Bring headless fiat onramps to your web app

By: Charles Starr, Kaito Cunningham, and Uddhav Marwaha 

TL;DR: Coinbase Developer Platform’s headless Apple Pay API now supports web apps, enabling fully native fiat‑to‑crypto funding flows on the web.

We launched the headless onramp for iOS apps in July; now the same native, app‑owned funding flow is available on the web.

This means web apps can enable a funding experience that feels completely native to their application—your team builds the entire UI/UX—while users get a simple guest checkout to purchase crypto with fiat in seconds.

The result is a consistent, app‑owned experience that keeps users in context and reduces time to first deposit on the web.

The importance of headless onramps

Skip the rigid widget or hosted redirect—Coinbase Onramp’s Apple Pay API lets you build a fully native, app-first flow that feels like your product. To start, users only need SMS and email verification—no Coinbase account signup or login is required. For fast-scaling apps focused on clean onboarding, that flexibility trims steps, boosts conversion, and gets people onchain sooner. All while relying on Coinbase’s backend for authentication, payment processing, and onchain execution.

How o1.exchange and web based trading terminals are using it:

Meet o1.exchange, a next-gen trading terminal on Base and Solana that blends institutional‑grade infrastructure with an interface that feels effortless for traders at any level. From one unified surface, you can access tokenized equities and synthetic assets while tracking memecoin momentum through predictive analytics designed to surface trends early. And when you’re ready to move, unified liquidity pools and cross‑chain rails let you trade seamlessly across networks without breaking the flow.

“Funding is now a native interaction, not a redirect, fully tailored to our interface and optimized for our users. It accelerates time to first trade for new users and lets existing users quickly top up funds.” - The o1.exchange Team

Key Features 

Built to reduce friction and lift conversion, Coinbase Onramp’s Apple Pay API gives teams full control over a native, app‑owned funding experience that fits your product:

• Browser Support: Safari offers native Apple Pay support, but other browsers offer a QR code experience where the user can scan the code and complete payment on their phone.

• Headless, app‑owned UX: You design the flow end‑to‑end—no hosted UI, pop‑ups, or modals—so the experience stays fully native.

• Guest checkout: Let users fund without creating or logging into a Coinbase account, preserving a clean, in‑app journey.

• Fast to integrate: Create and execute an onramp transaction from a single endpoint to get up and running quickly.

• Conversion‑minded by design: Keep users in flow to reduce drop‑off and improve completion rates. Verbose error messages aid debugging and CX.

• Apple Pay: Debit cards are supported through Apple Pay for fast checkout.

• Full asset access and liquidity: Access all assets listed on Coinbase Exchange with deep Exchange liquidity.

Integrate Apple Pay for your web app today.

• Request access to start building (Coinbase or CDP account required)

• Read more on the CDP docs here.

• Or schedule time with our team to learn more.

We’re excited to see what you build.