Firstrade vs Coinw: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Firstrade and Coinw 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

Coinw

⚠️ We look for what’s best for you.

₿ Getting into crypto? With eToro you can start in minutes: buy/sell top coins, set recurring buys, track markets, and use Social/CopyTrader features.

👉 Start here and explore the crypto offer.

Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

Thinking about starting with crypto? This is for you.

In select regions, eToro offers a $10 welcome bonus when you open an account today.*

🎯 An account built to help you start with crypto—without the hassle.

➕ Buy and sell top cryptocurrencies in minutes

➕ Recurring buys, price alerts, and advanced charts

➕ Social/CopyTrader™ to follow experienced investors

➕ One of the largest and most trusted platforms worldwide

Limited-time promotion — still available.

*Offer subject to terms, eligibility and regional availability. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest.

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.

Coinw is ideal if:

Power-hungry trader? CoinW combines spot, futures (up to 200× leverage), ETFs, copy-trading, and automated bots—making it a strong fit if you value advanced, diverse trading tools.
Seeking passive income? It supports staking, crypto-earning programs, P2P, mining pools, and structured rewards—great if you like to earn on assets while you trade.
Global coverage matters? With multilingual support, services in over 120–200 countries, and localized trading centers, CoinW caters well to international users outside restricted zones.

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.

Coinw isn’t ideal if:

You rely on fiat-to-crypto pairs: CoinW doesn’t offer direct trading between fiat and crypto—if that’s essential, this platform may not suit your needs.
You value top-tier customer support or insurance: Users often note limited support channels and the absence of fund insurance or proof of reserves.
You prefer strongly regulated exchanges: CoinW lacks robust licensing in many territories and experienced a security breach—so cautious traders might pass.

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.

CoinW’s spot fees begin at a standard rate (around 0.2% for both maker and taker), with reductions available through a VIP program tied to holdings of its native token (CWT)—higher VIP levels yield notably lower rates, down to as low as 0.01%.

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.

Futures trading features a flat maker fee of 0.01% and taker fee of 0.06% across all pairs, complemented by periodic funding fees applied to perpetual contracts based on current rates.

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 exact spreads aren’t published, highly liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT generally enjoy narrow spreads, making them cost-efficient for active spot and futures trading.

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.

Fiat can be deposited via third-party credit/debit services (no bank transfers), with fees and processing times subject to the provider—not the exchange—but usually processed relatively quickly; withdrawal options may be limited and depend on region and method.

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.

Crypto withdrawals incur dynamic network-based fees that vary by blockchain (e.g., BTC, ETH, TRX), adjusting to reflect current congestion rather than employing fixed flat rates.

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.

Beyond visible trading fees, you may encounter subtle costs such as currency conversion charges when using fiat, potential inactivity or maintenance fees, premium or expedited KYC offerings, or trading-tool access fees that are not always clear at first glance.

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.

If you purchase €500 of BTC, total cost might include a spot trading fee (a percentage deducted from the €500), a small spread between buy and sell price, and an on-chain withdrawal fee based on the crypto network—together defining the effective conversion cost.

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.

CoinW supports over 1,000 cryptocurrencies and more than 500 spot trading pairs, with the most active comprising BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, SOL/USDT, ETH/USDC, and XRP/USDT among the top by daily volume.

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.

The platform offers a wide suite of tools including spot, futures/perpetuals, crypto ETFs, staking or “earn” features, P2P and OTC access, grid trading bots, Auto-Invest (DCA), and both spot and futures copy-trading; loan or margin offerings are implied through futures and ETF leverage.

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.

CoinW shows robust activity, with 24-hour volumes ranging significantly—commonly in the multi-billion-dollar range—and BTC/USDT typically commands the bulk of liquidity; order-book depth isn’t directly visible to users but is implied to be strong behind top pairs.

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.

Users can access advanced tools such as limit, stop, and OCO orders, automated trading strategies via bots, portfolio alerts, and API/real-time data interfaces; while details on native TradingView aren’t confirmed, the platform emphasizes rich charting and automation features.

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.

Some features—especially derivatives and certain trading tools—are restricted in jurisdictions such as the United States and possibly others, with eligibility depending on user location and local regulations.

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.

CoinW continues to expand its offering with Launchpad or similar token-launch events, flexible “Smart Earn” options, and Auto-Invest (DCA) features—designed to support both active and passive users in building diversified strategies.

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.

CoinW is operated by a company founded in 2017 and legally registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with its operational headquarters now located in Dubai (UAE), reflecting its dual presence across offshore registration and MENA-based operations.

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.

The exchange holds a license from the Financial Services Authority of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and has secured a digital currency trading services license with Australia’s AUSTRAC; it is also actively engaging with Dubai’s VARA toward obtaining VASP accreditation.

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.

CoinW employs its own custody via a multi-layered framework including cold–hot wallet separation, multi-signature and multi-party computation for key security, plus real-time integrity monitoring; however, it has yet to provide public proof-of-reserves or detailed audit data.

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.

Beyond its deep integration with third-party security provider CoinCover—which offers real-time fraud protection and enhanced asset defense—the platform does not publicly disclose a dedicated insurance fund or compensation scheme for user losses.

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.

In 2023 CoinW suffered a notable security breach involving approximately $13 million in losses; in response, it swiftly strengthened its setup with MPC wallets and intensified monitoring and emergency response systems to bolster security posture.

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.

Users benefit from comprehensive risk controls such as multiple 2FA options, withdrawal whitelists, anti-phishing features, IP and behavior-based anomaly detection, and layered security for API access—though some features require manual activation.

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.

While CoinW emphasizes its proactive security stance and compliance, the platform does not currently offer monthly transparency reports, public wallet addresses, or formally published SLAs, which limits independent verification of operations.

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.

CoinW allows fiat deposits through third-party gateways like ADVcash, Mercuryo, ITEZ, and Alchemy Pay—covering digital wallets, bank transfers, and card payments with region-dependent minimums (e.g., from ~$15) and typically near-instant execution via these providers.

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.

CoinW offers tiered verification

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 increase with KYC level; processing times may include security hold periods like T-plus intervals; supported networks vary per asset, but typically include common chains such as ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, with fees and availability shown at withdrawal time.

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.

CoinW offers around-the-clock customer service via live chat and email, backed by an online help center and FAQs—though exact response times vary depending on workload and query complexity.

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.

The platform supports multiple languages with a fully English-native interface, displays amounts in USD or EUR when relevant, and tailors services with regional fiat options and compliance aligned to user jurisdiction.

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 CoinW mobile app is regularly updated across iOS and Android, with good reported stability and infrequent app crashes—enhanced by performance improvements deployed in recent versions to streamline the trading experience.

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.

CoinW delivers a clean, intuitive interface that helps newcomers find their footing quickly, while more seasoned users benefit from a deeper layout featuring sophisticated tools and adjustable trading views, though it doesn’t explicitly label them as “Lite” or “Pro” 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.

The platform reliably processes trades with minimal latency under normal conditions, although extremely volatile market spikes may occasionally strain performance; KYC processing typically remains fast, though demand surges in bull markets can slightly slow verifications.

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.

CoinW includes a learning hub packed with tutorials, webinars, and market updates, but lacks fully interactive demo trading; some content is offered in Spanish alongside English materials, though the depth may vary.

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.

Users can connect through official Telegram channels, referral programs offering meaningful rewards, and community campaigns—but an integrated forum or Discord hub isn’t prominently featured on the exchange itself.

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.

CoinW supports embedded TradingView capabilities, its own trading bots, and API hooks enabling external automation; however, it doesn’t currently offer direct tax-report or dedicated accounting tool integrations.

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.

The platform is ideally suited to altcoin hunters and privacy-focused traders who value tool-rich environments and automation, while those seeking hand-holding features like demo access, fiat-crypto bridges, or built-in reporting may find it less aligned with their needs.