Coinbase
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a beginner making small, occasional crypto purchases and want an easy, regulated app.
New check
Comparison
Coinbase vs eToro
Coinbase and eToro both land on Depends.
eToro
Depends
Confidence: High
A fit if you're a beginner or casual investor wanting stocks, ETFs and crypto with copy trading from $50.
| Compare | Coinbase | eToro |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | First-time crypto buyers | Beginner retail investors |
| Who it's not for | Frequent traders . retail fees compound fast | Day traders . users say it's bad for active trading |
| Privacy | Real 2025 insider-led data breach with ~$400M fallout; no known vulnerabilities in Coinbase's own core products, only third-party plugin CVEs.⁹ | SEC/FINRA-regulated with a HackerOne bug bounty; a 2023 data breach and a 2026 alleged database sale are reported. |
| Support quality | Hacked-account threads describe painful recovery experiences | Reddit users report horrific customer service |
| Public sentiment | Sentiment is polarized: aggregate ratings stay high, while Reddit and Trustpilot threads hammer fees, support, and hacked accounts.³ | Users like eToro for simple long-term investing and copy trading, but consistently criticize fees and customer service.16 |
| Biggest gotcha | Retail trading fees draw 'CRAZY expensive' complaints from users . compare costs before trading⁵ | Inactivity fee: $10/month after one year of inactivity |
Pick Coinbase when
- First-time crypto buyers
- Small, occasional purchases
- Institutions needing prime brokerage
- Businesses accepting crypto payments
When Coinbase is not a fit
- Frequent traders . retail fees compound fast
- Large long-term holders (prefer self-custody)
- Anyone needing fast support when locked out
- WordPress merchants without third-party plugin review
Pick eToro when
- Beginner retail investors
- Copy-trading fans
- Long-term stock/ETF holders
- Small-balance starters ($50 min)
When eToro is not a fit
- Day traders . users say it's bad for active trading
- Fee-sensitive investors avoiding spreads and withdrawal fees
- Anyone who may need responsive customer support
- Guess: pros needing advanced charting and order types
Sources
review
- Coinbase Review . Investopediainvestopedia.comreview
- Trustpilot reviews of coinbase.comtrustpilot.comreview
review
review
- I don't recommend Coinbase . Redditreddit.comreview
review
news
news
official
- Coinbase Commerce WordPress plugin CVE . Wordfencewordfence.comsecurity
- Coinbase pricing and fees disclosureshelp.coinbase.comofficial
- Coinbase Security pagecoinbase.comofficial
news
- NerdWallet: Investing with eToro . honest reviewnerdwallet.comreview
- Trustpilot . eToro customer reviewstrustpilot.comreview