Firstrade vs Blockchain.Com: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Firstrade and Blockchain.Com This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on September 1, 2025

Firstrade

Blockchain.Com

⚠️ We look for what’s best for you.

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Firstrade is ideal if:

Perfect if you value simplicity and self-led growth — Firstrade shines for investors who want a straightforward platform enhanced by rich educational content and intuitive tools like Options Wizard and FirstradeGPT.
Great for cost-conscious traders focused on the US market — It delivers commission-free trading across stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds, ideal if you prioritize low ongoing costs and trade U.S. securities.
Not ideal if you need advanced or global asset access — The platform doesn’t offer futures, forex, crypto, IPOs, or international markets, so it's not suited for highly diversified or exotic investment strategies.

Blockchain.Com is ideal if:

Fast & liquid trading for individuals — Built for retail users seeking a slick, high-speed exchange with deep real-time order books and ultra-responsive execution.
Seamless wallet-to-exchange flow — Perfect if you want the flexibility of effortlessly shifting funds between a secure non-custodial wallet and your trading account.
Straightforward tools, not overload — Ideal if you prefer a clean trading experience: just enough assets and order types, enhanced with customizable charts without overwhelming complexity.

Firstrade isn’t ideal if:

If you seek automated or advisor-led services — Firstrade doesn’t provide AI-driven trading automation, robo-advice, or personalized financial planning options.
If you need access to non-U.S. or exotic markets — It excludes futures, forex, international equities, and advanced asset classes, limiting your global exposure opportunities.
If you prioritize sleek navigation and advanced macroscopic insights — The platform’s layout can feel cluttered, with limited portfolio tracking and broader market analytics visible at a glance.

Blockchain.Com isn’t ideal if:

If you need broad crypto access — Not suited for you if you’re after an extensive altcoin lineup, as its asset selection is relatively limited.
If you want round-the-clock live support — Might frustrate you if you rely on phone or email help, because support options are primarily online and can lack responsiveness.
If direct fiat withdrawals are essential — Not ideal if you're aiming to withdraw fiat to a card or e-wallet, as such options are restricted or unavailable.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Firstrade does not operate on a crypto exchange-style maker/taker fee model since it primarily offers commission-free trading for stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds; there are no volume-based discounts tied to a native token.

Blockchain.com applies a tiered maker-taker model for spot trading; maker fees decrease from around 0.40% down to 0% and taker fees from approximately 0.45% down to 0.06%, depending on your 30-day trading volume—there are no explicit discounts tied to holding a native token.

Futures/Derivatives

Firstrade does not support trading in futures, options on crypto, or any leveraged derivative contracts, so there are no maker/taker or funding fees in this category.

Blockchain.com offers margin trading (not full perpetual futures) with a recurring margin fee of around 0.02% every 4 hours, applied alongside the usual maker/taker structure when applicable.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

As Firstrade does not currently offer direct spot cryptocurrency trading, there are no applicable spreads for BTC/USDT or ETH/USDT pairs within its platform.

While the platform doesn’t publish exact spread figures, liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT generally trade at tightly competitive spreads comparable to other major retail exchanges, especially during normal market conditions.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Deposits and withdrawals are processed via ACH, wire transfers, and check requests; ACH is typically free and fast (1–2 business days), while wires may have a fee and take 1–3 days depending on the bank.

You can deposit fiat via methods like ACH, SEPA, wire transfers, or faster local systems—with deposits typically free or carrying a small fixed fee, and funds arriving in 1–5 business days depending on the method; withdrawals to bank via ACH/SEPA are usually free or low-fee, while wire transfers may carry a modest flat charge and take a few business days.

On-chain Withdrawals

Since Firstrade does not facilitate direct on-chain crypto transfers, there are no blockchain network withdrawal fees for BTC, ETH, TRX, or other tokens.

Deposit to the exchange is free aside from network fees, and withdrawals incur a processing fee plus the variable on-chain network fee, which is displayed before you confirm; the network component is dynamic per blockchain (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX).

Hidden Costs

The main extra cost to be aware of is currency conversion for non-USD accounts; Firstrade does not charge inactivity or expedited account verification fees.

Some indirect costs include holding-period delays for card or ACH purchases, currency conversion margins if your currency differs from supported ones, and fees or delays tied to express KYC or expedited verification.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

This action cannot be performed directly on Firstrade, as it does not provide native crypto purchasing; acquiring BTC would require an external platform, where costs would depend on that provider’s commission, spread, and withdrawal fee structure.

You’d pay a maker/taker trading fee on the €500 trade (depending on order type and volume tier), plus the spread embedded in the rate, and if you then withdraw on-chain, you’d also pay the dynamic network fee and the small processing charge before the BTC reaches your wallet.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Firstrade offers trading in approximately 38–41 cryptocurrencies, focusing on spot pairs only—there’s no full order book with crypto-to-crypto pairings, just single-asset buys priced in USD on their platform.

The platform offers 26–30 cryptocurrencies and 50–80+ trading pairs overall, with the top 20 pairs dominated by major markets like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, and top altcoin combinations.

Product Range

Firstrade supports only spot cryptocurrency trading; it does not support margin, perpetuals, futures, options, ETFs on crypto, staking, lending, copy trading, grid bot tools, or automated DCA programs.

Supports spot trading, selective margin (up to 5× on certain USD/USDT pairs), and lending/borrowing via institutional OTC, but does not offer perpetuals, options, crypto ETFs, staking/earn, or copy-trading and advanced automation natively.

Liquidity

Firstrade does not disclose actual 24-hour volume or order book depth data for crypto; trading occurs via their internal system with instant settlement but without traditional exchange-level liquidity metrics.

While exact figures aren’t published, BTC and ETH pairs enjoy robust liquidity, with substantial 24-hour trading volumes and deep order books in core markets.

Tools

Their crypto offering includes basic order types, real-time quotes, charts, and research features, but lacks advanced tools such as stop/OCO orders, advanced charting, native TradingView integration, alerts, or API/WS access for crypto.

Offers standard limit and stop orders, but lacks OCO functionality; provides live price charts, basic alerts, and supports both REST API and WebSocket access, though it does not embed a native TradingView charting interface.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Crypto trading is available only to users in the United States; there are no crypto markets or services offered outside U.S. jurisdictions.

Margin trading is blocked in several jurisdictions, including the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and sanctioned nations, while spot services remain available more broadly.

Innovation

Firstrade has not rolled out innovation tools like launchpad/launchpool, nor any flexible vs blocked crypto-earned programs—its crypto offerings remain simple and limited to direct spot purchases.

The platform lacks features like launchpads or pools. It also does not offer flexible vs. locked earn options, limiting its appeal for users looking for innovative passive-income tools.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

The crypto service is delivered through Firstrade Crypto LLC, a U.S.-based subsidiary operating under parent company Firstrade Securities Inc., founded in 1985 and headquartered in Flushing, New York.

Blockchain.com originated in 2011 in the UK and is now structured under entities including Blockchain (LT), UAB (Lithuania) and other legal arms in Ireland and the BVI, with its main headquarters in Luxembourg.

Licenses/Registration

Firstrade Securities operates as a registered broker-dealer under FINRA and the SEC; crypto trading itself is facilitated by Apex Crypto LLC, acting under regulatory standards but without explicit VASP or MiCA licensing.

It operates under Lithuanian corporate registration, and in the UK it acts through a regulated partner for financial promotions—no publicly highlighted MiCA or EU-wide license is cited.

Custody

Cryptocurrency custody is handled by Apex Crypto LLC as a third-party provider—not held on Firstrade’s own infrastructure. There’s no publicly shared proof of reserves, audit reports, or stated cold-storage percentages.

Custody is centralized (Blockchain holds assets); there’s no visible Proof-of-Reserves report or cold storage ratio publicly declared via their site.

Insurance & Protection Funds

While traditional account assets benefit from SIPC and possibly FDIC protections, crypto holdings are not covered under these programs and have no dedicated insurance or extra custodian protection.

There’s no explicit mention of insurance policies or protected fund schemes designed for user asset safety listed on the platform.

Incident History

Firstrade hasn’t suffered publicized hacks or major suspensions tied to its crypto platform; however, it recently received FINRA censure and a fine for misleading communications about crypto offerings via an affiliate.

The platform has not publicized hacks, service suspensions, or regulatory fines, suggesting a relatively clean public incident record to date.

Risk Controls

Firstrade enforces strong security measures including multi-factor authentication, SSL encryption, firewalls, fraud detection systems, phishing education, and a secure security center, but doesn’t highlight features like API permissions or sub-accounts for crypto.

Security features include user-enabled 2FA, support for whitelisting withdrawal addresses, anti-phishing alerts, plus REST and WebSocket API access, though fine-grained sub-account roles aren’t promoted.

Transparency

There’s no public monthly reporting or wallet audit data available for crypto holdings. Users rely on Firstrade’s Online Protection Guarantee for unauthorized trades, yet there’s no SLA or public wallet addresses disclosed.

There are no publicly available regular solvency reports, on-chain wallet data, or service-level commitments for transparency, at least not in an openly accessible format.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Firstrade supports fiat deposits via ACH, wire transfer, check, and transfers from other brokerages; ACH from U.S. bank accounts is fee-free and takes a couple of business days, wires are faster but involve sending-bank fees, and check deposits vary by type and processing, with some available immediately.

You can deposit fiat via bank wire, ACH, SEPA, or card payments, with typical minimums and maximums set per method (e.g. cards around €5, wires higher), and processing times ranging from instant up to several business days, depending on the method and region.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

There’s no formal tiered KYC structure; account opening requires ID verification, and once verified, users can access full services—there are no intermediate “basic” or “advanced” levels with differing limits.

Verification follows tiered access—unverified users have limited functionality, while Full Access requires identity verification, unlocking higher transaction limits and broader features; exact thresholds depend on your country and payment methods.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals are available via ACH, check, or wire—ACH (up to $50,000 per day) is free and takes 1–2 business days, checks may take up to two weeks depending on delivery, and wires cost a fee and take several days; crypto token withdrawals (e.g. ERC20/TRC20) are not supported.

Withdrawal limits are roughly $100,000 daily, with individual transaction caps by method (e.g. cards ~$1,200, ACH/wire $25,000), and withdrawals process in hours to a few days; crypto withdrawals are supported over common networks like ERC-20, TRC-20, and options depend on token.

Customer Support

Support is offered via email and U.S. phone during business hours, complemented by a Help Center with FAQs—there’s no 24/7 live chat, and response times and knowledge base depth are moderate and office-hour dependent.

Support is available 24/7 via ticket and email, there’s no phone line; response times vary (sometimes slow), and there’s an extensive knowledge base and FAQ for self-help.

Languages & Localization

The platform and mobile app support English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese; the interface displays USD values only, with no localized support for Spanish or Euro-based users—reflecting its U.S.-centric design.

Blockchain.com supports multiple interface languages, including Spanish, and automatically displays balances and fees in your local fiat currency when possible; regulatory coverage adapts per country, using local entity registrations or partner arrangements where applicable.

App Quality & Stability

The Firstrade app (iOS/Android) is well-rated, noted for intuitive navigation and sync across devices, though some users report occasional crashes; regular updates enhance features and UX, but no official crash-rate metrics are disclosed.

The mobile app is noted for being fast and stable with low crash rates, regularly updated; it supports multiple languages including Spanish, displays fees in relevant local currencies, and adapts some features based on your location.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Firstrade delivers a clean, beginner-friendly interface that helps new users get started quickly, though it doesn’t offer distinct “Lite” or “Pro” modes; advanced traders may find the layout functional but not deeply customizable.

The interface is clean and intuitive, with a consistent layout that’s easy to navigate for new users—but there’s no explicit “Lite” or “Pro” toggle; advanced settings emerge as you explore deeper into the trading view, offering a seamless learning curve rather than separate modes.

Performance

Firstrade offers solid performance under normal conditions, but during high-volatility events, users sometimes note slight delays in order execution; account verification remains swift even during surges, with KYC queues rarely causing major hold-ups.

Order execution is generally swift and reliable, though during high-volatility spikes the platform can experience minor latency; KYC verification speeds have notably improved with recent integrations, limiting wait times even when demand surges.

Education

The platform provides a rich library of written and video educational resources for investing concepts, though it lacks a dedicated simulator or demo trading environment and does not yet offer educational content in Spanish.

Blockchain.com offers a robust free Learning Portal filled with beginner-friendly guides, explainer videos, podcasts, and deep dives—you can absorb knowledge at your own pace directly from the platform, although dedicated simulators or demo accounts aren’t currently part of the suite.

Community

Firstrade does not operate official community channels like Discord or Telegram. It did run a referral program in the past, but that has been discontinued, and users must rely on formal help centers rather than peer-driven forums.

The exchange supports an official referral program—recently rewarding users with token-based bonuses under defined conditions—and encourages participation through social channels, but there’s no dedicated Blockchain.com Discord or forum hosted by the platform.

Integrations

Firstrade recently integrated advanced research tools from Trading Central, but doesn’t support direct TradingView charting, bot trading, or built-in tax/accounting integrations—users rely on manual methods or third-party tools.

The platform includes integrated TradingView charts for in-platform technical analysis and provides API and WebSocket access for connecting external tools, although automated bots, tax-tracking suites, or accounting integrations are not formally embedded.

Who Each One Is Best For

Firstrade shines with investors who value a reliable, easy-to-use platform with educational support and occasional advanced tools—ideal for self-directed U.S. investors prioritizing simplicity over complex trading setups.

Blockchain.com works best for users who value a streamlined, educational experience, combined with solid trading tools and direct learning resources—but it may be less suitable for traders seeking ultra-custom interfaces or multi-tool automation.