Kraken vs MEXC Futures Comparison

Fees, liquidity, funding and safety side by side Updated

Live · updated
Trade on Kraken Trade on MEXC
24h perp volume · #14 vs #4 of 21 $696.9Mvs$11.08B Open interest · #16 vs #4 of 20 $500.8Mvs$12.16B Liquidations (24h) –vs– Perpetual markets 106vs240 96 shared Taker fee 0.05%vs0.02% Max leverage 50xvs200x

Kraken or MEXC: the short answer

Kraken2 of 10Best for more licences and higher scoreMEXC8 of 10Best for lower taker fees, deeper BTC books and more volume

Where each coin trades more

The 12 biggest coins listed on both · share of their combined 24h volume

Coin Kraken Share of 24h volume50% MEXC
BTC$354.7M12%88%$2.66B
ZEC$45.5M3%97%$1.59B
ETH$100.8M6%94%$1.51B
SOL$47.9M7%93%$601.7M
XAU$4.1M1%99%$513.7M
SNDK$488K0%100%$339.4M
XRP$10.4M4%96%$282.7M
SOXL$209K0%100%$230.1M
MU$459K0%100%$176.0M
XAUT$1.6M1%99%$158.2M
PEPE$7.2M5%95%$128.9M
LINK$3.9M3%97%$128.3M
MEXC leads on all 12 coins · 6% of these coins' volume is on KrakenHover a row for details

BTC funding on Kraken vs MEXC

Last 90 days · 8h equivalent · against the median of every tracked venue

Kraken 90d average+0.0067%
MEXC 90d average+0.0050%
$10K long, 90 days$181 vs $136
Days Kraken cheaper36 of 90

The same market on each venue

One perpetual, both order books · MEXC has the deeper book

BTC/USDT Kraken Share or difference50% MEXC
Price$80,9030.102% apart$80,986
24h volume$325.0M12%88%$2.31B
Open interest$205.7M4%96%$4.59B
Depth ±1%$2.1M4%96%$45.9M
Funding (8h)+0.0114%Longs pay less on MEXC+0.0050%
Long / short0.97Shorts lead on Kraken1.00
Liquidations 24h$0$0

Funding is an 8-hour equivalent; the lower rate is cheaper for longs. Depth is order book liquidity within 1% of the price.

Kraken vs MEXC head to head

Fees, leverage and licences from each venue's published terms · volume and funding live · the better figure is ticked

Feature KrakenTrade MEXCTrade
Fees
Maker fee 0.02% 0%
Taker fee 0.05% 0.02%
Taker fee with referral code 0.0425% 0.017%
Referral code h2p3c4sb15% fee rebate · $20 in BTC welcome bonus mexc-cpdiscount15% fee rebate · Up to 8,000 USDT welcome bonus
Markets and liquidity · live
Perpetuals volume (24h)$696.9M$11.08B
Open interest$500.8M$12.16B
Liquidations (24h)––
Options volume (24h)No optionsNo options
Perpetual markets106240
Funding now · 8h equivalent
BTC funding rate-0.0066%+0.0100%
ETH funding rate-0.0015%+0.0100%
SOL funding rate-0.0221%+0.0100%
XRP funding rate+0.0034%+0.0100%
Trading
Maximum leverage 50x 200x
Contract types USDC and USDT USDT only
Spot assets 369 2,900
Platform type Centralized Centralized
Trust and access
Licences and registrations 14Tier-1 Regulators including FCA (UK), BaFin (Germany), CySEC (Cyprus), DASP (France), MSB (USA & Canada), AUSTRAC (Australia), and 8 more 1Unlicensed (Previous Licenses revoked in Seychelles & Estonia)
Proof of reserves Yes Check Yes Check
Countries served 150+ 170
Users 15 Million 30 Million
Headquarters United Arab Emirates Seychelles
Coinperps score
Overall 8/10 7.3/10
Depth & liquidity 7 8
Trading fees 8.5 10
Assets & features 8 9
Regulation 9 1

Kraken or MEXC: which should you choose?

Choose Kraken if

  • Regulation matters to youLicences: 14 vs 1
  • You want the higher-rated venue overallCoinperps score: 8 vs 7.3
Kraken review Trade on Kraken

Choose MEXC if

  • You trade often with market ordersTaker fee: 0.02% vs 0.05%
  • You place large ordersBTC depth ±1%: $45.9M vs $2.1M
  • You want the busiest books24h volume: $11.08B vs $696.9M
  • You hold longs for days or weeksBTC funding, 90d avg: +0.0050% vs +0.0067%
  • You trade altcoinsPerpetual markets: 240 vs 106
  • You also buy and hold spotSpot assets: 2,900 vs 369
  • You use high leverageMax leverage: 200x vs 50x
  • You want deep positioning to trade againstOpen interest: $12.16B vs $500.8M
MEXC review Trade on MEXC

Kraken vs MEXC right now

MEXC traded $11.08B in perpetual futures over the last 24 hours, 16× Kraken's $696.9M. MEXC also holds more open interest, $12.16B against $500.8M. On BTC, MEXC's order book holds $45.9M within 1% of the price against $2.1M on Kraken, so large orders move the price less there. Over the last 90 days BTC funding averaged +0.0067% per 8 hours on Kraken and +0.0050% on MEXC: a $10,000 long held throughout paid about $181 on Kraken and $136 on MEXC. The two list 96 of the same coins; 6 trade only on Kraken and 81 only on MEXC.

Comparison by Coinperps Research · updated 13 Oct 2026

Kraken vs MEXC FAQ

Live answers use both venues' perpetual markets · updated

Is Kraken or MEXC better for futures trading?

Kraken scores higher, 8 against 7.3 out of 10. Kraken leads on regulation (9 vs 1). MEXC leads on depth and liquidity (8 vs 7) and trading fees (10 vs 8.5) and assets and features (9 vs 8). The live panels on this page show which one has more volume, deeper books and cheaper funding right now. How we score exchanges.

Which has lower fees, Kraken or MEXC?

Kraken charges 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker on perpetual futures at the base tier; MEXC charges 0% and 0.02%. Opening and closing a $10,000 position with market orders costs about $10.00 on Kraken and $4.00 on MEXC, so MEXC is cheaper for takers. The Kraken referral code h2p3c4sb adds a 15% fee rebate, which brings its taker fee to 0.0425%. The MEXC referral code mexc-cpdiscount adds a 15% fee rebate, which brings its taker fee to 0.017%. Both cut fees at higher VIP tiers. Funding payments are separate and go between traders.

Which has more trading volume, Kraken or MEXC?

MEXC has more perpetual futures volume: $11.08B in the last 24 hours against $696.9M on Kraken, 16× as much. Open interest is $500.8M on Kraken and $12.16B on MEXC. Compare open interest across exchanges.

Does Kraken or MEXC offer higher leverage?

MEXC offers more, up to 200x against 50x on Kraken. Smaller markets have lower caps on both, and the limit falls as position size grows. At 200x a move of about 0.5% against you is enough to liquidate a position.

Is Kraken or MEXC safer?

Kraken lists 14 licences and registrations, including Tier-1 Regulators including FCA (UK), BaFin (Germany), CySEC (Cyprus). MEXC lists 1, including Unlicensed (Previous Licenses revoked in Seychelles & Estonia). Both publish proof of reserves, so users can check that customer assets are backed. Rules differ by country, so check that the exchange serves yours before you sign up.

Which has lower funding rates, Kraken or MEXC?

Over the last 90 days BTC funding averaged +0.0067% per 8 hours on Kraken and +0.0050% on MEXC, so longs paid less on MEXC. Kraken was cheaper on 36 of 90 days. Funding goes between traders, and when it is negative shorts pay longs instead. Live funding rates on every exchange.

Which lists more perpetual futures, Kraken or MEXC?

MEXC lists more: 240 live perpetual markets against 106. 96 coins trade on both; XAG, PUMP, NATGAS and 3 more only on Kraken; SILVER, SKHYNIX, KORU and 78 more only on MEXC.

Which has better liquidity, Kraken or MEXC?

MEXC has the deeper BTC order book: $45.9M of bids and asks within 1% of the price against $2.1M on Kraken. Deeper books mean less slippage on large market orders. MEXC also trades 16× the 24h volume.

Are there Kraken and MEXC referral codes?

Kraken: use h2p3c4sb for a 15% fee rebate · $20 in btc welcome bonus (offer and terms). MEXC: use mexc-cpdiscount for a 15% fee rebate · up to 8,000 usdt welcome bonus (offer and terms).

Where are Kraken and MEXC based?

Kraken is headquartered in United Arab Emirates and reports 15 million users. MEXC is headquartered in Seychelles and reports 30 million users.

Compare Kraken with other exchanges

Kraken vs BinanceKraken vs BingXKraken vs BitgetKraken vs BybitKraken vs Gate.ioKraken vs HyperliquidKraken vs Coinbase FuturesKraken vs OKX

Compare MEXC with other exchanges

MEXC vs BinanceMEXC vs BingXMEXC vs BitgetMEXC vs BybitMEXC vs Coinbase FuturesMEXC vs Gate.ioMEXC vs HyperliquidMEXC vs OKX

Live data from both venues' perpetual markets, refreshed every few minutes. Fees are base tier and change with VIP level. Ratings are Coinperps' own. Not financial advice. All 45 comparisons · Methodology