Venues / Kraken

Kraken alternatives: cheaper and similar options (Oct 2026)

Why look beyond Kraken

• Not available to residents of New York or Maine.
• Instant buys cost 1% (1.5% custom orders) plus a spread that Kraken does not publish as a fixed rate.
• ACH Plaid purchases are held for seven days, and card or wallet purchases can be held for 72 hours, before withdrawal.
• Settled with the SEC for $30 million over its US staking program in 2023, and with OFAC and the CFTC earlier.

Kraken alternatives for US traders →

Cheaper than Kraken

Binance 0.2%, Bybit 0.2%, OKX 0.2%, Backpack 0% — against Kraken at 1.6% per round trip. Platform fee only; spreads and network fees are extra.

The alternatives

1. Binance

   CEXPerps

   · 0.2% round trip · US: not available

   Traders outside the US, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and the EU who want a large centralised exchange with low base spot and futures fees and a BNB fee discount.

   + Base spot fees are 0.10% maker and taker, cut to 0.075% when paying fees in BNB.

   Open Binance

2. Bybit

   CEXPerps

   · 0.2% round trip · US: not available

   Derivatives-focused traders outside the US, Canada and Singapore who want a large centralised exchange with perpetuals, options and copy trading.

   + Base perpetual fees are 0.020% maker and 0.055% taker, and spot is 0.10% on both sides.

   Open Bybit

3. OKX

   CEXPerps

   · 0.2% round trip · US: partial

   Traders outside the US who want a large centralised exchange with low base spot and futures fees, and US residents (except New York) who want spot trading through OKX US.

   + Global regular-user fees are 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker on spot and 0.02%/0.05% on futures.

   Open OKX

4. Coinbase Advanced

   CEX

   · 1.8% round trip · US: available

   Active traders in the US, UK or EU who want an order book with no spread and tiered fees, from the same account as regular Coinbase.

   + Charges maker and taker fees on an order book instead of a built-in spread.

   Open Coinbase Advanced

5. Robinhood

   CEX

   Ethereum · Bitcoin · Solana · Dogecoin · Arbitrum · Polygon · Optimism · BNB Chain · Base · Robinhood Chain · 1.9% round trip · US: available

   US users who already invest with Robinhood and want a simple way to buy major coins and listed memecoins (DOGE, SHIB, PEPE, BONK, WIF, TRUMP) without a separate exchange account.

   + Default trades have no explicit fee line, and the spread is disclosed on the order review screen.

   Open Robinhood · Kraken vs Robinhood

6. Gemini

   CEXPerps

   · 2.4% round trip · US: available

   US users who want a regulated, licence-focused exchange and can use limit orders on ActiveTrader to avoid the higher app fees.

   + New York limited-purpose trust charter since 2015.

   Open Gemini · Kraken vs Gemini

7. Coinbase

   CEXPerps

   Base · Solana · US: available

   Beginners in the US, UK or EU who want a regulated, KYC'd on-ramp with bank funding, and who can trade onchain Base/Solana tokens in the same app.

   + Coinbase Advanced has no spread and charges maker/taker fees on a central limit order book.

   Open Coinbase · Kraken vs Coinbase

8. Backpack

   WalletSelf-custody

   Solana · Ethereum · Optimism · Arbitrum · Polygon · Base · Sonic · Monad · 0% round trip · US: available

   Solana and EVM users who want a self-custodial wallet tied to the Backpack/Mad Lads ecosystem and an optional regulated exchange.

   + Self-custodial wallet covering Solana, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Base and Sonic.

   Open Backpack

Cost compared