Binance vs Coinbase
Pick Binance if you are traders outside the US, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and the EU who want a large centralised exchange with low base spot and futures fees and a BNB fee discount. Pick Coinbase if you are beginners in the US, UK or EU who want a regulated, KYC'd on-ramp with bank funding, and who can trade onchain Base/Solana tokens in the same app. For US users: Coinbase is available; Binance is not available.
Checked 2026-10-27 · both venues' fee pagesBinance is a centralised crypto exchange founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao, now run under Abu Dhabi (ADGM) entities regulated by the FSRA. It offers spot, margin, futures, options, earn products and P2P. Regular users pay 0.10% spot maker and taker (0.075% when paying fees in BNB) and 0.02%/0.05% on USDT-margined futures. It does not serve the US, Canada or the Netherlands; Binance.US is a separate company.
Coinbase is a US-listed (Nasdaq: COIN) custodial crypto exchange and broker. Simple buys and sells carry a spread plus a Coinbase fee, Coinbase Advanced is a maker/taker order book, and since 2025 the app has offered DEX trading of onchain Base and Solana tokens through an integrated self-custody wallet.
Our take
Binance is far cheaper on paper, at 0.10% maker and taker for regular spot users (0.075% paying in BNB) against 0.50% and 0.90% on Coinbase Advanced in the US. But Binance.com's terms bar US residents, and it is not taking new users in the UK or, since July 2026, the EU. For most US, UK and EU readers Coinbase is the one of the two they can actually open.
Choose Binance if
You live where Binance.com accepts new users and want the lowest spot and futures fees of the two, plus the larger futures market.
Choose Coinbase if
You are in the US, UK or EU, or you want a Nasdaq-listed exchange that is licensed where you live.
Key differences
- Spot fees: Binance 0.10% maker and taker for regular users, 0.075% with BNB. Coinbase Advanced (US) 0.50% maker / 0.90% taker.
- Availability: Binance.com excludes US residents (Binance.US is a separate company) and our sources show it closed to new UK and EU sign-ups. Coinbase serves the US, UK and EU.
- Futures: Binance publishes 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker on USDT-margined futures. Coinbase Advanced offers perpetuals but does not publish its rates.
- Referral: Binance gives new users up to $1,100 in trading-fee rebate vouchers for buying and trading within 14 days. Coinbase Advanced pays the invitee $5 to $50.
- Regulatory history: Binance pleaded guilty in the US in 2023 and paid about $4.3B. Coinbase settled with NYDFS in 2023 and had a customer data breach in May 2025.
How to choose
- In the US, UK or EU: Coinbase (Binance.com will not onboard you).
- Elsewhere and fee-sensitive: Binance, paying fees in BNB for 25% off.
- Never use a VPN to get around an exchange's country rules; accounts can be frozen at withdrawal.
Editorial view based on the fee and policy data on this page. Updated 2026-10-27.
Side by side
| Binance | Coinbase | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Exchange | Exchange |
| Status | live | live |
| Chains | Base, Solana | |
| Platforms | web, ios, android, desktop | web, ios, android |
| Custody | Custodial | Custodial |
| KYC | required | required |
| Platform fee, round trip | 0.2% | — |
| $1,000 round trip | $2.00 | — |
| Sign-up perk | Referral Lite: trading fee rebate vouchers worth up to $1,100 (up to $100 after buying more than $50 of crypto and up to $1,000 after trading more than $100 via Spot or Convert, both within 14 days). Referral Pro: a fee rebate if the referrer chooses to share part of their commission. | Varies by country and program. With the Coinbase Advanced referral link, the invitee earns $5 (>$100), $20 (>$5K) or $50 (>$10K) based on 14-day Advanced volume. |
| Perps taker / maker | 0.05% / 0.02% | — |
| United States | Not available | Available |
| United Kingdom | Not available | Available |
| European Union | Not available | Available |
| Launched | 2017-07 | 2012-06 |
| Reported incidents | 5 | 3 |
Features
| Feature | Binance | Coinbase |
|---|---|---|
| spot trading | ✓ | — |
| margin trading | ✓ | — |
| USDT- and COIN-margined futures | ✓ | — |
| options | ✓ | — |
| TradFi futures | ✓ | — |
| stock trading | ✓ | — |
| Convert | ✓ | — |
| copy trading | ✓ | — |
| trading bots | ✓ | — |
| P2P trading | ✓ | — |
| earn products | ✓ | — |
| Launchpool | ✓ | — |
| BNB fee discount | ✓ | — |
| VIP program | ✓ | — |
| proof of reserves | ✓ | — |
| desktop app | ✓ | — |
| simple buy/sell | — | ✓ |
| convert | — | ✓ |
"—" means the feature was not in the sources we checked, not proof it's missing.
Binance: watch out for
- Not available in the US, Canada or the Netherlands, closed to new UK users since 2023, and restricted for EU users since July 2026.
- Pleaded guilty in 2023 to US anti-money laundering and sanctions violations and agreed to pay about $4.3B.
- Custodial exchange with mandatory identity verification before any service.
Coinbase: watch out for
- Simple trades combine a variable spread with a variable Coinbase fee, and no fixed % is published.
- Simple limit orders carry an extra 1% execution fee, which Coinbase One does not waive.
- DEX trades can add a separate service fee, which Coinbase One does not cover.
FAQ
Which is better, Binance or Coinbase?
Binance is far cheaper on paper, at 0.10% maker and taker for regular spot users (0.075% paying in BNB) against 0.50% and 0.90% on Coinbase Advanced in the US. But Binance.com's terms bar US residents, and it is not taking new users in the UK or, since July 2026, the EU. For most US, UK and EU readers Coinbase is the one of the two they can actually open.
Is Binance better than Coinbase?
Pick Binance if you are traders outside the US, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and the EU who want a large centralised exchange with low base spot and futures fees and a BNB fee discount. Pick Coinbase if you are beginners in the US, UK or EU who want a regulated, KYC'd on-ramp with bank funding, and who can trade onchain Base/Solana tokens in the same app. For US users: Coinbase is available; Binance is not available.
Which is cheaper, Binance or Coinbase?
We could not compare published fees for both.
Can I use Binance or Coinbase in the US?
Binance: not available. Coinbase: available. Based on each venue's own terms.
Sources
Last checked . Fees and terms change often; the venue's own page wins if it disagrees with ours.
- Binance - Spot and USDS-M futures fee schedule, VIP levels and BNB discount — checked 2026-10-27
- Binance - Crypto deposit and withdrawal fees and minimums — checked 2026-10-27
- Binance Terms of Use (ADGM entities, effective 2026-07-21): eligibility, identity verification, withdrawals — checked 2026-10-27
- Binance - List of Prohibited Countries (updated 2026-01-05) — checked 2026-10-27
- Binance - FAQ on Referral Pro mode (commission tiers, binding rules) — checked 2026-10-27
- Binance - FAQ on Referral Lite mode (trading fee rebate vouchers) — checked 2026-10-27
- Coinbase pricing and fees disclosures - crypto — checked 2026-10-16
- Coinbase Advanced fees (help) — checked 2026-10-16
- Coinbase UK - Advanced (<=0.4% maker, <=0.6% taker) — checked 2026-10-16
- Coinbase One plans and pricing — checked 2026-10-16
- Coinbase blog - Coinbase unlocks millions of assets with DEX trading (Aug 8, 2025; update Oct 8, 2025) — checked 2026-10-16
- Coinbase blog - DEX trading in Brazil — checked 2026-10-16