At the entry tier Coinbase Advanced now charges less than Kraken Pro on taker orders, 0.60% against 0.80%, and the same 0.40% on maker orders; Kraken takes the fee lead once you pass $10,000 ofAt the entry tier Coinbase Advanced now charges less than Kraken Pro on taker orders, 0.60% against 0.80%, and the same 0.40% on maker orders; Kraken takes the fee lead once you pass $10,000 of
Kraken vs Coinbase (2026): 0.80% or 0.60% on Your First $1,000, and Which One Do You Actually Need?
At the entry tier Coinbase Advanced now charges less than Kraken Pro on taker orders, 0.60% against 0.80%, and the same 0.40% on maker orders; Kraken takes the fee lead once you pass $10,000 of 30-day volume or hold $20,000 on the platform, and it wins on product range, while Coinbase wins on all-state availability and public-company disclosure.
Key Takeaways
- Kraken Pro's entry tier has been 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker since its 9 July 2026 schedule, while Coinbase Advanced charges 0.40% maker and 0.60% taker below $10,000 of 30-day volume.
- Kraken Pro drops to 0.22% maker and 0.38% taker at $10,000 of volume or $20,000 of assets on the platform, which is where it becomes the cheaper order book.
- Kraken lists 717 coins across 1,500 pairs on CoinGecko against 403 coins across 520 pairs on Coinbase, and supports ten fiat currencies.
- Kraken offers commission-free US stocks and ETFs, tokenized equities and futures beside crypto, while Coinbase stays focused on crypto with Base, USDC and Coinbase One.
- Kraken returned about $3 million taken from its own treasury in a June 2024 bug incident, and Coinbase disclosed a May 2025 data breach affecting 69,461 customers.
- MEXC does not serve United States residents, so for a US reader the choice in this article stays between Kraken and Coinbase.
Why every Kraken fee you have read this year is probably out of date
Kraken changed its fee schedule on 9 July 2026, and most comparison pages still quote the 0.25% maker and 0.40% taker rates that applied before that date.
The new entry tier is 0.40% and 0.80%, which flips the usual verdict: for a small trader, Coinbase Advanced is now the cheaper of the two order books.
The reverse trap catches Coinbase readers, because the 0.40% and 0.60% schedule only exists inside Advanced mode, and the simple buy flow bills a spread plus a fee of up to 1.875%.
Both platforms also sell a subscription that removes some fees and leaves the spread untouched, and both publish a second product list that changes by state and country.
This comparison quotes both schedules as published on their own pages, with the verification date next to each number, and ends with a verdict by reader type rather than a single winner.
How do Kraken and Coinbase compare at a glance?
Dimension | Kraken | Coinbase |
Spot fees, entry tier | Kraken Pro Tier 1: 0.40% maker, 0.80% taker; Tier 3 from $10,000 of 30-day volume or $20,000 of assets on platform: 0.22% maker, 0.38% taker; app Instant Buy 1% plus spread | Advanced: 0.40% maker, 0.60% taker below $10,000 of 30-day volume; simple trades add a spread and a fee of up to 1.875%, plus 1% on simple limit orders |
Futures fees, entry tier | Kraken Futures Tier 1: 0.02% maker, 0.05% taker (not offered to US, Canada or New Zealand customers); app Perps 0.25% to open and 0.25% to close | Separate schedules: Coinbase Financial Markets for eligible US users, Coinbase International Exchange elsewhere |
Coins and pairs (CoinGecko) | 717 coins, 1,500 pairs, Trust Score 10 out of 10 | 403 coins, 520 pairs, Trust Score 10 out of 10 |
Beyond crypto | 11,000 plus US stocks and ETFs commission-free for eligible US clients; 700 plus tokenized equities via xStocks outside the US, UK, Canada and Australia; CFTC-regulated futures for US clients via NinjaTrader; Krak payments app | Base Layer 2, USDC, Coinbase One, Coinbase Card, staking with a commission of up to 35% on rewards |
Security and regulation | Proof of reserves published since 2014 per Kraken; June 2024 bug incident took about $3 million from Kraken's own treasury, later returned | Nasdaq-listed with SEC filings; May 2025 data breach affecting 69,461 customers; SEC lawsuit dismissed February 2025 |
Deposits, withdrawals and KYC | Full KYC; US ACH and FedWire deposits free; US debit card 3.75% plus $0.25; fixed crypto withdrawal fees; ten fiat currencies | Full KYC; ACH free; wires carry a fee; USDT withdrawal 0.01% capped at 20 USDT, Lightning 0.2% |
Where you can use it | US with state-by-state product limits, UK, EEA and 190 plus countries per Kraken | All 50 US states, UK, EEA and 100 plus countries per Coinbase |
Signature feature | One account for crypto, stocks, tokenized equities and futures | The simplest licensed on-ramp in the US, UK and EEA |
Data verified as of 18 September 2026 against each platform's official fee schedule, help center and terms, and CoinGecko exchange pages.
A third option outside the United States: MEXC
Readers outside the United States sometimes weigh MEXC against both platforms because of its published 0% maker and 0.05% taker spot schedule.
MEXC does not serve United States residents, so for a US-based reader the choice in this article stays between Kraken and Coinbase.
Non-US readers can see how the two compare in our MEXC vs Coinbase comparison, which also covers where each platform is legal to use.
Which is cheaper, Kraken or Coinbase?
It depends on how much you trade, and the crossover sits at $10,000 of monthly volume.
Below that line Coinbase Advanced charges 0.40% maker and 0.60% taker, while Kraken Pro Tier 1 charges 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, so a taker order costs a third more on Kraken.
At $10,000 of 30-day volume, or $20,000 of assets held on the platform, Kraken Pro moves to Tier 3 at 0.22% maker and 0.38% taker, which undercuts Coinbase's entry tier on both sides.
Coinbase's own schedule also steps down at $10,000, so an active trader should read both tier tables rather than the headline rates.
The consumer interfaces tell a different story.
Kraken's app charges 1% on Instant Buy and Sell orders, 1.5% on custom orders, plus a spread, while Coinbase's simple flow bills a spread plus a Coinbase fee of up to 1.875% and a separate 1% execution fee on simple limit orders.
Both platforms sell a way out of those consumer fees.
Kraken+ costs $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year and waives app trading fees on up to $10,000 of monthly volume, but not on Kraken Pro, not on the spread and not on card fees.
Coinbase One costs $4.99, $29.99 or $299.99 a month and removes simple-trade fees up to monthly caps, while the spread and the 1% simple limit-order fee stay.
If you want to see both schedules beside ten other platforms, our quarterly crypto exchange fee index records who publishes fees openly and who does not.
What changed on Kraken's fee schedule on 9 July 2026?
Kraken raised its Pro entry tier from 0.25% and 0.40% to 0.40% and 0.80%, and rebuilt the ladder so that tiers can be earned either by 30-day volume or by assets held on the platform.
The top tier still reaches 0% maker and 0.10% taker, but it now starts at $10 million of volume.
The practical effect is that Kraken became more expensive for small, occasional traders and stayed competitive for anyone who keeps a meaningful balance on the exchange.
Kraken's own comparison page still quotes the 0.25% and 0.40% entry rates, so read the fee schedule itself rather than any marketing page, including this one, before you decide.
Which offers more beyond crypto?
Kraken has turned itself into a multi-asset platform, and Coinbase has stayed a crypto exchange with an ecosystem around it.
Eligible US clients can trade more than 11,000 US-listed stocks and ETFs on Kraken with zero commission, a product that is rolling out state by state rather than nationwide.
Outside the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, Kraken clients can trade more than 700 tokenized equities through xStocks at a minus 0.02% maker rebate and a 0.10% taker fee.
Kraken Futures serves clients outside the US, Canada and New Zealand, and US clients get CFTC-regulated futures through Kraken's NinjaTrader acquisition.
Kraken also runs the Krak payments app and supports ten fiat currencies for deposits and withdrawals, per its own cash funding pages.
Coinbase's answer is depth in one asset class: the Base Layer 2, the USDC stablecoin it co-founded, Coinbase One, the Coinbase Card, and regulated derivatives through Coinbase Financial Markets for eligible US users.
Coinbase staking is simpler to reach than Kraken's in most US states, but its commission runs up to 35% of rewards, so compare net yields rather than headline rates.
Which lists more coins?
Kraken lists 717 coins across 1,500 pairs on its CoinGecko page, against 403 coins across 520 pairs for Coinbase.
The pair count is the more useful number, because Kraken quotes many assets against USD, EUR, GBP and other fiat currencies directly, which saves a conversion step for non-dollar readers.
Coinbase's shorter list reflects a US compliance review for every asset, and most of its majors carry USDC pairs and staking.
Both hold a CoinGecko Trust Score of 10 out of 10, so the gap is in breadth rather than data quality.
Which is safer and better regulated?
Both are US companies that publish security disclosures, and both have one incident on their recent record.
In June 2024 a bug in Kraken's deposit flow let three accounts withdraw about $3 million from Kraken's own treasury rather than from client balances, and the funds were returned after Kraken involved law enforcement, as The Block reported.
Kraken says it has published proof of reserves since 2014, holds ISO 27001 certification and a SOC 2 Type 2 examination, and runs a public bug bounty programme.
Coinbase is a Nasdaq-listed company that files audited financials and risk factors with the SEC every quarter, and in February 2025 the SEC's case against it was dismissed, as Reuters reported.
In May 2025 Coinbase disclosed that bribed overseas support contractors had leaked personal data on 69,461 customers, with remediation estimated at $180 million to $400 million, as The Register reported from the company's filings.
No passwords, private keys or customer funds were exposed in that incident, and Coinbase said it would reimburse customers tricked by the follow-on scams.
On licensing both serve the US, the UK and the EEA, with Kraken authorised under MiCA through its Irish entity and Coinbase through its Luxembourg entity, per each company's 2025 announcements.
Which is easier to fund and withdraw from?
Coinbase is the easier on-ramp for a first purchase, with free ACH, a guided buy flow and card funding in one screen.
Kraken's US ACH and FedWire deposits are also free, its debit card deposits cost 3.75% plus $0.25, and its crypto withdrawal fees are fixed per asset and shown before you confirm.
Kraken's ten fiat currencies matter more outside the United States, where EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD and CHF rails avoid a dollar conversion on the way in and out.
Coinbase charges 0.01% on USDT withdrawals with a cap of 20 USDT, and 0.2% on Lightning withdrawals.
Both require full identity verification before the first withdrawal.
Where can you actually use Kraken and Coinbase?
Both platforms serve the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area, which makes this one of the few exchange comparisons where the answer does not change at a border.
The differences sit inside the products.
Kraken's US stock trading is available state by state, its global futures venue does not serve US, Canadian or New Zealand customers, and xStocks are closed to US, UK, Canadian and Australian residents.
Coinbase serves all 50 states, with staking and derivatives subject to state and eligibility rules.
Kraken says it serves more than 190 countries and Coinbase says more than 100, so readers outside the three regions above should check each platform's country page.
What does a year on Kraken vs Coinbase really cost?
Price the same $10,000 of spot volume on each order book while the account is still on its entry tier, split evenly between maker and taker orders.
It costs $60 on Kraken Pro Tier 1 and $50 on Coinbase Advanced.
A trader who moves $2,000 a month therefore pays about $144 a year on Kraken Pro and about $120 a year on Coinbase Advanced, before spreads and network fees.
The same $2,000 a month through the consumer interfaces costs about $240 a year on Kraken's 1% Instant Buy and up to $450 a year on Coinbase's simple flow, plus the spread in both cases.
Once monthly volume passes $10,000, or once $20,000 sits on Kraken, the order-book verdict reverses and Kraken Pro at 0.22% and 0.38% becomes the cheaper venue.
At retail volumes the entire gap is a few dollars a month, which is why product range and availability, not fees, should decide this comparison for most readers.
Who should choose Kraken, and who should choose Coinbase?
Choose Kraken if you want crypto, US stocks and futures in one account and you live in a state or country where those products are live.
Choose Kraken if you trade more than $10,000 a month, keep a balance on the exchange, or fund in EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD or CHF.
Choose Coinbase if you are a first-time buyer in the US, UK or EEA and want the simplest licensed path from a bank account to a wallet.
Choose Coinbase if you value quarterly SEC disclosures, want USDC pairs on most majors, or plan to use Base.
Whichever you pick, switch to the Pro or Advanced interface as soon as you trade regularly, because the consumer flows on both platforms cost two to three times the order-book rate.
Readers comparing Kraken against other platforms can use our Kraken alternatives comparison, and readers comparing Coinbase can use our Coinbase alternatives ranking.
The MEXC View: where we stand on Kraken vs Coinbase
MEXC Learn is published by MEXC, an exchange that competes with both platforms outside the United States, so read this section as an interested party's opinion.
We think Kraken has built the more ambitious product, and that one account holding stocks, tokenized equities, futures and ten fiat currencies is a real advantage for readers who can access all of it.
We also think Kraken's July 2026 fee change deserves more attention than it has received, because it moved the small-trader verdict to Coinbase and most reviews have not caught up.
Coinbase earns its position as the default first exchange in the US, UK and EEA, and its public-company disclosures are a form of transparency that no proof-of-reserves page fully replaces.
MEXC sits outside this comparison for US readers, and non-US readers can see how a 0% maker and 0.05% taker schedule compares with Kraken's in our Kraken alternatives comparison.
Every figure in this article carries a verification date, and our review methodology explains how we score exchanges we compete with.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kraken better than Coinbase?
Kraken is better for multi-asset traders and non-dollar funding, while Coinbase is better for first purchases and simplicity.
On fees, Coinbase Advanced is cheaper below $10,000 of monthly volume and Kraken Pro is cheaper above it.
Is Kraken cheaper than Coinbase?
Not at the entry tier: Kraken Pro charges 0.80% taker against 0.60% on Coinbase Advanced, with maker fees equal at 0.40%.
From $10,000 of monthly volume Kraken Pro drops to 0.22% and 0.38%.
Is Kraken safer than Coinbase?
Both are licensed US companies with one recent incident each: Kraken's June 2024 treasury bug, with funds returned, and Coinbase's May 2025 data breach.
Neither incident touched client funds.
Which has more coins, Kraken or Coinbase?
Kraken lists 717 coins across 1,500 pairs on CoinGecko, against 403 coins across 520 pairs on Coinbase.
Both hold a Trust Score of 10 out of 10.
Can I use Kraken in all US states?
Kraken serves US clients, but some products, including stock trading, are rolling out state by state.
Coinbase serves all 50 states.
Does Kraken offer stocks?
Yes, eligible US clients can trade more than 11,000 US-listed stocks and ETFs commission-free, and non-US clients outside the UK, Canada and Australia can trade tokenized equities through xStocks.
Coinbase does not offer stock trading.
Kraken Pro vs Coinbase Advanced: which has lower fees?
Coinbase Advanced below $10,000 of 30-day volume at 0.40% and 0.60%, and Kraken Pro above it at 0.22% and 0.38%.
Kraken also counts $20,000 of assets on the platform toward that tier.
Can I transfer crypto from Coinbase to Kraken?
Yes, by withdrawing from Coinbase to your Kraken deposit address on the same network.
Check the network and any memo first, and send a small test amount before the full transfer.
Risk and compliance disclosure
Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose your entire deposit; derivatives, margin and leverage add liquidation risk on top of price risk.
Fees, listings and regional availability change; every figure above carries its verification date and should be re-checked before you act on it.
MEXC does not serve United States residents, and US readers should compare the platforms licensed in their state.
MEXC does not accept United Kingdom residents, is listed on ESMA's register of non-compliant entities for the EEA, and is offboarding Netherlands users by 16 November 2026, so this comparison is informational for readers in those regions.
Nothing here is investment, legal or tax advice.
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This article is provided by Sarah Chen for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets involve significant risk. Please conduct independent research or consult a qualified professional before making any investment decisions. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of MEXC or its affiliates.
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