Coinbase is one on the largest crypto exchanges in the world and operates with a mission of, "building the cryptoeconomy – a more fair, accessible, efficient, and transparent financial system enabled by crypto." The exchange was originally founded in 2012 with the idea of securely sending and receiving Bitcoin, but has since evolved to offer access to the broader cryptoeconomy while serving clients in 100+ countries.

Coinbase offers two platforms in which you can buy and sell crypto. First, you can opt to use the standard Coinbase exchange. The standard exchange has a very easy to use interface with basic charts, and allows you to place basic buy and sell trades on highly rated web and mobile based versions for both iOS and Anroid devices.

If you want something beyond the standard Coinbase exchange, you can opt to use the Advanced Trade feature. As the name implies, you can access to more advanced features including advanced charts powered by TradingView, advanced analysis and charting tools, the ability to earn rewards automatically when you are not investing, and more.

We should also note that the Advanced Trade feature was formally Coinbase Pro. Current Coinbase Pro users are being moved over to Advanced Trade as Coinbase is phasing out Coinbase Pro and only offering Advanced Trade as their experienced investing option.

Coinbase offers several ways that you can earn crypto rewards.

Learning rewards: As the name implies, you can earn money just for learning about different cryptos. All you have to do is watch a video, complete a quiz and earn your rewards. The rewards will vary depending upon what crypto you are learning about.

Staking and Defi Yield rewards: The second way you can earn crypto rewards is by participating in either staking or a defi yield. Coinbase has 97 cryptos available for staking, and 30 cryptos available for defi yield. The rewards you can earn will depend on the crypto, but Coinbase say you can potentially earn up to 10% APY.

Coinbase allows you to borrow cash using your Bitcoin as collateral. You can borrow 40% of the value of your Bitcoin with a max of $1 million depending upon your location. Coinbase currently charges 8.7% APY to borrow cash and applying does not impact your credit. You do not have to pay back the loan on a set schedule as Coinbase only requires a minimum monthly payment of $10.

Coinbase also offers a Visa debit card designed to turn everyday purchases into crypto rewards. Everytime you make a purchase with the card, you can earn rewards from a rotating list of cryptos. You can fund your card with a bank account, or deposit a part of your paycheck into Coinbase. There are no fees to have the card and it is available to every US based Coinbase customer (excluding Hawaii).

The Coinbase wallet is a secure place to store all of your crypto and NFTs. The wallet has industry leading security, supports hundreds of thousands of tokens and dapps, and can help you explore the decentralized web directly from your wallet.

Coinbase has a very good selection of available crypto with 260 available to be bought and sold on the exchange.

Coinbase offers strong security overall to protect your deposits and crypto assets. Your account is protected through features that include standard two factor authentification, encrytped password protection, the ability to lock your account under suspicious activity and more.

Coinbase also offers security measures for your assets themselves. Coinbase emphasizes that "you own your digitial assets" and will therefore never lend or touch your assets without your permission. Coinbase also stores the majority of assets offline is secure, guared cold storage facilities.

Even with these security measures, it should be noted that Coinbase has suffered security breaches before. The most notable breach occured in 2021 in which a Coinbase security flaw compromised the accounts of at least 6,000 Coinbase users.

Due to this, Coinbase encourages users to follow some practices to safe guard their accounts, which include: using a strong password, using 2 step verification, securing your email, keeping your devices clean and updated, protecting your cloud storage and more.

Coinbase has a very complicated fee structure. Based upon information we were able to find, Coinbase charges fees differently depending on if you are using the standard exchange, or the Advanced Trade exchange.

For the standard exchange, Coinbase calculates fees based upon the following factors. 1) A spread for crypto purchases sales and purchases that can fluctuate based upon market conditions. 2) A mix of other factors including: payment method, the size of the order, and market conditions such as volatility and liquidity. 3) Fees to cover the costs of external blockchain networks that are supported on Coinbase's exchange.

Coinbase does not disclose the exact amount you will be charged given the variety of factors, but do say that, "fees are listed in the trade preview screen before you submit your transaction." The Advanced Trade exchange uses a much simpler maker-taker fee schedule listed below.

Coinbase has strong customer support overall and has three channels in which you can get help. First, you can opt to use the online help center and send an email request ticket to address your problem. Second, you can chat with the Coinbase virtual assistant 24/7. Third, if you are not able to get your question answered from the virtual assistant, you can be connected with a live person over the phone.

One other detail that is worth mentioning is the Coinbase One feature. Coinbase One is a monthly subscription that allows you to get the most out of crypto. Some of the benefits include zero trading fees, boosted staking rewards, priority customer support, pre-filled crypto tax forms and more.

The membership costs $29.99 a month and you can test it out with a 30 day free trial. Coinbase One is available to users in the US, UK, Germany, and Ireland, and Coinbase is working on launching the membership to other countries.

The primary advantage to using Coinbase is that it is easy to use. Although Coinbase does support some features for more experienced investors, such as the Advanced Trade feature, the standard exchange offers a very clean interface and usability is very beginner friendly.

When you couple this with a large selection of crypto, strong reward opportunites, a Visa debit card, and short term borrowing options, Coinbase is a pretty safe bet when choosing a crypto exchange.

The primary disadvantage of Coinbase is that the fee structure is very complex. If you are using the standard exchange, it is very difficult to gauge what fees you will pay before you buy or sell crypto since Coinbase derives fees from a multitude of factors. The Advanced Trade exchange has clear pricing, but you do have to become more experienced to use that exchange and take advantage of the simplified pricing.