Gemini is a crypto exchange that was built in 2014 by early crypto investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss after they struggled to find an exchange that they could trust and manage their growing portfolio on. They built Gemini with the mission of "earning and maintaining clients trust" and support this mission using four long term pillars: product, security, licensing, and compliance.

The exchange on Gemini is where you can research, and buy and sell crypto. The interface is very clean and easy to navigate. Order execution is simple and allows you to buy and sell a single time, or set up recurring investments. Gemini offers access to their exchange on both web and highly rated mobile apps for both Apple and Android devices.

If you want something that is more capable than Gemini's basic exchange, you can opt to use the active trader feature. The active trader feature offers more in depth tools than the standard exchange including advanced charting, higher trade speeds, multiple order types, and more.

Gemini's credit card allows you to earn crypto rewards every time you make a purchase. The card pays 3% back on restaraunts, 2% back on groceries, and 1% back on everything else. Rewards can be earned from 40+ cryptos and are instantly deposited into your Gemini account. The card has no annual fee and is backed by Mastercard security.

Staking allows you to earn crypto rewards by participating in a proof of stake protocol. Essentially, you are pledging your crypto to help validate transactions on the blockchain. In exchange for doing this, you can earn crypto rewards. Currently, Gemini only allows you to participate in staking with two cryptocurrencies, Ethereum and Polygon. Etheruem staking currently earns 4.48% APY and Polygon currently earns 3.53% APY.

Gemini currently offers more than 90 cryptocurrencies on their exchange. It is not the largest selection of any exchange that we have reviewed, but offers plenty of options if you are a new crypto investor.

Account security: Gemini requires two factor authentification by default in order to access your account and make withdrawals. Additionally, support for hardware security keys (such as Yubikey) can also be integrated for an additional level of account security.

Compliance security: Gemini was the first exchange to complete a SOC 1 Type 2 exam, SOC 2 Type 2 exam, and earn an ISO 27001 certification. Essentially, these are information security standards and audits that Gemini has passed. Gemini also regularly hires independent third parties to conduct annual penetration trusts to find and resolve potential security vulnerabilities.

Mobile and web based fees: If you are using Gemini's standard exhange feature you will be charged two fees. First, you will incur a convenience fee which is currently 0.50%. Secondly, you will be charged a transaction fee based upon the volume of your trade listed below.

Active Trader fees: The active trader feature uses a tiered maker-taker fee schedule for high volume crypto investors.
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Transfer fees: It should also be noted that you can incur some fees for transfers. If you are making a deposit with a debit card expect to be charged a 3.49% fee. If you are using PayPal to make a deposit, expect to pay a 2.50% fee.
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Gemini's customer support is fairly thin. Your first option is to use the online help center to get answers to a variety of general questions. If you need further support, you can sumbit a email request to Gemini's support team.

One other detail that is worth mentioning is Cryptopedia. Cryptopedia is Gemini's in house educational library. Gemini covers a range of topics including crypto basics, NFTs, DeFi, and much more. There are currently 467 articles covering 239 topics, taught by 57 different authors. The vast majority of the articles are very easy to follow and understand making this another great feature for beginners.

The first advantage of using Gemini is that it is beginner friendly. This is mainly due to the clean interface of the web based and mobile exchange. The selection of crypto is decent, but not so large as to overwhelm a beginner. Some secondary advantages are the credit card in which you can earn crypto rewards and the strong educational library. Finally, we like that Gemini also includes a more advanced exchange by offering their active trader feature so you can continue to grow as a crypto investor on the exchange.

The first disadvantage of Gemini is that their staking rewards are limited to two crytos. We would like to see Gemini offer a larger selection of cryptos available for staking. Secondly, the customer support is thin at best. Gemini does not offer any sort of phone or live support, where as other crypto exchanges do. Finally, the fee structure can be complicated to understand.

Gemini is right for you if: