Kraken vs Gemini Exchange
Per-trade cost favours Kraken (0.4% taker, vs 1.2%). On listing breadth Kraken wins (250 assets vs 80). Only Kraken offers derivatives (up to 50x leverage). For frequent trading, fees and liquidity matter most; for long-term holding, licences and reserve transparency do — weigh the points above against your usage.
| Kraken | Gemini Exchange | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | S | S |
| Rating | ★ 4.9 | ★ 4.7 |
| Maker / Taker fee | 0.25% / 0.4% | 0.6% / 1.2% |
| Markets | Spot + Derivatives | Spot |
| Max leverage | 50× | 1× |
| Supported assets | 250+ | 80+ |
| Fiat on-ramp | Yes | Yes |
| Deposit methods | SEPA, SWIFT, Bonifico bancario, Carta di credito/debito, FedWire/ACH (USA), Faster Payments (UK), Interac e-Transfer (Canada), PayPal, Deposito crypto | ACH, wire transfer, debit card, PayPal |
| Geo restrictions | New York (USA), Maine (USA), Washington State (USA), Hawaii (USA, limitato) | AF, IR, KP, SD, SY |
| Staking / Earn | ETH ~3-3.5% APY, Solana, Polkadot, Kusama, Cardano. Staking reinstated USA gennaio 2025. Kraken Prime per istituzionali. | Gemini Staking |
| Fund custody | Custodial (platform holds funds) | Custodial (platform holds funds) |
| KYC | Full | Full |
| Supported countries | US, EEA, UK, APAC · 60+ countries | US, UK, APAC · 15+ countries |
| Regulator | FinCEN, FCA, CSSF, MAS, BaFin, AMF, CONSOB, etc. | FinCEN / OCC / SEC |
| OAM Italy registration | Yes | — |
| Segment | B2C | B2C |
| Trading pairs | — | 150+ |
| 24h volume (as of Jun 15) | — | $27.79M |
| Regions | US, EU/EEA, UK, APAC | US, UK, APAC |
| Licences & safety | Money Services Business + EMI partner UK | NY Trust Charter (NYDFS) |
Frequently asked questions
Kraken vs Gemini Exchange: which is better?
Per-trade cost favours Kraken (0.4% taker, vs 1.2%). On listing breadth Kraken wins (250 assets vs 80). Only Kraken offers derivatives (up to 50x leverage). For frequent trading, fees and liquidity matter most; for long-term holding, licences and reserve transparency do — weigh the points above against your usage.
Which is cheaper, Kraken or Gemini Exchange?
On the standard spending profile Kraken has the lowest net annual cost: €0 versus — for Gemini Exchange.
Is Kraken custodial or self-custody?
Kraken is custodial: funds are held by the platform, while Gemini Exchange is custodial.