Coinbase vs Traders Place Comparison

The Coinbase savings plan targets investors who want to buy regularly and automatically rather than trying to time an entry. The barrier is as low as it gets at a one euro minimum, the range covers more than 400 crypto assets, and execution runs without further intervention: weekly, on the 1st and 15th of the month or monthly. The first purchase is executed as soon as the plan is set up; amount and frequency cannot be changed later, so you cancel the plan and create a new one.

On regulation Coinbase stands well in Europe: it was the first company to hold a BaFin crypto custody licence, and deficiencies identified in 2022 have been remedied according to the company. Crypto services are now provided by Coinbase Luxembourg S.A., licensed under MiCA since 20 June 2025 and supervised by Luxembourg's financial regulator CSSF; the licence covers 30 EEA countries. Payment routes include SEPA transfer, card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay, an unusually broad selection for the European market. Not every payment method works for the savings plan, the app shows which ones do; instalments can also be paid from the euro balance in the account.

What changed in 2026: Customers in the EEA can no longer buy stablecoins without MiCA authorisation such as USDT, DAI or PYUSD on Coinbase, so they are no longer available for a savings plan either. According to Coinbase, balances still held on the cut-off date of 30 October 2026 are converted once into USDC at the market rate. On 22 October 2026 the Central Bank of Ireland announced a fine of €3.25 million against Coinbase Ireland Limited, which holds euro balances for Coinbase customers: between November 2020 and August 2025 client funds were not adequately safeguarded. The regulator does not allege any loss of client money, and the sanction takes effect once confirmed by the Irish High Court. Details in our Coinbase review.

The sore point is price: up to 1.875% per purchase, depending on the payment method, is high in this comparison, so up to 18.75 euro on 1,000 euro. Across a savings plan with many small instalments that compounds noticeably over the years. Investors who value convenience and regulatory footing above the last fraction of a percent are well served; anyone watching costs should weigh the fees against cheaper savings plan providers.

Traders Place is a comparatively young German broker (founded in 2023) that offers 59 cryptocurrencies in addition to stocks and ETFs. Crypto custody is handled by Tangany GmbH, which is licensed by BaFin and is regarded as regulatorily reliable in the DACH region. Savings plans start at €1 with no order fee, but for crypto they only cover 13 crypto ETPs from 21Shares, not the crypto assets themselves.

How crypto trading works: Traders Place takes the order and passes it to Baader Bank, which buys or sells as a commission agent via Hyphe, currently the only trading venue. The coins are held in custody by Tangany GmbH. All three parties appear in ESMA's MiCA register: Tangany with its own BaFin licence for custody and transfers since 8 August 2025, Traders Place (since 21 July 2025) and Baader Bank with a MiCA notification to BaFin. Trading runs around the clock, and the execution price can differ from the displayed price when markets move sharply. Crypto trading is only open to customers resident in Germany; the majority owner of Traders Place is the Austrian GRAWE Group.

For investors who prefer a German broker based in Germany and want to use crypto as a supplement to a classic securities account, Traders Place is seen as one of the newer alternatives. The platform can be used via app and web and covers a solid range of cryptocurrencies with 59 coins. Trading fees of 0.9 % of the trade value, plus €1 below €500, are in the middle to upper range among the compared German brokers.

However, wallet transfers to your own wallets are not possible, and staking is currently not offered; both are occasionally criticized by users. The SMS-based 2FA and the limited deposit methods (SEPA transfer only) are also seen as room for improvement. Traders Place is therefore especially suitable for investors who want to try a young German broker with regulated custody and a broad coin offering and can do without wallet functionality.