Coinbase Commerce alternative: GriffNode compared

If you are searching for a Coinbase Commerce alternative, you are probably one of two people. Either you were migrated to Coinbase Business and do not want a custodial provider holding your revenue, or you are outside the United States and Singapore and were given no migration path at all.

The change matters more than the branding suggests. Coinbase Commerce was self-custodial: you held the keys and payments went to your wallet. Coinbase Business is custodial, which means Coinbase holds the funds until you move them. That is a different product with a different risk profile, and it is a reasonable thing to shop around over.

GriffNode vs Coinbase Business at a glance

Coinbase Commerce is compared in the past tense because it is no longer operating.

We do not quote a Coinbase fee figure here because their current pricing page could not be verified directly. Check it yourself before you compare, and be careful with older articles: fee and asset details changed with the move to Coinbase Business.

Where merchants are going after Coinbase Commerce

The realistic options, and what each one is actually offering.

• GriffNode: non-custodial settlement to your own wallet, a flat monthly fee instead of a percentage, no merchant KYC, and available worldwide.
• Coinbase Business: the official successor, custodial, with a bank off-ramp, currently limited to United States and Singapore entities.
• BitPay: an established custodial processor with tiered percentage pricing and mandatory business verification.
• NOWPayments: a broad multi-currency processor with percentage pricing and both custodial and non-custodial flows.
• CoinGate: a European, compliance-first processor with merchant verification and euro settlement.
• BTCPay Server: free and open-source and fully self-custodial, if you are willing to run and maintain the server yourself.

Custodial or not is the real decision

Custodial means the processor receives your money first and you ask for it back. That is convenient, it enables fiat off-ramps, and it also means your revenue can be frozen, delayed or subject to whatever policy applies to your industry.

Non-custodial means the payment never touches the processor. GriffNode derives a receiving address for each payment from the extended public key you provide, so the customer pays your wallet directly. GriffNode can watch those addresses and tell you when money arrives, but it cannot spend, hold or freeze anything, because it has no private key.

If losing access to your revenue would be a serious problem for your business, that distinction is worth more than a fee comparison. There is a longer explanation in non-custodial vs custodial payment processors.

What a flat fee changes

A percentage fee is invisible when you are small and expensive when you are not. At 1% of volume, a store doing $100,000 a month pays $1,000 a month to accept payments. GriffNode's Professional plan is $129 a month at that volume, and it does not increase because you had a good quarter.

The free plan covers 30 transactions a month, Business is $49 a month for 300, and Professional is $129 a month for 1,000, with a small per-transaction overage above the included count. Nothing is taken from the payment amount itself.

How to move from Coinbase Commerce to GriffNode

If you still have funds in a Commerce wallet, deal with that first.

1. Recover anything still sitting in Commerce. Coinbase instructed merchants to withdraw before the shutdown date using their withdrawal tool or the wallet seed phrase. If you have not done this, make it your first move and check Coinbase support for the current recovery path.
2. Set up a wallet you control. Use a hardware or software wallet you own, then export its extended public key. GriffNode derives addresses from it and never holds the key that can spend. The wallet setup guide covers the common wallets.
3. Create a free GriffNode account. Sign up with an email address, paste your xPub, and enable the coins you want to accept. No KYC and no waiting on business verification.
4. Repoint your integration. Swap your Commerce charge creation for a GriffNode payment and update your webhook endpoint. Start with the quick start and the webhook setup guide.
5. Verify in test mode, then cut over. Run a full payment through test mode, confirm your order status updates correctly, then switch to live keys.

Frequently asked questions

Is Coinbase Commerce shutting down?

Yes. Coinbase Commerce shut down on 31 March 2026 and merchants were transitioned to Coinbase Business. Merchants were told to withdraw any remaining funds before that date, and the Commerce portal is no longer accessible.

What is the best Coinbase Commerce alternative?

It depends on whether you want custody of your own funds. GriffNode is non-custodial with flat monthly pricing and no merchant KYC. BTCPay Server is free and self-custodial if you are willing to run a server. BitPay, NOWPayments and CoinGate are hosted processors with percentage pricing.

Is Coinbase Business custodial?

Yes. Coinbase Business holds merchant funds until you withdraw them, which is a change from Coinbase Commerce, where merchants held their own keys and payments went to their own wallet. It is also currently limited to United States and Singapore entities.

Can I use Coinbase Business outside the US?

Only if your business entity is in Singapore. Coinbase Business is currently available to United States and Singapore entities and is expanding over time. Merchants elsewhere were not given a direct migration path and need a different processor.

How much does GriffNode cost compared to a percentage fee?

GriffNode charges a flat monthly fee and takes nothing from the payment amount. The free plan includes 30 transactions a month, Business is $49 a month for 300, and Professional is $129 a month for 1,000. A percentage fee, by contrast, grows every time your sales grow.

Do I need to verify my identity to use GriffNode?

No. GriffNode does not require merchant KYC. You create an account with an email address and connect your own wallet. Your own tax and reporting obligations in your country still apply exactly as they did before.