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Coinbase vs. Kraken: Which crypto exchange is better?

Kraken and Coinbase both offer users a seamless experience, but one stands out. Discover which crypto exchange comes out on top.

Disclaimer: This page is not financial advice or an endorsement of digital assets, providers or services. Digital assets are volatile and risky, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Potential regulations or policies can affect their availability and services provided. Talk with a financial professional before making a decision. Finder or the author may own cryptocurrency discussed on this page.

Coinbase and Kraken are two of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges on the market today.

Both trading platforms offer great experiences for both new and experienced users, with easy signup processes and a wide asset and feature selection. Coinbase offers users a Visa debit card and more currency choices, while Kraken has lower fees.

In this guide we compare Coinbase against Kraken to determine which exchange is better for your needs.

Round 1: Kraken vs. Coinbase on vital statistics

Coinbase and Kraken are both US-based crypto exchanges, though Kraken is FCA-registered meaning it’s compliant with UK regulations. Each exchange offers a decent selection of digital assets for users. They also both have a variety of deposit and withdrawal alternatives, earning opportunities and trading options.

Coinbase offers a proprietary wallet that users have full control over, plus a Visa debit card and interesting withdrawal options like PayPal. Kraken has no proprietary wallet but offers more earning options with higher rates, in addition to having lower trading fees.

Coinbase Digital Currency ExchangeKraken Cryptocurrency Exchange
Overall rating★★★★★★★★★★
Costs rating★★★★★★★★★★
Registered
Exchange locationUSAUSA
Offers a debit card
More InfoGo to site
More Info

Winner: Kraken


Round 2: Supported coins

Coinbase has a marginally better cryptocurrency selection than Kraken, with slightly more available options. However, Kraken offers assets like Ripple (XRP) and USD Tether (USDT) that Coinbase doesn’t. Kraken also offers far more trading pairs than Coinbase including direct pairs with fiat currencies.

Coinbase Digital Currency ExchangeKraken Cryptocurrency Exchange
Number of tradeable crypto assets248261
More InfoGo to site
More Info

Winner: Kraken


Round 3: Supported fiat currencies

Coinbase supports over three times the number of fiat currencies that Kraken does, making it more appealing to a wide range of users. Coinbase has no fiat trading pairs though, which means Kraken may be more appealing, assuming it supports the fiat you have.

Coinbase is clearly the better choice for fiat support by number, but Kraken gives users’ fiat utility.

Coinbase Digital Currency ExchangeKraken Cryptocurrency Exchange
Number of supported fiat currencies236
More InfoGo to site
More Info

Winner: Coinbase


Round 4: Fees and costs

When comparing trading fees between Coinbase and Kraken, Kraken is clearly the better option, with fees being 0.26% at most. Coinbase fees vary depending on whether you are using the base platform, Pro platform, and/or instant buy/sell/convert options.

Coinbase has no crypto or fiat deposit minimums, while Kraken has crypto deposit minimums but no fiat ones. Coinbase doesn’t charge a withdrawal fee apart from network fees. Both Kraken and Coinbase have withdrawal minimums for crypto and fiat.

Overall, Kraken’s fees for all aspects are easier to understand than Coinbase’s varying structures.

Coinbase Digital Currency ExchangeKraken Cryptocurrency Exchange
Deposit FeesWire transfer: $10ACH deposit - Fees vary ($10 minimum deposit)
Credit and debit card - Fees vary ($10 minimum deposit)
Apple Pay or Google Pay - Fees vary ($10 minimum deposit)
Crypto - Free
Trading FeeMaker: 0.00 - 0.4%
Taker: 0.05 - 0.6%
Maker: 0-0.16%
Taker: 0.1-0.26%
Withdrawal FeesWire transfer: $25FedWire withdrawal - $4-$35
Crypto - Fees vary depending on coin or token
Deposit methodsBank transfer (ACH), Debit card, PayPal, Wire transfer, Apple Pay, Google PayBank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SWIFT, ACH online banking
More InfoGo to site
More Info

Winner: Kraken


Round 5: Wallets

Kraken has no proprietary wallet except for the exchange wallet provided for all users. Coinbase has an exchange wallet but also has its proprietary Coinbase Wallet.

The Coinbase Wallet can store assets from multiple blockchain networks such as Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Solana and Avalanche. It’s self-custodial meaning you hold the private keys. It can also be connected to decentralized exchanges and applications for easy DeFi interaction.

Winner: Coinbase


Round 6: Ease of use

Both Coinbase and Kraken are fairly easy to use platforms, with Coinbase being more beginner-friendly. However, Coinbase also has a confusing fee structure leading new users to higher fee buying and selling options.

That being said, it’s certainly easier for US residents to open and fund an account with Coinbase due to the many instant funding options available. Both platforms offer learning guides for users.

Winner: Coinbase


Round 7: Security

Neither Coinbase nor Kraken has ever had a significant hack, though both have had individual accounts compromised due to successful phishing scams.

While both offer significant cold storage, Kraken goes above and beyond with its security. Kraken has bug bounty programs, reserve audits and constant penetration testing of its systems.

Winner: Kraken


Coinbase vs. Kraken winner: Kraken

Taking four out of seven categories, Kraken is our winner when compared to Coinbase. Coinbase has an easy-to-use platform, with its own wallet and a Visa debit card, in addition to support for many fiat currencies.

But Kraken has much lower fees, better security, more trading pairs and better earning opportunities than Coinbase. This was a close contest, with neither exchange being a bad option for new users.

Go to Kraken's website

Disclaimer: This page is not financial advice or an endorsement of digital assets, providers or services. Digital assets are volatile and risky, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. Potential regulations or policies can affect their availability and services provided. Talk with a financial professional before making a decision. Finder or the author may own cryptocurrency discussed on this page.

Whether products shown are available to you is subject to individual provider sole approval and discretion in accordance with the eligibility criteria and T&Cs on the provider website.

Name Product GXFCY Deposit methods Fiat currencies Cryptocurrencies Offer Disclaimer Go to site
eToro Cryptocurrency Trading
eToro Cryptocurrency Trading
Bank transfer, Credit card, Debit card, Neteller, Skrill

18

78

Disclaimer: Cryptoasset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in the UK and some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users)
Bank transfer, Cryptocurrency

1

369

Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange
KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, PayPal, P2P

50

743

Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, P2P

73

279

Disclaimer: Highly volatile investment product. Your capital is at risk.
Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
Gate.io Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card

8

1607

Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SWIFT

8

222

Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
OKX Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Cryptocurrency, iDEAL, PayPal, POLi, SEPA, Faster Payments (FPS)

35

338

Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
Uphold
Uphold
Bank transfer (ACH), Credit card, Debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay

27

237

Capital at risk

View details
EXCLUSIVE
Paybis Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Debit card, Neteller

42

357

Finder Exclusive: Get 25% discount on all commission for 1 transaction when using promocode Finder25. There is no time limit on the validity of the promo code.
US residents: Restricted in the following states - NY, CT, NM, WA, HI, AL, VT, FL, AK, NV.
Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
Finder Award
Bitstamp Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, SEPA, Faster Payments (FPS)

3

96

Capital at risk

View details
Coinmama Cryptocurrency Marketplace
Credit card, Fedwire, SEPA, Google Pay, SWIFT, Bank card

6

15

Capital at risk

View details
OFFER
Gemini Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer (ACH), Cryptocurrency, Debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SWIFT

7

151

Go to site

Capital at risk

View details
Finder Award
Crypto.com App
Bank transfer, Credit card, Cryptocurrency, Debit card, PayPal, Wire transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SWIFT

31

378

Capital at risk

View details
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Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange

Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Offers leverage and derivative trading
  • Supports EUR, GBP and CHF
  • Licensed to operate in all European countries
Go to site
Disclaimer: Highly volatile investment product. Your capital is at risk.

KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange

KuCoin Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Buy, sell and trade over 700 crypto assets
  • Supports 10 Asian fiat currencies
  • Offers crypto futures trading
Go to site

Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange

Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Buy, sell and trade over 200 crypto assets
  • Licensed to operate in 17 jurisdictions in Oceania
  • Supports AUD
Go to site

Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users)

Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users) logo
  • Supports over 300 crypto assets
  • Binance Pay enables users spend their crypto
  • Binance P2P supports multiple African fiat currencies
Go to site

Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users)

Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange (Not available to US users) logo
  • Supports over 300 crypto assets
  • Binance Pay works with Credencial Payments to support crypto payments
  • Binance P2P supports five Latin American fiat currencies
Go to site

Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange

Bybit Cryptocurrency Exchange logo
  • Supports leverage and derivative trading
  • Supports 300 spot trading pairs
  • Low-to-non-existent trading fees
Go to site
Disclaimer: Highly volatile investment product. Your capital is at risk.
Keegan Francis's headshot
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Writer

Keegan Francis was a cryptocurrency writer for Finder. He has been invested in cryptocurrencies since 2013 and writing about them since 2018. He has written and edited for CryptoVantage. In 2020 he and his wife Mrugakshee Palwe opted entirely out of the world of traditional finance and went "full crypto", covering their experience in the Go Full Crypto podcast and via a Substack newsletter. Keegan holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from Acadia University, and has attained graduate certificates from Ivan On Tech's lightning network course and the Consensys Academy Ethereum bootcamp. When Keegan is not working on cryptocurrency, he enjoys travelling, rock climbing and playing piano. See full bio

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