Coinbase

Want to by crypto?

Coinbase was founded in June 2012 as an American company, based in San Francisco. It is a cryptocurrency exchange platform. The company is named after coinbase transactions, special transactions that add cryptocurrency to the blockchain and into circulation in proof of work cryptocurrencies.

The exchange has grown beyond strictly buying and selling Bitcoin to support for hundreds of digital assets and provides services such as spending, trading and earning. There is a more advanced trading platform called Coinbase Pro that offers lower fees and more trading options. Pro is available for free once signed up to Coinbase.

Coinbase offers a debit card that lets users spend cryptocurrency anywhere Visa is accepted. Coinbase is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States and is one of the top exchanges in the world by volume. In April 2021, Coinbase became publicly traded via the NASDAQ under the ticker COIN. This represented a new milestone for the industry, as the first cryptocurrency exchange to go public. People are more familiar with this platform than any other crypto exchange.

Using fiat and transfers

Getting verified is a quick and easy process. There are options on the platform for beginners and advanced users.

There are no fees apart from the network fee required by the blockchain, when depositing crypto coins and tokens onto Coinbase. Withdrawing cryptocurrency to an external wallet only costs the network fee.

Many past reviews express that fees can be higher through the basic platform but lower through the Pro version. At the time of this post, the convert feature allows for a competitive direct USD to crypto option that is difficult to match on most exchanges; when it comes to fees, ease and coin selection.

What is a Coinbase Wallet?

There is a difference between Coinbase and Coinbase wallet. Coinbase or Coinbase Consumer is a web-based and mobile app crypto exchange, where users can buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrencies. Coinbase wallet, on the other hand, is a crypto wallet. The primary function of the Coinbase wallet is to store crypto assets. The wallet can also be used to buy, trade, send and receive digital assets just like the Coinbase Exchange.

For users that have Coinbase Consumer, there is a linking feature that allows the user’s exchange account to be directly linked to their wallet app. By using the recovery keys, the Coinbase wallet can be imported into MetaMask. Coinbase Wallet can also be connected to crypto-friendly bank accounts. The wallet also has the capability to store and transfer NFTs