Bybit vs Coinbase
Pick Bybit if you are derivatives-focused traders outside the US, Canada and Singapore who want a large centralised exchange with perpetuals, options and copy trading. 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; Bybit is not available.
Checked 2026-10-17 · both venues' fee pagesBybit is a Dubai-headquartered centralised crypto exchange founded in 2018 by Ben Zhou. It offers spot, perpetual futures, options, copy trading and an on-chain Alpha section. The base tier charges 0.10% spot maker and taker and 0.055% taker on perpetuals. It does not serve the US, Canada or Singapore, and suffered a roughly $1.4-1.5B theft in February 2025.
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
Both are custodial exchanges that require KYC, but they serve different places. Bybit does not serve the US, Canada or Singapore, charges 0.10% spot at the base tier and 0.055% taker on perpetuals, and lost about $1.4B in a February 2025 theft. Coinbase serves the US, UK and EU, and its simple-trade spread and fee vary by order, so no single figure is published.
Choose Bybit if
You are outside the US, Canada and Singapore and want perpetuals, options and copy trading on a large exchange.
Choose Coinbase if
You are in the US, UK or EU and want a regulated on-ramp, bank funding and optional onchain Base and Solana trading.
Key differences
- Geo: Bybit lists the US among excluded countries and runs a spot and P2P only UK service without FCA authorisation. Coinbase is available in the US, UK and EU.
- Fees: Bybit's base tier is 0.10% spot and 0.020% maker and 0.055% taker on perpetuals. Coinbase Advanced charges maker and taker fees by volume, with a 0.50% maker and 0.90% taker US entry tier since 2026-09-16.
- Products: Bybit offers spot, perpetuals, options, copy trading and an on-chain Alpha section. Coinbase offers simple trades, Advanced and in-app DEX trading.
- Incidents: Bybit lost about $1.4B to $1.5B from an Ethereum cold wallet in February 2025, then replenished about 447,000 ETH in 72 hours. Coinbase's May 2025 breach exposed data of 69,461 customers.
- Transparency: Bybit publishes a proof-of-reserves page.
How to choose
- US resident: Coinbase, since Bybit lists the US as excluded.
- Outside the US and trading derivatives: Bybit.
- Both are custodial, so size balances to what you can leave on an exchange.
- Check the fee tier shown for your own account and region.
Editorial view based on the fee and policy data on this page. Updated 2026-10-17.
Side by side
| Bybit | Coinbase | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Exchange | Exchange |
| Status | live | live |
| Chains | Base, Solana | |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, ios, android |
| Custody | Custodial | Custodial |
| KYC | required | required |
| Platform fee, round trip | 0.2% | — |
| $1,000 round trip | $2.00 | — |
| Sign-up perk | Task rewards for both sides: $50 on the referee's first trade of $50 or more, $100 when they trade $500, and $100 when they trade $10,000 (up to $250 total) | 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 | 0.055% / 0.02% | — |
| United States | Not available | Available |
| United Kingdom | Partly available | Available |
| European Union | Partly available | Available |
| Launched | 2018 | 2012-06 |
| Reported incidents | 4 | 3 |
Features
| Feature | Bybit | Coinbase |
|---|---|---|
| spot trading | ✓ | — |
| perpetual and futures | ✓ | — |
| options | ✓ | — |
| copy trading | ✓ | — |
| trading bots | ✓ | — |
| Bybit Alpha on-chain trading | ✓ | — |
| P2P trading | ✓ | — |
| earn products | ✓ | — |
| Bybit Card | ✓ | — |
| TradFi CFDs and stocks | ✓ | — |
| proof of reserves | ✓ | — |
| VIP program | ✓ | — |
| demo trading | ✓ | — |
| simple buy/sell | — | ✓ |
| convert | — | ✓ |
| limit orders | — | ✓ |
| coinbase advanced order book | — | ✓ |
| perpetual futures | — | ✓ |
"—" means the feature was not in the sources we checked, not proof it's missing.
Bybit: watch out for
- Not available in the US, Canada or Singapore, and the UK service is spot and P2P only without FCA authorisation.
- Lost about $1.4B in ETH to a North Korea-attributed hack in February 2025.
- Custodial exchange with mandatory identity verification.
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, Bybit or Coinbase?
Both are custodial exchanges that require KYC, but they serve different places. Bybit does not serve the US, Canada or Singapore, charges 0.10% spot at the base tier and 0.055% taker on perpetuals, and lost about $1.4B in a February 2025 theft. Coinbase serves the US, UK and EU, and its simple-trade spread and fee vary by order, so no single figure is published.
Is Bybit better than Coinbase?
Pick Bybit if you are derivatives-focused traders outside the US, Canada and Singapore who want a large centralised exchange with perpetuals, options and copy trading. 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; Bybit is not available.
Which is cheaper, Bybit or Coinbase?
We could not compare published fees for both.
Can I use Bybit or Coinbase in the US?
Bybit: 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.
- Bybit - Trading fee structure (spot, derivatives, options, special zones, VIP criteria) — checked 2026-10-17
- Bybit - Alpha FAQ (fixed 0.5% fee, gas) — checked 2026-10-17
- Bybit - Referral program page and terms — checked 2026-10-17
- Bybit - Service restricted countries — checked 2026-10-17
- Bybit Virtual Asset Platform Operator terms (updated 2026-10-16) — checked 2026-10-17
- Wikipedia - Bybit (founding, HQ, hack, licences, regulatory actions) — checked 2026-10-17
- 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