Kraken review

Best for: Security & staking

★★★★★★★★★★4.7

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Cost snapshot

0.16%Spot maker

0.26%Spot taker

2011Founded

—Assets listed

Facts we could verify

Type: Exchange
Headquarters: United States
Founded: 2011

How the score is built

4.70/5 weighted

Fees & spreads4.6/5 25% weight

Security record4.9/5 25% weight

Liquidity depth4.5/5 20% weight

Fiat access4.7/5 15% weight

Support & UX4.8/5 15% weight

Each factor is scored 0-5 against published inputs, then combined with the fixed weights above. Scores are re-checked on every verification pass.

What works

Excellent security history
Proof of reserves
Strong staking

What does not

Interface feels dated
Fewer promos

Kraken has never suffered a major exchange hack, and it was among the first to publish proof-of-reserves. For traders who rank security above flashy features, that record is the headline.

Key facts

Fees (maker/taker): 0.16% / 0.26%
Founded: 2011
Headquarters: United States
Welcome bonus: 0% fees for 30 days

Fees are competitive and staking covers a wide range of assets with transparent reward rates. The desktop interface is functional rather than beautiful.

Support response times are above average, and fiat rails across USD, EUR, GBP, JPY and CAD make it a strong pick for international users.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Placement never changes a score. Offers, bonus amounts and expiry dates are verified daily but can change without notice — always read the official terms. Crypto assets are volatile and nothing here is financial advice.

How this page was verified

Fees re-measured on live accounts, not copied from a marketing page.
Rankings are never sold; placement does not move a score.
Corrections are dated and logged in public.

Last verified: 2026-09-30

Frequently asked questions

Short, dated answers. Every figure links back to the review it came from.

What is the difference between a review and a ranking?

A review is the full entity record for one platform: fees, security history, custody model, jurisdiction and hands-on notes. A ranking compares platforms on the same five weighted factors.

How do you score security?

Custody model, proof-of-reserves publication, insurance cover, past incidents and how the platform handled them. An incident we can verify lowers the score even if it happened years ago.

Can I trust the "verified" date?

Yes — it is the date a human on our team last opened the platform and checked the figures on that page, not the date the page was last edited.

Weekly signal, no spam

The rate changes before the headlines do

One email each Tuesday: the offers that changed, the fees we re-measured and the platforms we downgraded.