coinhouse vs Recap

Coinhouse operates primarily as a regulated broker and custodial exchange, allowing European individuals and corporate entities to purchase, sell, and store major digital assets. The platform maintains a curated catalog that focuses on established market capitalization tokens such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and major stablecoins like Tether and USD Coin, alongside a selection of vetted decentralized finance and layer one protocols. Rather than listing hundreds of speculative altcoins, the platform enforces a vetting process aligned with European investor protection guidelines.

Beyond standard spot trading execution, Coinhouse provides structured financial products designed for medium to long term wealth management. These include recurring investment programs that automate recurring euro purchases to implement dollar cost averaging strategies. For accredited clients and enterprises, Coinhouse provides thematic managed portfolios and interest bearing staking products on supported proof of stake networks. These offerings bridge traditional private banking workflows with digital asset markets, providing personalized consultation, dedicated account managers, and corporate treasury management solutions.

Recap operates as a dedicated non custodial tax calculation engine and comprehensive portfolio tracker. The software ingests trade histories across major centralized exchanges, decentralized protocols, and native blockchain addresses. Users can connect accounts using read only API keys or import standard CSV files directly into the desktop client. Once loaded, the engine tracks token balances, identifies transfers across personal wallets, and categorizes on chain operations into disposals, acquisitions, income, or internal self transfers.

The system provides specialized coverage for decentralized finance mechanisms, accurately identifying smart contract interactions including staking yields, liquidity pool deposits, token wrapping, and automated market maker swaps. Non fungible token mints and sales are recorded alongside fungible token trades. Recap also supports international cost basis accounting methods, while giving priority to the detailed UK HMRC requirements. The interface presents a consolidated ledger that allows users to review individual transactions, edit cost basis allocations manually when necessary, and reclassify custom events before generating final tax summaries.

Trading expenses on Coinhouse incorporate direct transaction commissions alongside market execution spreads applied to fiat and digital asset conversions. Standard retail users transacting through traditional SEPA bank transfers incur percentage based brokerage commissions that vary according to overall account volume. Instant purchases executed with credit cards or debit cards trigger additional merchant processing surcharges, establishing direct bank transfers as the more economical method for account funding. Overall transaction costs remain higher than automated international order book exchanges due to the platform structured brokerage structure.

Account tiers provide tiered fee adjustments, allowing active retail investors and business entities to enroll in monthly paid subscriptions that lower baseline commission schedules and unlock advanced account features. Outgoing on chain cryptocurrency transfers incur variable network mining fees determined by real time blockchain congestion rather than fixed brokerage markups. Euro fiat withdrawals dispatched to verified bank accounts through SEPA networks are processed under standard banking timelines without extra platform penalties, provided that destination account names match verified account credentials.

Recap structures its commercial model around tiered annual subscription plans determined by the total number of transactions processed across all connected wallets and exchanges. A basic free tier is generally accessible for low volume users to test the desktop interface, explore portfolio metrics, and calculate small transaction batches. For complete year end tax report downloads and active filing requirements, paid tiers scale incrementally to accommodate moderate traders, active DeFi participants, and high frequency accounts.

Subscribers pay via fiat currency or supported payment methods on an annual or monthly cycle depending on active promotions. Paid tiers unlock full capital gains summary exports, detailed audit trails, and tax return schedules compatible with self assessment filings. Because Recap is an analytical software provider rather than a custodial exchange or broker, it charges no trade spreads, liquidity fees, or withdrawal commissions. Users should evaluate their expected yearly transaction volume across automated bots and yield harvesting protocols, as jumping into higher transaction brackets increases overall software licensing expenses.

Asset custody across Coinhouse relies on institutional grade cold storage architecture engineered to isolate digital assets from connected network environments. The infrastructure utilizes multi signature authorization protocols and hardware security modules to oversee transactional signing routines and secure client deposits. Client balances remain legally segregated from internal operational corporate reserves in compliance with regulatory asset custody standards established by French authorities. This custodial model requires users to delegate underlying private key administration to the brokerage platform rather than retaining individual on chain wallet control.

Account level protection incorporates mandatory two factor authentication configurations using mobile authenticator applications or physical security tokens for account access, profile modifications, and outbound transaction authorization. Automated monitoring tools track suspicious login activity, track recognized device hardware fingerprints, and flag unusual withdrawal patterns for secondary compliance review. System helps protect introduce timed delays or administrative verification holds when account holders request address whitelist modifications or large asset transfers, creating operational checkpoints against credential theft while maintaining platform recovery pathways for verified individuals.

The core architectural principle of Recap is zero knowledge data handling through client side encryption. Unlike conventional cloud tax tools that store cleartext API keys, trade volumes, and wallet addresses on remote databases, Recap encrypts financial data on the local operating system. The platform cannot view, analyze, or monetize user transaction histories, protecting accounts from central database breaches that frequently target cloud accounting platforms.

Connections to centralized exchanges require only read only API permissions, preventing any risk of unauthorized token transfers or account withdrawals. Recap does not request or store private keys, seed phrases, or custody credentials. Users retain full physical responsibility for securing their local device, managing operating system updates, and creating encrypted local backups. Account access is helps protect by strong master password requirements and optional local authentication controls, ensuring that personal financial logs remain strictly within the operator perimeter.

Coinhouse operates under French financial legislation and holds formal registration as a Digital Asset Service Provider with the Autorite des Marches Financiers. This domestic regulatory standing establishes the operational baseline for delivering brokerage, custodial management, and fiat exchange services across the European Economic Area. Client onboarding adheres to European Union anti money laundering standards, requiring individuals and corporate applicants to submit valid government identification documents, proof of residential address, and source of funds information prior to executing account transactions or funding custodial balances. Access remains restricted for residents outside supported European jurisdictions.

Customer assistance is structured through multilingual help desks providing primary support coverage in French and English. Registered users can submit technical inquiries, transaction queries, and verification requests through an integrated online ticketing portal or browse a detailed self service documentation library covering platform mechanics and account procedures. Premium subscription members and corporate wealth management clients receive access to scheduled telephone consultations and dedicated account representatives for tailored portfolio administration. General response times fluctuate depending on incoming volume and the verification requirements tied to specific user requests.

Recap is designed with deep alignment toward United Kingdom tax legislation while supporting international standards. The calculation engine applies specific statutory pooling rules defined by HM Revenue and Customs, generating clear capital gains summaries and income breakdowns suitable for inclusion in UK Self Assessment tax returns. The software also assists users in other jurisdictions by calculating baseline capital gains, trading income, and cost basis schedules under standard accounting principles.

Customer assistance is provided through a structured knowledge base, comprehensive setup tutorials, and a web based help desk ticketing system. The company maintains community forums and documentation covering exchange API integrations, custom CSV formatting, and DeFi transaction tagging. Because Recap functions purely as an analytical tool, it does not provide formal legal or chartered financial advice. Users managing complex corporate structures or ambiguous decentralized protocol distributions can export detailed audit logs directly to their independent accountants or tax advisers.

Coinhouse differentiates its service through tiered account options tailored to retail savers, high net worth individuals, and corporate treasuries. The standard entry tier provides basic spot buying and selling capabilities without recurring monthly subscription fees, though it carries standard brokerage transaction rates.

For more active market participants, premium subscription tiers offer reduced percentage commissions on spot trades, prioritized customer support queues, and direct access to market research reports. Institutional and business accounts receive custom corporate onboarding, API integrations, multi user access controls, and specialized reporting tools configured for business tax filings and financial balance sheet auditing.

Choosing an appropriate Recap plan depends primarily on your on chain interaction frequency and the diversity of your exchange activity. Casual buy and hold investors with simple spot purchases generally fit into lower tier plans that cover standard yearly transfers. However, active decentralized finance participants who regularly claim staking rewards, provide liquidity, or trade on layer 2 networks generate hundreds of micro transactions each month, requiring upper tier allowances to avoid report generation blocks.

Evaluating your historical transaction count before subscribing prevents unexpected upgrade fees at tax filing deadlines. Recap lets users import their complete history first to measure total activity before purchasing a license. Professional tax advisers and accounting firms can also access dedicated multi client workflows, allowing them to manage distinct client ledgers while preserving individual customer encryption boundaries.