All of our content is written by Canadian crypto experts, not robots. We ensure each article is reviewed and updated regularly. Learn More

Listen

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

Oleg Galeev

Last updated December 27, 2023

We are comparing two significant players in the cryptocurrency market: Newton and Kraken. Both platforms offer a range of cryptocurrencies and have their unique features, with Newton being known for its zero-fee policy and Kraken recognized for its advanced trading options.

Description

Newton prides itself on being Canada’s first no-fee cryptocurrency exchange. They claim their exchange is 2-3x lower than most other exchanges.

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, XRP, Stellar, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, USDC, USDT, Chainlink, Aave, Uniswap, Polygon, Compound, SushiSwap, Curve, Synthetix, Dai, Polkadot

90+

Fees

0% CAD funding
0% CAD withdrawal
0% crypto deposit/withdrawals (up to $5 network fee waived)
No commissions or trading fees
0.40% to 0.72% spread

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

No fees at all
Wide selection of coins available
You can export a T5 statement
Sleek interface
Newton Pro for advanced traders in Beta stage

Wide range of coins
High fees when not using Pro
Good for beginners
Free CAD deposits
Advanced tools with the Pro platform
Staking

Cons

Very high spreads
No live chat support
No credit card deposits. Debit must be pre-approved.

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

$10,000 max daily Interac e-Transfer deposit/withdrawal
$70,000 max weekly Interac e-Transfer deposit/withdrawal
$5,000 electronic funds transfer deposit
$50,000 electronic funds transfer withdrawal
$1M wire transfer deposit/withdrawal
$5M daily trading limit

Low

App

Methods to buy

Interac e-Transfer
Wire transfer
Connect bank account

Wire transfer
Debit card

Security

Daily exchange backups
Third-party custody of assets, mostly offline
Direct bank intergration to reduce fraud

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

Newton provides a straightforward and user-friendly mobile app with a 4.6-star rating from 17,800 reviews on the Apple App Store. The app allows for quick and seamless transactions, but it does not have a dedicated desktop application.

Kraken offers a mobile app with a 4.3-star rating from 21,000 reviews on Google Play and a 4.7-star rating from 3.400 ratings on the App Store. It also has a Kraken Pro app for more experienced traders seeking advanced features. Kraken has an easy-to-navigate dashboard on its desktop platform that comes in two versions, a simplified one and Kraken Pro for experienced traders.

Newton

Newton has a user-friendly interface and a modern, clean look. It’s simple and easy to use.

Newton’s overall design is clean and modern. They also usual casual and friendly language. It doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, which is refreshing. At first glance, Newton seems user-friendly and fairly simple.

Its iOS app has a rating of 4.4 stars with 5.6k reviews, and its Android app has a rating of 2.8 stars with 800 reviews.

Newton desktop interface

Market order with Newton

Newton app interface

Newton app interface while 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 Pro Trading view

Kraken app interface

Kraken app interface while trading

Security Compliance

Newton does daily backups to minimize risk and states on its website that customer data is stored in Canada. They also perform daily site backups, have offline third-party storage for digital assets, and they allow their customers to directly connect their bank account to reduce fraud.

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.

Both Newton and Kraken have robust security measures in place. Newton uses cold storage for 95-98% of its digital assets, applies two-factor authentication (2FA), and holds ISO 27001 certification. Kraken also stores 95% of digital assets in cold storage, uses 2FA, and employs several other security measures such as account timeout, withdrawal notifications, and the option for account time lock. They also run a bug bounty program that rewards people for finding vulnerabilities in their system.

Regulatory Compliance

Newton is fully compliant with FINTRAC regulations in Canada.

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.

Both Newton and Kraken are compliant with Canadian federal laws. Newton is registered as a money service business with FINTRAC in Canada and follows all the necessary compliances and regulations. Kraken also complies with the rules set by FINTRAC and other regulatory bodies. However, not all services offered by Kraken are available in Ontario due to the regulations by the Ontario Securities Commission.

Customer support

Newton has FAQs and a knowledge center on the website. Customers can message the support teams either online via their support pages or through email. Newton does not have a phone and live support.

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.

Newton provides its clients with email support and a comprehensive help center, but it lacks phone or live chat support. Their customer service is known for its responsiveness.

Kraken offers 24/7 live chat and email support, with phone support available in the USA, UK, and European Union. It also has a detailed help center on its website.

Conclusion

While both Newton and Kraken offer a range of features and have robust security measures, Newton comes out as the winner in this comparison. The zero-fee policy and its tailored services for Canadians make Newton an excellent choice for those based in Canada. Kraken, with its more advanced trading features and worldwide reach, might be more suited for experienced traders seeking complex trading options.

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

If you find that neither Newton 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 Galeev

Cryptocurrency Specialist

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.