How To Minimize Fees on the Kraken Exchange
Written by
Jacob Wade
Edited by
Emily Gadd
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Kraken is a crypto exchange and primarily makes money from charging fees for crypto trades. Kraken offers discounts to high-volume traders, with fees getting lower and lower the more you trade.
But Kraken has multiple types of fees you need to consider before trading.
- Trading fees
- Instant Buy fees
- Withdrawal fees
- Deposit fees
- Spread fees
We’ll review each one of these in detail so you know what you might end up paying when using the Kraken Exchange.
Kraken Trading Fees
Kraken charges fees when you place a trade on the platform. Here’s how it works:
Maker vs. Taker Fees
When you place a trade, Kraken either charges a Maker fee or a Taker fee. Maker fees are charged when you place an order on the order book — effectively “making” a market for buyers to buy or sell your crypto. When you place an order that takes an existing order off the order book, you are “taking” liquidity out of the market, and you’re charged a Taker fee.
In general, taker fees are higher than maker fees. On the Kraken Exchange, your fees vary by order type and your trading volume. Here’s how it breaks down:
| 30-Day Volume (USD) | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|
| $0 + | 0.25% | 0.40% |
| $10,000 + | 0.20% | 0.35% |
| $50,000 + | 0.14% | 0.24% |
| $100,000 + | 0.12% | 0.22% |
| $250,000 + | 0.10% | 0.20% |
| $500,000 + | 0.08% | 0.18% |
| $1,000,000 + | 0.06% | 0.16% |
| $2,500,000 + | 0.04% | 0.14% |
| $5,000,000 + | 0.02% | 0.12% |
| $10,000,000 + | 0.00% | 0.10% |
If you’re Forex trading and just exchanging one stablecoin for another — the fees are slightly lower:
| 30- Day Volume (USD) | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|
| $0 + | 0.20% | 0.20% |
| $50,000 + | 0.16% | 0.16% |
| $100,000 + | 0.12% | 0.12% |
| $250,000 + | 0.08% | 0.08% |
| $500,000 + | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| $1,000,000 + | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| $10,000,000 + | 0.00% | 0.01% |
| $100,000,000 + | 0.00% | 0.001% |
Instant Buy Fees
If you purchase cryptocurrency directly, you’ll end up paying higher fees. Kraken’s “Instant Buy” feature doesn’t currently list fees, but you will be able to see your fees just before placing your order.
In general, purchasing a stablecoin charges around a 0.9% fee, purchasing crypto directly charges around 1.5%, and making an Instant Buy purchase with a debit or credit card adds on another 3% to 4% to your total fees.
Margin Trading Fees
If you want to trade on margin, Kraken also offers it. You’ll be charged interest on the amount you borrow to place a leveraged trade — and the fee varies by the type of crypto you are trading.
In general, fees charged are around 0.02% for opening the trade, and 0.02% is charged every 4 hours the trade stays open. This makes margin trade better for short-term trades and not long-term holds.
Kraken Withdrawal Fees
You may be charged a withdrawal fee when taking out cash or crypto from your Kraken account:
Crypto Withdrawal Fees
When withdrawing crypto from the Kraken exchange, there are minimum withdrawal amounts and potential fees associated. The withdrawal minimum and fee amount depends on the cryptocurrency you choose to withdraw.
Here are a few examples:
| Cryptocurrency | Withdrawal fee | Withdrawal minimum (including fee) |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | 0.00001 BTC | 0.000212 BTC |
| Ethereum | 0.00014 ETH | 0.000168 ETH |
| Tether (Ethereum) | 0.5816 USDT | 0.69792 USDT |
The fees cover the network costs of transferring your coins from your Kraken account to your digital wallet.
Fiat Withdrawal Fees
If you sell your crypto into fiat currency and want to withdraw those funds — or simply want to withdraw fiat money you deposited in Kraken — there may be fees associated with this transaction. The fee amount depends on the currency you are trying to withdraw and the method you use.
Here’s an example of the fees for withdrawing U.S. Dollars (USD) from Kraken when residing in the United States:
| Withdrawal Method/Processor | Withdrawal Minimum | Withdrawal Fee |
|---|---|---|
| ACH | $1 USD | Free |
| FedWire(Customers Bank) | $20 USD | $4 USD |
| FedWire (Dart Bank) | $20 USD | $4 USD |
| Fedwire (Etana Connect) | $100 USD | $30 USD |
| CBIT™ (Customers Bank Instant Token) | $1 USD | Free |
| SWIFT(Etana Custody) | $150 USD | $35 USD |
| SWIFT (Bank Frick**) | $100 USD | $14 USD |
You can review all of the fiat withdrawal methods and fees on the Kraken fiat withdrawal page.
Kraken Deposit Fees
You don’t usually have to pay a fee for a Kraken deposits:
Crypto Deposits
Crypto deposits are free, but there are minimum deposit requirements that vary by cryptocurrency. Plus a few cryptocurrencies charge a small address setup fee or deposit fee.
Here’s an example of crypto minimum deposit amounts:
| Cryptocurrency | Minimum deposit |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin | 0.0001 BTC |
| Ethereum | 0.005 ETH |
| Tether (Ethereum) | 7.11 USDT |
You can view all crypto deposit minimums and fees here.
Fiat Deposits
Many types of fiat deposits are free, but there may be fees charged depending on your currency and how you deposit funds to Kraken. You may able be charged fees based on where you live.
Here’s an example of the deposit minimums and fees for Euro:
| Deposit method | Deposit minimum | Deposit fee |
|---|---|---|
| SEPA / SEPA Instant(ClearJunction) | 1 EUR | free |
| SEPA/SEPA Instant(Plaid) | 1 EUR | free |
| SEPA(Bank Frick***) | 1 EUR | free |
| SEPA/SEPA Instant(Banking Circle) | 1 EUR | free |
| PayPal | 1 EUR | free* |
| SWIFT(Bank Frick***) | 4 EUR | 3 EUR |
| SWIFT(Etana Custody) | 150 EUR | free |
| iDeal | 10 EUR | free |
You can see all fiat deposit minimums and fees here.
Kraken’s Spreads and Hidden Costs
- Explanation of spreads and how they impact trading costs.
- Comparing Kraken’s spreads to competitors.
- Additional hidden costs, such as inactivity fees.
In addition to trading fees, you may also end up paying a spread. This is the cost difference between buyers and sellers when a transaction is executed. This spread fee may mean you buy or sell a crypto at a slightly higher (or lower) price, which ends up costing you money.
Kraken doesn’t charge a spread fee on spot transactions, and spread fees only show up on Instant Buy transactions. This can help save you money as a trader — especially if you trade higher-volumes.
Kraken remains transparent about their fees, and doesn’t charge fees for:
- Transferring funds to and from the Futures wallet
- Storing funds
- Account inactivity
- Account maintenance
How Kraken’s Fees Compare to Other Exchanges
Kraken offers some of the best trading fees around, but there are other exchanges that are competing for your business. Here’s how Kraken’s fees compare with other crypto exchanges:
| Exchange | Max Trading Fees |
|---|---|
| Kraken | 0.20% Maker / 0.40% Taker |
| Coinbase | 0.60% Maker / 1.20% Taker |
| Binance.us | 0.38% Maker / 0.57% Taker |
| Gemini | 0.20% Maker / 0.40% Taker |
Kraken and Gemini offer the lowest fees between these exchanges, but you must use the advanced trading platforms for the lowest fees.
FAQs About Kraken Fees
- What are Kraken's maker and taker fees?
- Kraken Maker and Taker fees start at 0.20% for Maker, and 0.40% for Taker. The more you trade, the lower the fees go. For example; If your trading volume of a 30-day period is over $100,000, your fees drop to 0.12% Maker, and 0.22% Taker.
- How much does it cost to withdraw Bitcoin from Kraken?
- If you want to withdraw Bitcoin from Kraken, you'll pay a fee of 0.00001 BTC.
- Are there any hidden fees on Kraken?
- Kraken doesn't have hidden fees, and doesn't charge for spreads, inactivity, or for storing your funds.
- Does Kraken charge for deposits?
- Kraken doesn't usually charge for deposits, but there may be fees depending on your deposit currency and your location. A complete list of deposit minimums and fees can be found here.
- How do Kraken's fees compare to Binance and Coinbase?
- Kraken offers lower fees than Coinbase and Binance.us, but Binance.com may have lower fees available to non-U.S. traders.
