Kraken review

Pros and cons

Who it suits

• Active traders wanting crypto plus stocks, ETFs, forex and futures in a shared venue
• Cost aware equity investors drawn to dealing at $0 with modest entry at $1

Who should look elsewhere

• ActivTrades if you want phone led help rather than help centre paths on help centre
• DKB if you prefer bank bundled investing over crypto led coverage at 728

Where it sits among rivals

You sit in a distinctive spot for cost against entry. Your stock dealing rank is 1 among 180 brands, which marks Kraken out beside equity rivals that charge per order. Your entry rank is 72 among 193 brands, which leaves room for modest starting balances without removing dealing discipline. That split shapes the trade off you weigh as a reader: you gain lean equity dealing while accepting routine crypto spreads and tiered taker costs. If you compare Kraken with bank led brokers or generalist investing apps, the dealing rank is the trait that separates it most clearly in this peer set.

Safety of your money

You keep oversight across several regions when you hold balances with Kraken. Supervision is linked to Central Bank of Ireland, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Conduct Authority, which includes the Central Bank of Ireland, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Your cash and securities protections depend on entity, account and eligibility, with investor cover shown as EU ICS up to EUR 20,000. Licence references include 342/17, 1010381, 31000270997766 and MiCA CASP 9845003D98SCC2851458. You should match the entity that serves your residence to the relevant register entry before you transfer funds, and read disclosures on segregation,asset handling and complaint routes.

Regulation and registers

You can verify Kraken through disclosed licence records across Europe, the UK and the US. The Cyprus record is shown as 342/17, the UK record is shown as 1010381, the US record is shown as 31000270997766 and the Irish record is shown as MiCA CASP 9845003D98SCC2851458. You should search each register by firm name and licence reference, then confirm that the entity named in your terms matches the register result. That check helps you confirm permissions, contact details and the scope of supervised activity before you apply, fund or grant trading permissions.

Getting started

You begin with a modest entry threshold shown as $1, which suits phased funding as you learn order types and market hours. You can move fiat through card, bank and SEPA, giving you card, bank, SEPA and ACH routes alongside a wallet route within the same funding menu. Your funding costs are shown as Free bank deposits, card 3.75% + 0.25, where bank deposits carry favourable terms while card payments attract added processing charges. You should choose bank rails for planned transfers and reserve cards for urgent top ups, then confirm limits, cut off times and withdrawal steps in the help centre before you place your opening trade.

How Kraken compares

• 

  MC Prime

  9.2 vs 9.4
• 

  LANDE

  9.2 vs 8.7
• 

  Silver Gold Bull

  9.2 vs 8.3
• 

  MarketScreener

  9.2 vs 8.5
• 

  ActivTrades

  ActivTrades asks for entry at $0, which suits you if Kraken entry at $1 feels less aligned with a small starting balance.

  Kraken vs ActivTrades9.2 vs 9.4
• 

  XTB

  XTB asks for entry at €0, which suits you if you want to compare low entry routes before choosing Kraken.

  Kraken vs XTB9.2 vs 9.3
• 

  NAGA

  9.2 vs 8.7
• 

  eToro

  9.2 vs 9.2
• 

  Linxea

  9.2 vs 8.7
• 

  UNest

  Kraken vs UNest9.2 vs 8.6
• 

  Mintos

  Kraken vs Mintos9.2 vs 9.2
• 

  Kitco

  9.2 vs 9.2
• 

  iuvoSAVE

  9.2 vs 9.0
• 

  BlackBull Markets

  Kraken vs BlackBull Markets9.2 vs 9.2
• 

  Pepperstone

  Kraken vs Pepperstone9.2 vs 9.2
• 

  wikifolio.com

  9.2 vs 9.1
• 

  Binance

  9.2 vs 9.0
• 

  Bitget

  9.2 vs 9.0
• 

  EBC Financial Group

  Kraken vs EBC Financial Group9.2 vs 9.0
• 

  moomoo

  9.2 vs 9.0
• 

  Afranga

  9.2 vs 8.8
• 

  Vaulted

  9.2 vs 8.7

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• krak.app/pricing checked September 29, 2026

  Backs: Free ATM withdrawals

  “ATM Withdrawals No Krak fee. Third-party ATM fees may apply”

• kraken.com checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Derivatives, Exchange type, Features, Maximum retail leverage, Platforms

  “Kraken Trade crypto perps and perpetual futures”

• support.kraken.com/articles/kraken-card-faqs checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Card type, Cashback rate, Currencies, Currency conversion fee, Monthly fee, Card network

  “Kraken Card is a Mastercard debit card that lets you seamlessly spend”

• support.kraken.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000381846-Cash-de... checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Fiat deposit methods

  “deposit funds into my Kraken account - ACH Plaid, SEPA, Debit card, Apple Pay”

• support.kraken.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000381846-Cash-de... checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Deposit and withdrawal fees, Minimum deposit

  “ACH (Plaid) Deposit fee Free - Debit card $0.25 + 3.75% on Kraken”

• coingecko.com/en/exchanges/kraken checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Coins supported, Coins listed

  “id=kraken; coins=728; pairs=1441”

• kraken.com/affiliate checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Audience

  “Easiest way to buy crypto, built for newcomers”

• kraken.com/features/fee-schedule checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Maker fee, Markets, Pricing model, Stock trade fee, Taker fee

  “Kraken Pro Spot Maker 0.40 percent Tier 1”

• kraken.com/legal/disclosures checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Investor protection, Regulators

• kraken.com/proof-of-reserves checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Proof of reserves

  “Proof of Reserves Reserve ratio 102.9 percent for Kraken BTC”

• kraken.com/wallet checked September 28, 2026

  Backs: Backup options, Custody, Price, Wallet type

  “Write down your Secret Recovery Phrase”