Best Coinbase Alternatives in 2025: 6 Better Exchanges with Low Fees

Coinbase is regulated, it feels safe, and the first time you use it, the process is honestly super simple. The problem is, as you get more serious about trading, or even just investing, Coinbase starts to feel a little too expensive and a little too limited in crypto coins.

You want low fees, deep security, and the features that matter, like high liquidity, so your trades happen instantly. This guide is going to break down the 6 best alternatives to Coinbase crypto exchange available right now. We’ve looked past the hype to find platforms that offer genuinely lower trading costs and far better tools than what the basic Coinbase app gives you.

Quick Verdict: For U.S. users, without any doubt, Kraken is best for fiat-to-crypto trading, and MEXC is best for no-KYC futures trading. For global users, Bitget, Binance, KuCoin, and BingX are the top Coinbase alternative options.

Top 6 Best Coinbase Alternatives and Competitors for 2025

1. Kraken: Best Coinbase alternative for U.S. users (Low fees and FinCEN licensed)
2. Bitget: Best alternative for crypto futures and leverage trading
3. KuCoin: A better crypto app than Coinbase for altcoin trading
4. Binance: A highly liquid crypto exchange for global users
5. BingX: A leading derivatives exchange with advanced trading features
6. MEXC: Best no-KYC anonymous Coinbase alternative exchange (no Fees)

Comparing Top Coinbase Alternative Apps and Trading Platforms

Okay, let’s put all the important data into one quick table so you can see exactly how the top alternatives stack up against Coinbase.

Remember, Coinbase is great for absolute beginners, but these six exchanges are simply better once you get serious about trading, mainly because of the massive difference in fees and the sheer number of coins you can trade.

Exchange	Best For	Spot Maker/Taker Fees	Number of Cryptos	Futures Trading	Licensed
Coinbase	US Beginners & Safety	Up to 0.60% / 0.40%	~300	No	Yes
Kraken	Overall Best Alternative	0.00%–0.25% / 0.08%–0.40%	480+	Yes	FinCEN and MiCA
Binance	High Liquidity & Volume	0.10% / 0.10% (can be lower)	500+	Yes	Highly
KuCoin	Altcoin Trading	0.10% / 0.10% (can be reduced with KCS)	1,200+	Yes	Limited
Bitget	Futures & Copy Trading	0.1% / 0.1%	800+	Yes	Limited
BingX	Margin & Social Trading	0.1% / 0.1%	400+	Yes	Limited
MEXC	No-KYC Trading	0% Maker / 0.05% Taker	1,000+	Yes (U.S. users as well)	Non-licensed

Best Alternatives to Coinbase Exchange Reviewed

1. Kraken: Overall best Coinbase alternative in 2025

Kraken is arguably the single best exchange you can switch to if you are leaving Coinbase because of its fantastic combination of security, low fees, and advanced trading tools.

You will find that Kraken has been around since 2011, which makes it one of the oldest and most trusted names in the entire cryptocurrency world. They are known globally for their incredibly strong security track record, having never suffered a major hack that resulted in user fund losses, which, I guess, is a huge confidence booster for anyone moving large amounts of crypto.

The platform offers two main experiences: a simple version that’s great for beginners and the “Kraken Pro” interface, which is where you will find institutional-grade charts and tools. Eventually, most traders move over to the Pro interface to save on costs and gain more control. (Read our full Coinbase vs Kraken comparison)

Trading Fees

The fee structure here is dramatically better than what Coinbase charges, especially once you start using Kraken Pro. You will generally pay between 0.00% and 0.25% as a “maker” and 0.08% to 0.40% as a “taker” for spot trading, depending entirely on how much you trade each month.

2. Bitget: The most popular futures trading app

Bitget is exactly where you want to go if your focus is futures, derivatives, or social trading like copy trading, making it a powerful step up from Coinbase’s basic spot market.

They have truly exploded in popularity, mainly because they offer high leverage, up to 125x on certain futures pairs, and they have built the platform around advanced tools. This exchange has quickly risen to become one of the top three derivatives exchanges globally by volume, which seriously shows you how much professional action happens there.

By the way, if you are looking to actively trade based on technical analysis, the platform provides all the complicated charting tools you could possibly need.

Trading Fees

The trading fees on Bitget are super low. For basic spot trading, you are looking at maker fees starting at 0.1% and taker fees around 0.1%, which is dramatically cheaper than Coinbase Advanced, let alone the standard Coinbase app.

3. KuCoin: A better crypto app than Coinbase for altcoin trading

KuCoin is another of the best Coinbase alternatives if you want to trade a wide variety of altcoins. This exchange has earned the nickname “The People’s Exchange” for a reason: it’s known for listing new projects and small-cap altcoins much faster than its competitors.

They offer well over 1,200 different cryptocurrencies, which is more than double what Coinbase currently offers. You will find that KuCoin gives you a gateway to tokens that are just starting to gain traction, giving you that early opportunity that Coinbase’s stricter listing policies simply prevent.

Despite its huge coin list, KuCoin’s platform remains fairly easy to use with a modern interface and a solid mobile app. It also offers advanced features like futures trading, margin accounts, and even built-in trading bots for when you get more experienced.

Trading Fees

KuCoin’s fees are also much lower than Coinbase’s. The standard trading fee on KuCoin is just 0.1% per trade, and you can reduce it further by using KuCoin’s KCS token or increasing your trading volume (fees can drop to ~0.08% or even less at higher tiers). By comparison, paying around 0.6% on Coinbase is quite expensive. KuCoin is a far cheaper option for active trading.

4. Binance: Best alternative to Coinbase for high liquidity

Binance is, quite simply, the largest crypto exchange on the planet by daily trading volume, and its name is synonymous with deep liquidity. If you are a high-volume trader, or if you are looking to buy or sell a large amount of crypto at a very specific price instantly, Binance is the exchange where your order is most likely to execute without any price slippage.

Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange, making it the top Coinbase alternative when it comes to liquidity and trading options. It also offers a massive range of services: spot trading, margin, futures, savings accounts, staking, and more, far beyond what Coinbase has.

Trading Fees

Binance’s fees are famously low. Spot trades cost only 0.1% (maker or taker) by default, about one-fifth of Coinbase’s fee. Plus, using Binance’s BNB token for fees drops them to 0.075%. For futures trades, fees are roughly 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker, which is also extremely low.

5. BingX: Best alternative to Coinbase for margin and copy trading

BingX is an excellent Coinbase alternative if you’re interested in margin trading or social copy trading. It’s not as huge as Binance, but BingX still serves over 20 million users and is especially popular in Asia.

BingX also offers margin and futures trading with high leverage, all wrapped in a straightforward, user-friendly interface for regular spot trading. The platform specializes in social trading; you can follow experienced traders and automatically copy their trades (a feature Coinbase doesn’t have).

Trading Fees

BingX’s fees are low too. Spot trades cost around 0.1%, and for some popular pairs, the maker fee can drop to 0.05%. That’s way better than Coinbase’s costs. On the futures side, BingX charges roughly 0.045% per transaction (approximately a 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker structure). There are no deposit fees, and withdrawals only cost the usual network fees.

6. MEXC: No-KYC Coinbase alternative no fees

MEXC is the best Coinbase alternative if you value privacy and ultra-low fees. It made a name by allowing trading without mandatory KYC verification (you can use the exchange anonymously up to certain limits) and by offering near-zero fees.

MEXC also has an astonishing range of cryptocurrencies: over 3,000 coins. Chances are you’ll find any new or obscure token on MEXC, even if Coinbase doesn’t list it yet. That opens the door to countless opportunities beyond Coinbase’s limited selection. Despite the huge variety, the platform is straightforward to use on both web and mobile, so you can navigate it easily even if you’re new to crypto.

Trading Fees

MEXC is mainly known for its extremely low fees, which are often zero for spot makers and start at a low 0.05% for spot takers. They frequently run promotions where specific spot pairs have totally zero trading fees, making it an incredibly cost-effective place to accumulate crypto.

Reasons to Look for Coinbase Exchange Alternatives

You know, the thing about Coinbase is that it feels like the big bank of crypto, right? It’s safe, it’s secure, and it’s totally compliant with all the rules, especially in the US. But just like a big bank, it comes with limitations that eventually make you feel kinda restricted.

There are some main reasons why millions of people eventually move their funds to one of these Coinbase alternative exchanges we just talked about.

High and Complicated Fee Structure

The biggest headache for most users is absolutely the fee structure on the main Coinbase app. When you use the simple “Buy/Sell” button, the fees are a mix of a flat fee and a percentage, and they can easily jump up to 3.99% if you use a debit card.

Even when you switch to Coinbase Advanced, which is supposed to be for professional traders, the fees, while lower, still generally start higher than what you would pay on Kraken Pro or Binance.

Look at Kraken, for example; you can get your spot maker fee down to basically nothing, or just a tiny fraction of a percent. This difference is why serious investors make the switch: they are minimizing what the exchange takes so they can maximize their own potential profits.

Limited Supported Cryptocurrencies

Coinbase is really selective about which cryptocurrencies they lists. They tend to stick to the big, established coins that have been around for a while and have totally clear regulatory status. That’s great for safety, sure thing, but it means you miss out on a massive world of new innovation.

If you are trying to find the next big project, the one that might go up 10x or 50x, it’s probably not going to be on Coinbase when it first starts out. Exchanges like KuCoin and MEXC, which list hundreds of new tokens, give you that crucial early access.

Lack of Advanced Trading Tools

The basic Coinbase app is built for buying Bitcoin once and then holding it. It just doesn’t offer the powerful tools that active traders need. For instance, you won’t find deep derivatives markets, which include futures and margin trading.

You also won’t find sophisticated features like copy trading, where you automatically follow a proven expert’s strategy. This kind of social trading is incredibly popular on platforms like Bitget and BingX, because it lets newer traders learn the ropes and make trades based on professional analysis without having to do all the work themselves.

Desire for Privacy (No-KYC Option)

Generally, Coinbase requires full identity verification (KYC) to do almost anything, from depositing money to making trades. They are a US-regulated company, so they have to follow those strict rules.

For many users globally, especially those who value the core promise of financial privacy that crypto offers, this is a major turn-off. No way people want to hand over their passport photos and addresses to yet another centralized financial entity.

Honestly, platforms like MEXC offer a strong alternative, allowing you to trade and withdraw a good amount of crypto every day without providing your ID. You can also check out our list of the best no-KYC crypto exchanges.

How to Pick the Safest Alternative to Coinbase?

Choosing a new crypto exchange is a big deal, and safety should be your top priority. Here are a few tips to make sure you pick the safest Coinbase alternative:

• Security & Track Record: Consider how long the exchange has been around and whether it has a history of keeping users safe. An established platform like Kraken (founded in 2011 with no major hacks) has proven its reliability over time. Also, check for strong security features such as two-factor authentication, withdrawal address whitelisting, and the use of cold (offline) storage for the majority of funds.
• Transparency & Compliance: It can be reassuring if an exchange is transparent about its operations. Some top exchanges publish proof-of-reserves audits to show they hold customer assets one-to-one. Regulation is another factor – for example, a U.S.-regulated exchange might give you more peace of mind due to oversight, although many global exchanges are safe and have their own security measures even if they aren’t formally regulated in your country.
• Community Trust & Support: A platform with a large, active user base and lots of positive feedback over the years is usually a good sign. Good customer support is part of safety, too; you want to know you can reach someone quickly if something goes wrong. Exchanges with 24/7 live chat (like Kraken or Binance) can give you confidence that help is available when you need it.

Read more:

1. Lowest fee crypto exchanges
2. Most liquid crypto exchanges
3. Best Bitcoin exchanges

How to transfer crypto from Coinbase to another alternative app?

Here is the basic process you need to follow when transferring crypto to your best Coinbase alternative, step by step:

1. Select Your New Exchange: First, you have to decide which alternative exchange you are going to use. Let’s say you picked KuCoin. You must set up and fully verify your account there first, if required.
2. Locate the Deposit Address: Next, you need to find the correct wallet address on your new exchange. Log in to your KuCoin account and go to the “Assets” or “Wallet” section. Select the specific cryptocurrency you want to transfer, for instance, Bitcoin (BTC). Click “Deposit” or “Receive.”
3. Crucial Network Check: This step is exactly where people make mistakes. The new exchange will show you the deposit address and the network you must use (e.g., BTC, ETH-ERC20, Solana, etc.). You must make sure that the network you select on KuCoin is the same network you use to withdraw from Coinbase. If you try to send Ethereum over the wrong network, your funds will be lost forever. Double-check the network name!
4. Initiate Withdrawal from Coinbase: Now, log in to your Coinbase account. Go to your portfolio or asset list, and select the same cryptocurrency (e.g., Bitcoin). Choose the option to “Send” or “Withdraw.”
5. Enter the New Address and Amount: Paste the deposit address you copied from KuCoin into the recipient field on Coinbase. You should then send a very small test amount first—maybe $10 worth of the crypto—just to make sure everything is correct. Enter the full amount only after the test transfer is totally successful.
6. Confirm and Wait: Coinbase will likely ask you to confirm the withdrawal via email or your 2FA app. Complete the security step. The crypto will leave your Coinbase account and usually appear in your new exchange wallet within a few minutes to a few hours, depending on network congestion. Seriously, the first time you do this, you might check your phone every thirty seconds, but it’s usually pretty fast.

Note: You can also store your crypto in hardware wallets. Check out my guide on the best cold storage wallets.

Conclusion

So, you came here looking for a way out of the high fees and limited features of Coinbase, and I guess we totally delivered. Coinbase is fine for getting started, but once you want to seriously cut costs and expand your trading universe, you need a powerful alternative.

The best Coinbase alternative really depends on what you are trying to do right now. If you want the most secure, regulated, and overall best-balanced alternative with very low fees, you should totally choose Kraken. And if privacy is everything, and you are in the US, MEXC gives you that no-KYC freedom.

FAQs: Best Coinbase Alternatives