United StatesGemini10 events
- 2026-04-21Enforcement
New York AG sues Gemini over unlicensed prediction markets
- 2026-02-05Licence
Gemini closes its UK, EU and Australia businesses
- 2026-01-23Resolved
SEC drops its Gemini Earn lawsuit
Gemini vs River
- Comparing
- two exchanges
- Decided by
- Editorial rating
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-23
Gemini4.4
The NYDFS-chartered trust company the Winklevoss twins founded, serving all 50 states including New York, listed on Nasdaq since 2025.
US bitcoin-only brokerage with zero-fee recurring buys, phone support and full proof of reserves.
Verdict: River
River rates higher on our rubric: 4.6 against 4.4 for Gemini.
- Criterion
- Editorial rating
- Gemini
- 4.4
- River
- 4.6
Gemini and River, 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.
| Fact | Gemini | River |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.4 | 4.6 (favoured on this row) |
| Published fees | 0.5% + flat fee on easy buys | Free recurring, 1.2% one-off |
| Maker fee | Volume-tiered on ActiveTrader, falling with 30-day volume | Not published |
| Taker fee | Volume-tiered on ActiveTrader, falling with 30-day volume | Not published |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | No | Yes |
| Payment rails supported | 6 | 2 |
| Countries ranked in | 1 | 1 |
| Ranks first in | 0 | 0 |
| Countries shared | 1 | 1 |
| Security record | 10 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-04-21 | 9 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-08-26 |
| Founded | 2014 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | New York, United States | San Francisco, California, US |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-23 | 2026-08-12 |
Where both Gemini and River 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.
| Country | Status | Gemini ranks | River ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Legal | #3 | #4 |
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.
River9 events
- 2026-08-26Licence
Licensed in more than 40 US jurisdictions under NMLS 1906809, but not New York
- 2026-08-02Proof of reserves
August proof of reserves shows 31,581 BTC held against 31,407 BTC owed
- 2026-05-03Outage
A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini or River better?
River rates higher on our rubric: 4.6 against 4.4 for Gemini. 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, Gemini or River?
Gemini: 0.5% + flat fee on easy buys. River: Free recurring, 1.2% one-off. 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 Gemini and River?
Both are ranked in our guides for United States. Gemini is ranked in 1 countries in all and River in 1; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
Has Gemini or River had a security incident?
Gemini carries 2 incidents among 10 dated events, the latest on 2022-12-16: Third party vendor breach exposed 5.3 million customer email addresses. River carries 2 incidents among 9 dated events, the latest on 2026-05-03: A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days. Both reviews list every event with its source.
Do Gemini and River require ID verification?
Gemini: required; identity verification is required to deposit fiat and trade.. River: required.
The full reviews: Gemini and River, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
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