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ByBit vs Kraken: What Works Better For Canadians in 2024

Oleg Galeev

Last updated September 20, 2024

In this comparison, we delve into the world of cryptocurrency exchanges, focusing on ByBit and Kraken. ByBit is renowned for its advanced trading options and international presence, while Wealthsimple Crypto, a Canadian platform, is known for its simplicity and beginner-friendly approach. Here, we will provide a detailed comparison and analysis of these key differences to guide your decision-making process.

Bybit has announced its exit from the Canadian market on 30 September 2023, citing regulatory uncertainties. As a result, we can't recommend Bybit over Kraken.

Description

ByBit is a global cryptocurrency exchange with headquarters in Dubai with over 100 cryptocurrencies to trade. Unfortunately, ByBit has announced its decision to exit the Canadian market by October 2023. As an excellent alternative, we highly recommend considering Bitget.

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

1000+ crypto coins

90+

Fees

  • Low trading fees 
  • Approx 5% third party fees for e-Transfer
  • Approx 3% card payment fees
  • No P2P 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

  • 100+ cryptocurrencies
  • Staking and lending
  • Yield farming
  • OTC Desk
  • NFT Marketplace
  • Copy trading
  • Low trading fees
  • Verification not necessary
  • Wide range of coins
  • High fees when not using Pro
  • Good for beginners
  • Free CAD deposits
  • Advanced tools with the Pro platform
  • Staking

Cons

  • Won't be available in Canada in October 2023
  • Advanced trading platform can be confusing for beginners
  • Only card payments or third-party transfers
  • No CAD deposits
  • 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

A peer-to-peer trading limit of $1000 per day and a withdrawal limit of 2 BTC per day

Low

Methods to buy

  • CAD deposits are not available
  • You can deposit  by card payment, a third-party such as Banxa (3% commission)
  • Peer-to-peer marketplace
  • Wire transfer
  • Debit card

Security

  • ByBit uses cold storage for assets
  • 2FA
  • 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

ByBit offers an efficient mobile application available on both Android and iOS platforms, earning a solid rating of 4.7 stars on Google Play and 4.2 stars on the App Store. Users commend its intuitive interface, swift trade execution, and real-time price alerts. The ByBit desktop platform is also streamlined for a user-friendly trading experience.

On the other hand, Kraken provides a well-received mobile app, boasting a high rating of 4.3 stars on Google Play and 4.5 stars on the App Store. The app's layout and user-friendliness are particularly appreciated by users. They also offer the Kraken Pro app designed for experienced traders with charting and order book data. The Kraken desktop platform, akin to ByBit, delivers a seamless trading experience

ByBiy

ByBit has a mobile app for both iPhone and Android users. On iOS, the ByBit app has a 3.9-star rating from 689 reviews. On Google Play it has a 4.3-star rating from 76,000 reviews.

Desktop view for ByBit app

Desktop view for ByBit app

ByBit's Desktop app main screen

One-click buy on ByBit

One-click buy on ByBit App

ByBit's mobile app screenshot from my account

ByBiy app main screen

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

ByBit is lacking in information about its security. ByBit uses cold storage for assets but it’s not clear what percentage of funds are held in cold storage. 

For users that want to secure their account, they can set up two-factor authentication using Google Authenticator. Users will need to open this app and enter the code whenever they wish to withdraw from their ByBit account. 

This year the Ontario Securities commission (OSC) accused ByBit of selling unlicensed securities to residents of Ontario. ByBit paid a $2.5M fine and has since restricted new account sign-ups from residents of Ontario. 

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 ByBit and Kraken take security seriously. ByBit employs a hierarchical deterministic cold wallet system, real-time risk audits, and multiple 2FA methods, ensuring the safety of user assets.

Similarly, Kraken stores over 95% of its digital assets in cold storage, employs encrypted account information, and implements 24/7 surveillance by armed guards. Each platform also has robust measures such as two-factor authentication, making them both highly secure. 

Regulatory Compliance

In a recent update, ByBit has announced its decision to exit the Canadian market by October 2023 due to Canadain regualtions.

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 Kraken and ByBit are compliant with Canadian laws and regulations and is available for Canadians, except for those residing in Ontario due to the Ontario Securities Commission regulations.

Customer support

ByBit has a helpful support centre on its website with numerous guides about crypto and how to use the exchange. You can also create a ticket on the website if you need to contact support. The chat support helped me within an hour and I had an issue with the withdrawal of TONCOIN.

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.

ByBit offers 24/7 customer support via live chat and email. They also have an extensive help center with numerous articles addressing common issues and guiding users. Kraken similarly provides round-the-clock support, with service channels including live chat, email, and phone support

Conclusion

While both ByBit and Kraken offer excellent platforms for cryptocurrency trading, ByBit edges out as the winner due to its competitive fee structure, specialized derivatives trading options, and comprehensive customer support. However, Canadian users should be cautious of ByBit's undefined compliance with Canadian regulations and consider their trading needs and priorities when making their choice.

Initially, we recommended choosing ByBit over Kraken for your cryptocurrency trading needs. However, Bybit has announced its exit from the Canadian market on 30 September 2023, citing regulatory uncertainties. As a result, we can't recommend Bybit over Kraken.

If you find that neither ByBit 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.