Coinbase vs Kraken
Side-by-side comparison from our sourced exchange data. A dash means we haven't verified that fact — we don't fill gaps with guesses.
| Coinbase | Kraken | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score | — | — |
| Founded | 2012 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | No headquarters — remote-first company since May 2020 (per its 10-K, it does not maintain principal executive offices) | — |
| Spot maker (base) | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Spot taker (base) | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Listed assets | ~247 | — |
| KYC | Required | Required |
| Notably unavailable | China, Russia | Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Cuba |
How they differ
Coinbase, founded in 2012, operates as a remote-first company with no principal executive offices and lists about 247 assets, splitting its product between a simple buy flow and the Coinbase Advanced venue. Kraken, founded in 2011, runs Kraken Pro alongside a simpler in-app experience and supports card payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Plaid ACH in USD and PayPal. The Kraken profile does not record a coin count, so listing breadth is not directly comparable here.
Both price their professional and simple products separately, which is the main thing to check. Coinbase Advanced starts at 0.4% maker and 0.6% taker, tiered by 30-day volume, with 0% maker on selected stable pairs; simple Coinbase buys are priced separately. Kraken Pro starts at 0.4% maker and 0.8% taker at zero volume and tiers down to 0% maker and 0.05% taker, while simple and recurring trades in the Kraken app carry a flat 1% trading fee.
Verification is mandatory on both. Coinbase requires it for full use of services and asks US customers for an SSN or ITIN. Kraken requires a KYC questionnaire plus identity verification, generally a government ID and proof of address. Coinbase reports availability in over 100 countries, excluding China and Russia, with features varying by market. Kraken is available in most regions, excludes sanctioned areas including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria, and notes that crypto transfers are unavailable in Indiana, Maine and New York.
Kraken lists the broader licence set: MiCA authorisation in Ireland passported across the EEA, FinCEN MSB registration, UK FCA cryptoasset registration and a Wyoming special purpose depository institution. Coinbase holds a MiCA licence via Luxembourg passported across the EU. On incidents, Coinbase disclosed a May 2025 data breach affecting roughly 70,000 customers with remediation estimated at $180M to $400M, while Kraken's June 2024 bug bounty incident involved about $3M from its own treasury, later returned.