Coinbase vs Gemini
Side-by-side comparison from our sourced exchange data. A dash means we haven't verified that fact — we don't fill gaps with guesses.
| Coinbase | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | — | — |
| Founded | 2012 | 2014 |
| Headquarters | No headquarters — remote-first company since May 2020 (per its 10-K, it does not maintain principal executive offices) | New York City, US (per NYDFS charter announcement). |
| Spot maker (base) | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Spot taker (base) | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Listed assets | ~247 | ~66 |
| KYC | Required | Required |
| Notably unavailable | China, Russia | United Kingdom (accounts closing effective 2026-04-06), European Economic Area (accounts closing effective 2026-04-06), Australia (accounts closing effective 2026-04-06) |
How they differ
Coinbase, founded in 2012, is a remote-first company with no principal executive offices, listing about 247 assets across a simple buy flow and the separate Coinbase Advanced venue. Gemini, founded in 2014 and based in New York City, lists about 66 assets and similarly splits pricing between its ActiveTrader schedule and its web and mobile Gemini Mode. Coinbase is the broader list; Gemini is the more tightly curated one.
Base fees favour neither uniformly, but the starting points are far apart. Coinbase Advanced begins at 0.4% maker and 0.6% taker with volume tiers and 0% maker on selected stable pairs. Gemini ActiveTrader begins at 0.600% maker and 1.200% taker below $10,000 of 30-day volume, falling to 0.000% maker and 0.020% taker at $250M and above, with selected stablecoin pairs at zero. Gemini therefore starts higher and compresses more steeply with volume, and in both cases the simple interface is priced on a different schedule.
Both require full identity verification at onboarding, including an SSN for US citizens. Availability is where the profiles diverge most for European and UK readers: Coinbase reports over 100 countries with China and Russia excluded, while Gemini's official availability page states that UK, EEA and Australian customer accounts will be closed effective 6 April 2026. Gemini covers all 50 US states, DC and Puerto Rico.
Their regulatory anchors differ by design. Gemini Trust Company holds a New York limited purpose trust charter granted in October 2015 under New York Banking Law with fiduciary powers and ongoing NYDFS supervision. Coinbase holds a MiCA licence via Luxembourg passported across the EU. Neither recorded event is a straightforward exchange hack: Coinbase's May 2025 breach involved bribed support contractors exfiltrating data on roughly 70,000 customers, while Gemini Earn withdrawals were halted in November 2022 when lending partner Genesis froze redemptions, resolved by returning 100% of assets in kind.