Kraken vs Bitvavo
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.
How they differ
Kraken, founded in 2011, is a global platform running Kraken Pro alongside a simpler app, funded by cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Plaid ACH in USD and PayPal. Bitvavo, founded in 2018 and based in Amsterdam, serves the EEA under a MiCA licence, lists about 300 assets and is built around euro funding. Kraken's profile records no coin count, so listing breadth is not comparable, and outside the EEA only Kraken is available.
Base fees start lower on Bitvavo. Its euro-market base tier is 0.15% maker and 0.25% taker, with USDC markets at 0.05%/0.05% and stablecoin pairs at 0.10%/0.10%. Kraken Pro starts at 0.4% maker and 0.8% taker at zero 30-day volume but tiers down to 0% maker and 0.05% taker at high volume, so the comparison reverses as volume grows. Kraken's simple and recurring app trades carry a separate flat 1% fee, which is the number that applies if you never use Kraken Pro.
Both require identity verification. Bitvavo asks for a government-issued ID plus a short video under European anti-money-laundering rules and records no notable country exclusions inside its EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein footprint. Kraken requires a KYC questionnaire and identity check, excludes sanctioned regions including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria, and notes that crypto transfers are unavailable in Indiana, Maine and New York.
Deposit pricing is explicit at Bitvavo: SEPA, iDEAL, Wero, Apple Pay and Bancontact at 0%, credit card at 1.00%, EPS and Giropay at 1.75% and PayPal at 2.00%. Bitvavo's MiCA licence came from the Dutch AFM on 27 June 2025 and superseded its DNB registration, while Kraken holds MiCA authorisation in Ireland plus US, UK and Wyoming permissions. Bitvavo records no security incidents; Kraken's single recorded case, in June 2024, involved about $3M drawn from its own treasury through a bug bounty report and later returned. Both offer REST, WebSocket and FIX APIs.