Kraken Pro vs Traders Place Comparison

Kraken Pro is the separate trading interface from Kraken (pro.kraken.com and Pro mode in the mobile app) and is aimed at active traders. Unlike the standard platform with flat 1% fees, the maker/taker model applies here, starting at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker and falling across 17 tiers to 0.00% maker and 0.05% taker. Since 9 July 2026 Kraken sets your tier by the best of three measures: 30-day spot volume, 30-day futures volume or assets on the platform. Anyone holding USD 20,000 at Kraken therefore trades in Tier 3 at 0.22% maker and 0.38% taker even without any turnover. Account, verification, and asset balances are shared between both interfaces.

The order set covers market, limit, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop, iceberg orders, and bracket/OCO combinations. Margin trading is offered with up to 5x leverage depending on the pair, with selected assets reaching 10x; for EEA customers, margin on fiat pairs is now limited to USD and EUR and funded in USDC and EURC. EEA customers trade futures and, since 26 October 2026, Bitcoin and Ether options on Kraken Pro from a separate derivatives account using the same wallet; the provider is Cyprus-based Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Limited with a MiFID licence from CySEC, and options require an appropriateness assessment. The crypto services themselves are provided by Payward Europe Solutions Limited, authorised under MiCA by the Central Bank of Ireland since 25 June 2025 and passported to 30 EEA countries (ESMA register, file dated 30 October 2026). Charts, order book, and API access (REST and WebSocket v2) are described in user reviews as sufficient for active strategies; the learning curve compared to the standard interface is occasionally criticized.

Kraken Pro is considered particularly suitable for active traders who value pro order types, lower volume-based fees, and margin features. Those primarily looking for savings plans or simple spot investing will find a more fitting setup on the standard interface. This comparison does not constitute investment advice.

Traders Place is a comparatively young German broker (founded in 2023) that offers 59 cryptocurrencies in addition to stocks and ETFs. Crypto custody is handled by Tangany GmbH, which is licensed by BaFin and is regarded as regulatorily reliable in the DACH region. Savings plans start at €1 with no order fee, but for crypto they only cover 13 crypto ETPs from 21Shares, not the crypto assets themselves.

How crypto trading works: Traders Place takes the order and passes it to Baader Bank, which buys or sells as a commission agent via Hyphe, currently the only trading venue. The coins are held in custody by Tangany GmbH. All three parties appear in ESMA's MiCA register: Tangany with its own BaFin licence for custody and transfers since 8 August 2025, Traders Place (since 21 July 2025) and Baader Bank with a MiCA notification to BaFin. Trading runs around the clock, and the execution price can differ from the displayed price when markets move sharply. Crypto trading is only open to customers resident in Germany; the majority owner of Traders Place is the Austrian GRAWE Group.

For investors who prefer a German broker based in Germany and want to use crypto as a supplement to a classic securities account, Traders Place is seen as one of the newer alternatives. The platform can be used via app and web and covers a solid range of cryptocurrencies with 59 coins. Trading fees of 0.9 % of the trade value, plus €1 below €500, are in the middle to upper range among the compared German brokers.

However, wallet transfers to your own wallets are not possible, and staking is currently not offered; both are occasionally criticized by users. The SMS-based 2FA and the limited deposit methods (SEPA transfer only) are also seen as room for improvement. Traders Place is therefore especially suitable for investors who want to try a young German broker with regulated custody and a broad coin offering and can do without wallet functionality.