Coinbase

Centralized crypto exchange founded in 2012, with 405 coins and 514 trading pairs

Exchange Founded 2012 United States
Visit coinbase.com
Our score
Good

What is Coinbase?

Coinbase is a US-based centralized cryptocurrency exchange for buying, selling and trading digital assets. Founded in 2012, it lists 405 coins across 514 trading pairs and operates alongside products such as Advanced, Coinbase One, Prime, Custody and Derivatives Exchange. Coinbase also developed the Base network.

Company and backing

Coinbase operates as part of Coinbase Global, Inc. Brian Armstrong is co-founder and CEO. Before Coinbase, he worked as an Airbnb engineer and participated in Y Combinator. Fred Ehrsam is co-founder and previously worked as a Goldman Sachs trader. The company is headquartered in the United States and had a reported team size of 1,249. Early backers included Union Square Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Ribbit Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the New York Stock Exchange and USAA. Union Square Ventures led a $5 million Series A in May 2013. A Series B in December 2013 included $25 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures and Ribbit Capital. A further $75 million round in January 2015 included Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the New York Stock Exchange and USAA.

How the exchange works

Coinbase holds assets through a centralized account model rather than giving traders direct control of exchange-held funds. The main exchange supports spot buying, selling and trading, while Advanced provides professional trading tools. Coinbase also offers staking, institutional custody through Custody, and financing and trading through Prime. Developer services cover payments, wallets, trading, custody and stablecoins. Derivatives Exchange provides futures and perpetual-style futures trading. The wider platform reported more than 100 million users in 2024 and nearly $516 billion in assets on platform in September 2025.

Fees and products

Coinbase One is a subscription product that offers zero trading fees and additional benefits. The platform also offers staking and the Base App, along with prediction-market products. Derivatives and perpetual-style futures introduce risks beyond spot trading, including losses from leveraged positions.

Availability and track record

Coinbase operates in more than 100 countries. It became a publicly traded company on Nasdaq under the ticker COIN in April 2021. In July 2026, Coinbase reported a 10.3% share of crypto trading volume for the second quarter and its 14th consecutive quarter of positive Adjusted EBITDA. Coinbase reported $20 billion in average USDC held in its products during that quarter.

Risks and limitations

Users face centralized custody and counterparty exposure because exchange-held assets depend on Coinbase's systems and operations. Access and product availability vary across the more than 100 countries where the platform operates. Spot trading, staking and derivatives carry market risk. Futures and perpetual products can magnify losses. The exchange also combines retail trading with institutional custody and financing, so product terms differ across the platform.

Founders

Brian ArmstrongCo-founder and CEO

Former Airbnb engineer who participated in Y Combinator.

Fred EhrsamCo-founder

Former Goldman Sachs trader.

Best for:US crypto investorsAdvanced spot tradersInstitutional asset managersBase ecosystem users

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 405 listed coins and 514 trading pairs
  • Nasdaq-listed parent company since April 2021
  • Spot, futures, perpetuals and options access
  • Institutional custody and financing products
  • Available in more than 100 countries
  • Onchain products under one company

Cons

  • Centralized custody exposes users to exchange counterparty risk
  • Regional access and product availability vary by country
  • Derivatives and perpetuals can magnify trading losses
  • Staking rewards depend on supported assets and conditions

Our review

3.7/5
Good

Coinbase combines a long operating record with broad product coverage, but its centralized custody and unclear retail fee picture remain factors in account selection.

Fees3.0
Security & trust4.0
Asset selection4.5
Ease of use4.0
Support3.0

Coinbase is a centralized exchange founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam. It became publicly traded on Nasdaq under COIN in April 2021 and operates under Coinbase Global, Inc. Centralized custody leaves account access and withdrawals dependent on the company.

The exchange listing records 405 coins and 514 trading pairs, and Coinbase says it operates in more than 100 countries. Availability varies by country. Spot trading is joined by Advanced, staking, Coinbase One, institutional custody and derivatives products.

Coinbase has added transfer protection for sends and withdrawals, and its derivatives arm, Coinbase Financial Markets, is described as a US-regulated futures commission merchant. Funds remain held through a centralized exchange, and derivatives add liquidation risk.

Early funding included a $5 million Series A led by Union Square Ventures in May 2013 and a $25 million Series B in December 2013, with Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures and Ribbit Capital participating. Coinbase reported 10.3% crypto trading volume market share in Q2 2026 and $20 billion in average USDC held across its products that quarter.

Listings are researched and drafted with AI assistance from public sources, then checked for accuracy and readability. Spot an error? Tell us. Editorial policy.
Sources (2)

Specs

Markets Spot, Futures, Options · unverified
Accepts US customers Yes · unverified
Staking / earn Yes · unverified
Security features Transfer protection · unverified
Futures & perpetuals Yes · unverified
Earn / savings products Yes · unverified

Not disclosed by the provider: Maker fee, Taker fee, Coins listed, Fiat deposit methods, KYC required, Proof of reserves, Mobile app, Licenses & registrations, Max leverage (x), Copy trading, P2P market, User protection fund, Referral program.

Data from the provider's website and public sources. Fees and availability change; confirm on the official site before you sign up.

Key features

Spot trading markets

The exchange lists 405 coins across 514 trading pairs for spot buying, selling and trading.

Advanced trading tools

Advanced provides professional-grade cryptocurrency trading tools alongside the standard exchange interface.

Futures and perpetuals

Derivatives Exchange offers futures and perpetual-style futures trading, including USDC-settled products.

Staking services

Coinbase offers staking across its products, with rewards and supported assets determined by the relevant product.

Coinbase One

The subscription product includes zero trading fees and additional benefits.

Institutional custody

Custody provides digital-asset custody services, while Prime combines institutional trading and financing.

Developer services

Coinbase Developer Platform provides services for payments, trading, custody, wallets and stablecoins.

Base ecosystem

Coinbase developed Base and offers the Base App for onchain trading and related activities.

Inside Coinbase

Crypto exchange

The main platform supports spot cryptocurrency buying, selling and trading. The exchange listing records 405 coins and 514 trading pairs.

Coinbase One

Coinbase One is a subscription product that includes zero trading fees and additional benefits.

Advanced

Advanced provides professional-grade cryptocurrency trading tools for users who want a more detailed trading interface.

Derivatives Exchange

The Derivatives Exchange provides futures and perpetual-style futures trading. Coinbase also offers pre-IPO perpetual futures that are USDC-settled, available 24/7 and have no expiry.

Prime

Prime provides institutional trading and financing services for professional clients.

Custody

Custody is Coinbase's institutional digital-asset custody service.

Coinbase Developer Platform

The Developer Platform provides services for payments, trading, custody, wallets and stablecoins.

Staking

Staking provides staking services across Coinbase products.

Base App

Base App is an onchain application for trading and related activities.

What users say about Coinbase

Praise mainly focuses on Coinbase being easy to use and, for some users, trustworthy. Complaints center on delayed transfers and locked funds, app bugs, high fees, weak support, and withdrawal restrictions.

Top goods

  1. Easy navigation and use 8 people 123
  2. Perceived safety and trust 3 people 123

Top bads

  1. Transfers and funds delayed 8 people 123
  2. App glitches and update problems 7 people 123
  3. High transaction fees 4 people 123
  4. Slow or missing support 4 people 123
  5. Withdrawals restricted or blocked 4 people 123

In their own words

“Great app Easy to use and fast cash outs best crypto app out.”
App Store · Oct 14, 2026 · View post
“Love it Easy to access easy to work and very trusting”
App Store · Oct 7, 2026 · View post
“New coin trading There is so much lagging that I can’t sell a coin before I’ve lost over 2000 dollars”
App Store · Oct 15, 2026 · View post
“Week long wait period to send ETH is unacceptable It is ridiculous that you have to wait a week to send purchased ETH. Robinhood and other platforms do not have this restriction.”
App Store · Oct 10, 2026 · View post
“No real person customer service Had an account cash withdrawal issue, and can’t find a real person, the AI customer service asked me to write a mail, put into an envelope and mail to Mew York headquarters. Fully automated system and no real person.”
App Store · Oct 10, 2026 · View post

Based on 44 App Store reviews from the last 12 months, checked Oct 18, 2026. These are posts by users on other sites, not reviews submitted on CryptoReview.

User reviews

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Funding and investors

$105MTotal raised
4Rounds
10Investors
  1. Funding round Jan 2015 $75M
    Source
  2. Series B Dec 2013 $25M
    Source
  3. Series A May 2013 $5M
    Source
  4. Funding round Amount undisclosed

FAQ

Who founded Coinbase?

Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam founded Coinbase in 2012. Armstrong is co-founder and CEO, and previously worked as an Airbnb engineer and participated in Y Combinator; Ehrsam previously worked as a Goldman Sachs trader.

How many coins does Coinbase support?

The Coinbase Exchange listing records 405 coins and 514 trading pairs. Asset and service availability varies by country.

Is Coinbase available internationally?

Coinbase operates in more than 100 countries. The exact services and assets available depend on the country.

Does Coinbase offer zero-fee trading?

Coinbase One offers zero trading fees as part of its subscription product. Coinbase also has separate spot and Advanced trading products.

Is Coinbase a regulated derivatives exchange?

Coinbase Financial Markets is described as a US-regulated futures commission merchant offering access to crypto derivatives markets. Its derivatives products include futures and perpetual-style futures.

What products does Coinbase offer besides spot trading?

Coinbase offers Advanced trading, staking, Coinbase One, Prime, Custody, a Developer Platform, a Base App and derivatives products. The company also offers institutional trading and financing services through Prime.

Latest from Coinbase on X

Coinbase 🛡️
@coinbase · 7.2M followers
Follow
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All on Coinbase. https://t.co/wkvP1tDFmx
42 14 222 57.8K View on X
Bring your crypto. We’ll bring the bonus.

Opt in, then transfer eligible crypto to Coinbase and earn a 3% bonus in USDC.

Plus, Coinbase One members also earn 3.75% APY on USDC balances. https://t.co/hvrIgErZ7R
39 21 143 53.6K View on X
New since September:

→ Trade stock options with zero commissions
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→ Recoup up to 50% of your swap fees on @coinbasewallet
→ Have your agent trade perps, or buy a domain with stablecoins (among other things)

October @Coinbase ↓
30 11 110 53.1K View on X
https://t.co/WqrOP2cF0P
11 8 75 65.6K View on X
Money should move in the blink of an eye. https://t.co/jyoAdU5U0A
39 14 157 74.8K View on X

Recent public posts from @coinbase, shown as published. Not reviewed or endorsed by CryptoReview.

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