Gemini vs Crypto.com: fees, licences and which to pick in 2026

Gemini vs Crypto.com has a short answer for anyone in Europe: Gemini closed all EEA, UK and Australian accounts on 6 April 2026, so if you live in the EU, Crypto.com is the only one of the two you can use. Crypto.com serves EU residents through Foris DAX MT Limited, which holds a MiCA licence from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA).

In the United States, where both platforms operate, the choice is closer. Crypto.com has lower published fees, more coins and a wider global reach; the Gemini exchange is a New York trust company with a smaller range of digital assets. We checked both platforms’ fee pages, licence pages and filings on 23 October 2026. We have not opened accounts, so this is a review of published facts, not a hands-on test.

Gemini vs Crypto.com for EU residents: licence first

If you live in the EU, choose Crypto.com, because Gemini no longer serves European customers. Gemini announced its exit from the UK, the EU and Australia in February 2026, made accounts withdrawal-only from 5 March and closed them on 6 April 2026.

The facts table above still shows a MiCA licence for Gemini, because ESMA’s interim register lists the August 2025 authorisation of Gemini Intergalactic EU Ltd in Malta without an end date. That licence is not in use for retail clients, so if you had a Gemini account in the EU, it has been closed. Gemini had already left the Netherlands in November 2023.

Crypto.com’s Maltese entity was authorised under MiCA in January 2025 and passports that licence to every EEA country, including the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Ireland. Euro accounts and the Visa card run through a separate Maltese e-money institution, Foris MT Limited.

What is the Gemini exchange?

The Gemini exchange is a US cryptocurrency exchange and custodian founded in 2014 by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and based in New York. Its parent company listed on Nasdaq under the ticker GEMI in September 2025.

Gemini offers a simple app, the Gemini ActiveTrader order book, perpetual futures, staking, a US credit card and prediction markets through Gemini Titan, a CFTC-registered exchange. Gemini Trust Company is supervised by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). Gemini users are now in the US and Singapore: at the end of 2025 the company reported about 601,000 monthly transacting users and $15.9 billion of assets on the platform.

The catch: Gemini lists only about 65 tradable assets, and its entry-level ActiveTrader fees are high for an order-book exchange.

What is Crypto.com?

Crypto.com is a global cryptocurrency exchange and crypto platform founded in 2016 that combines a mobile app, an order-book exchange, a prepaid Visa card and staking. It lists more than 400 coins and supports euros, pounds, US dollars and several other currencies.

Two products matter for costs. The Crypto.com App charges a trading fee plus a spread. Crypto.com Exchange is a separate order book with maker and taker fees. In the EU, it has also offered tokenised US stocks and ETFs since 12 August 2026; these are derivatives issued by its CySEC-regulated firm, not the shares themselves.

The catch: the app spread is not published, which makes app pricing less transparent: part of what you pay is a cost you can’t check in advance. If you searched for “crypto app vs Gemini”, the app comparison is in the fees section below.

Trading fees: which crypto exchange has lower fees?

Crypto.com has lower published trading fees than Gemini, on the order book and in the app. Crypto.com Exchange starts at 0.25% maker and 0.50% taker; Gemini ActiveTrader’s schedule dated 1 September 2026 starts at 0.60% maker and 1.20% taker.

Gemini’s tiers fall with your 30-day volume or balance. Crypto.com cuts fees for CRO holders: 50,000 CRO or more gives 0% maker and 12% off taker fees, and its Level Up subscription, from €3.99 a month, advertises zero app trading fees (the spread is a separate cost). Holding CRO to save fees adds exposure to a volatile token, so it rarely makes sense for small crypto investors. US readers should check the fee in the order preview, as pricing can differ by region.

Crypto.com Exchange vs Gemini ActiveTrader: €100 and €1,000 examples

Here is what the published fees add up to. Gemini prices in dollars, so US readers can read the sums as $100 and $1,000.

On a €1,000 market order you pay €5.00 at Crypto.com Exchange and €12.00 at Gemini ActiveTrader, €7.00 more. In the apps, the visible fee is €8.00 against roughly €10.00, but neither publishes its spread, so compare the final amount before you confirm. Our glossary explains maker and taker fees.

Deposits and withdrawals

In the EU, SEPA deposits to Crypto.com are free (minimum €1), and SEPA withdrawals cost €1.00 with an €80 minimum. Credit card and debit card deposits, Apple Pay and Google Pay cost 3.99%. Gemini no longer offers SEPA. In the US, Gemini charges 3.49% for debit card funding and 2.50% for PayPal; check its fee page for ACH transfers or a wire transfer from your bank account.

Coins, trading tools and staking

Crypto.com lists more coins: more than 400, against about 65 tradable assets on Gemini. If you want smaller altcoins, Crypto.com gives you access to more choice; for bitcoin and ether, both work for beginners.

Both offer staking, margin and derivatives, with limits. Crypto.com Exchange derivatives are geo-restricted in the EEA, the UK and the US. Gemini lists perpetual futures from 0.02% maker and 0.07% taker at its lowest tier. Most retail traders lose money with leveraged products, so treat futures as a tool for experienced traders only.

Security features and track record

Neither crypto exchange has a spotless record, and their security features differ. Gemini’s custody uses offline cold storage, distributed hardware security modules and multi-party computation, and Gemini Trust has completed SOC 1 and SOC 2 examinations as a NYDFS-regulated qualified custodian. We found no proof-of-reserves attestation on Gemini’s official pages.

Crypto.com states that all client crypto is held 1:1 in reserve but publishes no cold-storage percentage. Its proof of reserves, verified by Mazars, dates from a 7 December 2022 snapshot. An Account Protection Programme covers up to USD 250,000 against unauthorised transactions.

• Crypto.com, 2022: attackers bypassed two-factor authentication on 483 accounts and withdrew about $34 million; Crypto.com said users were reimbursed.
• Crypto.com, 2023: a phishing attack on an employee exposed limited personal data of a small number of users. Crypto.com said regulators were notified and no funds were at risk.
• Gemini, 2022: Genesis, the lending partner behind Gemini Earn, froze withdrawals after the FTX collapse. Earn users’ crypto, which had been lent out to earn interest, stayed locked until an in-kind recovery of about $2.2 billion in May and June 2024.
• Gemini, 2024: a breach at a service provider of one of Gemini’s ACH banking partners affected about 15,000 users.

Whichever platform you use, choose app-based two-factor authentication over SMS and turn on withdrawal address allowlisting where offered, so that crypto can only leave your account to an address you approved.

Regulatory issues in New York and Europe

Both companies have a regulatory history, and Gemini’s is longer and more recent.

• Gemini: a 2024 NYDFS consent order over Earn ($37 million penalty plus $40 million for Earn users), a further $50 million New York Attorney General settlement in June 2024, and a $5 million CFTC penalty in January 2025. The SEC dismissed its Earn lawsuit on 28 January 2026. In 2026 Gemini also faced an IPO class action (March) and a New York Attorney General lawsuit over its prediction markets (April).
• Crypto.com: DNB fined it €2.85 million for serving Dutch customers without registration from May 2020 to November 2022 (Crypto.com appealed). The US SEC closed its investigation without action in March 2025.

App, card and customer support

Crypto.com puts buying, the prepaid Visa card, staking and EU tokenised stocks in one app. Gemini splits simple buying from ActiveTrader and offers a US credit card instead of a prepaid card. Card rewards change often, so check each issuer’s current terms before you purchase anything with crypto rewards in mind.

Crypto.com lists 24/7 live chat in the app and at chat.crypto.com. Gemini’s customer support runs through a help centre and a web request form. Only contact support through the official app or website.

Which cryptocurrency exchange should you choose?

Choose Crypto.com if you live in the EU or UK, because Gemini is not an option there. It also suits US readers who want lower order-book fees and more coins. The main downside is the unpublished app spread and a proof of reserves from December 2022.

Choose Gemini if you live in the US, mainly buy major coins and want a New York-regulated custodian. The main downside is cost: 0.60% maker and 1.20% taker until you trade $10,000 a month, plus open lawsuits.

In Europe, compare Kraken vs Crypto.com and Coinbase vs Crypto.com. US readers can also read Coinbase vs Gemini and Kraken vs Gemini. For details, see our Crypto.com review and Gemini review. Crypto prices swing sharply and you can lose everything you put in.