Coinbase vs Robinhood for Crypto (2026): Fees on a $1,000 Buy

Short answer: on the order-book routes, Coinbase is slightly cheaper for a market order and the two tie on limit orders. A $1,000 market buy costs $9.00 on Coinbase Advanced at its 0.90% US entry taker rate and $9.50 on Robinhood's exchange routing at 0.95%. A resting limit order costs $5.00 on both. Robinhood's default route charges no fee but builds its cut into the spread. Rates read on both firms' pages on 21 October 2026.

The buyer behind this comparison wants to put that sum into bitcoin or another major coin and is choosing between the two apps most people already have on their phone. We read Coinbase's pricing and fees disclosures, its announcement of new Coinbase Advanced fees and its Coinbase One page, plus Robinhood's crypto fee schedule, crypto order routing article and crypto fee tiers article.

Finpresso data: our analysis prices that one crypto purchase on every route each app offers, using only the rates the two firms print, as of 21 October 2026. Dollar figures are our arithmetic and exclude network fees and price movement; spreads are counted only where a firm discloses its share of them.

Fees side by side

The table splits each app into two products. Coinbase's simple app and Robinhood's default route are the easy buttons, and neither prints the full cost of a trade on them. Coinbase Advanced and Robinhood's exchange routing are the order-book routes, and both print maker and taker rates, which is why the $1,000 comparison below uses them.

What the purchase costs on each route

On the order-book routes, the arithmetic is simple. The market order pays $9.00 on Coinbase Advanced and $9.50 on Robinhood's exchange routing, a $0.50 gap at the entry tier. A limit order that rests on the book and fills later pays the 0.50% maker rate on both, or $5.00.

Robinhood's default route is the one most app users get, because market maker routing is the default for orders placed in the app. It charges no fee. Robinhood says that, as of 15 June 2026, it receives $0.95 from its market maker for every $100 of crypto bought or sold this way, and that amount sits inside the spread. On this purchase, that is $9.50 of the spread going to Robinhood, before any spread the market maker keeps. Robinhood's own illustration uses a 0.96% buy spread, of which it receives 0.95%, so the spread you pay is wider than its share.

Coinbase's simple buy does not print a rate. Its disclosures say fees depend on payment method, order size, market conditions, location and asset, and that a spread is included in the quoted price. The total appears on the order preview screen before you confirm, so compare it there rather than against a published rate.

The simple-app limit order is the expensive corner. Coinbase charges a separate 1% execution fee on simple limit orders, $10 on this purchase, and may also charge a Coinbase fee of up to 1.875% depending on payment method, so the bill can reach $28.75 on our arithmetic. A buyer who wants a limit order on Coinbase should place it on Coinbase Advanced instead.

How the fee tiers fall with volume

Both apps lower their order-book rates as 30-day volume rises, and both now start the first discount at the same threshold. Robinhood publishes the full ladder: 0.75% taker and 0.35% maker from $10,000 to $50,000, falling to 0.03% taker and 0% maker above $25 million. Coinbase publishes the entry tier in its announcement and shows each customer's tier on the Advanced fees page after sign-in.

For a buyer of this size once a month, the tiers never come into play: that volume stays in the entry band on both apps. They matter for a trader moving five figures a month on the order-book routes. Orders on Robinhood's default market maker route do not count toward its tiers, so a trader chasing a lower rate has to switch to exchange routing.

Is Coinbase One worth it for this buyer?

Coinbase One removes trading fees on simple trades for a subscription. Basic costs $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year and covers zero trading fees up to $500 a month. Preferred costs $29.99 a month or $299.99 a year, with the limit raised to $10,000 a month. Trades above the member's volume limit pay normal fees.

Two catches limit what it saves. The spread still applies, because Coinbase says it includes a spread when you buy, sell or convert, and the zero-fee benefit excludes Coinbase Advanced, DEX trades and derivatives. It also does not cover the 1% limit order fee.

So Basic fits a small, regular buyer who uses the simple app, and its $500 limit covers only half of this purchase. A buyer who repeats it every month either pays normal fees on the second $500 or moves to Preferred at $29.99 a month. Against Preferred, Coinbase Advanced with no subscription costs less, at $9.00 for the same market order.

Staking and transfers

Robinhood takes a 25% commission on staking rewards. Coinbase's standard commission is 35% on ADA, ATOM, AVAX, DOT, ETH, MATIC, SOL and XTZ. Coinbase One members pay less on several of those coins: 31.75% on Basic, 28.5% on Preferred and 25.25% on Premium, so only the top tier matches Robinhood.

Moving coins out is where Robinhood is plainer. Robinhood Crypto charges no transfer fee, though every transfer pays the blockchain's network fee. Coinbase charges a fee based on its estimate of the network fee for a standalone send, plus 0.2% on Lightning Network bitcoin sends and 0.01% on USDT withdrawals, capped at 20 USDT. Sends between two Coinbase users are free.

How each firm makes money on your order

The two apps take their cut in different places, and that shapes which one fits you. Robinhood's default route earns from market makers through the spread, and Robinhood does not name those market makers. Its exchange routing sends orders to EDX Markets and Bitstamp, an affiliate of Robinhood Crypto, and charges a visible fee instead.

Coinbase says it has no payment-for-order-flow relationships with market makers. Its simple app earns from fees and the spread, and every trade from your primary balance runs through Coinbase Exchange's order book or competitive auctions. Robinhood states that crypto held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected, a point worth checking on any app that holds your coins.

Verdict by buyer type

• One purchase, held long term: either order-book route works. Coinbase Advanced saves $0.50 on a market order, and a resting limit order costs $5.00 on both.
• Tap-to-buy app user: Robinhood's default route shows no fee, but its spread carries 0.95% to Robinhood. Coinbase's simple app shows its fee and spread on the preview. Compare the two previews for the same amount before you buy.
• Staker: Robinhood's 25% commission beats Coinbase's standard 35% unless you pay for Coinbase One Premium.
• Self-custody buyer: Robinhood charges no transfer fee beyond the network fee; Coinbase charges its network fee estimate on sends.
• Active trader: Robinhood prints its whole tier ladder; Coinbase shows yours after sign-in. Price your monthly volume on both.

For more on each app, read the Coinbase review, Coinbase fees, the Robinhood review and Robinhood Gold cost. For other exchanges, see Kraken fees and the best crypto exchanges. For stock trading on the same apps, see Webull vs Robinhood, Fidelity vs Robinhood and brokerage fees in 2026. At tax time, the best crypto tax software guide covers reporting, and the best investing apps guide covers the wider field.

How we compared

We read Coinbase's fee disclosures, its Advanced fees help article, its September 2026 fee announcement and its Coinbase One page, plus Robinhood's crypto fee schedule (dated June 2026), its order routing and fee tier articles, all on 21 October 2026 and in US dollars. The dollar figures are our arithmetic on the printed rates. We did not estimate the size of either app's spread beyond what each firm discloses, and no third-party fee estimate is used. Finpresso runs no test trades, so every figure is what the two firms publish.

FAQ

Is Coinbase or Robinhood cheaper for crypto in 2026?

On the order-book routes, Coinbase is slightly cheaper for market orders: 0.90% taker on Coinbase Advanced against 0.95% on Robinhood's exchange routing at the entry tier, or $9.00 against $9.50 on a thousand dollars. Limit orders that rest on the book cost 0.50% on both. Robinhood's default route charges no fee but includes a spread.

Does Robinhood charge fees on crypto?

Not on its default market maker route, where Robinhood instead receives $0.95 per $100 traded from its market maker, included in the spread. Orders sent through exchange routing pay a maker or taker fee from 0.95% down to 0%, depending on 30-day volume.

What are Coinbase Advanced fees in the US?

The US entry tier is 0.50% maker and 0.90% taker, effective 16 September 2026 per Coinbase's announcement. Lower tiers start at $10,000 of qualifying volume, and each customer sees their tier on the Advanced fees page after sign-in. Coinbase Advanced includes no spread.

Is Coinbase One worth it?

For most buyers of this size, no. Basic at $4.99 a month removes trading fees on up to $500 a month of simple trades, Preferred at $29.99 a month raises that to $10,000, and the spread still applies on both. Coinbase Advanced without a subscription is usually cheaper for a single purchase of that size.

Which pays more for staking, Coinbase or Robinhood?

Robinhood takes a 25% commission on staking rewards. Coinbase's standard commission is 35% on major coins such as ETH and SOL, falling to 25.25% only for Coinbase One Premium members, so a staker keeps more of the reward on Robinhood.

Can I move my crypto off Robinhood or Coinbase?

Yes, both support sending crypto to an outside wallet. Robinhood charges no transfer fee beyond the network fee. Coinbase charges a fee based on its network fee estimate, plus 0.2% on Lightning bitcoin sends and a capped fee on USDT withdrawals.

This page is general information, not personalized financial advice. It compares fees and features, not whether to buy any cryptocurrency, and crypto prices can fall sharply. Confirm current terms with Coinbase and Robinhood before you trade.

Cite this: Finpresso, "Coinbase vs Robinhood for Crypto (2026): Fees on a $1,000 Buy", November 2026.

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