Best Kraken alternatives

#1 alternative

Coinbase

active

The public US crypto exchange with a retail app people keep.

4.4

San Francisco · 100M+ · Public (COIN)

7.5Solid

The conservative CEX pick in this register. Kraken for the same job with a different culture; Binance for depth with a different risk.

Best for: US and UK retail who want the most licensed large exchange, not the cheapest.

Licence

MSB + state money transmitter / trust

Protection

Not FDIC on crypto. USD cash may sit at partner banks with FDIC — confirm product.

Monthly

Free to hold · spread/fee on trade

#2 alternative

Binance

active

The liquidity monster. Product depth with a regulatory scar tissue.

4.5

Global / remote · 200M+ · Private

7.6Solid

Score the venue, not the Twitter. For a conservative register pick, this is not it. For liquidity, it still is.

Best for: Experienced traders outside the US who want depth and accept entity risk.

Licence

VASP / exchange licences by country

Protection

None in the bank sense. SAFU fund is a company programme, not a statutory scheme.

Monthly

VIP fee tiers · BNB discounts

#3 alternative

Interactive Brokers

active

The grown-up global broker. Ugly site, serious plumbing.

4.5

Greenwich · 3.3M accounts · Public (IBKR)

8.6Strong

The broker column’s control. eToro is the social alternative; IBKR is the actual one.

Best for: Investors who will tolerate TWS for cost and market access.

Licence

Broker-dealer / FCM

Protection

SIPC up to $500k (US entity) · local schemes on other entities — not a bank

Monthly

No inactivity on many accounts · commissions on trades

#4 alternative

Crypto.com

active

The stadium-named crypto app: exchange, card, and a metal hierarchy.

4.4

Singapore · 80M+ · Private · large strategic rounds

7.2Solid

A crypto card with a marketing budget. Score the current stake table, not the 2021 one. RedotPay is often simpler for pure USDT spend.

Best for: Users who want a metal crypto card and will read the stake terms twice.

Licence

Exchange + card programme by market

Protection

Crypto not insured. Card is a spend product on a crypto/fiat account.

Monthly

Card tiers gated by CRO stake (terms change — verify)

#5 alternative

Bybit

active

Derivatives-native exchange with a retail app and a card experiment.

4.5

Dubai · 50M+ · Private

7.3Solid

A trading venue. Do not park life savings here because the app is pretty.

Best for: Derivatives traders outside restricted markets.

Licence

VASP by market

Protection

None statutory on crypto

Monthly

Derivatives fee schedule