Kraken vs Lbank: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Kraken and Lbank This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on August 16, 2025

Kraken

Lbank

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Available Countries

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Kraken is ideal if:

Built for both simplicity and sophistication: Kraken’s intuitive interface makes it approachable for newcomers, while Kraken Pro delivers advanced trading tools, analytics, and charting for serious traders.
Security-first, regulation-backed platform: With an unbroken crypto protection record, proof-of-reserves audits, cold storage, and licenses across major markets—including new MiCA approval for EU operations—Kraken prioritizes trust and compliance.
More than a crypto exchange: Beyond trading, Kraken now offers a peer-to-peer payments app (Krak), commission-free U.S. stock and ETF trades, and staking options—making it an all-in-one digital finance hub.

Lbank is ideal if:

Altcoin & Meme Enthusiast Fit: With hundreds of altcoins and a dedicated “Meme Zone,” it's ideal for traders chasing emerging tokens and meme-driven trends.
Passive Income Friendly: Offers optional staking, Launchpad & Launchpool features, plus copy-trading tools—great for users looking to earn without nonstop manual trading.
Fiat On-Ramp Simplicity: Supports instant fiat buying, P2P options, and broad fiat access via multiple gateways—making entry smooth for beginners and casual investors.

Kraken isn’t ideal if:

Overwhelming for total beginners: The interface and tiered platforms (Lite vs Pro) may feel complex without a solid understanding of trading, tools, and order types.
Limited access and features in some regions: Certain U.S. states and geographies have restrictions on staking, derivatives, or account creation—potentially blocking full platform use.
Support and platform bottlenecks: Account verification or support processes can be slow, and mobile app performance or customer assistance (no phone line) may frustrate users in need of swift help.

Lbank isn’t ideal if:

Support-Dependent: If you're looking for fast, multi-channel customer service, LBank may feel too limited—it mainly relies on email and live chat, with slow response times.
Beginner Unfriendly: Without demo accounts, structured tutorials, or an extensive FAQ, newbies might find it hard to get started confidently.
Skeptic by Nature: If you prefer exchanges with independent audits or top-tier regulation, LBank's lack of transparent audits and lower-tier licensing may raise red flags.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Kraken uses a tiered maker-taker structure where both maker and taker fees decrease as your 30-day trading volume grows, and higher activity triggers reduced costs—even reaching zero for makers—though the schedule excludes transactions via instant buy tools.

LBank charges a flat maker and taker fee of approximately 0.10% on spot trades—fixed regardless of your trading volume and without discounts linked to its native token, LBK.

Futures/Derivatives

Futures follow a volume-based tiers system—lowering maker and taker rates as volume increases—paired with periodic funding payments (every eight hours) that depend on contract premiums versus spot prices.

Futures trading on LBank involves a maker fee of around 0.02% and a taker fee of about 0.06%, though there is no specified funding rate disclosed for perpetual contracts.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

While Kraken doesn’t publish fixed spreads, its instant-buy feature embeds variable spreads that widen or narrow depending on market volatility, order size, and asset type.

While exact numbers fluctuate moment-to-moment, spreads on highly liquid pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT tend to remain tight due to deep market liquidity and efficient order execution.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Kraken supports methods like ACH, SWIFT, PayPal, SEPA, domestic transfers, etc., with low or no deposit fees; but deposits may trigger temporary withdrawal holds (e.g. 72-hour for cards, 7-day for ACH).

You can deposit or withdraw fiat via diverse third-party gateways—such as cards, bank transfers, or digital wallets—where LBank itself charges no extra fees, but gateway fees usually range from 1% to 5%, with processing times depending on the provider.

On-chain Withdrawals

Cryptocurrency withdrawal fees vary per network—e.g. BTC, ETH, TRX have different fixed minimums depending on blockchain and congestion, not necessarily dynamic or network-based.

Crypto withdrawals incur network fees determined by the blockchain (e.g. fixed small BTC fee like ~0.0001 BTC), which can rise in times of congestion—fees vary by asset and must be checked at the time of withdrawal.

Hidden Costs

Be aware of currency conversion premiums (from asset swaps), inactivity terms, and express KYC fees—these can add extras atop headline trading charges.

There are generally no inactivity or account maintenance fees, but costs may arise during currency conversions and expedited KYC—since certain payment gateways may tack on surcharges not directly outlined by LBank.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

Suppose you convert €500 to BTC and withdraw it—your total cost would include the instant-buy embedded spread, then a network withdrawal fee during transfer, and possible fiat hold timing—resulting in slightly less BTC and slower access.

If you buy €500 worth of BTC, you’d face the ~0.10% fee on the spot trade, a minor spread embedded in the market rate, and a dynamic withdrawal fee (e.g. ~0.0001 BTC)—all combining into a modest overall cost.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Kraken supports over 1,000 spot, margin, and futures markets overall, and its top 20 trading pairs by volume typically include high-cap assets like BTC/USD-variant, ETH/USD-variant, and other popular tokens.

LBank lists over 900 cryptocurrencies across around 1,100 trading pairs, with the top 20 by volume dominated by major tokens like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, SOL/USDT, XRP/USDT, and UGOLD/USDT.

Product Range

You’ll find a full suite including spot, margin (up to 10× leverage), futures/perpetuals, staking (recently reenabled in the U.S.), with access to ETFs and options still pending—plus no native copy-trading, grid bots, DCA autos yet.

The platform supports a broad suite including spot, futures (perps), options, crypto ETFs, staking, crypto loans, P2P, copy trading, grid bots, and automated DCA strategies.

Liquidity

Kraken ranks among the world’s most liquid venues—especially for BTC-EUR and ETH-EUR—and sees substantial 24-hour volumes with deep order-book depth, enabling tight execution even for large trades.

Daily volume averages a few billion dollars (e.g. $4–5 billion), with BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT showing deep order-book liquidity and tight pricing, reflecting robust market depth.

Tools

Kraken Pro offers advanced tools—limit, stop, OCO orders, real-time alerts, native TradingView-style charts, downloadable historical OHLCVT data, plus full REST and WebSocket API access.

Traders benefit from limit, market, stop-limit, and OCO orders, price alerts, advanced charting (TradingView integration built in), plus full API and WebSocket access.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Certain products, like margin, futures, or staking, are restricted by jurisdiction—eligibility varies and some features may be blocked in specific countries due to regulatory constraints.

Derivatives and other advanced products are unavailable in certain jurisdictions, and services like futures or options may be restricted depending on local regulation.

Innovation

While traditional launchpad/launchpool programs aren’t yet offered, Kraken distinguishes between flexible vs. locked staking options and continues evolving with new offerings, particularly for institutional clients.

LBank adds value through its launchpad and launchpool initiatives for new token launches, and offers both flexible and locked staking/earn options for users with varying liquidity preferences.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Kraken operates under several legal entities depending on region, including Payward, Inc. (U.S.), Payward Europe Solutions (Ireland, EEA), and Payward Ltd. (UK), all founded around 2011, headquartered in the U.S. with significant European presence.

LBank is operated by LBK Exchange Limited and related entities, founded around 2015/2017, with headquarters registered in the British Virgin Islands—though it maintains a significant business presence in Hong Kong or Indonesia.

Licenses/Registration

Kraken holds multiple regulatory approvals, including VASP licenses in EU countries like the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and Ireland, and FCA registrations in the UK, in addition to its SPDI charter in Wyoming and MSB registration in the U.S.

The platform holds multiple registrations—including as a Money Services Business with FinCEN (U.S.) and FINTRAC (Canada), AUSTRAC in Australia, plus VASP registrations in Lithuania and Italy—in addition to participating in Korea’s CODE VASP Alliance.

Custody

Kraken self-custodies customer assets with a substantial portion held in cold storage; it publishes regular Proof-of-Reserves (PoR) attestations audited by external parties to ensure transparency.

LBank uses cold storage for the majority of user assets, employs cryptographic proof-of-reserves mechanisms, and has partnered with Elliptic for transaction monitoring, but there’s no public percentage of assets stored offline.

Insurance & Protection Funds

Kraken maintains insurance for digital assets held online, though the coverage is limited; there is no formal protected fund for customer losses but additional insurance for certain custodial assets exists.

There is no general user-asset insurance; the internal “Insurance Fund” only covers futures liquidation deficits, leaving users fully exposed in case of hacks or platform failure.

Incident History

Kraken has not experienced any major platform hacks; compliance suspensions or asset freezes have been minimal, and the exchange has not faced any public multi-million dollar regulatory fines.

Remarkably, LBank has not experienced any verified major security breaches to date, maintaining a clean track record with no hacks reported.

Risk Controls

Kraken enforces robust account security with multiple 2FA options (passkeys, hardware keys, authenticator apps), whitelisting, anti-phishing tools, sub-accounts, and granular API permissions for sophisticated client control.

Users benefit from strong security features like two-factor authentication, anti-phishing mechanisms, withdrawal whitelists, customizable withdrawal limits, and a dedicated Incident Response Team for rapid support.

Transparency

The platform regularly publishes audit-style reports and Proof-of-Reserves summaries; users can view wallet addresses and Kraken maintains service-level expectations without public SLA guarantees.

While LBank offers proof-of-reserves and maintains regulatory registrations, it lacks regular public transparency reports, visible wallet addresses, or formal SLAs for security response times.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Users can deposit fiat via bank transfers (ACH, SWIFT, SEPA), credit/debit cards, and e-wallets like PayPal; minimums are low (starting around 1 USD/EUR), but maximums depend on your verification level and jurisdiction, with deposit arrival ranging from near-instant to several days depending on the method.

Users can fund via bank transfer, credit/debit cards, and e-wallets through various third-party providers; deposits are generally fast and fee-free on LBank’s side, though daily min/max thresholds depend on the payment partner and can take a few minutes to process in most cases.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

Kraken offers tiers like Intermediate and Pro (plus Express/Starter in some regions) — Intermediate unlocks full trading and funding access, while Pro raises both deposit and withdrawal limits, with each level subject to rolling daily/monthly caps shown in your dashboard.

No KYC is required to trade, but completing verification enables higher withdrawal limits (e.g. from 0.5 BTC up to 5.5 BTC per day) and unlocks access to fiat services and special features.

Withdrawals

Limits, Timing, Networks

Withdrawal limits rise significantly post-KYC, processing speed depends on network status, and withdrawals via ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20, and others follow dynamic, blockchain-determined fees visible at the time of withdrawal.

Customer Support

Kraken provides 24/7 live chat and email support in multiple languages (including Spanish), alongside a comprehensive support center; while most issues are resolved quickly, some users report delays during high-traffic periods.

Support is available around the clock via live chat and email, though some users report response delays; a detailed knowledge base and FAQs help address common issues.

Languages & Localization

The platform is available in over a dozen languages, including native Spanish; local currencies and fees are displayed based on your region, ensuring comfortable and compliant user experience.

The platform operates in native English with fiat values shown in multiple currencies (€, $), and while localized for global users, regulatory frameworks vary widely—some regions see limited features.

App Quality & Stability

The Kraken mobile app mirrors most web functionality and supports biometric or PIN access; it generally performs reliably, though user feedback on crashes or app issues is mixed and depends on device and OS.

LBank’s mobile app (iOS and Android) is feature-rich and generally stable, though specific metrics like crash rates aren’t publicly disclosed; the interface receives regular updates to support evolving features.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

Kraken offers two distinct experiences—“Lite” is streamlined for instant buys and basic navigation, while “Pro” and “Desktop” are modular and customizable, designed to support advanced traders executing complex strategies across flexible layouts and in-depth tools.

LBank features a clean, intuitive interface that’s easy for beginners to navigate while still offering pro-level tools; although there’s no formal “Lite” or “Pro” toggle, the design flows naturally from simple trading screens to advanced panels as needed.

Performance

Kraken Pro is built on institutional-grade infrastructure to minimize order latency and handle peak demand efficiently, although during market surges user-reported delays in KYC verification and performance pops may still arise.

Thanks to recent core matching engine upgrades, order execution is noticeably faster and more stable; platform downtime during extreme volatility has been minimal, and KYC processing scales reasonably well even in bull markets.

Education

Kraken’s Learn Center delivers comprehensive articles, videos, and webinars (including futures tutorials), complemented by a derivatives demo environment for live practice—but it doesn’t currently offer a dedicated DCA simulator or localized Spanish academy; some content is translated.

LBank provides an educational academy with glossaries and guides, though it lacks a live demo or simulator; content is improving in localization, with support pages and FAQs available in Spanish.

Community

Kraken publishes user reviews and interactive feedback across its site, but does not maintain official public discussion forums, Discord, or Telegram communities—though it does offer a referral program to reward users bringing in new clients.

The platform supports active communities via Telegram and Discord, and rewards engagement through a structured referral and ambassador program that includes peer networks, campus partners, and a points-through-activity system.

Integrations

Kraken Pro integrates with TradingView-style charting and pattern tools, fully supports third-party trading bots via REST/WebSocket/FIX APIs, and connects seamlessly to tax/accounting platforms like Koinly, Crypto Tax Calculator, and others.

LBank integrates native TradingView-style advanced charts and offers full REST/WebSocket APIs for external bots or tax/compliance tooling, though no built-in tax accounting features are currently advertised.

Who Each One Is Best For

“Lite” suits beginners, offering simplicity and straightforward buying; “Pro” and “Desktop” excel for active, technical traders needing granular control, advanced order forms, analytics, and deep customization.

LBank is ideal for altcoin enthusiasts and active traders seeking fast execution, reward channels through referrals and gamified points, and a globally intuitive interface—while more casual users or accountants might miss simulator tools or integrated tax tracking.