The number nobody prints
What Kraken actually charges
Kraken Pro starts at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, and the simple Instant Buy flow charges 1% plus a spread. The 0.00% maker rate that gives Kraken its cheap reputation applies from $500M in 30-day volume. All three figures come from the same published schedule.
Google's AI Overview, NerdWallet, Investopedia and Yahoo Finance all describe Kraken as having low maker-taker fees. None of them prints the entry rate next to that claim. Both things are true, but only one of them applies to the person reading a review before opening their first account.
| Tier | 30-day volume | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | $0+ | 0.40% | 0.80% |
| Intermediate tiers | Between the two | Steps down | Steps down |
| Pro 5 | $500M+ spot | 0.00% | 0.05% |
Source: Kraken published fee schedule, checked August 16, 2026. Intermediate tiers exist between Tier 1 and Pro 5 and step down progressively.
Everything else Kraken charges
| Service | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Instant Buy | 1% | Plus a spread built into the quoted price |
| Instant Buy, custom orders | 1.5% | Plus spread |
| Stablecoin and FX pairs | 0.20% / 0.20% | Entry tier, maker / taker |
| Margin, most assets | 0.02% to 0.04% | Opening fee, plus the same again per 4 hours held |
| Margin, bitcoin | 0.01% to 0.02% | Opening fee, plus the same again per 4 hours held |
| Futures | 0.02% / 0.05% | Tier 1 maker / taker |
Source: Kraken published fee schedule, checked August 16, 2026. Deposit and withdrawal fees vary by method and were not published as figures on that page.
Run the numbers
What a real trade costs you
A $500 purchase costs $5.00 through Instant Buy, $4.00 as a Kraken Pro taker, or $2.00 as a Kraken Pro maker. The dollar amounts are small at retail size, which is exactly why the percentage difference gets glossed over. It stops being small as soon as you trade regularly.
| Trade size | Instant Buy, 1% | Pro taker, 0.80% | Pro maker, 0.40% | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $1.00 | $0.80 | $0.40 | $0.60 |
| $500 | $5.00 | $4.00 | $2.00 | $3.00 |
| $1,000 | $10.00 | $8.00 | $4.00 | $6.00 |
| $5,000 | $50.00 | $40.00 | $20.00 | $30.00 |
Calculated from Kraken's published entry-tier rates, checked August 16, 2026. Instant Buy also carries a spread inside the quoted price which is not shown as a separate charge, so the real Instant Buy figures are somewhat higher than the column above.
Where "full capacity" actually starts. Yahoo Finance writes that Kraken "rewards traders who use it at full capacity" without saying what that means in dollars. The published schedule answers it: the 0.00% maker tier begins at $500M in 30-day volume.
Every tier below that is a discount off 0.40%, not a low fee. Most retail users never leave Tier 1.
One free change
Instant Buy and Kraken Pro are the same account
This is the single most useful thing to know before you fund an account. Kraken Pro is not a separate product, a separate signup, or a paid upgrade. It is the same login pointed at a different interface, and it is cheaper on every trade.
Instant Buy
1% plus spreadTwo fields and a confirm button. It is the fastest route from cold start to owning crypto, and the spread inside the quoted price means the true cost is above the headline 1%. Custom orders run at 1.5%.
Kraken Pro
0.40% / 0.80%A real order book with limit and market orders, charts, and volume-tiered pricing. A limit order that rests on the book pays the maker rate, half the taker rate. This is where Kraken's fee reputation comes from.
The real reason to be here
Is Kraken safe?
Kraken has operated since 2011 without a major exchange breach, holds the bulk of client assets in cold storage, and publishes proof-of-reserves attestations. On hacking risk it is among the strongest options available. On custodial risk, which is a different thing entirely, it carries the same exposure as every exchange.
- 1
A long operating history
Kraken launched in 2011 and has run since then without a major exchange breach. In a sector where large custodians have repeatedly failed, duration itself is evidence.
- 2
Proof-of-reserves attestations
Kraken publishes cryptographic attestations that let users verify their balance is included in the reserve total. This proves assets exist. It does not prove the absence of liabilities.
- 3
Cold storage and access controls
The bulk of client assets sit offline, with layered operational controls around withdrawals and account access.
- 4
Still a custodian
Kraken holds the keys. That is a different risk from hacking, and no security record removes it. For holdings you care about, self-custody is the answer.
What "never hacked" does not cover
Three distinct risks get collapsed into one word. Breach risk is someone stealing from the exchange, custodial risk is the exchange failing while holding your assets, and regulatory risk is a product being withdrawn or restricted in your jurisdiction.
A clean breach record speaks only to the first. Proof-of-reserves helps with the second, but it demonstrates that assets exist, not that liabilities are smaller than those assets.
The reliable answer to custodial risk is not choosing a better custodian. It is holding your own keys once you have finished trading.
Two numbers, same company
The review-score paradox
Trustpilot rates Kraken 3.2 out of 5 across 8,282 reviews. Kraken's own reviews page shows 4.7 out of 5 across 14,062. Both were visible on the same search results page on August 16, 2026, and the gap between them is the most interesting thing on this SERP.
Trustpilot
An independent platform anyone can post to. Complaint-weighted by nature, because satisfied users rarely think to leave a review of an exchange that simply worked.
Kraken's own page
Hosted and curated by the company being reviewed. Higher volume, but with an obvious selection effect. Vendor-hosted testimonials are not a neutral sample.
Why new and long-term users rate it so differently
The two-tier product produces two genuinely different experiences, and the split scores track that divide rather than contradicting each other.
A new user meets identity verification, funding holds, and the 1% Instant Buy path. Their impression of Kraken is formed almost entirely by friction and cost. A long-term user has cleared verification once, trades on Pro at a stepped-down rate, and experiences an exchange that is cheap and reliable.
Neither group is wrong. They are describing different products that happen to share a login. Any review reporting a single score for Kraken, including this one, is compressing that into a number that fits nobody exactly.
Set expectations first
Verification, holds, and why withdrawals stall
Withdrawal problems are the highest-anxiety complaint in every public Kraken review corpus, and most of them resolve to one of four causes rather than to anything going wrong. Knowing them in advance turns a frightening experience into an administrative one.
- 1
Your verification tier caps the amount
Withdrawal limits scale with how much identity information you have supplied. Hitting a limit looks identical to being blocked.
- 2
A funding hold is still running
Recently deposited fiat is typically held before it can leave again. This is standard across regulated exchanges and is not specific to Kraken.
- 3
The withdrawal address is not confirmed
New addresses often require confirmation before first use, which is a security feature doing its job.
- 4
A security review has been triggered
Unusual patterns can pause an account pending review. This is the case that genuinely requires support contact.
Check your verification tier and funding-hold status before opening a support ticket. Having your identity documents ready shortens every one of these paths.
Earning on idle assets
Staking
Staking is a genuine Kraken strength: a wide proof-of-stake menu with estimated rates shown before you commit. It is also the feature most often oversold, so it is worth being precise about what you are accepting in exchange for the yield. For the underlying mechanics, see our explainer on DeFi and on-chain yield.
A broad asset menu
Staking covers a wide list of proof-of-stake assets rather than only the headline coins, with estimated rates shown before you commit.
Lock-ups are real
Staked assets are not always instantly available. Unbonding periods vary by asset and you cannot sell during one.
A yield is not a hedge
Reward rates are quoted in the asset you staked. If that asset falls further than the yield pays, you are still down. Treat rewards as a bonus, never as a strategy.
Your situation, our answer
If this is you, do this
A single score cannot answer "should I use Kraken" because the honest answer changes with how you intend to use it. Find your row.
Buying under $1,000 once and holding it
Fee difference is a few dollars
At this size the choice barely matters on cost. Pick on whichever interface you will actually finish the purchase in, then move the coins to self-custody.
Buying regularly, a few hundred dollars a month
Use Kraken Pro, not Instant Buy
Same account, same login, and the taker rate is 0.80% against Instant Buy at 1%. The switch is free and takes one click.
Trading actively at real volume
Kraken is a strong choice
This is the user the fee schedule is built for. The tiers step down meaningfully and the top tier is genuinely competitive.
You want the simplest possible first purchase
Coinbase is gentler
You will pay for the polish, but if friction is what stops you from starting, that is a real cost too.
Holding long term, no trading
Neither, once you have bought
Any exchange is a custodian. Buy where it is cheapest, then withdraw to a wallet you control.
You live in a restricted US state
Check before you sign up
Availability varies by state. Confirm on Kraken before submitting identity documents.
Still weighing platforms? See how the major exchanges rank against each other, or read our the coinbase review for the closest comparison. For every write-up we have published, browse our full review index.
The honest ledger
Pros and cons
What we like
- Operating since 2011 with no major exchange breach
- Top fee tier reaches 0.00% maker and 0.05% taker
- Pro is free to switch into and uses the same account
- Published proof-of-reserves attestations
- Broad staking menu with rates shown before you commit
- Deep liquidity on major pairs
What to watch
- Entry tier is 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, which is not low
- Instant Buy is 1%, or 1.5% on custom orders, plus an undisclosed spread
- The 0.00% maker tier starts at $500M in 30-day volume
- Verification and withdrawal friction drives most public complaints
- Custodial by design, so not a substitute for self-custody
- Availability varies by US state and by country
Show your working
How we scored this review
This is a documentary review. Every fee figure was read from Kraken's published schedule on August 16, 2026 and is cited above. We did not open a funded Kraken account, and we do not claim hands-on testing we did not do.
| Criterion | Weight | Mark | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security and track record | 25% | 4.8 | Operating since 2011 with no major exchange breach, cold-storage custody, published proof-of-reserves attestations. |
| Cost at retail trade size | 25% | 3.0 | The entry tier is 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker. Instant Buy is 1%. Neither is cheap, and most retail users never leave this tier. |
| Cost at volume | 15% | 4.8 | The top tier reaches 0.00% maker and 0.05% taker, which is genuinely competitive. |
| Asset range and liquidity | 15% | 4.5 | Deep books on major pairs and a broad altcoin list, though the exact count is unconfirmed. |
| Ease of use | 10% | 3.5 | Instant Buy is simple. Kraken Pro is a real trading terminal and assumes some familiarity. |
| Support and account friction | 10% | 3.0 | Verification and withdrawal friction is the most common complaint in public review corpora. |
Weighted average: 4.0 / 5. Read our editorial policy and who we are.
What we could not verify
Naming the gaps is more useful than papering over them. As of August 16, 2026:
- The exact number of supported cryptocurrencies. Kraken support documentation did not state a total when we checked on August 16, 2026. Third-party reviews cite "over 550" but we could not confirm it at the source.
- US state restrictions. Yahoo Finance reports Kraken is unavailable in a small number of states including New York and Washington. We could not confirm the current list from Kraken primary documentation.
- Support response times. Complaint volume is observable in public review corpora. Actual median response time is not published and we did not measure it.
- The 2023 SEC staking settlement terms. Widely reported, but we have not yet verified the figures against the SEC primary document, so we do not quote them here.
The step after buying
Move your coins off the exchange
Leaving a working balance on Kraken for active trading or staking is a reasonable trade-off. Leaving your long-term position there is accepting custodial risk for no return, indefinitely.
A hardware wallet keeps keys on a device that never touches the internet, which suits holdings you rarely move. A software wallet is faster to use and free, which suits smaller balances you touch often. Both beat leaving everything on an exchange.
Kraken review FAQs
Is Kraken safe?
Kraken has one of the longest clean security records in the sector: operating since 2011 with no major breach, cold-storage custody, and published proof-of-reserves attestations. That covers hacking risk. It does not cover custodial risk, which is the risk that the company itself fails while holding your coins. For meaningful long-term holdings, move them to a self-custody wallet.
Are Kraken's fees really low?
Only at volume. Kraken's published schedule puts the entry tier at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, and Instant Buy at 1% plus spread. Those are not low rates. The 0.00% maker tier that gives Kraken its cheap reputation begins at $500M in 30-day volume. Both facts are true at once, and most reviews only report the second one. Figures checked August 16, 2026.
What does Kraken actually charge on a $500 purchase?
Using the published rates: $5.00 through Instant Buy at 1%, $4.00 as a Kraken Pro taker at 0.80%, or $2.00 as a Kraken Pro maker at 0.40%. Instant Buy also carries a spread inside the quoted price, which is not disclosed as a separate line, so the real Instant Buy cost is somewhat above $5.00.
Should I use Instant Buy or Kraken Pro?
Kraken Pro, in almost every case. It is the same account and the same login, switching is free, and the entry-tier taker rate of 0.80% undercuts Instant Buy's 1% before you account for the Instant Buy spread. The only reason to stay on Instant Buy is if the Pro interface stops you from completing the purchase at all.
Is Kraken safer than Coinbase?
On breach history the two are comparable, and both have long records without a major customer-fund hack. Coinbase is a US-listed public company with the disclosure obligations that brings; Kraken is private but publishes proof-of-reserves. There is no clean winner. If safety is your deciding factor, the bigger decision is not which exchange, but how much you leave on any exchange at all.
Is Kraken good for beginners?
It is usable but not the gentlest option. Instant Buy is simple enough for a first purchase, though it is the expensive path. Kraken Pro is where the value is and it is a genuine trading terminal with order types and charts. A motivated beginner adapts in a session. If you want maximum hand-holding, read our our full coinbase writeup first.
Why can't I withdraw from Kraken?
The most common causes, in rough order: your verification tier does not permit the withdrawal amount, a hold is still running on recently deposited funds, the withdrawal address is not yet confirmed, or a security review has been triggered on the account. Check your verification tier and funding-hold status before contacting support, and have your identity documents ready.
Can I lose my crypto on Kraken?
Yes, through several routes that are worth separating. Market losses are yours regardless of platform. Account compromise is possible if your own credentials are breached. Custodial failure, where the exchange itself cannot return assets, is the tail risk that no security record eliminates. Kraken's controls address the first two better than most. Only self-custody addresses the third.
Is staking on Kraken worth it?
It can be, on assets you already intend to hold anyway. The menu is broad and rates are shown before you commit. Weigh it against lock-up periods, potential slashing, and full price exposure during the lock. A yield does not protect you from a falling asset. This is not financial advice.
Should I keep my crypto on Kraken?
A working balance for active trading or staking is a reasonable trade-off. Meaningful long-term holdings are safer in self-custody, on the old principle that if you do not hold the keys, you do not really hold the coins. See our guide to the our full wallet rankings and to hardware wallets.
The bottom line
Should you use Kraken?
Use Kraken if you trade often enough to reach the lower tiers, or if a fourteen-year clean security record is what you are buying. Do not use it because you read that it has low fees, because at the size most people trade, it does not.
This page currently carries no affiliate links. Rankings and scores reflect our published criteria, not payment. read how we're compensated. Nothing here is financial advice. Crypto is volatile and you can lose money.