Kraken vs Crypto.com: crypto exchange comparison

Exchanges are often the first point of contact for many users in the crypto space—venues where they can buy BTC, ETH and SOL to venture into the world of DeFi, or place their first trade on spot and derivatives markets. With the industry maturing over the past 15 years, these platforms tend to boast an impressive range of products and services, designed to cater to crypto users far beyond simple trading.

It follows that a user’s choice of trading platform can make or break their experience. And with so many options out there, it can be hard to know where to start. In the following article, we’ll compare two of today’s top exchanges: Kraken and Crypto.com. 

Founded in the US in 2011, Kraken fast established itself as one of the most trusted brands in crypto—a powerhouse of institutional-grade security and strong regulatory compliance that doesn’t compromises on its promise of delivering a premium user experience.

With an ever-growing product lineup, Kraken caters to newcomers and veteran crypto users alike. From its mobile app and intuitive interfaces to its advanced Kraken Pro platform, it provides a feature-rich ecosystem for buying, holding, earning on and trading crypto. To round out its digital asset offering, Kraken further enables US-based users to invest in 11,000+ stocks and ETFs.

Time and again, customers choose Kraken for its world-class security and transparency. The exchange pioneered Proof of Reserves audits in 2014, a practice which allows users to verify that their funds are held by the exchange, using a blend of cryptographic accounting and reputable, third-party reports.

Originally launched under the name Monaco in 2016³, Crypto.com’s user-friendly trading platform and large-scale marketing campaigns have made the exchange a household name among crypto users.

Crypto.com offers spot and derivatives trading, as well as staking, payment features and an NFT marketplace to a reported user base of 150m. Though it has a decent global footprint, Crypto.com ranks below many of the top exchanges when it comes to availability, with only 88 countries supported at the time of this writing⁴.

While both exchanges are well-regarded in the crypto space, Kraken’s longevity remains unmatched—and the company has proven its ability to withstand adverse market conditions where competitors have not. 

Many clients value this resilience, as well as the reputation that Kraken has earned as a lasting advocate for the global adoption of cryptocurrency.

Kraken and Crypto.com both offer a wide range of tools for trading, staking and learning about crypto. The table below highlights how their core products and features compare.

Kraken caters to all styles and levels of trading, and its users are only ever a few clicks away from spot, margin and futures products.  Whether it’s a quick trade on the go via the mobile app or deploying advanced strategies through the desktop interface, the platform is a one-stop crypto shop for users around the globe.

Indeed, Kraken Pro is the go-to tool for some of the industry’s most sophisticated traders, owing to its granular charting functionalities, complex order types and customizable alerts. Meanwhile, the company’s institutional-grade OTC desk and Kraken Prime serve a range of professional clients.

The exchange is rich in functionality for more casual users, too. Staking allows clients to passively earn up to 17% APY on a range of assets, while features like DCAing empower them with a ‘set-and-forget’ approach to grow their crypto exposure (while smoothing out market volatility).

Like Kraken, Crypto.com boasts a suite of products serving novice and power users alike. A mobile-first design lowers the barriers to entry for newcomers, and an appealing ecosystem enables them to access payment cards (both physical and digital), a non-custodial wallet and various products for passively earning on their holdings. For the more advanced users, a range of trading features allow them to tap into spot, margin and derivatives markets with ease. 

Crypto.com is behind the Cronos blockchain, an EVM-compatible chain which enables developers to launch decentralized applications within the Crypto.com universe, which the exchange’s wallet seamlessly connects to. Its native asset, CRO, is used to pay for transactions, and can be staked to unlock payment card benefits.

Kraken’s offering has been engineered to accommodate traders at all stages of their journey—whether they’re just starting out, or looking to take their game to the next level with cutting-edge trading tools or API access for sophisticated strategic plays.

Crypto can be uncertain, but Kraken’s risk-managed toolkit and best-in-class usability allows crypto users of all kinds to dive in confidently.

The variety of available cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies can make or break a platform for many users. Kraken and Crytpo.com support hundreds of assets — here’s how they stack up.

Kraken boasts broad support for over 450+ crypto assets—ranging from industry-defining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) to stablecoins, memecoins and utility coins designed to unlock the best that DeFi and on-chain gaming have to offer. In its efforts to remain transparent, Kraken keeps customers in the loop on future listings via its public roadmap.

Complementing its wide crypto asset support is its more recent expansion into stocks and ETFs. Now, US-based users can seamlessly diversify their portfolios with shares in their favorite companies—and users in other select jurisdictions can trade tokenized versions of these same assets.

At the time of this writing, Kraken supports 10 fiat currencies—meaning that users around the world can effortlessly on-ramp into and off-ramp out of crypto.

Crypto.com lists support for over 400+ assets, again consisting of a mix of established cryptos, stablecoins and memecoins. It supports 9 fiat currencies for its cash accounts, which can be used for buying/selling crypto or topping up its Visa card. It also offers a smaller selection of stocks for users in certain jurisdictions.

Clients appreciate the unified experience offered by Kraken, which not only offers a diverse range of both digital and traditional assets, but does so by packaging them in an intuitive platform that can be accessed on both mobile and desktop. 

Kraken and Coinbase use different fee structures, which can impact casual and high-frequency traders differently. The chart below breaks down Kraken vs. Coinbase fees.

Kraken’s base trading fees start low, at 0.25% maker and 0.4% taker. Traders dealing with higher volumes and more frequent trades on Kraken Pro will see these decrease with increased activity. Better still, a Kraken+ subscription (at just $4.99/mo) can remove them entirely.

Kraken prides itself on a lack of hidden fees. Many crypto and fiat deposit methods are free, and withdrawal costs are clearly signposted before transaction completion, ensuring users are fully informed before proceeding.

Like other exchanges with their own token, Crypto.com offers a fee discount for users that hold the CRO token on the platform. Without this, it has a maker fee of 0.25% and a taker fee of 0.5%, which decreases with volume.

Crypto.com clients benefit from fee-free deposits for USD and most crypto assets, but other methods may incur additional costs.

Kraken’s trading fees are cheaper than Crypto.com’s at the base level, which may be more appealing to beginner traders—and it doesn’t include an unnecessarily complex (and potentially risky) mechanism of holding a native token to reduce them.

The fees collected by Kraken are used to fund development, security and world-class customer support—so users can remain confident that they’re directly improving their own experience.

Security is a top priority for any crypto exchange. Kraken and Coinbase both implement layered protections and undergo third-party audits, though their histories and practices differ in key areas. Here’s how their security frameworks compare.

Kraken is sometimes characterized as a security-first organization that happens to run a crypto exchange. It continues to be a pioneer in crypto security, and, since its inception in 2011, no Kraken-managed custodial wallets have been breached 

Kraken’s sterling reputation on this front is backed by its transparent Proof of Reserves audits, which it has conducted since 2014 to provide customers with total confidence in the assets that the exchange holds. 

Additionally, users benefit from extensive, multi-layered security that includes 2-factor authentication, PGP-encrypted communications, withdrawal address whitelisting, master key settings and real-time threat detection. Kraken holds a number of certifications, including ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and SOC 2 Type 2 audit compliance and runs a bug bounty program to incentivize security researchers to identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

Crypto.com holds a number of security certifications and measures like Kraken’s, including multi-factor authentication, withdrawal whitelisting and its own Proof of Reserves program (last updated December 2022). However, it was the victim of a breach in 2022, where 2FA methods were bypassed in a $15m heist¹³.

Security is in Kraken’s DNA—and an impeccable track record spanning 14+ years testifies to this. Safeguarding clients’ funds and information remains the company’s top priority, giving them the peace of mind that their assets remain secure even in adverse market conditions.

Reliable customer support can make a major difference for users, especially during high-stakes trades or account issues. Both Kraken and Crypto.com offer 24/7 support, but their service channels and recognition in this area vary.

Kraken is known for a responsive, human-centric customer support system, with a range of channels catering to users’ needs. 24/7 live chat, email and even phone support are available in 12+ languages to ensure customers get the help they need, when they need it.

Kraken has now been recognized two years in a row at the European Customer Centricity Awards for its exceptional customer support initiatives.

Crypto.com offers 24/7 chat (assisted by an AI chatbot) and email support.

Kraken stands out as one of the few exchanges to offer phone support, as it recognizes the importance of an empathetic human touch (particularly in potentially stressful situations). Time and again, the Kraken team have been praised for their ability to swiftly and professionally address any and all customer issues.

Kraken and Crypto.com are widely regarded as two of the top crypto exchanges available today. Both are home to millions of users at all stages of their investing journeys, with rich product suites that cater to those looking to trade, transact in and interact with the burgeoning crypto universe.

Both exchanges are proactive in complying with ever-changing global regulations. As a result, however, Crypto.com is relatively limited in the countries it can provide its services in (an estimated 88 versus Kraken’s 190+). With that said, the exchange is recognized for its modern, mobile-first design which makes it accessible to beginners.

Kraken is ideal for individuals and institutions who value security above all else. That’s not to say it slacks in other aspects: its predictable pricing, wide asset support, advanced tooling and unified interface make it the go-to portal into crypto for millions of users worldwide.