CEX.IO vs Coinbase

Comparing: two exchanges
Decided by: Editorial rating
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27

CEX.IO4.0

A card-friendly exchange licensed across most of the US, but currently closed to deposits and trading in Europe.

Coinbase4.5

The easiest US on-ramp for beginners, publicly listed, and legally in the clear since the SEC dropped its case.

Verdict: Coinbase

Coinbase rates higher on our rubric: 4.5 against 4.0 for CEX.IO.

Criterion: Editorial rating
CEX.IO: 4.0
Coinbase: 4.5

CEX.IO and Coinbase, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

CEX.IO and Coinbase compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	CEX.IO	Coinbase
Editorial rating	4.0	4.5 (favoured on this row)
Published fees	Maker-taker; card costs more	Maker-taker on Advanced Trade
Maker fee	Not published	Advanced Trade maker fees fall with 30-day volume and sit well below simple-buy pricing
Taker fee	Not published	Advanced Trade taker fees fall with 30-day volume and sit well below simple-buy pricing
Identity verification	Required	Required
Bitcoin-only	No	No
Payment rails supported	6	13
Countries ranked in	146	62
Ranks first in	0	7
Countries shared	26	26
Security record	6 dated events, 1 incident, latest 2026-08-27	10 dated events, 3 incidents, latest 2026-05-07
Founded	2013	2012
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom	United States (remote-first)
Last reviewed	2026-08-27	2026-08-12

Where both CEX.IO and Coinbase are ranked

Each country guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.

Countries whose guide ranks both CEX.IO and Coinbase, with each platform's position in that guide.
Country	Status	CEX.IO ranks	Coinbase ranks	Comparison
American Samoa	Legal	#4	#1
Andorra	Legal	#4	#3
Argentina	Legal	#5	#3
Australia	Legal	#11	#7	Best exchanges there
Brazil	Legal	#8	#4
Chile	Legal	#5	#3
Colombia	Legal	#5	#3	Best exchanges there
French Guiana	Legal	#4	#3
Gibraltar	Legal	#3	#2
Guernsey	Legal	#3	#2
Isle of Man	Legal	#3	#2
Israel	Legal	#4	#2
Jersey	Legal	#3	#2
Martinique	Legal	#4	#3
Mayotte	Legal	#4	#3
Mexico	Legal	#5	#3	Best exchanges there
Monaco	Legal	#4	#3
New Zealand	Legal	#5	#3
Northern Mariana Islands	Legal	#4	#1
Peru	Legal	#5	#3
Reunion	Legal	#4	#3
San Marino	Legal	#4	#3
Switzerland	Legal	#5	#4	Best exchanges there
United Kingdom	Legal	#3	#2	Best exchanges there
United States	Legal	#8	#1
Vatican City	Legal	#4	#2

Security records of the exchanges ranked in this comparison

Dated events from each review, newest first: breaches, enforcement actions, licences, audits and proof-of-reserves publications. Every exchange ranked here carries one.

CEX.IO6 events

2026-08-27Outage
Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open
2026-08-27Licence
Money transmitter licences in 38 states and DC under NMLS 1804170
2026-03-12Licence
UK entity registered with the FCA under the money laundering rules

The full record, with sources, in the CEX.IO review

Coinbase10 events

2026-05-07Outage
An AWS cooling failure halted Coinbase trading for eight hours
2025-11-06Enforcement
Central Bank of Ireland fines Coinbase Europe 21.5 million euro
2025-06-20Licence
Coinbase authorised under MiCA by Luxembourg's CSSF

The full record, with sources, in the Coinbase review

Frequently asked questions

Is CEX.IO or Coinbase better?

Coinbase rates higher on our rubric: 4.5 against 4.0 for CEX.IO. The rating weighs published fees, security record and local payment support; the table above sets each beside the other so you can check the score against the facts.

Which is cheaper, CEX.IO or Coinbase?

CEX.IO: Maker-taker; card costs more. Coinbase: Maker-taker on Advanced Trade. Those are each platform's published headline rates; card purchases and instant-buy widgets cost more than the order book on both, and each review carries the full schedule.

Where can I use both CEX.IO and Coinbase?

Both are ranked in our guides for 26 countries, including American Samoa, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil. CEX.IO is ranked in 146 countries in all and Coinbase in 62; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.

Has CEX.IO or Coinbase had a security incident?

CEX.IO carries 1 incident among 6 dated events, the latest on 2026-08-27: Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open. Coinbase carries 3 incidents among 10 dated events, the latest on 2026-05-07: An AWS cooling failure halted Coinbase trading for eight hours. Both reviews list every event with its source.

Do CEX.IO and Coinbase require ID verification?

CEX.IO: required; identity verification is required before purchasing.. Coinbase: required; identity verification is required before buying or depositing..

The full reviews: CEX.IO and Coinbase, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.

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