CoinLedger and Koinly are two of the most-compared US crypto-tax tools, and they split on rate-and-policy versus cookie-and-breadth. CoinLedger ranks #2 (grade B+, $2.87 EPC) on the highest lifetime-recurring rate in the US cohort (25%) behind an organic-only promotion policy that structurally favours editorial sites. Koinly ranks #8 (grade B−, $2.23 EPC) on the cohort’s only 90-day cookie and the broadest integration coverage (1,000+ exchanges, wallets, and blockchains). Both arrive in the 1099-DA reporting era, when accurate reconciliation is a now-problem for US traders. This head-to-head decodes which to feature. FintechPays earns a commission where a programme is live; it does not move the rank — and this is an explainer, not tax advice.
The one-line verdict
Feature CoinLedger for organic editorial sites and recurring revenue — the 25% lifetime rate and the organic-only moat make it the editorial publisher’s pick, and it earns the higher EPC. Feature Koinly for breadth-led content and the long-cookie advantage — its 1,000+ integrations handle the messiest multi-platform histories, and its 90-day cookie captures the slow research cycle. The split is recurring-and-organic (CoinLedger) versus cookie-and-breadth (Koinly).
Rate and recurring — CoinLedger’s edge
On commission rate, CoinLedger leads. Its 25% is lifetime recurring — paid on every annual renewal — and is the highest published rate in the US cohort, above Koinly’s 20–25% initial plus up to 20% recurring (the 40% top tier requires a negotiated volume agreement, not the default). Because CoinLedger’s rate is lifetime recurring, its $2.87 EPC, capped at 12 months like the cohort, understates the multi-year value of a retained subscriber. A 10% customer-side discount also lifts CoinLedger’s conversion (modelled at 0.14, above the niche default). So on pure rate and recurring economics, CoinLedger is the higher and more compounding earner — the reason it outranks Koinly despite Koinly’s stronger attribution mechanics.
Cookie and breadth — Koinly’s edge
Koinly’s case is attribution and coverage. Its 90-day Impact cookie is the only publicly verified non-30-day window in the US cohort, three times the standard — which matters because crypto-tax buying is deadline-driven and considered: a reader who researches in January and buys before the April deadline stays inside Koinly’s window where a 30-day cookie would expire. And Koinly’s 1,000+ integrations are the broadest in the cohort, so for a reader with a sprawling multi-exchange, multi-wallet, DeFi history, Koinly is the tool most likely to ingest everything — which in the 1099-DA era, where a missed venue becomes a visible mismatch, is a real accuracy advantage. The honest framing: Koinly trades a lower headline rate for the cohort’s best cookie and coverage, which is the better mechanism for evergreen, breadth-led content even though it earns less per conversion.
The organic-only catch on CoinLedger
CoinLedger’s policy is its moat and its limit. The organic-only rule — paid search and paid social are prohibited — hands editorial sites a structural advantage by removing PPC arbitrageurs from the competition. But the flip side is firm: any affiliate whose model relies on paid traffic is locked out of CoinLedger entirely and must use Koinly (which carries no such restriction) or another unrestricted programme. So the choice is partly decided by your traffic model before the economics: organic publisher → CoinLedger is open and lucrative; paid-traffic affiliate → only Koinly is available. One transparency note cuts the other way: Koinly’s cookie window is publicly published (90 days), while CoinLedger’s is not, so CoinLedger’s default 30-day assumption may understate its true window.
Audience and content fit
CoinLedger fits the mainstream organic audience found through editorial content — a clean, well-rated self-serve tool (both carry a 4.7 Trustpilot) reconciling a typical 1099-DA, where the recurring rate compounds over the reader’s filing years. Koinly fits the multi-platform and breadth-led reader — the trader with an exotic, many-venue history who needs maximum integration coverage, and the evergreen content that ranks ahead of filing season and benefits from the long cookie. The audiences overlap more than TokenTax-vs-CoinLedger’s do, so here the deciding factors are your traffic model (organic vs paid) and your content shape (recurring-mainstream vs breadth-evergreen).
Which should you choose?
| Your priority | The pick |
|---|
| Highest recurring rate | CoinLedger — 25% lifetime |
| Organic content site | CoinLedger — organic-only moat |
| Higher EPC on typical traffic | CoinLedger — $2.87 vs $2.23 |
| Long research-to-purchase cycle | Koinly — 90-day cookie |
| Messy multi-platform / DeFi history | Koinly — 1,000+ integrations |
| Paid-traffic affiliate | Koinly — CoinLedger bans paid traffic |
For US creators: organic recurring vs evergreen breadth
The cleanest way to think about these two is traffic model first, content shape second. If you run an organic editorial site, CoinLedger should be your default crypto-tax recommendation: the organic-only policy is reserved for exactly your kind of traffic, the 25% lifetime rate compounds as readers renew each tax year, and the real multi-year return runs ahead of the #2 rank. If any part of your traffic is paid, that decision is made for you — CoinLedger is closed, and Koinly is the pick. Beyond the traffic model, match content shape: Koinly is the stronger fit for evergreen, breadth-led pieces — “best crypto tax software for active DeFi traders,” “how to reconcile a 20-exchange history” — where the 1,000+ integrations and the 90-day cookie do real work on a slow, considered purchase. A creator with both organic and breadth-heavy content can run both: CoinLedger as the recurring organic anchor and Koinly for the multi-platform, long-cookie pieces. Keep the 1099-DA framing as general information rather than advice, and point readers to a qualified CPA or the IRS.
Common questions
Is CoinLedger or Koinly better for an affiliate?
CoinLedger on rate and recurring (25% lifetime, higher EPC, organic-only moat) for organic sites; Koinly on cookie and breadth (90-day window, 1,000+ integrations) for breadth-led content. If your traffic is paid, CoinLedger is closed and Koinly is the pick.
Why does Koinly rank lower despite the better cookie?
The rank is a quality-and-economics composite. Koinly’s lower headline rate caps its modelled EPC below CoinLedger’s 25% lifetime, even though its 90-day cookie and broad coverage are stronger attribution mechanics. Where breadth and cookie matter more than rate, Koinly is the better tool.
Can a paid-traffic site run CoinLedger?
No — CoinLedger’s organic-only policy prohibits paid search and paid social. Paid-traffic affiliates must use Koinly or another unrestricted programme.
Do both handle the 1099-DA?
Yes — both produce IRS-ready reconciliations for the 1099-DA era; Koinly’s breadth helps with messy multi-venue histories. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a qualified CPA or the IRS.
The bottom line
CoinLedger and Koinly trade off rate against attribution. CoinLedger is the recurring-organic pick — the highest lifetime rate and an organic-only policy that rewards editorial sites, earning the higher EPC — for organic publishers building multi-year revenue. Koinly is the cookie-and-breadth pick — the cohort’s only 90-day window and the widest integration coverage — for breadth-led, evergreen content and any paid-traffic affiliate that CoinLedger’s policy locks out. Lead with CoinLedger on organic content, reach for Koinly on multi-platform and long-cycle pieces (or whenever your traffic is paid), keep the tax framing as general information, and a site running both captures the organic recurring revenue and the breadth-led conversions alike.