Is Kraken or Orb better?

Neither clearly leads. Kraken starts at Free and Orb at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Kraken or Orb?

Kraken has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kraken and On request for Orb.

Does Kraken or Orb run on more platforms?

Kraken runs on Web, Ios, Android. Orb runs on Web, API.

Can I use Kraken for free?

Yes. Kraken has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Orb starts at On request.

What is Kraken best used for?

Kraken is most often used for exchanges, trading, staking. Of those, exchanges and trading are not what Orb is typically brought in for.

What can Kraken do that Orb cannot?

Kraken covers Spot Trading, Futures Trading, Margin Trading, Staking. Orb covers Usage metering, Automated billing, Pricing modeling, Revenue recognition.

Personal Finance · head to head

Kraken vs Orb

Kraken

Personal Finance

Secure cryptocurrency exchange for serious traders

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Orb

Accounting

Revenue design platform automating usage-based billing and pricing strategy

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Kraken has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Kraken restricted in 16 jurisdictions due to compliance requirements; Orb custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing
They diverge on capability: Kraken covers Spot Trading, Orb covers Usage metering.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kraken and Orb actually diverge.

Attributes where Kraken and Orb differ
Attribute	Kraken	Orb
Starting price	Free	On request
Pricing model	freemium	Custom pricing based on billing volume and events
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android	Web, API
Category	Personal Finance	Accounting
Founded	2011	Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Kraken

Spot Trading
Futures Trading
Margin Trading
Staking
OTC Desk
Bank transfers
SWIFT
Plaid

Only in Orb

Usage metering
Automated billing
Pricing modeling
Revenue recognition
Spend controls
Pricing calculator
NetSuite integration
Data warehouse sync

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Kraken

Exchangesnot Orb
Tradingnot Orb
Stakingnot Orb

Orb

Implementing usage-based billing for cloud infrastructure providersnot Kraken
Modeling and testing multiple pricing strategies before launchnot Kraken
Automating revenue recognition for financial reportingnot Kraken
Managing complex hybrid pricing (seats plus usage) at scalenot Kraken
Providing customers real-time spend controls and usage visibilitynot Kraken

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Kraken

Restricted in 16 jurisdictions due to compliance requirements
Withdrawal processing delays due to KYC verification, blockchain confirmations, and compliance checks
Account restrictions triggered by scam prevention can only be lifted after 90 days
Margin trading limited to 5x leverage on most assets; 10x available only to eligible users

Orb

Custom pricing model requires sales consultation, no transparent public pricing
Pricing based on both events and billing volume adds complexity to cost estimation
Enterprise-focused positioning may be overkill for simple subscription use cases
Requires integration with existing accounting systems for full value
Limited information on free tier or trial availability

Pricing, plan by plan

Kraken

Free

StarterFree
- Basic trading
- Staking
- Instant buy
ProFree
- Advanced trading
- Margin trading
- Futures

Orb

On request

Core$undefined/custom
- Real-time event ingestion (up to 250K+ events/second)
- Real-time alerting
- Hybrid and usage-based billing
Advanced$undefined/custom
- All Core features
- Data warehouse sync
- Salesforce integration
Enterprise$undefined/custom
- All Advanced features
- Enterprise-grade SLAs
- Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Kraken if

You need spot trading.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android.
You also want futures trading.

Kraken review

Choose Orb if

You need usage metering.
You work on Web, API.
You also want automated billing.

Orb review

Questions people ask

Is Kraken or Orb better?: Neither clearly leads. Kraken starts at Free and Orb at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kraken or Orb?: Kraken has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Kraken and On request for Orb.
Does Kraken or Orb run on more platforms?: Kraken runs on Web, Ios, Android. Orb runs on Web, API.
Can I use Kraken for free?: Yes. Kraken has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Orb starts at On request.
What is Kraken best used for?: Kraken is most often used for exchanges, trading, staking. Of those, exchanges and trading are not what Orb is typically brought in for.
What can Kraken do that Orb cannot?: Kraken covers Spot Trading, Futures Trading, Margin Trading, Staking. Orb covers Usage metering, Automated billing, Pricing modeling, Revenue recognition.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kraken: How much does Kraken charge in fees?

Kraken Pro spot trading fees start at 0.25 percent maker and 0.40 percent taker for entry-level volume, decreasing to 0.00 percent maker and 0.08-0.10 percent taker at USD 10M+ monthly volume. The Kraken standard platform charges 1 percent on instant trades and 1.5 percent on custom orders. Kraken+ membership costs 4.99 USD/month or 49.99 USD/year for up to USD 10k/month in fee-free volume.

Source

Orb: How does Orb pricing work?

Orb uses custom pricing based on your billing volume (total value of invoices) and events (raw data records ingested). Specific costs must be discussed with their sales team.

Source

Kraken: In how many countries can I use Kraken?

Kraken supports 190+ countries and 9 major fiat currencies (USD, EUR, GBP). However, services are restricted in 16 jurisdictions including Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Afghanistan due to regulatory compliance requirements.

Source

Orb: What is the difference between Core, Advanced, and Enterprise plans?

Core includes event ingestion and basic billing automation. Advanced adds data warehouse sync and Salesforce/NetSuite integrations. Enterprise adds SLAs, dedicated support, and mission-critical guarantees.

Source

Kraken: Is Kraken custody secure?

Kraken holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification and passed SOC 2 Type 1 examination. The exchange uses cold storage with crypto infrastructure in secure cages under 24/7 armed surveillance. Kraken Custody uses multiparty computation (MPC) and hardware security module (HSM) technology. As a Wyoming SPDI-chartered institution, Kraken Financial operates on full-reserve basis, holding 100 percent of client deposits in unencumbered liquid assets.

Source

Orb: Can Orb handle hybrid pricing models?

Yes. Orb supports hybrid pricing combining seat-based, usage-based, and flat-rate components, making it suitable for complex monetization strategies.

Source

Kraken: What cryptocurrencies can I trade?

Kraken supports 500+ cryptocurrencies across 600+ crypto trading pairs. The platform also offers tokenized equities (xStocks) for direct trading of stock exposure, and supports staking rewards on eligible digital assets.

Source

Kraken vs Orb

Kraken

Orb

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Kraken

Only in Orb

What people use each for

Kraken

Orb

Where each one falls short

Kraken

Orb

Pricing, plan by plan

Kraken

Orb

Which should you pick?

Choose Kraken if

Choose Orb if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Kraken

More on Orb

Keep looking

Other head to heads