7.8/10

Coinbase

Solidranked 4 of 6 in crypto exchanges◆ Sources checked · 27 Sept 2026

The large exchange with the fullest public record: a Nasdaq-listed company filing audited accounts with the SEC. Pricing is the weak side. The one-tap screen hides its spread, and since 16 Sep 2026 the US entry tier on Coinbase Advanced is 0.50% maker / 0.90% taker, above Kraken Pro. Its own wallets have never been breached; its customers' accounts have, through a 2021 SMS-recovery flaw and a 2025 insider data leak.

Best for: US users who value an audited, listed counterparty over cheap trading

Company file: Coinbase, owners, incidents →

How this score was reached

7.8 is the weighted average of the five pillar findings below. Dependable, with trade-offs a reader should know about first.

Custody & Security30%: 7.9
Cost & Fee Transparency20%: 5.8
Regulation & Legal Standing20%: 8.9
Performance & Reliability20%: 8.3
Access & Support10%: 8.5

Strengths

Audited public-company disclosure, which is a materially different evidence base to an attestation
No breach of Coinbase's own wallets on record
Coinbase Advanced has a published maker/taker schedule, and EU/UK entry rates (0.25% / 0.50%) are low

Against it

The one-tap screen prices badly and does not present the spread as a cost
US entry tier on Advanced is 0.50% / 0.90% since 16 Sep 2026, above Kraken Pro
Customer accounts drained in 2021 and customer data leaked by insiders in 2025; repayment is company-reported only

What you are actually buying

Coinbase is the only large exchange that files audited annual accounts as a listed company. Every other venue in this table asks you to trust an attestation — a snapshot of assets at a moment, prepared for the company that commissioned it. An audited financial statement examines liabilities and controls as well, and it is a materially different evidence base. That is most of why its regulation score sits near the top of the table despite a run of AML fines, the latest €21.46m from the Central Bank of Ireland in November 2025.

Its wallets have never been breached. Its customers' accounts have. In 2021 attackers used phished credentials and a flaw in SMS account recovery to empty about 6,000 accounts. In May 2025 bribed overseas support contractors leaked names, addresses, ID images and balances, and scammers used that data to phone customers and talk them into sending funds. Coinbase says it reimbursed the 2021 victims and put the 2025 cost at $180m–$400m including reimbursements; we found no independent tally of either payout. That is why custody no longer scores as a clean record.

The pricing

The one-tap Buy/Sell screen adds a spread that is not shown as a fee, and it is aimed at the users least equipped to notice. Coinbase Advanced publishes a maker/taker schedule instead, but since 16 Sep 2026 the US entry tier is 0.50% maker / 0.90% taker, above Kraken Pro's 0.40% / 0.80%; the first discount starts at $10,000 of 30-day volume. EU and UK accounts start at 0.25% / 0.50%. If you use Coinbase, use Advanced and place limit orders: you pay a published percentage rather than an unlisted spread.

Frequently asked questions

Is Coinbase worth the higher fees?+

On the one-tap screen, generally not — the spread is not shown and the same purchase is cheaper at most venues here. On Coinbase Advanced a US account pays 0.50% maker / 0.90% taker at entry since 16 Sep 2026, more than Kraken Pro; EU and UK accounts pay 0.25% / 0.50%. What you get for it is the fullest public financial disclosure of any exchange we rate.

Is Coinbase safer than other exchanges?+

It has the strongest disclosure position: a public listing, audited accounts and custody arrangements described in SEC filings, and no breach of its own wallets on record. Its weak point is account security — about 6,000 accounts emptied in 2021 and an insider data leak in May 2025 that fed phone scams. Use a passkey or hardware key rather than SMS, and do not leave on an exchange what you are not trading.

What happens to my crypto if Coinbase fails?+

Coinbase states that customer assets are held separately from corporate funds, but in a May 2022 10-Q it warned that custodial crypto could be treated as part of a bankruptcy estate, making customers unsecured creditors. No US exchange insolvency has tested that. Crypto on Coinbase has no FDIC cover; only USD cash at partner banks can qualify.

Assessed by

By Emily Volker

Editor-in-Chief · September 27, 2026

◆ Disclosure

CoinRadar Daily is a non-commercial project. We have no commercial relationship with Coinbase, earn nothing from any link on this page, and carry no advertising or sponsorship anywhere on the site. Findings rest on public sources; we did not open an account or transact.

Rubric v2.0How we score →

The rest of the crypto exchanges table

01KrakenTraders who use Kraken Pro and want reserve proofs they can check themselves8.4
02BitstampEuropean and UK users who want a boring exchange, in the good sense8.1
03OKXDerivatives depth with better reserve disclosure than most offshore venues7.8
04Coinbase — you are hereUS users who value an audited, listed counterparty over cheap trading7.8
05GeminiUS users who want the strictest state custody regime and will pay for it7.1
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