Robinhood versus Coinbase

Robinhood offers commission-free equity and ETF trading, IPOs, and cryptocurrencies. Coinbase became one of the most trusted US-based cryptocurrency exchanges and a market leader in its category by volume as of March 2021. Both continue to attract clients, with millennial and GenZ traders their primary market with a preference for mobile trading, where Robinhood and Coinbase present their in-house developed apps.

Beginner traders get educational content at Robinhood and Coinbase, but the latter pays a small number of cryptocurrencies after completing each lesson. Both struggle to fix their customer support, but Robinhood also has a controversial operating history and receives payment for order flow. Robinhood pioneered commission-free trading in the US, while Coinbase brought cryptocurrency trading to the retail sector.

We have conducted an in-depth review of Robinhood and Coinbase to determine which one presents the better overall choice and which traders will benefit the most at either broker.

• Features and Platforms
• Available Markets
• Typical Spreads and Fees
• Security and Trust
• Robinhood versus Coinbase - Verdict

Features and Platforms

Features & Platforms	Coinbase (visit site)	Robinhood (visit site)
Headquarter:	US	US
Established :	2012	2013
Retail Loss Rate:	Undisclosed	Undisclosed
Regulation:
Minimum Deposit:	$0	$0
Demo Account:
Managed Account:
Islamic Account:
Inactivity Fee
Deposit Fee:
Withdrawal Fee	Third-Party	Third-Party
Funding Methods:	3	2
MT4:
MT5:
cTrader:
Proprietary Platform:
Automated Trading:
Social / Copy Trading:
MT4/MT5 Add-ons:
Guaranteed Stop Loss:
Negative Balance Protection:
Bonuses and Promotions:
Unique Feature One:	Broad asset selection	Access to IPOs
Unique Feature Two:	Passive income generation	Fractional share trading
Broker Offers:	See what Coinbase offers	See what Robinhood offers

Noteworthy:

Both offer a branded debit card, ensuring clients have swift access to their funds. A monthly subscription-based account upgrade exists at Robinhood, costing $5 monthly, including a $1,000 margin allowance. Neither supports algorithmic trading.

Available Markets

Coinbase remains a pure cryptocurrency exchange but excels in this sector, presenting the broadest asset selection in the US. Robinhood is primarily an equity broker with access to select cryptocurrencies, gold, options, and ETFs. It also offers IPO trading and fractional share dealing from as little as $1, ideal for diversifying smaller portfolios.

Typical Spreads and Fees

Robinhood maintains higher trading costs versus many competitors but offers leveraged traders one of the lowest margin rates at 2.50%. Pricing transparency remains an issue at this broker, which supplements income by selling order flow. Coinbase Standard costs range between $0.99 and $2.99 with a fixed margin rate of 8.00%.