What is Coinbase Pro?
Crypto Glossary Definition
Coinbase Pro (originally named GDAX) is professional-grade cryptocurrency exchange.
Why Coinbase Pro Matters
Coinbase Pro (formerly GDAX) offered lower fees and more advanced order types than the standard Coinbase app, aimed at active traders rather than casual buyers. Coinbase discontinued it in 2022, folding its advanced trading features into the main Coinbase app and a new "Coinbase Advanced Trade" tier instead.
Coinbase Pro in Practice
A day trader who started out buying small amounts of Bitcoin through the standard Coinbase app eventually grows frustrated with its relatively high fees once trade sizes and frequency increase, and discovers that the same company operates a separate, professional-grade platform called Coinbase Pro, originally launched under the name GDAX. Signing up using the exact same account credentials, the trader gains access to a proper order book interface, limit and stop orders, and significantly lower maker-taker fees than the consumer app charges for a simple market buy. For a couple of years, this becomes the trader's primary interface, offering the tools active traders actually want without needing to migrate to an entirely separate exchange. Then, in 2022, Coinbase announces it's retiring Coinbase Pro entirely, migrating its advanced trading features into the main Coinbase app under a new Advanced Trade mode, so users no longer need a second app or website to access professional tools. The trader initially resists the change, having grown used to the dedicated Pro interface, but eventually adapts once it becomes clear the underlying functionality - the order book, the fee structure, the order types - carried over largely intact into the unified platform, just presented differently within the app most casual users already had installed.
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