Coinbase vs Kraken (2026): Fees, Safety and Which to Pick in the US
Last updated: November 10, 2026. Fees and availability are for US customers and were checked on the date above.
Not financial advice: This comparison is general information from each company’s published fee schedules, support pages and filings. It is not a recommendation to buy any crypto or use any platform. Crypto is volatile and you can lose all of it.
Affiliate disclosure: This page mentions companies that run affiliate or referral programs. If we ever link to them through an affiliate link and you sign up or buy, Digital Currency Pulse may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
For most US buyers, Kraken Pro is slightly cheaper at the entry fee tier (0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, against 0.50% and 0.90% on Coinbase Advanced), while Coinbase holds licenses in New York and Maine, two states Kraken doesn’t serve, and is a public company that reports to the SEC. Both charge much more if you use the simple Buy button instead of the trading screen.
Here is how the two compare on the things that cost you money or put it at risk, with every figure linked to the company’s own page.
Key takeaways
- Trading screen fees: Coinbase Advanced cut its US entry tier to 0.50% maker and 0.90% taker on September 16, 2026. Kraken Pro’s entry tier has been 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker since July 9, 2026.
- Cheaper tiers come sooner on Kraken. Kraken Pro drops to 0.30%/0.60% at $2,500 of 30-day volume. Coinbase’s first discount tier starts at $10,000.
- Simple Buy costs more on both. Kraken charges 1% on instant buys plus a spread. Coinbase adds a spread and a fee shown on the order preview.
- Availability: Kraken does not serve residents of New York or Maine. Coinbase lists state licenses for both, including a New York BitLicense, and returned to Hawaii in August 2024.
- Transparency differs in kind. Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN) files public financial reports. Kraken is privately held and publishes periodic proof-of-reserves snapshots.
Coinbase vs Kraken at a glance
| Coinbase | Kraken | |
|---|---|---|
| Order-book trading screen | Coinbase Advanced | Kraken Pro |
| Entry-tier spot fees (US) | 0.50% maker / 0.90% taker | 0.40% maker / 0.80% taker |
| First discount tier | $10,000 30-day volume | $2,500 30-day volume (0.30% / 0.60%) |
| Simple Buy / Instant Buy | Spread plus a Coinbase fee, shown on the preview; extra 1% on simple limit orders | 1% fee (up to $2 on small trades) plus a spread; 1.5% on custom orders |
| Fee-free subscription | Coinbase One: zero trading fees with limits; spread may still apply | Kraken+: zero trading fees on up to $10,000 a month of Buy/Sell/Convert; spread still applies |
| Staking commission | 35% of rewards (standard) on major assets | 30% on flexible staking and the Rewards program; Rewards only in select US states |
| US states not served | None listed; returned to Hawaii in Aug. 2024 (check its Licenses page for your state) | New York, Maine |
| Company status | Public company (Nasdaq: COIN) | Private (Payward, Inc.); IPO reportedly delayed to Q2 2027 at the earliest |
| Published reserve check | Quarterly SEC filings; says over 99% of customer assets are in cold storage | Proof of reserves; latest snapshot June 30, 2026 (BTC 102.9%) |
Fees: what you actually pay
Both exchanges have two ways to buy. The simple Buy button is easiest but costs more. The order-book screen (Coinbase Advanced or Kraken Pro) charges a maker or taker fee and no spread. A taker order fills right away at the market price. A maker order is a limit order that waits on the order book until someone fills it.
Example: a $1,000 buy that you later sell
At each exchange’s US entry tier, using the published rates:
| Order type | Coinbase Advanced | Kraken Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Taker, buy and sell ($2,000 traded) | $18.00 | $16.00 |
| Maker, buy and sell ($2,000 traded) | $10.00 | $8.00 |
The gap widens as you trade more. At $10,000 of 30-day spot volume, Kraken Pro’s tier 3 rate is 0.22% maker and 0.38% taker. Coinbase says its middle-tier rates appear on the signed-in fee page, so we haven’t listed them here. Kraken can also lower your tier based on assets you hold there, and Coinbase can do the same based on USDC balances.
If you only buy small amounts now and then, the simple Buy button’s percentage fees and spreads matter more than the Pro rates. Check the order preview before you confirm: both companies say the final fees are shown there.
Safety and track record
Coinbase
- Public reporting. As a Nasdaq-listed company, Coinbase files reports with the SEC, including its results and material incidents.
- May 2025 data breach. In a Form 8-K filed in May 2025, Coinbase disclosed that criminals had paid overseas support contractors to pull customer data, including names, contact details, masked Social Security and bank numbers, ID images and balances, for less than 1% of monthly transacting users. Coinbase said passwords, private keys and funds were not exposed, refused a $20 million ransom demand and estimated costs of $180 million to $400 million, including reimbursing customers who were tricked into sending funds.
- Custody. Coinbase says it keeps over 99% of customer assets in cold storage and holds them 1:1. On November 9, 2026, it announced final OCC approval for Coinbase National Trust Company, a federally chartered trust for its institutional custody business.
Kraken
- Proof of reserves. Kraken publishes reserve snapshots checked by an outside accountant. The latest, dated June 30, 2026, shows reserve ratios of 102.9% for BTC and 100.5% for ETH. Kraken itself notes the method can’t prove there are no hidden liabilities or that funds weren’t borrowed to pass the check.
- US registrations. Kraken is registered with FinCEN as a money services business, and its subsidiary Kraken Financial is a Wyoming-chartered special purpose depository institution.
- Private company. Its parent, Payward, filed confidentially for an IPO in November 2025. CoinDesk reported in September 2026 that it isn’t planning to list before the second quarter of 2027. Until then, it doesn’t publish SEC financial reports the way Coinbase does.
Whichever you choose, the account security steps are the same: a unique password, an authenticator app or hardware security key rather than SMS codes, and a hardware wallet for coins you plan to hold for years. The October 2026 Binance hack showed why it’s risky to keep everything on any one exchange.
Which one should you pick?
We don’t rank either as “best” because the right choice depends on where you live and how you buy. Use these criteria:
- You live in New York or Maine: Kraken isn’t an option, so compare Coinbase with other platforms licensed in your state.
- You trade often or in larger amounts: Kraken Pro’s lower entry rates and earlier discount tiers usually cost less. Compare your own 30-day volume with both schedules.
- You value public financial disclosure: Coinbase’s SEC filings let you read its finances and risk factors directly.
- You mostly use the simple Buy button: compare the full cost on each order preview, or switch to the trading screen, which is cheaper on both.
- You stake: compare commissions (35% standard on Coinbase, 30% on Kraken’s flexible staking) and check that staking is offered in your state.
Many people open both and move money to whichever has the better price or the coin they want. New to buying? Start with our guide to buying bitcoin safely in the US.
Taxes: same rules on both
Starting with 2025 transactions, US custodial brokers such as Coinbase and Kraken must send Form 1099-DA to you and the IRS when you sell through them. For 2026 sales, the form also shows cost basis for coins bought in that account in 2026 or later. Coins you moved in from somewhere else may show no basis. See our Form 1099-DA explainer and the US crypto tax guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kraken cheaper than Coinbase?
On the order-book screens at the US entry tier, yes: Kraken Pro charges 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, against 0.50% and 0.90% on Coinbase Advanced, as of November 10, 2026. Simple Buy pricing on both includes spreads that vary, so compare the order preview.
Is Kraken available in all US states?
No. Kraken says it does not serve residents of New York or Maine, and some features, such as fiat transfers through its Krak app, are limited in other states.
Has Coinbase been hacked?
Coinbase disclosed a customer data breach in May 2025 caused by bribed support contractors. It said passwords, private keys and customer funds were not compromised, though some customers were later targeted by scammers using the stolen data.
Is Kraken a public company?
Not as of November 10, 2026. Payward, Kraken’s parent, has filed confidentially for an IPO but has not listed.
Can I move crypto between Coinbase and Kraken?
Yes. Send a small test amount first and check the network matches on both sides. Moving coins between your own accounts generally isn’t a taxable sale, but keep records so you can show your original cost basis.
Sources
Primary sources used for this article (links checked November 10, 2026):
- Coinbase: Coinbase Advanced fees
- Coinbase: Coinbase pricing and fees disclosures
- Investing.com: Coinbase cuts trading fees for active users on Advanced platform (Sept. 16, 2026)
- Coinbase: Licenses and disclosures (state licenses)
- Coinbase: Aloha, Hawaii: Coinbase is here (Aug. 13, 2024)
- Coinbase: How Coinbase protects customer assets (Nov. 4, 2026)
- Coinbase: Coinbase launches National Trust Company (Nov. 9, 2026)
- SEC: Coinbase Global Form 8-K (May 2025)
- Kraken: Kraken Pro fees
- Kraken: Cross-platform fee tiers explained
- Kraken: Fee schedule (Instant Buy, Kraken+, staking)
- Kraken: Where is Kraken licensed or regulated?
- Kraken: Proof of Reserves
- Payward: Kraken announces confidential submission of draft registration statement (Nov. 19, 2025)
- CoinDesk: Kraken parent Payward delays IPO to second quarter of 2027 at earliest (Sept. 2, 2026)
Not financial advice. Crypto is volatile and you can lose all of it. Fees and availability change; check each exchange’s current fee page before you trade.
