Kraken vs Bitget: How these crypto exchanges compare

Crypto exchanges power liquidity and price discovery across spot and derivatives markets, provide regulated on and off-ramps, and increasingly connect centralized and onchain finance. For these reasons and more, they are a major entry point for people interested in dipping their toes into crypto.

Where you decide to trade should take into account fees, execution, instrument access, security, customer service, asset support, and licensing across various jurisdictions.

This Kraken vs Bitget comparison article is a deep dive on both exchanges to help you decide which of the two is most suitable for you and your trading needs.

Founded in 2011 in the United States, Kraken is among the earliest and most established names in the cryptocurrency industry. Launched less than two years after Bitcoin’s debut, the exchange has earned global recognition for its strong focus on security, operational transparency, and a high-quality user experience.

Today, Kraken serves more than 15 million clients in over 190 countries. Its offerings range from the flagship Kraken platform for individual investors, to powerful all-in-one trading platforms for advanced and institutional traders via the Kraken Pro platform and Kraken Desktop app.

Kraken’s institutional suite that covers spot, margin, futures markets, staking, and OTC trading for qualified clients. Kraken also invests heavily in education through Kraken Learn, supporting both new and experienced traders.

Headquartered in Wyoming, Kraken underscores is committed to accountability with routine Proof of Reserves, a practice it introduced to the industry back in 2014. It was also the first crypto exchange to be listed on the Bloomberg Terminal, helping bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets.

With regulatory licenses across key markets including the US, Canada, UK, EU and a history of assisting with cases such as Mt. Gox creditor claims, Kraken has built a reputation for stable, compliant operations that make it a trusted destination for those seeking a secure and enduring crypto exchange.

Founded in 2018, Bitget is a cryptocurrency exchange that has built its reputation on derivatives trading and social trading features. The company is headquartered in Seychelles (with a presence in Asia and Europe) and has expanded rapidly during recent market cycles.

Bitget offers spot trading, futures, copy trading, staking, and various earn products across a growing list of digital assets. Its copy trading feature, which allows users to mirror the strategies of experienced traders, has been a key driver of retail adoption. The platform targets both new traders and experienced derivatives users alike.

Its social trading and strong focus on derivatives have earned it significant market share — and its investments into ecosystem partnerships and sponsorships have been key in expanding its global presence and credibility.

With that said, Bitget operates outside of major Western regulatory frameworks, restricting access in jurisdictions like the US. And while it publishes Proof of Reserves and emphasizes its user protection measures, it does not yet have the same regulatory standing as its more established competitors.

Overall, the exchange is a fast-growing platform that caters to users that value derivatives access and social trading functionality, albeit with some regulatory/jurisdictional risk considerations.

Many clients choose Kraken for its transparency, regulatory credentials and long-standing operational record. With seven additional years of experience, Kraken has demonstrated consistent governance since Bitcoin’s early days, when the asset traded below $20.

While Bitget has made progress on transparency and user protection, it remains restricted in major markets such as the U.S. and Canada. Kraken’s globally licensed framework and proven security practices continue to attract both retail and institutional users who value oversight and trust.

Kraken’s product ecosystem is designed to support a wide range of trading styles and experience levels. Users can trade on the go with its streamlined mobile app or tap into more advanced tools through Kraken Pro, which offers detailed charting, custom order types and real-time market data.

The platform supports spot trading for all users, with margin trading (up to 5x leverage) and futures contracts (up to 50x leverage) available in eligible regions. Institutional and high-net-worth clients can access additional services through Kraken’s OTC desk and Kraken Prime offering.

Beyond trading, Kraken provides crypto staking on over 21 assets, with rewards up to 17% APY depending on the coin and network conditions. Users can earn passively by staking assets like Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA) directly through the platform.

Kraken also supports global digital payments through Krak, a feature enabling users to send crypto or cash without transaction fees.

In 2024, Kraken released its Ink Layer-2 network built on Optimism’s SuperChain, providing a seamless bridge between centralized exchanges and popular DeFi protocols.

For those seeking to deepen their financial knowledge, Kraken Learn offers educational resources covering everything from blockchain basics to advanced trading strategies.

Trading flexibility: Web, iOS, and Android apps with pro charting, TradingView access, alerts, and a Unified Trading Account that shares margin and PnL across spot, margin, and futures for better capital efficiency.

Spot, margin, and futures and onchain: Deep spot markets plus perpetual (stable and coin-margined) and delivery contracts. Futures include flexible leverage and detailed margin controls with beginner and advanced guides. Clients can also trade stocks onchain and via USDT-margined stock futures.

Copy trading: One click copy trading for both spot and futures, a large roster of elite traders, and education for strategy selection and risk controls.

Trading bots and automation: Built in bots including spot grid, futures grid, position grid, DCA, martingale, CTA, signal bots, and bot copy trading with quick setup from trading pages.

Earn and savings: Flexible Savings with daily interest and instant redemption, plus Structured Earn and on chain earn products in the Earn hub.

Launch programs: Launchpool for staking to farm new listings, Launchpad for token sales, and LaunchX and PoolX under a single LaunchHub to discover early projects.

P2P and fiat access: Peer to peer marketplace with zero fee listings and a variety of local payment methods. Instant fiat onboarding via 140 currencies with Visa and Mastercard integration.

Web3 integration: In app Web3 section and Bitget Wallet integration so you can connect to dApps with WalletConnect, swap on chain, and move between centralised and decentralised experiences.

Cards and payments: Bitget Wallet Card with Mastercard connects clients to millions of merchants, adopting the ‘Digital First’ approach, allowing for immediate access via the app

Transparency and safety: Monthly proof of reserves with Merkle tree verification, plus a large on chain Protection Fund with public wallet visibility.

API and institutional tooling: Full API access, sub accounts, and a Unified Trading Account that supports multi asset collateral and PnL offsetting, with institutional setup guides.

Support and education: 24/7 help center, product tutorials, and a comprehensive Academy with beginner through advanced content, videos, and market explainers.

While Kraken may not offer the same breadth of features as Bitget, it offers something that Bitget traders may still value as a transparently regulated and highly-trusted platform. Kraken clients get access to curated listings, deep spot and futures liquidity, stocks and perpetuals (for US customers), and a path to DeFi, with no-code automation en route.

The introduction of proprietary funding via the acquisition of Breakout is novel and forward thinking - setting Kraken apart from many of its competitors.

Where perhaps Bitget focusses on quantity, Kraken focusses on quality - offering a more focused range of products and executing each of them to the very highest standards.

Clients can access over 600 cryptocurrencies on Kraken, including majors such as Bitcoin (BTC) and XRP (XRP) as well as a variety of altcoins, from memecoins to liquid staking tokens.

There are also more than 11,000 commission-free ETFs and stocks available to trade directly in the Kraken app. And for clients in eligible locations, they can invest in xStocks, which are tokenized versions of these equities.
Kraken supports withdrawals and deposits in ten major fiat currencies, making it quick and convenient for global clients to fund their accounts.

Supported fiat currencies include:

• USD (US Dollar)

• CAD (Canadian Dollar)

• GBP (Pound Sterling)

• EUR (Euro)

• JPY (Japanese Yen)

• AUD (Australian Dollar)

• CHF (Swiss Franc)

• ARS (Argentine Peso)

• MXN (Mexican Peso)

• BRL (Brazilian Real)

There are also 15 stablecoins supported, including Tether (USDT), USDC and USDG.

Bitget has over 1400 tradable assets listed on its site. On top of the 800+ spot trading pairs, there are 400 futures trading pairs (with additional USDC-M and Coin-M markets), and flexible leverage up to 125x on selected contracts. Bitget also has xStocks integration as well as Stock futures settled in USDT offer additional means to get exposure to trad-fi markets.

Supported fiat currencies include (availability varies by method and region): USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY, PLN, CZK, HUF, DKK, SEK, NOK and CHF. Users can fund accounts via bank transfers in supported countries, card payments, or third-party partners. Bitget also provides a global P2P marketplace covering many local currencies.

Using a credit or debit card, Bitget users can buy crypto with over 140 fiat currencies.

Kraken generally matches many of the instruments available to Bitget clients. But beyond that, Kraken offers something that Bitget currently cannot - a licence to operate in the United States, providing direct access to stocks and ETFs as well as regulated derivatives via CME-listed crypto futures contracts.

Kraken’s volume-based fee model is tiered and transparent to support both professional traders and casual investors.

With maker fees starting at 0.25% and taker fees at 0.40% there are also discounts available for high-volume individuals and institutions. With to a Kraken+ subscription, these fees can be eliminated entirely for eligible clients up to certain monthly volumes.

Most crypto and fiat deposits are free, with some exceptions depending on the transaction method and specific asset. Kraken also highlights transparency by displaying all fees before a transaction is confirmed, ensuring clients are well aware any fees upfront and avoid costly surprises.

Bitget’s headline spot fees are 0.10 percent and 0.10 percent for makers and takers. Futures start at 0.02 percent and 0.06 percent, with reductions via VIP tiers and token discounts. Deposit and withdrawal costs depend on asset and rail and are shown at checkout.

When trading derivatives, fee levels are broadly comparable. Kraken’s clarity and maker-incentive programmes on spot pairs appeal to traders who value predictable costs and improved book quality. Depending on volumes, some traders may find lower effective costs at Bitget with token or VIP discounts, but many consider Kraken’s regulatory compliance, support and security alongside fees when deciding where to take their business.

Kraken is widely regarded as one of the most secure crypto platforms in the industry. Since inception, Kraken has never experienced a breach resulting in loss of client funds, a claim that few other exhcanges can make. Clients benefit from multi-layered account protection, including 2FA with passkeys, PGP email encryption, granular API key permissions with range boundaries, configurable account timeout, real-time monitoring for suspicious activity, withdrawal whitelisting and master key settings.

Kraken pioneered Proof of Reserves in 2014 and continues to lead the industry with regular, independently verifiable audits. This cryptographic procedure allows clients to personally review how their account balances are backed by real assets, at any time. Kraken also holds ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, SOC 2 Type 2 audit compliance and operates a robust public bug bounty program.

Bitget has gone to extraordinary measures to offer clients peace of mind with regards to custody, with total transparency on proof of reserves and monthly reporting on insurance funds.

Bitget security features in a nutshell:

• 2FA with authenticator apps for account logins and withdrawals
• Withdrawal address whitelisting and add-address email confirmations
• Anti-phishing code shown in official Bitget emails
• Device management and login notifications
• Separate “fund password” required for trading and withdrawals
• API keys with granular permissions and optional IP allowlisting
• Real-time risk controls and abnormal-activity detection
• SSL/TLS protection and full encryption of sensitive data at rest and in transit
• Cold-wallet majority storage and controlled hot-wallet limits
• Monthly proof-of-reserves with Merkle-tree verification
• On-chain Protection Fund with public wallet transparency
• 24/7 live chat help center and multilingual support

Bitget maintains a reserve ratio of at least 1:1 for user assets - currently 188% - , which users can independently verify, and has a $750m protection fund (figures correct at press time). The purpose of the fund is to assist clients ‘...who have their accounts compromised or assets stolen or lost due to events not attributable to their own actions or trading behavior.’

Bitget achieved ISO 27001:2022 certification in August 2024 as part of a wider and long standing commitment to platform security.

With the exception of Bitget wallet which was exploited in 2022, Bitget the exchange has not had any reported breaches that have resulted in a loss of clients' funds. Bitget also offers lengthy guides via its own educational content on how to protect your account.

Clients choose Kraken because of its reputation within the industry. Bitget clearly has taken very meaningful steps to offer its clients peace of mind (matching most, but not all of Kraken’s own security measures), but Kraken has simply been in the business longer, maintaining an excellent track record throughout this period.

Kraken is known for its responsive and professional customer service, offering multiple support channels to meet different user needs. Clients can access 24/7 live chat with real human agents, submit requests via email, or (in select cases) speak directly with a support specialist by phone.

Kraken’s multilingual support team can assist users in over a dozen languages. This helps the company service its global customer base more effectively.

The exchange has also earned high marks in customer satisfaction and was recognized as the Winner of Best Use of AI in CX (Europe) at the Customer Centricity World Series. Its focus on clarity, empathy, and speed in resolving issues continues to distinguish Kraken’s client experience in a competitive space.

Bitget provides 24/7 live chat and email support, backed by a structured Help Center with step by step guides for various activities. You can open a ticket from the app or web, attach screenshots, and track case history, with an automated assistant that routes you to a human agent when needed. Support is available in multiple languages and the team posts official announcements and service updates to keep customers informed. VIP clients can request priority handling and a dedicated account manager.

Most routine issues can be solved through self service articles, while complex cases are escalated to risk or payments specialists with follow up by email.

Kraken generally matches many of the instruments available to Bitget clients. But beyond that, Kraken offers something that Bitget currently cannot - a licence to operate in the United States, providing direct access to stocks and ETFs as well as regulated derivatives via CME-listed crypto futures contracts.

Both Kraken and Bitget are leading global exchanges with a slightly different offering. Bitget excels in its extremely comprehensive range of features and products that will satisfy many clients.

Kraken is one of the longest-operating exchanges, with state of the art security, strong regulatory compliance, high-quality asset listings and integrated access to a broad range of products with forward thinking innovation.

If you prioritize regulatory clarity (notably for US clients), greater execution on a narrower range of features, long-term safety and pro-grade tooling, Kraken may be the right venue for you.

If you want a deeper selection of assets, high-leverage derivatives in non-U.S. regions, and access to a larger suite of products, Bitget may be more suitable.