Coinbase vs Kraken: Fees, Features, and Trading Options Compared
Coinbase and Kraken are two of the longest-running centralized cryptocurrency exchanges. They both offer simple crypto purchases, professional order-book trading, staking, and advanced products.
Coinbase's Advanced trading fees use maker-taker pricing based on a user's total USD trading volume across order books during the previous 30 days. The fee tiers update hourly, and orders filled immediately generally pay taker fees, while orders that remain on the book and provide liquidity pay maker fees.
The fees for Coinbase Exchange institutional are listed as 0.40% maker and 0.60% taker for monthly volume below USD 10,000. The rates decline as volume increases, reaching 0% maker and 0.04% taker above USD 400 million.
Kraken's Pro fee system changed in July 2026 to introduce cross-platform fee tiers. Eligible users can qualify for a tier through the most favorable measure among spot trading volume, futures volume or Assets on the platform. The entry-level spot tier charges 0.40% for maker orders and 0.80% for takers.