Kraken maker-taker fees: what you actually pay in 2026

Kraken does not charge one flat rate. On the regular Kraken trading screen, a Tier 1 account (under $2,500 in 30-day trading volume) pays a 0.40% maker fee and a 0.80% taker fee^††. Kraken's published fee schedule also lists a lower starting rate of 0.25% maker and 0.40% taker^††. Which number applies to you depends on your account type and your 30-day volume, so check both before you place an order.

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What's the difference between a maker fee and a taker fee?

A maker order adds liquidity. You place a limit order that doesn't fill right away, so it sits on the order book until someone else trades against it. A taker order removes liquidity. You place a market order, or a limit order that fills instantly against an existing order. Exchanges reward makers with a lower fee because makers help build the order book, and Kraken's own fee schedule follows this same split, with maker rates set below taker rates at every tier the Knowledge Graph confirms^††††.

What are Kraken's maker taker fees right now?

Here's what the Knowledge Graph confirms from Kraken's official fee schedule page.

Fee tiers on Kraken are tied to trailing 30-day volume, and the Tier 1 regular tier confirmed above applies specifically under $2,500 in that window^†. Kraken lists higher-volume tiers above that threshold on its own site, but our Knowledge Graph does not have verified numbers for those tiers yet. We won't guess them here. Check Kraken's live fee schedule page directly if your 30-day volume is above $2,500.

How much does a Kraken maker taker fee actually cost?

Run the math on a real trade size instead of guessing. The formula is simple: trade size × fee percent = cost.

• A $1,000 limit order that fills as a maker at the starting rate: $1,000 × 0.25% = $2.50^†.
• The same $1,000 order filled as a taker at the Tier 1 regular rate: $1,000 × 0.80% = $8.00^†.
• A smaller $500 maker order at Tier 1 regular: $500 × 0.40% = $2.00^†.

That's a $5.50 difference between the $2.50 maker cost and the $8.00 taker cost on the same $1,000 trade, just from choosing maker over taker or landing in a different fee tier^††. Plug your own trade size into the fee calculator to see the exact cost before you confirm an order.

What does Kraken charge to withdraw?

Trading fees aren't the whole cost. Withdrawals add up too.

If you need an exact crypto withdrawal fee for a specific coin, check the confirmation screen inside your Kraken account. Kraken does not publish a fixed crypto withdrawal number, so we won't put one here^†.

Does your Kraken account type change the fee you pay?

Yes. Kraken requires identity verification before you can trade, and your verification tier affects what you're able to do on the account^†. The fee tier you land in also depends on your rolling 30-day trading volume, not which product screen you use. A new account with little volume should expect the Tier 1 regular rate confirmed above, 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, until volume builds up^††.

How to check your exact Kraken fee tier

1. Log in to Kraken and open your account's volume or fee page.
2. Check your trailing 30-day trading volume in USD.
3. Match that volume against Kraken's current fee schedule.
4. Compare the maker column against the taker column for your tier.
5. Decide whether a limit order (maker) saves you money versus a market order (taker) for this specific trade.

Common mistakes with Kraken's maker taker fees

People lose money on fees in a few predictable ways.

• Assuming the maker and taker rate are the same. They aren't, and the gap doubles at the regular Tier 1 level, 0.40% versus 0.80%^††.
• Placing a market order out of habit when a limit order would have filled as a maker at the lower rate^†.
• Forgetting that withdrawal fees exist separate from trading fees, especially the $25–$30 range Kraken cites for USD wire transfers^†.
• Comparing Kraken's advertised starting rate of 0.25% to another exchange's lowest tier, without checking which tier actually applies to their own volume^†.

A percentage fee hits a small trade harder in relative terms than a large one, since a flat cost like Kraken's $25–$30 wire fee stays fixed no matter the trade size^†.

Is Kraken cheaper than other exchanges?

That depends on your trade size, your 30-day volume, and which exchange you're comparing it against. We don't have verified fee data for every exchange in this article, so we won't guess. See our Kraken vs Binance fee comparison for a side-by-side built the same way, from Knowledge Graph facts only. For the full picture on Kraken itself, read our Kraken review.

FAQ

Is Kraken's maker fee always lower than the taker fee?

Yes, at both levels confirmed in the Knowledge Graph. The starting rate is 0.25% maker versus 0.40% taker, and the Tier 1 regular rate is 0.40% maker versus 0.80% taker^††††.

Does Kraken charge a fee to withdraw USD?

ACH withdrawal in the US is $0. Instant USD withdrawal costs 1.5%, capped at $50^†.

Are Kraken's crypto withdrawal fees fixed?

No. Kraken states the amount can change and only shows the final fee at withdrawal confirmation^†.

Do I need to verify my identity to see Kraken's fees?

You need identity verification to trade on Kraken at all^†. You can view the public fee schedule without an account, but your actual tier only applies once you're verified and trading.

For how we source and check these numbers, see our methodology.

RISK: Crypto assets are volatile and unregulated in many jurisdictions. Not financial advice.