Kraken vs. Robinhood Crypto (2026): Beginner's Guide

Robinhood Crypto vs. Kraken: Which is better? 

Kraken is best for users who want access to a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, lower trading fees, and more advanced trading features. It's a great choice for intermediate and advanced traders.

Robinhood Crypto is best for beginner investors who value simplicity, zero commission fees, and a straightforward user experience. It's a good choice for first-time crypto buyers.

Kraken: Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Lower trading fees: Kraken has lower fees on its standard platform, as well as low fees on Kraken Pro. You can also pay for the Kraken+ subscription service ($4.99 a month) and trade up to $10,000 with no fees.
• Large cryptocurrency selection: With over 500 cryptocurrencies available, you can explore both popular coins and lesser-known altcoins all in one place.
• Advanced trading tools: Kraken Pro offers features like futures contracts, and detailed charting tools for experienced traders.
• Staking options: You can earn rewards by staking over 20 different cryptocurrencies directly on the platform.

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve: The platform can feel less intuitive for beginner investors who are new to crypto.
• Limited availability: Kraken is not available in New York and Maine. In addition, staking features are restricted in California, Maryland, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.

Robinhood Crypto: Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Zero commission fees: You won't pay any trading commissions, which helps you keep more of your returns.
• Beginner-friendly interface: The platform features a clean, simple design that makes it easy to buy and sell crypto, even if you've never traded before!
• Available in all 50 states: Unlike Kraken, Robinhood Crypto works in all 50 states. It is available in New York, which is well known for its strict requirements for crypto exchanges.

Cons:

• Limited cryptocurrency selection: With only 20+ cryptocurrencies available, you won't have access to many smaller altcoins.
• Spread-based pricing: While there are no commissions, Robinhood makes money through spreads, which can add up on larger trades.

Kraken vs. Robinhood: Head-to-head

User Friendliness

Winner: Robinhood Crypto

Robinhood Crypto is the best choice if you're brand new to crypto and want the easiest possible experience. Kraken is better suited for users who have some trading experience or are willing to spend time learning the platform.

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto was built with beginners in mind. The platform features a clean, straightforward design that makes it easy to buy and sell crypto on desktop and mobile, even if you've never traded before! The interface is simple, with minimal clutter. 

Kraken: While Kraken has more advanced features, the platform can feel less intuitive for beginner investors. Kraken provides two interfaces, a standard platform and Kraken Pro. The learning curve may be longer if you're new to crypto.

Fees

Winner: Kraken 

Kraken is the best choice in terms of low fees. While Robinhood has zero stated fees, the hidden spreads can be high. 

Kraken: For simple purchases, Kraken charges up to 1%. Fees on Kraken Pro range from 0–0.4%. If you choose to pay for the Kraken+ subscription service, you pay zero fees on up to $10,000 of trades! These fees are transparent and predictable.

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto charges zero commission fees, which sounds great. However, the platform makes money through spreads: the difference between the buy and sell price of a cryptocurrency. While spreads are typically small, they can add up on larger trades. Overall, Robinhood has a less transparent fee structure than Kraken. 

Security

Winner: Tie

Both Kraken and Robinhood Crypto are considered safe and secure exchanges. 

Kraken: Kraken stores the majority of customer funds in cold storage (offline wallets that hackers can't access remotely), which protects your assets from online threats. The platform also offers two-factor authentication (2FA), which adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second verification step when you log in.

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto also uses cold storage for the majority of crypto assets and offers 2FA for account security. Additionally, any USD cash in your Robinhood account is FDIC-insured up to $250,000, which protects your cash deposits if the company fails. However, cryptocurrency stored on Robinhood is not FDIC-insured. 

Cryptocurrency Selection

Winner: Kraken

For beginners who plan to stick with major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a few others, Robinhood's selection is likely enough. However, if you want access to a wider variety of coins, Kraken is the better choice.

Kraken: Kraken offers access to 500+ cryptocurrencies

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto offers 20+ cryptocurrencies

Staking

Winner: Kraken

While Kraken offers more than 20 cryptocurrencies for staking, Robinhood currently only offers staking on Ethereum and Solana.

Kraken: Kraken supports staking for over 20 different cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and Polkadot. 

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto offers staking on ETH and SOL. 

Advanced Features

Winner: Kraken

Kraken provides significantly more advanced tools for experienced traders.

Kraken: Kraken Pro is one of the most feature-rich trading platforms available to U.S. customers. Kraken Pro provides advanced charting, deep liquidity, multiple order types, and faster execution. 

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto focuses on simplicity. While this makes the platform easy to use, it lacks advanced trading tools like futures or advanced charting. 

Stocks and Crypto

Winner: Robinhood 

Both platforms allow you to trade stocks and crypto in one place. However, Kraken only started offering stocks recently, while Robinhood was originally launched as a stock trading app. 

Kraken: Kraken has expanded its ecosystem to offer commission-free trading for certain U.S. stocks and ETFs. This allows you to diversify your portfolio beyond crypto and manage multiple asset types on one platform.

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood started as a stock trading platform and added crypto later. The platform offers commission-free trading for stocks and ETFs alongside its crypto offerings. 

Customer Support

Winner: Kraken

Kraken is the best choice for quality customer support. 

Kraken: Kraken offers 24/7 live chat and email support, which makes it easy to get help whenever you need it. 

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto provides email and in-app support but does not offer live chat or phone support. 

Mobile App

Winner: Robinhood Crypto

Both Kraken and Robinhood Crypto offer mobile apps that let you trade crypto on the go. Robinhood is the best choice for ease of use. 

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto offers a single, streamlined mobile app that's incredibly easy to use. The app has a clean design, intuitive navigation, and all the features you need to buy, sell, and track your crypto on the go. 

Kraken: Kraken offers two mobile apps: the standard Kraken app for simple buying and selling, and Kraken Pro for advanced trading. This gives you flexibility to choose the experience that matches your skill level. 

Availability

Winner: Robinhood Crypto

Robinhood Crypto is available in all 50 US states. 

Kraken: Kraken is available in most US states but cannot operate in New York or Maine due to regulatory restrictions.

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood Crypto is available in all 50 US states. It is available in New York, which is well known for its strict requirements for crypto exchanges. 

Trust & Controversies

Winner: Tie

Both Kraken and Robinhood Crypto are trusted platforms, but each has faced different challenges.

Kraken: Kraken has been operating since 2011 and has built a strong reputation in the crypto community. The platform is known for its transparency and security practices. However, Kraken settled with the SEC in 2023 over its staking services and paid a $30 million fine.

Robinhood Crypto: Robinhood gained significant attention during the 2021 GameStop trading controversy when it temporarily restricted trading on certain stocks. While this controversy was not specific to crypto, it made some users wary of Robinhood. 

Neither platform has experienced major security breaches affecting user funds.

Tax Reporting

Winner: Tie

Both Kraken and Robinhood Crypto provide transaction history that you can export for tax purposes. Both exchanges report to the IRS via Form 1099-DA. However, it's important to remember that these tax forms can be inaccurate, especially if you transferred crypto between wallets or exchanges.

In these situations, you'll need to use crypto tax software like CoinLedger to generate a complete tax report. CoinLedger integrates with Kraken, Robinhood Crypto, and hundreds of other platforms, allowing you to save hours of time and effort during tax season.

Conclusion

Kraken and Robinhood Crypto are both fantastic exchanges. Your choice should depend on your own unique needs.

Choose Kraken if you want lower trading fees, access to 500+ cryptocurrencies, more staking options, and advanced trading tools. Kraken is ideal for users who have some crypto experience or are willing to learn a more complex platform to access better features and lower fees.

Choose Robinhood Crypto if you value simplicity, strong regulatory compliance, and the easiest possible user experience. Robinhood Crypto is perfect for first-time crypto buyers looking for an easy to start investing.