Compare Kraken vs Poloniex

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Kraken vs Poloniex: A Comprehensive Comparison Review

Kraken and Poloniex are two of the longest-running cryptocurrency exchanges in the industry. Both platforms have gained a reputation for their high level of security and ease of use, making them popular choices for investors of all levels of experience. In this comparison review, we will take a closer look at the two exchanges to help you decide which one is right for you.

User Interface and Experience

Kraken and Poloniex both offer easy-to-use and intuitive interfaces, but Kraken has a more streamlined and modern design compared to Poloniex's somewhat dated interface. Kraken's user interface allows for easy navigation, and the exchange has a mobile app available for download on both iOS and Android devices, which makes it convenient for traders on the go. Poloniex also has a mobile app, but its user interface is not as user-friendly as Kraken's.
Kraken's user experience is further enhanced by its customer support team, which is available 24/7 to assist with any issues or questions. Poloniex, on the other hand, has faced criticism in the past for its slow customer support response times.

Cryptocurrency Selection

Both Kraken and Poloniex offer a wide selection of cryptocurrencies, but Kraken has a more extensive selection with over 50 cryptocurrencies available for trading. Poloniex, on the other hand, offers around 30 cryptocurrencies.
Kraken is also known for its support of fiat currencies, with users able to trade in USD, EUR, CAD, GBP, and JPY. Poloniex, on the other hand, only supports cryptocurrency trading, and users cannot deposit or withdraw fiat currency.

Security

Security is an essential aspect of any cryptocurrency exchange, and both Kraken and Poloniex have a strong track record in this area. Kraken's security measures include two-factor authentication (2FA) and cold storage for the majority of its assets. Kraken also performs regular security audits to ensure the safety of its platform and its users' funds.
Poloniex also uses 2FA to secure user accounts and offers cold storage for the majority of its funds. However, Poloniex has experienced a security breach in the past, which led to the loss of some users' funds. Since then, the exchange has taken steps to enhance its security measures.

Fees

Fees are an essential consideration for traders, and both Kraken and Poloniex have competitive fee structures. Kraken's fees are volume-based and start at 0.16% for makers and 0.26% for takers. Poloniex's fees are also volume-based and range from 0% to 0.125% for makers and takers.
Kraken also offers fee discounts for high-volume traders, which can be as high as 0.02% for makers and 0.04% for takers. Poloniex does not currently offer fee discounts.

Trading Features

Kraken and Poloniex both offer a range of trading features, including spot trading, margin trading, and staking. However, Kraken has a more extensive selection of trading pairs, with over 150 trading pairs available, compared to Poloniex's approximately 60 trading pairs.
Kraken also offers futures trading, while Poloniex does not. Kraken's futures trading platform is known for its high liquidity and low fees, making it a popular choice for futures traders.

Company
User rating User rating 3.4 / 5 21 user reviews User rating 2.8 / 5 11 user reviews
Cryptogeek rating Cryptogeek rating 4.0 / 5 Cryptogeek rating 4.0 / 5
Trust Score How it works Trust Score 4.08 / 5 Trust Score 3.78 / 5

User rating

3.4 / 5 21 user reviews 2.8 / 5 11 user reviews

Cryptogeek rating

4.0 / 5 4.0 / 5

Trust Score

How it works
4.08 / 5 3.78 / 5

About

Kraken was founded back in 2011 but was officially opened two years later. It is one of the oldest active cryptocurrency exchanges. Kraken provides efficient trading opportunities in numerous Fiat currencies. It is currently holding the world leadership in terms of Bitcoin to Euro trading volumes. The exchange supports both crypto and Fiat deposits as well as withdrawals.
Poloniex launched in 2014. It is based in the United States. It was recently acquired by Circle, a large Goldman-Sachs backed company. The exchange faced a hacker attack soon after opening which caused a higher level of security provided later. It requires a user’s physical address, postal address, date of birth, id, and phone number.

Founding Date

2011 2014

Country

USA USA

Type

Centralized Centralized

Languages

English, Japanese, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish, Filipino, Thai, Ukrainian, Taiwanese English

Mobile app

iOS, Android iOS, Android

Full address

Payward Trading Ltd c/o SHRM Trustees (BVI) Limited Trinity Chambers, P.O. Box 4301 Road Town, Tortola, VG1110 British Virgin Islands Poloniex, LLC. 2018 - Boston, MA, U.S.A

Fees

< 50,000$: 0.16% Maker | 0.26% Taker
< 100,000$: 0.14% Maker | 0.24% Taker
< 250,000$: 0.12% Maker | 0.22% Taker
< 500,000$: 0.10% Maker | 0.20% Taker
< 1,000,000$: 0.08% Maker | 0.18% Taker
< 2,500,000$: 0.06% Maker | 0.16% Taker
< 5,000,000$: 0.04% Maker | 0.14% Taker
< 10,000,000$: 0.02% Maker | 0.12% Taker
> 10,000,000$: 0.00% Maker | 0.10% Taker

Full fee schedule:
https://www.kraken.com/en-us/features/fee-schedule
https://support.kraken.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000767986-Cryptocurrency-withdrawal-fees-and-minimums
Fees are charged and deduced on a per-trade basis. The more “total volume” you trade on a rolling 30 day basis, the lower your fee on subsequent trades. We will calculate your fees based on your last 30 days of trading volume based on the daily average of the BTC-USD rate (24-hour weighted average price) and dynamically adjust your fees according to the following schedule:

Maker | Taker Trade | Volume (trailing 30 day avg)
0.08% |   0.20%  | < $1m USD
0.02% |   0.15%  | < $20m USD
0.00% |   0.10%  | ≥ $20m USD
About
Kraken was founded back in 2011 but was officially opened two years later. It is one of the oldest active cryptocurrency exchanges. Kraken provides efficient trading opportunities in numerous Fiat currencies. It is currently holding the world leadership in terms of Bitcoin to Euro trading volumes. The exchange supports both crypto and Fiat deposits as well as withdrawals.
Poloniex launched in 2014. It is based in the United States. It was recently acquired by Circle, a large Goldman-Sachs backed company. The exchange faced a hacker attack soon after opening which caused a higher level of security provided later. It requires a user’s physical address, postal address, date of birth, id, and phone number.
Founding Date Founding Date 2011 Founding Date 2014
Country Country USA Country USA
Type Type Centralized Type Centralized
Languages Languages English, Japanese, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish, Filipino, Thai, Ukrainian, Taiwanese Languages English
Mobile app Mobile app iOS, Android Mobile app iOS, Android
Full address Full address Payward Trading Ltd c/o SHRM Trustees (BVI) Limited Trinity Chambers, P.O. Box 4301 Road Town, Tortola, VG1110 British Virgin Islands Full address Poloniex, LLC. 2018 - Boston, MA, U.S.A
Fees Fees < 50,000$: 0.16% Maker | 0.26% Taker
< 100,000$: 0.14% Maker | 0.24% Taker
< 250,000$: 0.12% Maker | 0.22% Taker
< 500,000$: 0.10% Maker | 0.20% Taker
< 1,000,000$: 0.08% Maker | 0.18% Taker
< 2,500,000$: 0.06% Maker | 0.16% Taker
< 5,000,000$: 0.04% Maker | 0.14% Taker
< 10,000,000$: 0.02% Maker | 0.12% Taker
> 10,000,000$: 0.00% Maker | 0.10% Taker

Full fee schedule:
https://www.kraken.com/en-us/features/fee-schedule
https://support.kraken.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000767986-Cryptocurrency-withdrawal-fees-and-minimums
Fees Fees are charged and deduced on a per-trade basis. The more “total volume” you trade on a rolling 30 day basis, the lower your fee on subsequent trades. We will calculate your fees based on your last 30 days of trading volume based on the daily average of the BTC-USD rate (24-hour weighted average price) and dynamically adjust your fees according to the following schedule:

Maker | Taker Trade | Volume (trailing 30 day avg)
0.08% |   0.20%  | < $1m USD
0.02% |   0.15%  | < $20m USD
0.00% |   0.10%  | ≥ $20m USD

Trading

Kraken trading volume is 90,468,680.0. The exchange has 99 available trading pairs. Fiat trading is available on the exchange. Margin trading is available.

Poloniex trading volume is 18,446,726.0. The exchange has 101 available trading pairs. Fiat trading is not available on the exchange. Margin trading is available.

Please note: The bigger number of available trading pairs provides you with more trading opportunities, but may cause technological shortcomings at the same time.

Volume

90468680 18446726

Pairs

99 101

Coins

26 57

Fiat trading

-

Deposit

Depends on currency and volume Free

Fees

Percentage Percentage

Margin

Volume Volume 90468680 Volume 18446726
Pairs Pairs 99 Pairs 101
Coins Coins 26 Coins 57
Fiat trading Fiat trading Fiat trading -
Deposit Deposit Depends on currency and volume Deposit Free
Fees Fees Percentage Fees Percentage
Margin Margin Margin

Safety

Two factor authentication

Verified

Verified Verified
Two factor authentication Two factor authentication Two factor authentication
Verified Verified Verified Verified Verified

Social

Website

r.kraken.com poloniex.com

Twitter

Krakenfx @poloniex

Number of followers

376000 222304
Website Website r.kraken.com Website poloniex.com
Twitter Twitter Krakenfx Twitter @poloniex
Number of followers Number of followers 376000 Number of followers 222304

Rating

User rating User rating 3.4 / 5 21 user reviews User rating 2.8 / 5 11 user reviews
Cryptogeek rating Cryptogeek rating 4.0 / 5 Cryptogeek rating 4.0 / 5

Cryptogeek summary

Kraken user rating is 3.4, based on 21 user reviews. Poloniex user rating is 2.8, based on 11 user reviews.

We also calculate the special Cryptogeek TrustScore based on the characteristics of each exchange.

We choose the winner based on our TrustScore Rating. Please remember, it’s still up to you which company to choose! How do we calculate Trust Score?
We choose the winner based on our TrustScore Rating. Please remember, it’s still up to you which company to choose! How do we calculate Trust Score?
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Trust Score: 4.08 / 5
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Trust Score: 3.78 / 5
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On this page, you can compare Kraken with Poloniex. Which exchange is better to use? You can compare exchange characteristics, fees, trading features, safety, and social media presence.

At the end of this page, you can see our final ratings for both exchanges.

In the table below you can see general information on both exchanges. Kraken was founded in 2011 in USA. Poloniex was founded in 2014 in USA.

When choosing an exchange for trading, you should take into account how long it has been an active market player. Older exchanges usually have a good reputation and tend to be more reliable. It may be a good decision to use the older exchange, which is Kraken. At the same time, newer projects may be more technologically advanced.

You should also pay attention to where the exchange is located. Some countries have strict financial regulations, which makes it difficult to seek court assistance when needed.

Kraken is Centralized and Poloniex is Centralized. You can read more about the pros and cons of centralized and decentralized exchanges in this article.

Kraken has a mobile app available for iOS and Android. Poloniex has a mobile app available for iOS and Android.

Kraken has 14 languages available, including English, Japanese, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Turkish, Filipino, Thai, Ukrainian and Taiwanese. Poloniex has 1 language available, which is English.