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Netcoins vs. Kraken: What Works Better For Canadians in 2024

Oleg Galeev

Last updated December 27, 2023

Netcoins and Kraken are among the top-tier names in the cryptocurrency exchange world, with the former catering primarily to Canadians, and the latter having a global footprint. Their differences range from user interface design to fee structures, making this comparison particularly intriguing for Canadian users.

Description

Netcoins is a Canadian crypto exchange owned by a publicly-traded company called Bigg Digital Assets. Netcoins was founded by Mitchell Demeter who created the world’s first Bitcoin ATM in 2013.

Kraken is a Canada-friendly, but US-based crypto exchange that has been operating since 2013. Kraken has a strong reputation due its security and compliance with US regulations. Kraken aims to accelerate mass adoption of cryptocurrency and offers a wide range of coins.

Coins

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Stellar, EOS, USDC, Algorand, XRP, Avalanche, Ethereum Classic, SHIB, DOGE, MATIC, AXS, Cardano, Solana, Polkadot

90+

Fees

  • Free deposits
  • Free fiat withdrawals
  • 0.5% trading fees
  • nstant buy incurs a 1.5% fee (0.9% for stablecoins) plus: 
  • 3.75% and€0.25 card processing fee or,
  • 3.75% + €0.25 digital wallet processing fee or,
  • 0.5% online bank transfer fee

Pros

  • Free fiat and crypto deposits
  • Free fiat withdrawals
  • Interac e-Transfer available
  • Phone support
  • Instant verification
  • Licenced and regulated in Canada
  • Educational resources available
  • Great customer service
  • Wide range of coins
  • High fees when not using Pro
  • Good for beginners
  • Free CAD deposits
  • Advanced tools with the Pro platform
  • Staking

Cons

  • Few cryptocurrencies available
  • No credit/debit card purchases
  • CAD only
  • High trading fees
  • No Interac e-Transfer
  • Deposits can take 1-5 business days
  • Extremely high trading fees
  • Tend to freeze accounts for no apparent reasons
  • Slow support

Account Limits

  • $10 min for Interac e-Transfer
  • $500 min for wire transfer
  • $50 min for online bill payment

Low

Methods to buy

  • Interac e-Transfer
  • Bank wire
  • Online bill payment
  • Wire transfer
  • Debit card

Security

  • 2FA available
  • Registered with FINTRAC
  • 95% of coins held in cold storage
  • Servers monitored 24/7 by armed guards
  • 2FA available
  • Confirm withdrawals via email
  • Fully Audited

Mobile and Desktop Trading

Both Netcoins and Kraken have developed robust platforms for traders. Netcoins' mobile app has a commendable 4.0-star rating from the Apple App Store and several 4.0-star on Google Play, emphasizing its user-friendly interface suitable for beginners. On the other hand, Kraken offers two mobile applications: a regular app and a Pro version, earning a 4.7-star rating on the App Store and 4.2 stars on Google Play, indicative of its global appeal and feature-rich environment. As for desktop trading, both exchanges have streamlined designs, but while Netcoins focuses on simplicity, Kraken Pro caters to seasoned traders, providing advanced charting and order options.

Netcoins

Netcoins’ trading platform is simple to use with a sidecar offering all you need including options to buy, sell and trade. Your dashboard has two big options to either deposit funds or deposit crypto.

Buying crypto with Netcoins is easy thanks to its simple trade feature.

The Netcoins app has a 4.1-star rating from 171 reviews on the Apple App Store. It has a 3.6-star rating on Google from 127 reviews. 

The app is easy to use and beginner-friendly. It is almost an exact copy of the desktop platform but optimized for mobile.

Netcoins trading screen

Netcoins Desktop App (trading screen)

Funding money to our account with Netcoins

Netcoins Desktop App (funding account)

Netcoins vs Coinsmart trading mobile app

Netcoins Mobile App (balances)

Netcoins vs Coinsmart bitcoin transaction in mobile app

Netcoins Mobile App (trading)

Kraken

Kraken's app is well-designed and offers tools for both beginners as well as advanced tools for more experienced traders.

Kraken has an “Instant Buy” option, where users can purchase crypto in seconds with their card or from funds in their fiat wallet. Instant Buy, while convenient, incurs high fees. There is a standard purchase fee plus an additional fee depending on the method of payment. Still, the Instant Buy option is suitable for beginners and is easy to navigate.

Kraken Pro has more reasonable fees based on the maker/taker method. However, the interface could be confusing for beginners. It shows advanced charting and offers more trading tools and order types.

Kraken’s mobile app has a 4.5-star rating from 3000+ reviews on the Apple App Store and a 2.2-star rating from over 13,000 reviews on Google Play. A lot of users say the app has trouble loading, certain funding or purchase options are unavailable and it is generally not user-friendly.

Kraken desktop interface

Kraken desktop interface

Kraken Pro screenshot

Kraken Pro Trading view

Kraken app interface #1

Kraken app interface

Kraken app interface #2

Kraken app interface while trading

Security Compliance

Netcoins utilizes the services of Bitrank and QLUE to stay compliant by monitoring wallet addresses and transactions for fraud and connections to criminal enterprises.

Two-factor authentication is available to help keep your account secure.

Kraken keeps 95% of users’ funds in cold storage. All account information is encrypted, their servers are locked in cages under 24/7 surveillance by armed guards. 

To help secure your Kraken account you can use two-factor authentication. You will receive an email notifying you of any withdrawal, and there is an account timeout for added protection.

Netcoins emphasizes its association with BIGG Digital Assets, hinting at a stringent commitment to security. The exchange uses services like Bitrank and QLUE for monitoring potential fraudulent activities. However, specific details about the storage of customer funds are missing. Kraken, with its global presence, boasts of keeping over 95% of its digital assets in cold storage, enhanced server security with 24/7 armed surveillance, and even offers a bug bounty program to ensure robustness against vulnerabilities.

Regulatory Compliance

Netcoins is fully regulated in Canada. It is registered as a Money Services Business (MSB) with FINTRAC. Since Netcoins is also owned by Bigg Digital Assets, a publicly traded company, you can be sure that Netcoins is a safe exchange.

Kraken is fully compliant with US regulations. The exchange is independently audited to show that customers’ funds are properly held. Canadians can use the platform as well.

Netcoins proudly flaunts its registration as a Money Services Business with FINTRAC, showcasing its commitment to Canadian regulations. Kraken, while being a global player, faces some restrictions in Ontario due to the Ontario Securities Commission regulations. Both exchanges, to some extent, are bound by Canadian federal laws and potentially subject to scrutiny by authorities. However, Kraken's partial restriction in Ontario could be a deciding factor for some Canadian traders.

Customer support

Netcoins has excellent customer support with an impressive 85% excellent customer service reviews on Trustpilot with a 4.5-star rating. Netcoins offers email support, live chat and phone support, which is rare for crypto exchanges.

Kraken offers a 24/7 live chat and email support. It also offers a good amount of learning documentation and helpful articles on its website. Unfortunately, many people say Kraken has poor customer support with tickets taking a long time to be resolved if ever.

Netcoins appears to be particularly strong in this category, with 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support - the latter being a rarity in the crypto world. Feedback suggests prompt responses and quick issue resolution. Kraken, while offering 24/7 live chat and email support, is primarily phone-accessible only in the USA, UK, and the European Union.

Conclusion

While both Netcoins and Kraken offer solid platforms for trading cryptocurrencies, Netcoins slightly edges out for Canadians. Its dedicated focus on the Canadian market, coupled with stellar customer support and an intuitive platform, make it a preferred choice. Though Kraken provides a more diversified trading environment, Netcoins' commitment to Canada-specific features and compliance makes it the winner in this comparison.

We recommend choosing Netcoins over Kraken for your cryptocurrency trading needs. By opting for Netcoins through our referral link, you support us in conducting comprehensive independent analyses of crypto trading options for Canadians.

If you find that neither Netcoins nor Kraken meets your requirements, we encourage you to explore our monthly-updated list of the best exchanges for Canadians to trade crypto. This list provides a range of alternative options that may better suit your specific needs and preferences.

Author

Oleg is a Canadian citizen & crypto expert who has been trading since 2016. He started out with Coinbase, Kraken and Peer-to-Peer exchanges. After some time, centralized exchanges started charging crazy fees to their users.

He decided to review different crypto exchanges that operate in Canada and start a Youtube channel in order to educate Canadians on what kinds of things are going inside each one while giving them unbiased advice. On top of that, Oleg also has experience with NFT, airdrops, and crypto staking and he is constantly checking on new crypto assets.

His writing has been featured in popular Canadian media sources such as Toronto Sun and Ottawa Citizen.