Kraken vs Phemex: fees compared
Every fee that costs you money on Kraken and Phemex, side by side — trading fees at each VIP tier, withdrawal fees coin by coin, deposits and fiat. Sourced from each exchange’s own fee pages.
KrakenRank #14 · founded 2011
PhemexRank #51 · founded 2019The short answer
- Kraken charges 0.01–0.8% on spot taker orders versus 0.1% on Phemex.
- On futures, Kraken is cheaper for takers (0.05% vs 0.06%).
- Kraken publishes the deeper VIP ladder (17 tiers), so high-volume traders can push fees lower there.
Head-to-head
| Fee | Kraken | Phemex |
|---|---|---|
| Trading fees | ||
| Spot maker | 0–0.4%cheaper | 0.1% |
| Spot taker | 0.01–0.8%cheaper | 0.1% |
| Futures maker | 0.02% | 0.01%cheaper |
| Futures taker | 0.05%cheaper | 0.06% |
| Lowest spot taker (top VIP tier) | 0.05%Pro 5 | 0.04%cheaperStar VIP |
| Fee tiers published | 17moreSpot trading | 11Spot trading |
| Fee discount with exchange token | — | — |
| Withdrawals & deposits | ||
| Coins you can withdraw | 697synced 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC | — |
| Median withdrawal fee (coins on both) | — | — |
| Cheaper withdrawal on… | — | — |
| Crypto deposit fee | — | — |
| Exchange profile | ||
| Volume 24h (spot + derivatives) | $2.85BmoreOI $438.85M | $2.48BOI $2.08B |
| Markets | Spot, Derivativesfounded 2011 | Spot, Derivativesfounded 2019 |
| Fiat currencies | 7 currenciesUSD, EUR, GBP, CAD, JPY, CHF… | SupportedCard |
“Cheaper” marks the better number on that row only. A dash means we have not verified that fee for the exchange yet — it is not a claim that the fee is zero.
What would you actually pay?
- Trading (Tier 9 · 0.06% / 0.18%)
- $1,200.00
- Withdrawals (no coin selected)
- —
- Trading (Pro 1 · 0.06% / 0.08%)
- $700.00
- Withdrawals (no coin selected)
- —
At $1M of monthly spot volume (50% maker) plus 4 coin withdrawals, Phemex costs $500.00 less per month — $6,000.00 a year.
Estimate only: it applies each exchange’s published VIP ladder for the market you picked, ignores token-payment discounts, referral rebates and promotional zero-fee pairs, and assumes every withdrawal uses the cheapest network above. Negative fees are maker rebates.
Spot fee tiers side by side
KrakenSpot trading
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | — | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| Tier 2 | $2.50K | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Tier 3 | $10.00K | 0.22% | 0.38% |
| Tier 4 | $25.00K | 0.2% | 0.35% |
| Tier 5 | $50.00K | 0.15% | 0.3% |
| Tier 6 | $100.00K | 0.12% | 0.25% |
| Tier 7 | $250.00K | 0.1% | 0.22% |
| Tier 8 | $500.00K | 0.08% | 0.2% |
| Tier 9 | $1.00M | 0.06% | 0.18% |
| Tier 10 | $2.50M | 0.04% | 0.15% |
| Tier 11 | $5.00M | 0.02% | 0.12% |
| Tier 12 | $10.00M | 0% | 0.1% |
| Pro 1 | $50.00M | 0% | 0.09% |
| Pro 2 | $100.00M | 0% | 0.08% |
| Pro 3 | $250.00M | 0% | 0.07% |
| Pro 4 | $400.00M | 0% | 0.06% |
| Pro 5 | $500.00M | 0% | 0.05% |
Source: Kraken fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
PhemexSpot trading
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIP 0 | — | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| VIP 1 | $800.00K | 0.09% | 0.1% |
| Pro 1 | $800.00K | 0.06% | 0.08% |
| VIP 2 | $1.80M | 0.05% | 0.07% |
| VIP 3 | $2.50M | 0.045% | 0.065% |
| VIP 4 | $4.50M | 0.04% | 0.06% |
| VIP 5 | $8.00M | 0.035% | 0.055% |
| Star VIP | $15.00M | 0% | 0.04% |
| Pro 2 | $15.00M | 0.04% | 0.06% |
| Pro 3 | $30.00M | 0.03% | 0.05% |
| Pro 4 | $100.00M | 0% | 0.045% |
Source: Phemex fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
Futures fee tiers side by side
KrakenFutures trading
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | — | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Tier 2 | $5.00M | 0.0175% | 0.045% |
| Tier 3 | $10.00M | 0.015% | 0.04% |
| Tier 4 | $15.00M | 0.0125% | 0.035% |
| Tier 5 | $25.00M | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Tier 6 | $40.00M | 0.0075% | 0.0275% |
| Tier 7 | $50.00M | 0.005% | 0.025% |
| Tier 8 | $75.00M | 0.005% | 0.0225% |
| Tier 9 | $100.00M | 0% | 0.02% |
| Tier 10 | $150.00M | 0% | 0.018% |
| Tier 11 | $250.00M | -0.003%rebate | 0.0175% |
| Tier 12 | $300.00M | -0.003%rebate | 0.017% |
| Pro 1 | $400.00M | -0.003%rebate | 0.016% |
| Pro 2 | $500.00M | -0.005%rebate | 0.015% |
| Pro 3 | $1.00B | -0.006%rebate | 0.0135% |
| Pro 4 | $2.00B | -0.006%rebate | 0.013% |
| Pro 5 | $5.00B | -0.006%rebate | 0.0125% |
Source: Kraken fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
PhemexFutures trading
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIP 0 | — | 0.01% | 0.06% |
| VIP 1 | $8.00M | 0.008% | 0.055% |
| Pro 1 | $8.00M | 0% | 0.0475% |
| VIP 2 | $18.00M | 0.006% | 0.05% |
| VIP 3 | $45.00M | 0.004% | 0.045% |
| VIP 4 | $85.00M | 0.002% | 0.0375% |
| Pro 2 | $100.00M | 0% | 0.045% |
| VIP 5 | $180.00M | 0.001% | 0.035% |
| Star VIP | $380.00M | 0% | 0.03% |
| Pro 3 | $380.00M | 0% | 0.035% |
| Pro 4 | $1.50B | 0% | 0.0325% |
Source: Phemex fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
Withdrawal fees, coin by coin
We have not synced withdrawal fees for Phemex yet, so there is nothing to compare coin by coin. See Kraken withdrawal fees →
Kraken vs Phemex — FAQ
Is Kraken or Phemex cheaper?
Kraken charges 0.01–0.8% on spot taker orders versus 0.1% on Phemex. On futures, Kraken is cheaper for takers (0.05% vs 0.06%). Kraken publishes the deeper VIP ladder (17 tiers), so high-volume traders can push fees lower there.
Which has lower trading fees, Kraken or Phemex?
Kraken charges 0.01–0.8% taker / 0–0.4% maker on spot and 0.05% taker on futures at the entry tier. Phemex charges 0.1% taker / 0.1% maker on spot and 0.06% taker on futures. Across the metrics we compare, Kraken wins more of them. Both drop as your 30-day volume grows — use the calculator above to price your own volume.
Which is cheaper for withdrawals, Kraken or Phemex?
We do not yet have withdrawal fees synced for both exchanges, so we can't compare them coin by coin.
How can I pay lower fees on Kraken or Phemex?
Both exchanges also cut maker/taker rates as your 30-day volume rises — Kraken publishes 17 tiers and Phemex publishes 11 tiers. Choosing the cheapest withdrawal network matters just as much: on many coins the gap between networks is larger than the gap between exchanges.
Are these Kraken and Phemex fees up to date?
Trading fees are hand-curated from each exchange's official fee schedule and carry the date we last verified them (2026-08-28 for Kraken, 2026-08-28 for Phemex). Withdrawal fees are synced from each exchange's own API or fee page (last sync 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC for Kraken). USD amounts are recomputed at the live coin price.
Other comparisons
Trading and other fee numbers are hand-curated from each exchange’s official fee pages (linked next to every tier table) and carry the date we last verified them. Withdrawal fees are synced from each exchange’s own API or fee page; USD amounts are computed at the current live coin price, so they move with the market. Rates exclude referral rebates, promotional zero-fee pairs and regional pricing. Full detail per exchange: Kraken fees · Phemex fees.