Kraken vs Bitget: fees, EU licences and which to choose

Kraken vs Bitget is a contrast between a long-standing, licensed cryptocurrency exchange and an offshore platform whose focus is futures and copy trading. For EU users the most important difference is the licence. On 23 October 2026 Kraken serves the EEA under a MiCA authorisation from the Central Bank of Ireland, while Bitget has only applied for one, bars residents of Germany, France and Austria, and lost an estimated $351.6 million in a September 2026 hack.

Outside the EU and the US, Bitget’s lower fees and copy trading are its draw. Below we compare licences, fees with euro examples, features and security, using official pages checked on 23 October 2026. Crypto is volatile, you can lose all the money you put in, and this is not investment advice.

Kraken vs Bitget: the short verdict

Kraken is the winner for EU and US users; Bitget only makes sense elsewhere, for experienced traders who accept the risks.

• Choose Kraken if you live in the EU or the US (excluding New York) and want a licensed cryptocurrency exchange with 600+ assets and EU-regulated futures.
• Choose Bitget only if you live outside the EU and the US, want low fees or copy trading, and accept its September 2026 hack.

Read our full Kraken review and Bitget review.

Kraken vs Bitget at a glance

Compared across our four review categories, Kraken scores higher on protection, products and ease, while Bitget edges ahead on costs. Scores run from 1 to 10 and follow our methodology.

Who can use Kraken and Bitget

Kraken is accessible to EU users, UK users and most US users; Bitget has no EU licence and its restrictions bar US users. That availability gap matters more than any fee.

Payward Europe Solutions Limited, Kraken’s EU entity, received its MiCA authorisation from the Central Bank of Ireland on 25 June 2025, passported to every EEA country. In the US, Kraken holds a FinCEN registration and state money transmitter licences, but its licence list doesn’t include New York.

Bitget EU applied to Austria’s FMA for MiCA authorisation, confirmed on 2 July 2026, but isn’t in ESMA’s register of 22 October 2026. Bitget’s terms list Austria, France, Germany and the US as prohibited, and it ended all services for French users on 31 March 2026.

Kraken vs Bitget fees: who has lower fees?

Bitget has lower trading fees: 0.10% maker and taker on spot, against Kraken Pro’s 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker since July 2026. Kraken’s higher fees come with a licence Bitget lacks.

Kraken Pro fees vs Bitget fees

Here are the maker-taker fees on a €100 and a €1,000 spot transaction at entry rates, as trade size × fee rate.

Kraken Pro suits regular traders who use limit orders; its rates fall with 30-day volume, and stablecoin and FX pairs cost 0.20% for makers and takers. Kraken’s simple app charges 1% on direct buys plus a spread, about €10.00 plus the spread on €1,000; Kraken+ members pay no app trading fee on up to $10,000 a month. Bitget’s 20% BGB discount means holding a token whose price can fall.

Withdrawal fees and deposits

Kraken publishes its euro costs: SEPA deposits are free, and SEPA withdrawals cost a fixed €1, or €0.90 via SEPA Instant. Bitget’s euro deposit and withdrawal fees couldn’t be verified. For bitcoin, Kraken charges 0.000015 BTC and Bitget 0.00002 BTC per withdrawal, so Kraken is cheaper. Fees on other chains vary, so check each network before you send.

Coins, markets and features

Kraken lists more coins and currencies. Our count of its public API data shows 600+ assets with live markets, with seven fiat currencies including EUR, USD and GBP. Bitget lists roughly 500 base assets on its main spot market, with EUR.

Both platforms offer an app, an API and staking. Kraken pays staking rewards on eligible coins and offers margin to eligible clients. Bitget’s tools focus on futures and spot, futures and bot copy trading, all without EU authorisation. With copy trading you copy losses as well as gains, and the trader you follow isn’t giving you investment advice.

Kraken’s EU futures run through a CySEC-licensed firm that only accepts clients who pass a MiFID II appropriateness test, at 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker on tier 1. Bitget’s perpetual contracts cost 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker at VIP 0.

Security and track record

Kraken’s security record is cleaner. Bitget’s September 2026 hack is the most serious recent event in this comparison.

On 24 September 2026 attackers drained part of Bitget’s hot and warm wallets, initially estimated at $351.6 million and later reported as $387.5 million. Bitget paused withdrawals and said its User Protection Fund, stated at over $464 million, covers the loss. Bitget publishes a monthly Merkle-tree proof of reserves.

Kraken publishes a Merkle-tree proof of reserves checked by an independent accountant, most recently for 30 June 2026, and we found no hack in our sources. Its record includes a $362,159 OFAC settlement in 2022 and a $30 million SEC staking settlement in 2023; the SEC’s 2023 lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in March 2025. On either exchange, secure your accounts with two-factor authentication.

Kraken vs Bitget: which exchange should you choose?

Kraken is the better choice for regulated access and spot investing in the EU, and Kraken Pro for regular traders who use limit orders. Bitget suits only experienced traders outside the EU and the US who understand copy trading and leverage. Beginners and long-term investors in the EU should avoid Bitget until Bitget EU is authorised.

For other exchanges, see Coinbase vs Bitget or Kraken vs Bybit.

How we built this Kraken vs Bitget comparison

We’re an editorial team, and we didn’t open accounts or place trades. On 23 October 2026 we checked both exchanges’ fee pages, terms, licence pages and ESMA’s MiCA register. This is not investment advice; do your own research before you invest.