A top exchange for advanced traders with features like margin trading and futures — but it's not available nationwide.
Kraken offers a wide variety of tradable assets, a dedicated trading platform, as well as robust security features. Its intuitive interface and advanced tools cater to both tech-savvy beginners and seasoned traders, making it versatile for different experience levels. However, availability is limited in some states. Residents of 13 states, including California, Illinois and Texas, don't have access to on-chain staking, and users from Maine and New York cannot use the platform at all. It also supports a relatively small number of fiat currencies.
| Product Name | Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange |
| Fiat Currencies | USD, EUR, CAD, AUD, GBP, CHF |
| Cryptocurrencies | BTC, ETH, BCH, EOS, LTC, ADA, XLM, DASH, XMR, USDT, XRP & 512 more |
| Deposit Methods |
Bank transfer Credit card Cryptocurrency Debit card PayPal SEPA Instant SEPA Apple Pay Google Pay SWIFT ACH online banking |
| Trading Fee |
Trading: 0% - 1.5% Spread: Variable spread included in the price, calculated before orders are executed |
| Deposit Fees |
ACH 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 |
| Withdrawal Fees |
FedWire withdrawal - $4–$35 Crypto - Fees vary depending on coin or token |
Kraken is a great pick for experienced traders, thanks to its advanced features like margin trading, futures and detailed order options. The Kraken Pro platform makes it easy to dive into in-depth charting and real-time market data, all with competitive fees.
Even more, it recently introduced a Request for Quote (RFQ) feature for Pro users. This feature allows for streamlined, automated trading on orders over $100,00 with guaranteed pricing and instant settlement options.
Kraken has a lot going for it. It offers quite a wide bevy of tradable assets — with an extensive selection of over 500 cryptocurrencies, spanning everything from leading digital assets such as bitcoin and ether to altcoins solana — as well as numerous lesser-known cryptocurrencies with small market caps.
With the exception of a single high-profile breach, Kraken has been one of the most secure platforms in the industry.
Kraken offers a variety of tools that advanced and intermediate traders can appreciate — from margin trading to advanced order types. It even provides an entire platform specialized for cryptocurrency trading in Kraken Pro, which comes free of charge.
While we’re on the topic of advanced tools, Kraken recently added two more features: take profit/stop loss, which streamlines order management by allowing traders to set profit targets and risk levels simultaneously, and swaps, which offer a fast, fee-free way to swap tokens across supported networks.
A newer feature, you can trade over 11,000 stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) commission-free from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Nasdaq and more. Like with crypto trading, you can submit orders 24/7, but after-hours trades will be queued to submit when the market opens. This feature is currently available to residents of Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Wyoming, with plans to expand to more states soon.
First and foremost is availability — residents of Maine and New York cannot use Kraken. And while Kraken recently added staking back into its list of features, it’s still unavailable to residents of CA, MA, MD, NJ, NY, WA or WI. Its deposit and withdrawal limits also vary quite a bit depending on your residency and verification level.
Although it has garnered mostly positive reviews, there appears to be an issue with Kraken’s customer service, as claimed by numerous online accounts.
Kraken is generally thought to be a safe platform. However, on June 9, 2024, a security researcher contacted the platform regarding its Bug Bounty program. It took the platform 47 minutes to patch the issue in question.
While that sounds innocuous enough, the security flaw was exploited and led to a breach. The researcher in question is suspected of sharing the flaw with at least two other people, who subsequently stole roughly $3 million worth of assets.(1)
In addition, we have to note Kraken’s legal woes. In 2023, it settled with the SEC for $30 million after a lawsuit regarding its staking-as-a-service feature.(2) Then, in November of 2023, Kraken became the subject of another SEC lawsuit, alleging that it operates as an unregistered securities exchange, broker and clearing agency.(3)
As significant as these incidents may sound, the security breach and the lawsuits in question do not pose red flags, per se. On the whole, the breach was relatively minor, and the lawsuit is rather standard fare, as many exchanges have faced similar accusations.
Readers should also note that, unlike traditional assets, cryptocurrencies are neither regulated nor protected by the SEC, FDIC or SIPC. Users do not have the same protections they do when trading traditional financial products.
One of Kraken’s strong suits is the wide range of tradable cryptocurrencies, standing at nearly 500 coins, including many of the top 20 most-traded coins.
When signing up for an account, Kraken performs KYC (Know Your Customer) checks, as per its global Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements. This means you may have to submit more identification documents than typically necessary when opening a bank account or traditional investment account.
To sign up for Kraken, follow these steps:
Filling out the necessary information should take only a few minutes if you have all your documents on hand, like your photo ID.
Getting your account verified usually takes about five days — however, it has been known to take a couple of weeks on occasion.
| BBB accredited | No |
|---|---|
| BBB rating | F |
| BBB customer reviews | 1.28 out of 5 stars, based on 29 customer reviews |
| Trustpilot score | 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 6,158 customer reviews |
| App Store Score | 4.7 out of 5 stars, based on 29,289 customer reviews |
| Google Play Score | 4.5 out of 5 stars, based on 49,789 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 01 April 2026 |
Customer feedback on Kraken is somewhat mixed. It scores a meager 1.29 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and earns an F rating for failing to respond to complaints. However, this rating is based on only 29 reviews on a site where people normally go to complain.
Its mobile app reviews paint an entirely different picture. Kraken scores a solid 4.5 and 4.7 out of 5 stars on Google Play and Apple App Store, respectively. Positive feedback highlights how simple the app is to use and the excellent UI. Complaints commonly point out poor customer service and high fees.
There’s quite a lot of chatter on Reddit about Kraken. Several users compliment its transparency and proof of reserves and call it one of the top platforms available on the market.
However, many others complain of slow customer support responses, often leaving them unable to log in to their accounts for hours or even days. Others claim their accounts were closed or frozen without warning or explanation.
Compare similar platforms by available asset types, trade fees and minimum deposit requirements. Select Go to site to sign up for an account.
Disclaimer: Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex and involve significant risks – they are highly volatile and sensitive to secondary activity. Performance is unpredictable and past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before relying on this information. You should also verify the nature of any product or service (including its legal status and relevant regulatory requirements) and consult the relevant Regulators' websites before making any decision. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
Shane Finder
Contributor
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Jhezelyn Finder
November 15, 2018
Hi John,
Thank you for your comment.
Upon checking, there has been no official statement as to having EPC in Kraken. You may continue to check back on updates.
Should you wish to have real-time answers to your questions, try our chat box on the lower right corner of our page.
Regards,
Jhezelyn
Trading nomad
February 10, 2018
I have been waiting to deposit money to start trading but it will not allow me to do so until I have been verified. I have been waiting for almost a month so please let me get in so I can start trading, I see the coin going up to all time highs and lows and want to be apart of it. How long will it take to be verified? Please.
Sincerely,
Troubled man.
Ron Finder
February 13, 2018
Hello,
Good day! Appreciate you contacting finder for your inquiry today.
Please note that you have reached finder and we do not represent Kraken. An email was sent separately about an article from the Kraken website which you can refer to on how long it takes for an account to get verified. You may find it useful in regards to your situation.
It seems that they have no phone support at the moment which you can call to directly follow up on the status of your account verification. As adviced on the support page sent to you, closely monitor the email associated on the account setup as Kraken will communicate with you through it for any additional details they may need for verification.
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Ron
Paul Tucker
January 25, 2018
I signed up this AM, but am unsure if I fully completed my sign on.
I then tried to sign on again with another ID, but you sent me a message that I was already signed on. Please tell me if there is anything else I need to do .
joelmarcelo
January 26, 2018
Hi Paul,
Thanks for leaving a question on finder. Please note that we are a comparison website and we do not represent any of the providers on our page. I have sent the contact details for Kraken to your email so you can directly follow up with them. If you need anything else, please send me a message.
Cheers,
Joel
John
November 14, 2018
Is it true that EPC, the European Property Coin, will be launched at Kraken on 23rd November? What is the registration fee for my holding of EPC?