Kraken or Bitvavo? Which is better? 2026

Bitvavo and Kraken: two heavyweights known for their rock-solid reliability. While Bitvavo dominates the market in Europe, Kraken is one of the oldest and most respected exchanges globally, now also fully regulated for the European market.

Will you choose the competitive fees and user-friendliness of Bitvavo, or do you prefer the ironclad reputation, deep liquidity, and advanced trading tools of this American pioneer? In this guide, we compare Bitvavo with Kraken based on user-friendliness, security, and costs. Discover within minutes which platform is the winner for your portfolio.

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Basic Information Comparison

In this section, we compare the core features of Bitvavo and Kraken.

Feature
Country of origin	Netherlands	United States
Headquarters	Amsterdam	Cheyenne, Wyoming
Deposit methods	iDEAL, SEPA, Bancontact	iDEAL, SEPA, Credit card
Euro withdrawal fees	Free	€0.90 - €1.00 (SEPA)
Number of coins	400+	300+
Leverage trading	Later in 2026	Up to 50x (Futures)
Review Score	★★★★★ 4.48 / 5	★★★★☆ 3.3 / 5 (Trustpilot)
Unique feature	Highly accessible English interface	Best reputation for security & Proof of Reserves

* Bitvavo launched short selling in 2026, with margin leverage following later in the year. Kraken Pro offers one of the most liquid spot markets in the world.

Comparing Number of Cryptocurrencies

In this section, we compare the range of cryptocurrencies available at Bitvavo and Kraken. This provides a clear picture of which exchange suits your trading style best.

Category
Total Number of Coins	400+	300+
Direct Euro Pairs	Almost 100%	Very wide selection
New Memecoins	Very fast	Selective policy
Small Altcoins	Wide selection (niche)	Focus on quality
Staking Offering	30+ coins	20+ coins

Trading Fee Comparison

Bitvavo is considered a true price leader across the European market. On a global level, Kraken Pro is one of the few platforms that can compete with these low rates. We have placed the costs of the Kraken Pro interface side-by-side with Bitvavo.

Category
Spot limit order (Maker)	0.15%	0.10%
Spot market order (Taker)	0.25%	0.24%
Stablecoin pairs (Maker)	0.10%	0.00%
Stablecoin pairs (Taker)	0.10%	0.001%
Important Tip	Use Pro Mode	Use Kraken Pro

Kraken distinguishes itself with extremely low fees on stablecoin pairs (such as USDC/EUR), making it an ideal platform for traders who frequently swap between Euros and Dollars.

Trading Features Comparison

To execute buys and sells optimally, some traders require specific advanced features. Below, you can see the capabilities of Bitvavo and Kraken Pro.

Feature
Market order	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Limit order	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Stop loss / Take profit	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Trailing Stop	❌ No	✅ Yes
Conditional Orders	❌ No	✅ Yes

While Bitvavo covers all essential features, Kraken Pro is a true haven for advanced traders. With features such as Trailing Stops and complex Conditional Orders (where one order triggers another), Kraken provides tools that are crucial for professional risk management and automated trading strategies. However, for most everyday investors, this extra complexity is unnecessary.

Reviews & User Experiences: Bitvavo vs Kraken

To get a clear picture of the overall user experience, we compared the review scores of Bitvavo and Kraken across key independent review platforms and app stores.

Platform
Trustpilot	★★★★★ 4.2 / 5 21,697+ reviews	★★★☆☆ 3.3 / 5 3,200+ reviews
Google Reviews	★★★★★ 4.4 / 5 4,900 reviews	Not available (International)
Google Play (Pro App)	★★★★★ 4.6 / 5 26,500+ reviews	★★★★★ 4.6 / 5 47,300+ reviews
App Store (Pro App)	★★★★★ 4.7 / 5 48,000+ reviews	★★★★★ 4.7 / 5 14,100+ reviews

What Do Customers of Bitvavo and Kraken Trade?

The pie charts below show what the average Bitvavo and Kraken customer trades on a daily basis. This illustrates where user focus lies.

Create an account?

Sign up with one of these exchanges via our link and take advantage of a welcome bonus. The promo code is automatically applied.

Recommended choice

Bonus Active

€20 free Bitcoin + trade your first week for free.

Claim bonus

Code: E3BB52F7EA

Promotion Active

Trade at the lowest fees on the Kraken Pro App.

Sign up

Code: (Use the button)

Conclusion: Bitvavo or Kraken?

Bitvavo and Kraken are both among the most reliable choices for crypto investors, but they serve different purposes. While Bitvavo excels in local simplicity and low costs for everyday investors, Kraken is a powerful platform for those seeking technical depth and global liquidity.