Bitbuy Vs Netcoins: Which Is Better For Canadians In 2026?

How Do Bitbuy And Netcoins Compare, Fact By Fact?

Every row below comes from each company’s own pages and the Canadian registries, checked October 2026. Where a row has no fair winner, it says so.

What Are The Key Differences Between Bitbuy And Netcoins?

How Do You Fund And Cash Out Bitbuy And Netcoins In Canada?

Funding for the live platform is now on Robinhood. Bitbuy-specific limits are Not published. Not verified

What Does It Actually Cost To Buy On Netcoins?

Netcoins: Netcoins states no separate trading fee and an all-in price; the spread percentage is not published (2026-10-03). The old 0.5% flat fee is gone. Neither publishes a maker and taker schedule because there is no order book: the spread is the fee. If cost matters most, NDAX (flat 0.20%) or Kraken Pro are cheaper places to buy in Canada. Ranges reflect each platform’s published band, not a single quote. Bank and network fees are not included.

What Do Bitbuy And Netcoins Offer Beyond Buying And Selling?

Bitbuy Only

• Staking: Staking on nine coins including ETH, SOL, ADA and DOT, with a combined 39% cut of rewards (30% Bitbuy plus 9% custodian).
• OTC desk and Private Wealth: Offered for large trades.

Netcoins Only

• Staking: Staking on ETH, SOL and ATOM while the crypto stays held by Netcoins.
• Crypto lending: Borrow CAD against crypto with same-day funding; rates and LTV Not verified.
• OTC desk: Large trades with dedicated account managers and same-day settlement.
• Referral program: Invite a friend and both earn a cash reward after they sign up and trade; the amount is Not verified.

What Happens To Your Money If Bitbuy Or Netcoins Fails?

Bitbuy: Existing Bitbuy users should watch for Robinhood migration emails and read the new terms and fees before accepting. Accounts are held by Coinsquare Capital Markets Ltd., a CIRO-regulated dealer, and the registry says the CSA entry for Bitbuy Technologies Inc. is expired. If you do not want to move, withdraw your crypto to a wallet you control. CIPF covers cash but never crypto.

Netcoins: Netcoins is a CSA restricted dealer under the BCSC, so it must follow custody, disclosure and limit conditions, but CIPF never covers crypto. Customer crypto sits mostly in BitGo cold storage and Fireblocks hot wallets, and Netcoins says it carries insurance without giving the amount or insurer. No proof of reserves was found. If Netcoins failed or was hacked, you would rely on those custodians and any insurer paying out, and you would be an unsecured creditor for the rest. The parent company changed its name to Surge Digital Inc in 2026.

How Are Bitbuy And Netcoins Treated For Tax In Canada?

Bitbuy: Selling or swapping crypto on Bitbuy was a disposition for CRA purposes. Export your full transaction history before your account is migrated or closed. Export formats: Not published.

Netcoins: Buying with CAD is not a disposition. Selling, swapping and spending crypto are dispositions you report to the CRA, and staking rewards are income. Export formats were not verified.

Selling, swapping or spending crypto is a disposition for the CRA on any platform. This is not tax advice: see my guide to crypto taxes in Canada.

Which Should You Choose, Bitbuy Or Netcoins?

Choose Bitbuy If

• You want a registered platform that serves Canadians today: Coinbase is our number one replacement, with free Interac e-Transfer funding and a Canadian restricted dealer registration.
• You hold a Bitbuy account and want to compare it with what Robinhood is offering before you accept the migration.

Choose Netcoins If

• You want a broker app with 60+ coins, free Interac funding and phone support
• You value a long-registered Canadian dealer owned by a public company
• You can accept an unpublished spread in exchange for simple all-in prices

What Happened To Bitbuy?

Bitbuy is no longer a separate platform. Its accounts moved to Coinsquare Capital Markets Ltd. in May 2024, and since Robinhood closed its WonderFi purchase on June 1, 2026, the Bitbuy site tells users it is now part of Robinhood and invites customers to move to the Robinhood app.

Coinsquare Capital Markets Ltd. is the entity that operates the platform, and it appears on the CSA list with a decision dated October 11, 2024. Bitbuy Technologies Inc. sits under expired decisions on the CSA site, and its FINTRAC MSB registration shows as ceased on February 20, 2025. Bitbuy's help centre says the 2024 move was required because its CSA relief was time-limited and called for a move under CIRO oversight.

If you still hold coins there, watch for the migration invitation, open it only from the official Bitbuy or Robinhood channels, and read the new terms before you accept. I do not send new readers to Bitbuy, because the business is being folded into Robinhood. On the Robinhood side, a flat 0.5% on CAD trades was advertised for the first few months after launch, and the zero-fee promotion for Canada ended on September 30, 2026. Its fee schedule sets the fee at 0.5% through October 31, 2026 and 0.95% from November 1, 2026.

What Should Bitbuy Users Use Instead?

Netcoins is the available side of this pair, and it is a real option. Netcoins is on the CSA authorized list as a restricted dealer, and its latest amended decision, dated September 16, 2026, added Solana. Interac e-Transfer is free both ways. There is no separate trading fee, but the quoted price includes a spread that Netcoins does not publish as a percentage. A rolling 12-month investment limit applies to certain investors, and the dollar amount is not stated in the decision.

The registry points Bitbuy users to Coinbase: Registered Restricted Dealer in all provinces with free Interac e-Transfer funding, the closest mainstream beginner pick in the ranking.

Coinbase. Coinbase is the closest like-for-like for a Bitbuy user: a beginner app, free Interac e-Transfer and EFT funding, and a Restricted Dealer registration in every province and territory. It sits first in my ranking at 9.8 out of 10. Simple buys carry a Coinbase fee of up to 1.875% on top of the spread, and fiat balances are not covered by CIPF. Derivatives launched for eligible Canadian investors only, so there is no retail leverage.

Visit Coinbase Read My Coinbase Review

Who Should Choose Netcoins?

Choose Netcoins if you want a long-running Canadian buy-sell-hold app and are comfortable that its spread is not published as a percentage. Look at your own quote before you buy, and compare it with Coinbase or Newton, which both sit in my top ten.

Bitbuy, in contrast, is a platform in transition. Its coin list, fees and funding now belong to Robinhood, and there is no point comparing a menu that is being replaced. Read the Bitbuy review for the history, and see the ranked list for current picks.