Kraken Review 2027 Fees, Features and Safety

This Kraken review for 2027 looks at the United States-based crypto exchange, founded in 2011, and covers trading fees, security record and regulation, so you can decide whether it fits the way you trade.

Kraken in summary (2027)

Kraken is one of the oldest and most respected cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Jesse Powell co-founded it in 2011 after seeing the security failures at Mt. Gox first-hand, and trading opened in 2013. From the beginning the company put security and legal compliance ahead of rapid growth. More than a decade later, Kraken has never suffered a major loss of customer funds, a claim very few exchanges of its age can make.

Based in the United States, Kraken serves over ten million clients in roughly 190 countries and is especially strong in euro and US dollar markets.

Two platforms in one account

Kraken offers a simple app for buying and selling in a few taps, and Kraken Pro for people who want a real trading screen. Kraken Pro provides full order books, advanced order types, margin controls and customisable charts, and it charges much lower fees than the instant-buy flow. Both run on the same account, so there is no reason to pay the higher rate once you are comfortable placing a limit order.

What you can do on Kraken

• Spot trading on several hundred cryptocurrencies against USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD and other currencies.
• Margin trading with up to 5x leverage on spot for eligible clients, and higher leverage on futures.
• Futures, including perpetual contracts for non-US clients and regulated US futures following the 2025 acquisition of the NinjaTrader platform.
• Staking on a range of proof-of-stake coins, with rewards paid regularly.
• OTC desk and custody for institutions and high-net-worth clients.
• Tokenised stocks for eligible non-US clients, alongside commission-free US equities trading for American users.

Kraken has also launched its own Ethereum layer-2 network, Ink, and a self-custody wallet.

Fees

On Kraken Pro, fees follow a maker-taker schedule based on 30-day volume. Small accounts pay around 0.25% as a maker and 0.40% as a taker, and rates drop steadily for larger traders. Instant purchases through the basic app cost noticeably more once the spread is included. Funding by bank transfer is cheap or free in most regions, while cards cost more. Crypto withdrawal fees vary by asset.

Security and proof of reserves

Security is the reason many people choose Kraken. The exchange keeps the large majority of assets in air-gapped cold storage, runs a well-regarded internal security team, and operates a long-standing bug bounty programme. It was the first exchange to carry out a cryptographically verifiable proof-of-reserves audit, back in 2014, and it repeats the exercise regularly with an independent accounting firm. Clients can confirm that their own balances were included.

Account features include hardware security keys, passkeys, a global settings lock that freezes account changes for a set period, and separate two-factor settings for login, trading and funding.

Regulation

Kraken holds an unusually strong set of licences. It is registered with FinCEN in the United States, holds a Wyoming special purpose depository institution charter, is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, and has licences in Canada and Australia. In 2025 it secured a MiCA licence from the Central Bank of Ireland covering the European Union.

Its relationship with US regulators has had rough moments. In 2023 Kraken paid $30 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges over its staking programme and paused the service for US clients. A broader SEC lawsuit was dismissed in March 2025, and staking returned in most US states. The company has since been preparing for a public stock listing.

Who is Kraken best for?

Kraken fits users who rank safety first. It is a natural home for long-term investors, European traders who want deep euro liquidity, and professionals who need reliable margin and futures markets with a serious regulatory framework. Customer support, available around the clock by live chat, is better than the industry norm.

Traders seeking the newest small-cap tokens or the very lowest fees will find more choice on offshore exchanges.

Pros and cons

• Pros: outstanding security record, regular proof of reserves, strong licensing, many fiat currencies, responsive support, professional trading platform.
• Cons: higher fees on instant buys, fewer coins than offshore rivals, some features limited by country or US state.

Getting started

Sign up, verify your identity, and secure the account with a passkey or authenticator app. Deposit by bank transfer for the lowest cost, then place your trades through Kraken Pro.

Kraken review: verdict for 2027

Kraken has spent more than a decade proving that an exchange can be both capable and careful. It is not the cheapest or the flashiest, but for security, transparency and regulatory strength it is among the very best.

Compare this Kraken review with all 40 crypto exchanges in our 2027 list, and confirm the latest terms on the official Kraken website before you open an account.