Kraken vs Coinbase in Canada: fees, limits and safety
Updated November 2026. Checked against the regulators' registers and each platform's own pages.
Who pays us: Neither Kraken nor Coinbase pays us. We have no affiliate or referral deals in place yet, so these links earn us nothing. How we make money
Kraken homepage, cropped to logo and menu
What this proves
Kraken's Canadian site says Payward Canada Inc. is registered as a Restricted Dealer with the Ontario Securities Commission and the securities regulators in each province and territory.
Kraken
7.8Good · out of 10
Best for an active-trader screen with published maker and taker rates
- Instant buy
- 1% plus spread
- Kraken Pro
- 0.40% maker, 0.80% taker
- Interac in
- No fee, from $5
Watch: Instant buys cost 1%, plus a spread
Coinbase homepage, cropped to logo and menu
What this proves
Coinbase's Canadian homepage says you can add cash by Interac e-Transfer and EFT with no fee.
Coinbase
6.9Fair · out of 10
Best for the widest coin list on a registered Canadian platform
- Simple buy
- Spread plus up to 1.875%
- Coinbase Advanced
- No spread; rates after sign-in
- Assets
- 200+
Watch: Simple buys include a spread, plus a fee that varies by payment method
Kraken and Coinbase are two large international crypto platforms that serve Canadians through their own Canadian companies. Both are registered in every province and territory as restricted dealers, so the regulatory picture is close. The differences are in what each publishes about its fees, how each holds your crypto and what limits apply to your purchases.
Everything below comes from our two reviews, which are built from each platform’s own Canadian pages. Where one review covers a point and the other doesn’t, we say so.
The short answer
Kraken’s simple buy screen charges 1% plus a spread. Its active-trader screen, Kraken Pro, publishes its rates: 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker at the lowest tier. Interac deposits carry no fee from $5. In most provinces it caps yearly purchases of coins other than Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin.
Coinbase lists more than 200 assets. Its simple buys include a spread plus a fee of up to 1.875%, depending on how you pay. Coinbase Advanced has no spread, but its maker and taker rates are shown only after you sign in. Interac and EFT deposits carry no fee.
Side by side
| Kraken | Coinbase | |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Restricted dealer (Payward Canada Inc.) | Restricted dealer (Coinbase Canada, Inc.) |
| Simple buy | 1% plus spread; up to $2 on small trades | Spread plus up to 1.875%, varies by payment method |
| Other orders | Custom orders 1.5% | Limit orders 1% execution fee |
| Active-trader screen | Kraken Pro: 0.40% maker, 0.80% taker at the lowest tier | Coinbase Advanced: no spread; rates shown only after sign-in |
| Interac in | No fee, from $5 | No fee |
| Cash withdrawals | Fees not published | Limits and fees not published |
| Coins | Not covered in our review | 200+ |
| Custody | At least 80% with Anchorage Digital Bank and BitGo | Held by the Coinbase group; no outside custodian named |
| Purchase limits | Yearly caps on most coins outside BC, Manitoba and Quebec | Not covered in our review |
| Staking commission | Not covered in our review | 35% of rewards |
Fees
Both platforms build a spread into their simple buy button, and neither publishes how wide it is. On top of that spread, Kraken charges 1% on instant and recurring trades, or a fee of up to $2 on small instant trades. Custom orders cost 1.5%, and debit and credit card purchases can carry extra fees.
Coinbase says it “may also charge a 1.875% Coinbase fee” on a simple buy or sell, and that the fee varies by payment method. Limit orders carry a separate 1% execution fee. One caveat: Coinbase’s fee page warns that its figures don’t apply in every region, and it doesn’t publish a separate Canadian fee table.
The active-trader screens are where the two differ most. Kraken Pro publishes its maker and taker fees on its Canadian site: 0.40% for orders that add to the order book and 0.80% for orders that fill straight away, falling as your 30-day volume rises. Coinbase Advanced has no spread, but its Canadian help centre doesn’t publish the rates. It says to sign in to see them, and that the fee always shows on the order preview. So on Kraken Pro you can work out the cost before opening an account, and on Coinbase Advanced you can’t.
Our crypto fees comparison sets out what a buy costs across registered platforms, and our fees study covers what each platform’s fee page leaves out.
On funding, both charge nothing for Interac e-Transfer deposits. Kraken’s minimum is $5, and it lists other options: domestic wire with no Kraken fee from $100 (Kraken notes a $13.74 intermediary bank fee), debit card at $0.25 plus 3.75%, and bill payment through Apaylo at 0.25%, up to $30. Coinbase says you can add cash by Interac or EFT with no fee, or buy with PayPal or a card. Our Coinbase review couldn’t find published deposit limits or processing times for Canada.
Neither publishes a Canadian dollar withdrawal fee. Kraken shows the fee before you confirm a withdrawal, and Coinbase says you can cash out to most banks.
Coins, limits and staking
Coinbase lists more than 200 assets. Our Kraken review doesn’t give a coin count. You can send crypto to an outside wallet from Coinbase for a fee based on its estimate of the network fee at the time. Our Kraken review doesn’t cover crypto withdrawal fees.
Kraken caps how much of some coins you can buy. Apart from Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin, your net purchases over 12 months are limited to $30,000, or $100,000 if you qualify as an eligible crypto investor. Accredited investors have no limit, and the caps don’t apply in British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec. Our Coinbase review doesn’t cover purchase limits.
Coinbase offers staking in Canada and keeps a standard 35% of the rewards. Our Kraken review doesn’t cover staking.
Safety
Both are restricted dealers, registered under terms and conditions set by the provincial regulators. That’s a step short of the investment dealers on the regulators’ list, such as NDAX and Bitbuy, which are also CIRO members. Both types are legal.
Payward Canada Inc., operating as Kraken, is registered in every province and territory, with its latest decision on the register dated 1 April 2025. Kraken says Payward is still seeking an exemption from registering as a marketplace. Coinbase Canada, Inc. is incorporated in British Columbia and registered in all provinces and territories, with its latest decision dated 1 April 2026.
On custody, Kraken says more. Its Canadian disclosures say an outside custodian will hold at least 80% of client assets at all times, naming Anchorage Digital Bank and BitGo Trust Company, and that no more than 20% sits in hot wallets Payward runs itself. Coinbase says your crypto is held by the Coinbase group on a custodial basis and kept separate from its own assets in its records, but doesn’t name an outside custodian.
Neither platform’s crypto is covered by CIPF or CDIC. Kraken goes further and says your funds and crypto “are not insured in any way by us.” Coinbase says crypto in your wallet isn’t covered by any investor protection insurance scheme. Neither protects you from a fall in price. Kraken also says it doesn’t lend money, extend credit or provide margin to Canadian clients. Our Coinbase review doesn’t cover lending or margin.
Who each suits
These are fits by feature, not advice on what to buy.
Kraken suits someone who plans to use an active-trader screen and wants to see the rates before signing up, since Kraken Pro publishes them. It also suits someone who mostly wants Bitcoin or Ether, which sit outside its yearly purchase caps.
Coinbase suits someone who wants the widest coin list on a registered platform, or wants to stake. If you use it, Coinbase Advanced avoids the spread on simple buys, though you’ll need to sign in to see its rates. Our registered list shows where both sit against investment dealers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kraken or Coinbase safer in Canada?
Both are registered as restricted dealers in every province and territory. Kraken names its outside custodians and Coinbase doesn’t. Neither covers crypto under CIPF or CDIC.
Which is cheaper, Kraken or Coinbase?
On simple buys, both add a spread they don’t publish. Kraken’s fee on top is 1%, and Coinbase’s is up to 1.875%. Kraken Pro publishes 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker rates. Coinbase Advanced has no spread, but its rates are shown only after you sign in.
Can I fund either with Interac?
Yes. Both charge no fee for Interac e-Transfer deposits. Neither publishes a Canadian dollar withdrawal fee.
Is my crypto covered by CIPF on either platform?
No. Kraken says it isn’t a CIPF member, and Coinbase says crypto in your wallet isn’t covered by CIPF, CDIC or any other scheme.
Sources
Checked 10 November 2026. Facts come from our Kraken review and Coinbase review, and the pages they cite:
- Kraken, Canadian homepage and regulatory notice
- Kraken, Canadian disclosures
- Kraken, fee schedule
- Kraken, Pro fees
- Kraken Support, cash deposit options
- Coinbase, Canadian user agreement
- Coinbase, Canadian homepage
- Coinbase Help, fees
- Coinbase Help, Coinbase Advanced fees
- New Brunswick Financial and Consumer Services Commission, registered crypto asset trading platforms
Update history
- First published.
- First published.
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