Kraken is a good choice for new and experienced crypto investors

Kraken is a fully functional crypto exchange with low fees and a good mix of coins. It's also one of the only U.S. crypto exchanges to provide advanced trading tools like margin. It says it aims to be the "best and most secure." 

Comparison

Let's start a combing camparison between Two crypto's widely used tools, mobile apps, platforms, spreads, and more.

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Kraken

Advanced Crypto Trading and Low Fees

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Pros

  • More than 110 coins supported

  • Simple user interface

  • High liquidity exchange

cons

  • Higher fees when not using Kraken Pro

  • Some users report losses due to hacks

Overall Rating

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Introduction

Kraken is a cryptocurrency exchange where you can buy and sell assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. Kraken is one of the oldest Bitcoin exchanges and supports more than 110 different coins to buy, sell, and trade with competitive exchange fees.

It’s notable for supporting both spot trading at current market rates and cryptocurrency futures. Kraken is a good choice for new and existing cryptocurrency investors and traders looking for low trading fees and access to a wide array of coins.

Crypto Exchange Details

  • Minimum Trade Size: $5
  • Maximum Leverage: 5x
  • Minimum to Open Live: $10
  • Established: 2011
  • Cryptocurrencies: 110+
  • P2P Service : Yes
  • Yield-Farming: BTC 0.25%, DOT 12.00%, ATOM 7.00%, XTZ 6.00% per Year
  • Payment Option: You can pay with either your cash balance, your debit or credit card or with ACH online banking.
  • Web Trading: Yes
  • Mobile Trading: Yes
  • Social Trading: Yes
  • Restricted Countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech RepArgentina, Brazil, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam.
  • Collateral: Yes
  • Staking: Yes
  • Auto-Invest: Yes
  • Deposit Methods:

    Before you can buy or trade cryptocurrencies on Kraken, you'll need to deposit funds into your Kraken account using one of the below supported currencies. Select the local currency you would like to use to view specific deposit options. The most common method is via a bank transfer, from your bank account to Kraken, using a unique reference number.

Cryptocurrencies

Kraken supports over 110 cryptocurrencies, including popular ones such as:  

 

  • Bitcoin (BTC)
  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Cardano (ADA)
  • Dogecoin (DOGE)
  • Litecoin (LTC)
  • Polkadot (DOT)
  • Polygon (MATIC)
  • Ripple (XRP)
  • Stellar Lumens (XLM)
  • Solana (SOL)
  • Sushi (SUSHI)
  • Uniswap (UNI)

 

Kraken also supports a handful of stablecoins including Tether, USD Coin, and Dai. You can even convert US dollars into Canadian dollars, Japanese yen, and Swiss francs if you want. Note that not all currencies are available in every country.

Trading Experience

Kraken offers two trading platforms to users, Kraken and Kraken Pro. Kraken Pro offers lower pricing and is available to anyone with a Kraken account.

Depending on your cryptocurrency and active market trading experience, you may prefer Kraken or Kraken Pro. In either case, there’s a platform suitable for anyone from beginners to experts.

Kraken

Beginners are best off starting with the central Kraken platform. With a verified account, you can quickly buy cryptocurrency from a linked bank account, and it’s just as easy to sell or convert between currencies in your account.

Once your account is created and you’ve logged in, it only takes a few seconds to enter an order using a straightforward form.

 

The form used to buy, sell, and convert cryptocurrencies using Kraken


The form used to buy, sell, and convert cryptocurrencies using Kraken.

Using this system, you’re able to buy crypto directly using your bank account balance. You don’t have to fund your account first.

In addition to buying and selling, you’re able to deposit your crypto for staking and earn up to 23% interest, depending on the currency.

 

With staking, you can earn interest on cryptocurrency balances held at Kraken


With staking, you can earn interest on cryptocurrency balances held at Kraken.

To keep your account safe, be sure to enable two-factor authentication (2FA), which prevents anyone from logging into your account without your device and a randomly generated code in hand.

Kraken Pro

Kraken Pro is an active trading platform that works through your web browser or smartphone. While the interface may be intimidating to crypto and trading newbies, it could be worth learning. It includes more detailed asset information including active charts and a view into open orders.

 

The active trading screen at Kraken Pro, which includes charts and detailed crypto information


The active trading screen at Kraken Pro, which includes charts and detailed crypto information.

Anyone with an active Kraken account can use Kraken Pro. Possibly more important than the advanced interface is lower fees. If you make the same trade with Kraken Pro instead of Kraken, you’ll pay less than using the main interface.

Products

1. pSTAKE (PSTAKE)
2. Kraken App Adds Apple Pay and Google Pay Integration
3. Solana Trading & Staking Now Live for USA, CA and AUS
3. Karura Wins The First Kusama Parachain Slot Auction
4. SOL and SRM Trading
5. Kraken Breaks New Ground with First-of-its-Kind Parachain Auction Platform

Fees

Pricing and fees vary depending on the platform you’re using and the trade you’re entering. In either case, prices are also subject to spread fees. Here’s a glance at the most important fees to be aware of:

Kraken Pricing

For instant purchases, the fee is 1.5% for most cryptocurrencies and 0.9% for stablecoins using U.S. dollars or another stablecoin.

Additional fees depend on how you fund the purchase. Prices range from 0.5% for funding with a bank account to over 3.75% + 25 Euro cents with a debit card, credit card, or digital wallet. 

Kraken Pro Pricing

Kraken Pro offers much lower pricing than the main Kraken platform. Pricing is based on your total trading volume over the last 30 days. Most trades are subject to either a 0.26% taker fee or 0.16% maker fee.
 


Maker orders are trades that are not instantly matched against existing orders, which add liquidity to the platform. Taker fees are charged to orders that match against an outstanding order from another user on the market and require a slightly higher fee.

Security

Your Kraken account should be safe from cybercriminals looking to drain your balances if you follow good online security practices. Once an account is funded, it’s extremely wise to add two-factor authentication. You can create different two-factor codes for sign-in, account withdrawals, and trades. There’s also a feature to lock your account from any changes if you’re concerned that your account was breached.

While most users have a positive experience, some users report hacked accounts where the owner lost everything with no options to recover lost assets. As cryptocurrency blockchain transactions can’t be reversed, crypto accounts are a common target for fraud. Beware of these risks when using Kraken or any other exchange.

Mobile Trading

The app is available in all regions except for Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Cuba, Iran, Japan, North Korea and Syria.

Some countries are not yet able to use debit or credit cards. Please refer to our FAQ on debit and credit cards for the full list of accepted countries.

Features:

  • Buy with your payment card or ACH online banking
  • Monitor prices and track your portfolio
  • Sort by top winners or losers
  • Save your favorite cryptos
  • Purchase a predefined amount (€20, €50 or €100)
  • Beautiful, intuitive design

Opening an Account & Manager

Creating a new Kraken account is a quick and easy process


Creating a new Kraken account is a quick and easy process:
 

  • Signing up with Kraken is similar to signing up for a stock brokerage or another cryptocurrency exchange. If you have all of your information handy, it takes only a few minutes to get your account up and running.
  • When signing up, you’ll need to provide contact information including your name, address, phone number, and Social Security number. This information is part of what’s known as know your customer (KYC) requirements in the financial industry.
  • To verify your account and access all trading features, you’ll need to provide additional information, including uploading a copy of a government photo ID and a picture of you holding that ID. Without adding this information, you’re stuck with limited account functionality.

Earning Category

1. Earn up to 6% Yearly When You Stake Your LUNA
2. Earn up to 20% Yearly When You Stake Your MINA
3. Earn up to 9% Yearly When You Stake Your TRON

Trade Category

N/A

Gift & Campaign

N/A

Research & Education

Looking for resources to learn about crypto? Find in-depth articles & videos designed to give you a better understanding of Bitcoin & cryptocurrency here.

Customer Support

Kraken support is available 24 hours a day via live chat, phone, and email. We had a minor issue changing an account setting (mostly due to user error) and sent in a support ticket. Kraken staff responded and resolved the problem in about 20 minutes.

 

While we had a great experience with customer service, not all users report the same outcomes. Some unhappy customers report trouble with funds due to hacking and trouble getting Kraken to release held funds.

frequently asked questions

Certain deposits, such as first time ACH instant purchases, debit or credit card purchases or digital wallet purchases, may trigger a withdrawal hold for up to 72 hours. Withdrawal holds may also be triggered by deposits from certain banks as well as security reasons. Trading is unaffected, you will still be able to trade throughout the period of the withdrawal hold.

Kraken does not accept transfers, to or from, third-party payments processors (TPPPs) for compliance reasons. This is because it is difficult to verify that a transaction actually came from or is destined for an account associated with the client on Kraken. Whenever possible, we request TPPPs to block us from their services. Our system will also automatically return deposits from TPPPs and cancel withdrawals to TPPPs. IMPORTANT: We are unable to assist with the tracing of transactions through TPPPs that have not reached our systems. Such problems lie with the TPPP and needs to be resolved by them. Ensure that you read the full deposit information on deposit pages when funding your account. Examples of TPPPs: - The Currency Cloud - Earthport - Neteller - PayPal - Paysera - WesternUnion - Exceptions If a TPPP issues you a unique bank account or IBAN that is in your name, we might be able to accept deposits or withdrawals via them. Check our list of incompatible banks. If your TPPP is not on that list, double-check with our Support team or send a small amount (above the minimum) as a test deposit. If you are unsure whether you have been issued a unique bank account or IBAN in your name, ask your TPPP's support team for assistance.

To change or update any of your saved bank account details: 1. Navigate to the Funding page of your account. 2. Select the applicable withdrawal currency. 3. Select the applicable method from the drop-down menu. 4. Click on the “Manage” button. 5. Select the registered bank account you wish to change details for by clicking on its “Description”. Once you are there, you can change the bank account details. 6. Click on the “Save bank account” button when done. To delete any of your saved bank account details: 1. Navigate to the Funding page of your account. 2. Select the applicable withdrawal currency. 3. Select the applicable method from the drop-down menu. 4. Click on the “Manage” button. 5. Click on the red "X" button next to the bank account you wish to remove. 6. Click on the "Delete bank account" button on the confirmation window.

We only support physical cash (in person) and debit card deposits (in-person) for Canadian Dollars (CAD) via our Canada Post partnership. For all other fiat currency deposits (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CHF, JPY) Kraken does not currently accept physical cash, checks, debit cards, credit cards, PayPal or similar services. Debit or credit card use with the Buy Crypto feature is available to instantly purchase a range of cryptocurrencies. This service is currently limited to certain geographical regions, so please review our Support article here for further information.

It is not possible to transfer cash (or cryptocurrencies) between two Kraken accounts. Cash deposits & withdrawals can only happen from a bank account under the same name as the verified name on your Kraken account.

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