A 2011-vintage exchange with one of the cleanest security records in the business, heading toward a US stock listing.
US bitcoin-only brokerage with zero-fee recurring buys, phone support and full proof of reserves.
Kraken rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 against 4.6 for River.
Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.
| Fact | Kraken | River |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.7 (favoured on this row) | 4.6 |
| Published fees | From 0.25% maker, 0.40% taker | Free recurring, 1.2% one-off |
| Maker fee | 0.25% on Kraken Pro below $10,000 in 30-day volume, decreasing at higher tiers | Not published |
| Taker fee | 0.40% on Kraken Pro below $10,000 in 30-day volume, decreasing at higher tiers | Not published |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | No | Yes |
| Payment rails supported | 14 | 2 |
| Countries ranked in | 127 | 1 |
| Ranks first in | 10 | 0 |
| Countries shared | 1 | 1 |
| Security record | 10 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-06-30 | 9 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-08-26 |
| Founded | 2011 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | San Francisco, California, US |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-23 | 2026-08-12 |
Each country guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
| Country | Status | Kraken ranks | River ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Legal | #2 | #4 |
Dated events from each review, newest first: breaches, enforcement actions, licences, audits and proof-of-reserves publications. Every exchange ranked here carries one.
Latest proof of reserves shows bitcoin backed at 102.9%
Kraken refuses extortion after two support staff misused internal systems
Kraken wins a MiCA licence from the Central Bank of Ireland
Licensed in more than 40 US jurisdictions under NMLS 1906809, but not New York
August proof of reserves shows 31,581 BTC held against 31,407 BTC owed
A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days
Kraken rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 against 4.6 for River. The rating weighs published fees, security record and local payment support; the table above sets each beside the other so you can check the score against the facts.
Kraken: From 0.25% maker, 0.40% taker. River: Free recurring, 1.2% one-off. Those are each platform's published headline rates; card purchases and instant-buy widgets cost more than the order book on both, and each review carries the full schedule.
Both are ranked in our guides for United States. Kraken is ranked in 127 countries in all and River in 1; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
Kraken carries 2 incidents among 10 dated events, the latest on 2026-04-14: Kraken refuses extortion after two support staff misused internal systems. River carries 2 incidents among 9 dated events, the latest on 2026-05-03: A mining pool failure stopped hashing at both River mining sites for four days. Both reviews list every event with its source.
Kraken: required; identity verification is required to deposit fiat and trade.. River: required.
The full reviews: Kraken and River, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
Every other head-to-head Kraken or River appears in.
United States