Kraken vs Variational: fees compared
Every fee that costs you money on Kraken and Variational, 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
VariationalExchangeThe short answer
- On futures, Variational is cheaper for takers (0% vs 0.05%).
- Kraken has the cheaper withdrawal fee on 1 of the 1 coins both exchanges list.
- Kraken publishes the deeper VIP ladder (17 tiers), so high-volume traders can push fees lower there.
Head-to-head
| Fee | Kraken | Variational |
|---|---|---|
| Trading fees | ||
| Spot / swap maker | 0–0.4% | — |
| Spot / swap taker | 0.01–0.8% | — |
| Futures maker | 0.02% | 0%cheaper |
| Futures taker | 0.05% | 0%cheaper |
| Lowest spot taker (top VIP tier) | 0.05%Pro 5 | 0%cheaperRegular |
| Fee tiers published | 17moreSpot trading | 1 |
| Fee discount with exchange token | — | — |
| Withdrawals & deposits | ||
| Coins you can withdraw | 697moresynced 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC | 1synced 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC |
| Median withdrawal fee (coins on both) | $0.00cheaperacross 1 coins | $0.09997across 1 coins |
| Cheaper withdrawal on… | 1 coinsmore | 0 coins |
| Crypto deposit fee | — | — |
| Exchange profile | ||
| Volume 24h (spot + derivatives) | $2.85BmoreOI $438.85M | $1.17BOI $720.14M |
| Markets | Spot, Derivativesfounded 2011 | DEX, Derivatives |
| Fiat currencies | 7 currenciesUSD, EUR, GBP, CAD, JPY, CHF… | — |
“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 1 · 0.02% / 0.05%)
- $350.00
- Withdrawals (4× USDC · Ink · $0.00 each)
- $0.00
- Trading (Regular · 0% / 0%)
- $0.00
- Withdrawals (4× USDC · Arbitrum One · $0.09997 each)
- $0.40
At $1M of monthly futures volume (50% maker) plus 4 USDC withdrawals, Variational costs $349.60 less per month — $4,195.20 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
Variational
No spot fee tiers verified for Variational yet.
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
VariationalFutures trading
| Tier | 30d volume ≥ | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | — | 0% | 0% |
Source: Variational fee schedule ↗ · verified 2026-08-28
Withdrawal fees, coin by coin1 coin on both
| Coin | Kraken | Variational | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
 USDCUSDC | Free$0.00 · Ink +17 | 0.1000 USDC$0.09997 · Arbitrum One | Krakensaves $0.09997 |
Showing 1–1 of 1 coins
Kraken vs Variational — FAQ
Is Kraken or Variational cheaper?
On futures, Variational is cheaper for takers (0% vs 0.05%). Kraken has the cheaper withdrawal fee on 1 of the 1 coins both exchanges list. Kraken publishes the deeper VIP ladder (17 tiers), so high-volume traders can push fees lower there.
Which has lower trading fees, Kraken or Variational?
Kraken charges 0.01–0.8% taker / 0–0.4% maker on spot and 0.05% taker on futures at the entry tier. Variational charges — taker / — maker on spot and 0% 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 Variational?
Of the 1 coin both exchanges let you withdraw, Kraken is cheaper on 1, Variational on 0. The median withdrawal fee on that shared basket is $0.00 on Kraken versus $0.09997 on Variational. Kraken is the cheaper default, but the winner changes coin by coin — check the coin you actually withdraw.
How can I pay lower fees on Kraken or Variational?
Both exchanges also cut maker/taker rates as your 30-day volume rises — Kraken publishes 17 tiers and Variational publishes 1 tier. 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 Variational 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 Variational). Withdrawal fees are synced from each exchange's own API or fee page (last sync 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC for Kraken, 2026-08-29 00:53 UTC for Variational). 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 · Variational fees.