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Kraken vs Gemini
A side-by-side comparison of Kraken and Gemini across trading fees, trading tools, funding methods, security and more, with results for your country.
At a glance: Kraken vs Gemini.
Comparing for United States. 109107 of 14 results are documented from official sources; the rest stay marked as not verified until we have a dated source.
Gemini is recorded as not offered in the United Kingdom. The table still shows what each documents.
Gemini is recorded as not offered in Canada. The table still shows what each documents.
| Evaluation category | KrakenEXCHANGE | GeminiEXCHANGE |
|---|---|---|
| Trading fees | Instant Buy: 1% (up to $2 instead on small trades; 1.5% on custom orders) plus a spread; waived for Kraken+ up to $10,000 a month. Kraken Pro rates for this market not checked yet. Checked 9 Nov 20262 sources Instant Buy: 1% (up to $2 instead on small trades) plus a spread; waived for Kraken+ up to $10,000 a month. Kraken Pro spot, first tier: 0.40% maker / 0.80% taker on the UK fee page; another Kraken page says 0.25% / 0.40%. Checked 9 Nov 20264 sources Instant Buy: 1% (up to $2 instead on small trades; 1.5% on custom orders) plus a spread; waived for Kraken+ up to $10,000 a month. Kraken Pro rates for this market not checked yet. Checked 9 Nov 20262 sources Instant Buy: 1% (up to $2 instead on small trades) plus a spread; waived for Kraken+ up to $10,000 a month. Kraken Pro spot, first tier: 0.40% maker / 0.80% taker on the Brazil fee page; another Kraken page says 0.25% / 0.40%. Checked 9 Nov 20264 sources | Gemini mode: fees vary by payment method, order size and market, shown before you confirm, plus a spread on instant orders. ActiveTrader: maker/taker tiers from 0.600% / 1.200%, falling with volume. Checked 12 Nov 20262 sources |
| Trading tools | Instant Buy for simple purchases, plus Kraken Pro for order-book spot trading. Checked 9 Nov 20262 sources Instant Buy plus Kraken Pro for order-book spot trading. Retail clients in the UK cannot trade derivatives; new retail accounts wait 24 hours before trading. Checked 9 Nov 20262 sources Instant Buy plus Kraken Pro for order-book spot trading. Canadian residents cannot trade on margin or derivatives. Checked 9 Nov 20262 sources Instant Buy for simple purchases, plus Kraken Pro for order-book spot trading. Checked 9 Nov 20262 sources | Gemini mode on the website and app for simple orders, plus ActiveTrader and an exchange API for order-book trading. Checked 12 Nov 20262 sources |
| Funding methods | ACH via Plaid for buys; ACH withdrawals to a same-name US account with no Kraken fee (about 2 business days). Not offered to residents of Maine or New York. Checked 9 Nov 20263 sources GBP by Faster Payments through Banking Circle; FPS transfers are free for personal clients. The bank account must be in the UK. Checked 9 Nov 20261 source CAD by Interac e-Transfer: deposits free, withdrawals CAD 10; limits CAD 10,000 a day, 30,000 a week, 100,000 a month. Checked 9 Nov 20261 source Pix is available to eligible users with a verified Brazilian address and matching CPF. Kraken’s Portuguese page says deposits convert to USD (0.5% cost); its English page says they arrive as BRL1, free from Kraken. Checked 9 Nov 20262 sources | ACH and wire deposits with no Gemini fee; debit card 3.49%; PayPal 2.50%. ACH withdrawals free; USD wire withdrawals $25. Checked 12 Nov 20261 source Gemini said it would close UK customer accounts effective 6 April 2026, with a withdrawal-only period from 5 March 2026. Checked 12 Nov 20262 sources Canada is not on Gemini’s published list of areas of availability. Checked 12 Nov 20261 source Brazil is on Gemini’s list of areas of availability. Its fee schedule lists no Pix or payment method in reais, and we have not found a page on Brazilian deposits. Checked 12 Nov 20263 sources |
| Security approach | Passkey (FIDO2) 2FA and an optional Global Settings Lock; cold storage with no share stated. Bug bounty; proof of reserves checked by an accounting firm (2022), a point-in-time check. Checked 9 Nov 20265 sources | 2FA required by default, hardware security keys and address allowlisting. Says keys sit in FIPS 140-2 Level 3 modules with multi-person control; cold storage share not stated. SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 (its own statements). Checked 12 Nov 20261 source |
| Ease of use | Onboarding steps, interface clarity and help resources. | Onboarding steps, interface clarity and help resources. |
| Mobile app | Two phone apps on the App Store and Google Play: Kraken for quick buying and Kraken Pro for advanced trading. Kraken Desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux. Checked 12 Nov 20261 source | One app with Basic and Advanced trading modes: limit and recurring orders, charts, an order book and price alerts. The page does not name the supported operating systems. Checked 12 Nov 20261 source |
| Best for | Who each platform may suit, published with our verdict. | Who each platform may suit, published with our verdict. |
Not yet verified — we publish each result with a dated source. "Sources conflict" marks where official pages disagree. Results restate the providers' own documentation; they are not hands-on tests. Focus area = a topic this platform's review concentrates on.
Which fits you better?
Start from what matters to you. Each line points to the part of the table that answers it and shows what is documented for your country. We do not pick a winner.
You mostly buy small amounts and want the full cost
- KrakenDocumentedSources conflictDocumentedSources conflict
- GeminiDocumented
Our take on this comes with the editorial review.
See it in the tableYou want limit orders, charts or an order book
- KrakenDocumentedDocumentedDocumentedDocumented
- GeminiDocumented
Our take on this comes with the editorial review.
See it in the tableYou need to pay in and cash out in your own currency
- KrakenDocumentedDocumentedDocumentedSources conflict
- GeminiDocumentedDocumentedDocumentedNot yet verified
Our take on this comes with the editorial review.
See it in the tableAccount protection and custody come first
- KrakenDocumented
- GeminiDocumented
Our take on this comes with the editorial review.
See it in the table
Who each platform may suit
We will say who Kraken and Gemini may suit, and who they may not, once our research is complete. Until then, each review shows what we are examining.
Sources
Every documented result in the table comes from these official pages. Each “sources” marker in the table links to pages from this list.
support.kraken.com
- Kraken: FAQs about buying instantly
- Where is Kraken licensed or regulated?
- Kraken: buying crypto with ACH (FAQ)
- Kraken: ACH withdrawals
- Kraken: Banking Circle (GBP Faster Payments)
- Kraken: Interac e-Transfer
- Kraken: método de financiamento Pix (português)
- Kraken: Pix funding method (English)
- How to secure your account with 2FA (Kraken Support, updated 13 Oct 2026)
- What is the Global Settings Lock (GSL)? (Kraken Support, updated 23 Apr 2026)
kraken.com
gemini.com
support.gemini.com
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How we compare platforms.
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