In today's video, I'm going to raise a couple of points as to why Square (NYSE: SQ) is a better buy than Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN), which is going public this week through a direct listing. You can expect a pretty high valuation, especially since we're in a crypto bull market. Investment bank D.A. Davidson says valuation could reach $90 billion. We're also going to have a look at Coinbase's first-quarter estimated earnings (pretty impressive). Q1 2021 estimated results Verified users of 56 million $1.8 billion in total revenue, a 207% increase from the fourth quarter of 2020 Net income of approximately $730 million to $800 million Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $1.1 billion How does Coinbase make money? When you buy, sell, and send on Coinbase, it takes a fee (flat or a percent of the value). Taken from its S-1 filing: We generate substantially all of our total revenue from transaction fees on our platform in connection with the purchase, sale, and trading of crypto assets by our customers. Transaction revenue is based on transaction fees that are either a flat fee or a percentage of the value of each transaction. The bigger picture Right now, you can only trade Bitcoin on Square's Cash App and we know how much it makes from it -- a lot. What is stopping the likes of Cash App from adding more crypto? What is stopping other platforms (such as SoFi and PayPal's Venmo) from copying Coinbase? Nothing. Yes, Coinbase has a reputation that's true, and it's probably the NASDAQ of crypto. But that's about it in my opinion. Second, wouldn't you be better off owning the crypto rather than the company holding the crypto? Bull vs. bear market During a bull market, Coinbase will make more money than during a bear one. Taken from the S-1 filing: Our total revenue is substantially dependent on the prices of crypto assets and volume of transactions conducted on our platform. If such price or volume declines, our business, operating results, and financial condition would be adversely affected. We generate substantially all of our total revenue from transaction fees on our platform in connection with the purchase, sale, and trading of crypto assets by our customers. Transaction revenue is based on transaction fees that are either a flat fee or a percentage of the value of each transaction. So, in short, the higher the price of Bitcoin, the higher the fee. During a bear market, crypto prices go down and so will the revenue from those fees. During a bear market, people are less likely to buy crypto because -- let's face it -- the FOMO is real when things go up, not when they come down. Conclusion Coinbase will play a significant role for crypto in the years to come, but I believe Square is a better buy at the moment because of the points mentioned above. Square holds Bitcoin on its balance sheet, so you get exposed to that; you get exposed to the Bitcoin trading on Cash App as well, and hopefully, in the future, it will add more assets such as Ethereum and Ripple. And ultimately, you get exposed to everything else Square does. Neither company is cheap and that's fine if you're a long-term investor. But there are too many uncertainties regarding crypto to pay this high of a premium for Coinbase at the moment. *Stock prices used were the closing prices of April 9, 2021. The video was published on April 13, 2021. 10 stocks we like better than SquareWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Square wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021 Neil Rozenbaum owns shares of Bitcoin and Square. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Bitcoin, PayPal Holdings, Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. V, and Square. The Motley Fool recommends Nasdaq and recommends the following options: long January 2022 $75.0 calls on PayPal Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Neil is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.Source