value. As a result of its upcoming crypto wallet launch, Robinhood has a waitlist that users will eventually be able to sign up for and deposit and withdraw cryptocurrency from the platform. The websites of Coinbase and Robinhood provide a breakdown of their exchange fees.
Fees: There are no fees associated with trading stocks, ETFs, options, or cryptocurrency. The spread fee charged by Robinhood is the difference between the buy and sell price of a transaction.
The trading of options: the purchase and sale of options.
Options for funding: Wire transfer or bank account (USD only).
Selection of currencies: 11 crypto, 1 fiat (only USD).
Process of verification: 2 to 3 minutes.
Security Of Coinbase Vs. Robinhood
The security features offered by Coinbase and Robinhood are of a high standard, protecting crypto assets and user data at a bank-level.
Coinbase and Robinhood share the following security features:
A cold storage facility. It is important to note that both platforms keep the majority of your crypto assets in cold storage, which eliminates the risk of cyber attacks occurring online.
Authentication with two factors (2FA). To protect your account, both platforms offer the option to set up 2FA with a third-party application (such as Google Authenticator).
Insurance provided by the FDIC. The FDIC insures cash deposits up to $250k on both platforms. For stocks and ETFs held by Robinhood, SIPC insurance is also available.
The following are additional security features that each platform offers:
Insurance for crypto assets offered by Robinhood. To protect against theft, Robinhood carries insurance on a portion of user crypto holdings underwritten by Lloyd's.
Vaults at Coinbase. Among the services offered by Coinbase is a cold-storage vault service, which offers multi-signature wallets, time-delayed withdrawals, and offline storage options.
Features of Coinbase vs. Robinhood
It is important to note that, while Robinhood and Coinbase offer access to crypto trading, they are very different platforms. Each platform offers a variety of unique features,
Coinbase features
Cryptocurrency selection: Coinbase offers over 170 cryptocurrencies for trading, with more being added all the time. It is not the largest selection of crypto assets on any cryptocurrency exchange, but it exceeds Robinhood's 90+ crypto assets.
The Coinbase Learn program: A unique learning program is integrated into Coinbase's website and mobile application. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts will be able to learn about cryptocurrencies through short-form videos and even earn crypto rewards by taking quizzes after each video.
Robinhood features
Trading stocks:
As a stock trading platform, Robinhood provides access to more than crypto. A wide range of individual stocks and ETFs are available for trading, as well as options.
Trading margin: Depositing only $2,000 on the Robinhood platform allows you to trade on margin.
Conclusion
Simple-to-use mobile apps and user education help beginners invest in crypto with Coinbase and Robinhood. The two also support offline cold storage and carry popular crypto. There is much more crypto to trade on Coinbase, and it is also a full-featured crypto exchange with ways to earn interest and transfer crypto assets. Traders and investors have access to advanced trading with low fees on Coinbase. In contrast, Robinhood is great for beginners who want more than crypto. It offers thousands of stocks and ETFs, options contracts, and margin trading for active traders. The broker does not charge commissions but does charge a spread, so pay attention to the asset price. For crypto beginners, Coinbase is our favorite, but Robinhood can offer lower fees and more capabilities than just crypto trades.