United States
United Kingdom
Germany
Netherlands
Australia
United Arab Emirates
Canada
Italy
Spain
Austria
Croatia
Serbia
Portugal
CyprusKraken vs Coinbase
What each one charges, who licenses it, and how they rank against each other country by country.
The short version
We rank both for crypto in 10 countries, and Coinbase comes out ahead in every one of them.
We score each country separately, based on the company that would actually hold your account there, so check your own country in the table below.
On the one fee we could check for both, Coinbase is cheaper.
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: Kraken from CBI, CSA and FCA, Coinbase from CSSF, NYDFS, CSA and ASIC.
- Coinbase is cheaper for crypto trades (standard taker fee): 0.5%, compared with 0.8% at Kraken.Edge: Coinbase
- We list Kraken in 11 of the 14 countries we cover and Coinbase in 11. They overlap in 10.
- Only Coinbase supports TradingView.
- Coinbase gets more search attention than Kraken (Market Signal 78 vs 73). That tells you how well known it is, not how good it is.
Where you can use each one
Where each one ranks on our list in every country we cover, its Coinish Score there, and the company that would hold your account. If a broker isn't allowed to take clients from a country, it isn't on that country's list.
Crypto exchanges
| Country | Kraken | Coinbase |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | #3 of 774/100Foreign licence Bit Trade Pty Limited · AUSTRAC | #1 of 780/100Locally licensed Coinbase Australia Pty Ltd · ASIC |
| Austria | #4 of 2176/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 2180/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| Canada | #3 of 676/100Locally licensed Payward Canada Inc. · CSA | #1 of 680/100Locally licensed Coinbase Canada Inc. · CSA |
| Croatia | #4 of 1976/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 1980/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| Cyprus | #4 of 1976/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 1980/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| Germany | #4 of 2176/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 2180/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| Italy | #4 of 1976/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 1980/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| Netherlands | #4 of 1976/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 1980/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| Portugal | #4 of 1976/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 1980/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| Spain | #4 of 1976/100EU passport Payward Europe Solutions Limited · CBI | #1 of 1980/100EU passport Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. · CSSF |
| United Kingdom | #2 of 576/100Locally licensed Payward Ltd · FCA | Not listed |
| United States | Not listed | #1 of 680/100Locally licensed Coinbase, Inc. · NYDFS |
Fees and features side by side
| Kraken | Coinbase | |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Crypto, Futures | Crypto |
| Owner | Payward, Inc. | Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) |
| Crypto trading fee | 0.8%, base-tier taker fee on the order book | 0.5%, base-tier taker fee on the order book |
| Inactivity fee | None | Not verified yet |
| Withdrawal fee | Not verified yet | None |
| Minimum deposit | €1 (Payward Europe Solutions Limited) | Not verified yet |
| Instruments | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Platforms | Kraken app, Kraken Pro, Kraken Desktop | Coinbase app, Coinbase Advanced, TradingView charts |
| Deposit methods | Debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH transfer | SEPA transfer, iDEAL, PayPal, Apple Pay, Debit card |
| Withdrawal time (stated) | most arrive within 24 hours | SEPA: 1–3 business days |
| Demo account | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Support | live chat, email · 24/7 | live chat, phone |
Every figure comes from the broker's own pages or its regulator. You'll find the sources in each review (Kraken, Coinbase).
Licences
Kraken vs Coinbase: common questions
Which is better, Kraken or Coinbase?
We rank both for crypto in 10 countries, and Coinbase comes out ahead in every one of them. For reference, Kraken's best ranking is #2 of 5 crypto exchanges in the United Kingdom, and Coinbase's best ranking is #1 of 21 crypto exchanges in Germany.
Is Kraken cheaper than Coinbase?
Coinbase is cheaper for crypto trades (standard taker fee): 0.5%, compared with 0.8% at Kraken.
Is Kraken or Coinbase better regulated?
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: Kraken from CBI, CSA and FCA, Coinbase from CSSF, NYDFS, CSA and ASIC. Which company you actually sign up with depends on where you live; the country table on this page names it for each one.
Can I use both Kraken and Coinbase where I live?
We list Kraken in 11 of the 14 countries we cover and Coinbase in 11. They overlap in 10. For crypto, you'll find both on our lists in Australia, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Italy and Netherlands, among others.