MetaMask vs Coinbase Wallet, what is the difference?

MetaMask vs Coinbase Wallet compares two self-custody wallets that people often confuse. They are not the same product and are not linked. MetaMask comes from Consensys Software, and Coinbase Wallet is made by the exchange company Coinbase. In both, you control the keys, and neither company can move your funds or recover a lost wallet. This page compares features and does not rank them.

Is Coinbase Wallet the same as MetaMask?

No. Both are browser extensions and phone apps that hold tokens, swap and connect to apps, but they come from different companies and use different accounts. A Coinbase Wallet is also not the same thing as a Coinbase exchange account. The custodial exchange and the self-custody wallet are explained in Coinbase vs Coinbase Wallet.

Coinbase renamed its wallet the Base app in July 2025, then went back to the Coinbase Wallet name in September 2026. According to The Block, the app now focuses on multichain trading, including perpetual futures, prediction markets and tokenized stocks, some of which are restricted by region. MetaMask's background is in what is MetaMask.

How do you sign in and recover each wallet?

MetaMask is built around a 12-word Secret Recovery Phrase that generates every account in the wallet. Newer MetaMask wallets can also be created with a Google, Apple or Telegram login. In that case the phrase is encrypted and backed up, and recovery needs both the login and the wallet password, which MetaMask says to guard as carefully as the phrase.

Coinbase's help pages list four ways back into Coinbase Wallet: a 12-word recovery phrase, a cloud backup on Google Drive or iCloud, a passkey, or email, Apple or Google sign-in. Coinbase says it never has access to these methods. If you lose the recovery phrase on a phrase-based wallet, the page says you will need to create a new account. The seed phrase guide explains why.

Which networks do MetaMask and Coinbase Wallet support?

As of October 2026, The Block lists Base, Robinhood Chain, Solana, Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Chain, Monad, Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon and Avalanche for Coinbase Wallet.

MetaMask gives each account an EVM address, a Solana address and a Bitcoin address. Its network list adds chains such as Tron, Linea, Sei, zkSync Era and others, and users can add any further EVM network by hand. MetaMask notes that custom networks must be added again on each device.

What are the fees for MetaMask vs Coinbase?

Holding crypto in either wallet is free. Sending it costs a network fee, which goes to the blockchain rather than the wallet company, as covered in what are gas fees.

For built-in swaps, MetaMask's support page lists a 0.875% MetaMask fee. Coinbase's help page says it charges a fee of up to 1% on swaps, and that the aggregator routing the trade may charge its own fee.

Because both are hot wallets, the same safety rules apply. Never share the recovery phrase and read each signature request, as explained in crypto phishing and wallet drainers.