Head to head · Exchange spot trading · October 2026 research run

Kraken API vs OKX API

Kraken API scores 71 (BB) on agent readiness against OKX API's 64.3 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do exchange spot trading.

Best crypto exchange APIs and MCP servers for AI agents · All 210 exchanges comparisons

Which one, for what

Kraken API BB

Best for An agent that trades spot, xStocks, forex or futures on a person's Kraken account from a local machine, with paper trading to test first and an approval gate on live orders.

Ahead on

  • Schema & documentation, 80 against 73
  • Security & auth, 80 against 68
  • Payments & pricing, 40 against 20

Also in its favour

  • Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better

Watch for

No self-service spot sandbox; the spot UAT environment is on request through an account manager, and paper trading lives in the CLI

OKX API B

Best for An agent trading spot, perpetuals, futures or options on a person's OKX account from a local machine, with demo trading to test first and grid or DCA bots through the kit.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

The fee table loads by script and the fee FAQ defers to the logged-in view, so maker and taker rates were not read

Why the edge

Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.

Payments & pricing Kraken API +20

Kraken API 40

No machine payment protocol (0). Maker and taker fees by tier published without login (20). Public market data, paper trading and the futures demo need no account or card (20). A person signs up, verifies and mints a key or approves the OAuth sign-in (0). 0 + 20 + 20 + 0 = 40.

OKX API 20

No machine payment protocol (0). The fee table loads by script and the fee FAQ defers to the logged-in view, so no rate was read (0 of 20, unchecked). Public market data and demo trading need no funded account or card (20). A person signs up, verifies and mints a key (0). 0 + 0 + 20 + 0 = 20.

Security & auth Kraken API +12

Kraken API 80

Keys with nine named permissions, optional expiry, IP restriction and nonce window, plus an OAuth sign-in from the CLI (authorisation code with PKCE, public client) that mints a no-withdrawal key expiring within 90 days or a read-only key (30). Read-only and no-withdrawal keys, position limits and pair allowlists in account settings, and MCP approval prompts for 33 dangerous tools (18 of 20). The API returns no untrusted content; the CLI docs warn that the feedback tool uploads a local file without approval (10). Keys and their permissions are listed in settings and ledgers record activity, but no per-call log for the operator was found (6 of 15). A valid security.txt, a bug bounty policy page, SECURITY.md and a secure SDLC workflow in the CLI; certifications not read (16 of 20). 30 + 18 + 10 + 6 + 16 = 80.

OKX API 68

Key, secret and passphrase with Read, Trade and Withdraw permissions, up to 20 bound IPs, revocation in the account, and unbound Trade or Withdraw keys that expire after 14 idle days; no OAuth (28 of 30). Read-only keys, sub-account keys, demo trading, the kit's --read-only flag and its startup check that hides order tools when the key cannot trade, and an API Agreement requiring minimum scope; no confirmation step in the kit (18 of 20). The news and smartmoney modules return third-party text and the docs read give no guidance on treating it as untrusted (5 of 15). An account audit log tool in the kit and usage records for unbound keys in the Security Center, no per-call log (9 of 15). No security.txt; SECURITY.md with security@okx.com and GitHub private advisories; certifications and a bounty not read (8 of 20). 28 + 18 + 5 + 9 + 8 = 68.

Schema & documentation Kraken API +7

Kraken API 80

No OpenAPI file was found for the REST API in the docs read; the CLI's agents/tool-catalog.json gives JSON Schema inputs for all 188 commands and the 152 MCP tools (15 of 25). The docs serve Markdown twins such as quickstart.md and the CLI ships llms.txt, AGENTS.md and CONTEXT.md (10). Endpoint pages and guides on order lifecycle, errors and rate limits say what each call does, with less on when not to use one (15 of 20). Enums for order types, time in force and flags, and enums and required fields in the tool catalogue (12 of 15). Python, Node.js and cURL examples, an errors guide and the CLI's error-catalog.json with retry guidance (13 of 15). A changelog of 120 dated entries with deprecations dated (15). 15 + 10 + 15 + 12 + 13 + 15 = 80.

OKX API 73

No OpenAPI file was found in the V5 docs; the kit's tool definitions are typed TypeScript with annotations, and the organisation has an undescribed ai-builder-openapi-md repository we did not read (12 of 25). okx.com/llms.txt exists and links the API and Agent Trade Kit pages, though the V5 docs have no Markdown twins (5 of 10). Each endpoint states its rate limit, rule, parameters and notes (15 of 20). Enums for ordType, tdMode and instType with required flags (12 of 15). Request and response examples per endpoint and an error code list with messages (14 of 15). A dated changelog with an upcoming-changes section that labels breaking changes and dates sunsets (15). 12 + 5 + 15 + 12 + 14 + 15 = 73.

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runKraken APIOKX APIEdge
Reliability16%206765Kraken API +2
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28073Kraken API +7
Agent ergonomics13%16.27977Kraken API +2
Security & auth14%17.58068Kraken API +12
Payments & pricing10%12.54020Kraken API +20
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88181even
Transparency & trust7%8.86562Kraken API +3
Negative events≤1500
TotalBB 71/100B 64.3/100

Facts side by side

FactKraken APIOKX API
KindHTTP APIHTTP API
VendorPayward, Inc.OKX
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
Transportsstdiostdio
AuthOAuth or keyAPI key
PricingPay per usePay per use
x402nono
LicenceProprietary hosted service under Kraken's Global Terms of Service (30 October 2026). kraken-cli, which carries the kraken-mcp server, is MITProprietary hosted service under OKX's Terms of Service (29 October 2026) and API Agreement (28 July 2026). The Agent Trade Kit (MCP server, CLI and skills) is MIT
Tools exposed152170
Read-only variant documentedyesyes
llms.txtyesyes
Last release2026-10-292026-10-28
Terms last updated2026-10-302026-10-29
Privacy policy last updated2026-10-21couldn't be read
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessyesnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingyesnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticeyesyes
Arbitration or class-action waiveryesyes
Popularity795 stars499 stars, 1.8k npm/wk

Verdicts

Kraken API

Kraken pairs a documented REST, WebSocket and FIX API with the open-source kraken-cli, whose kraken-mcp server gates 33 dangerous tools behind approval and signs in by OAuth with a no-withdrawal key. Spot has no self-service sandbox, no OpenAPI file was found, and a 59-minute connectivity outage hit every interface on 30 October 2026.

OKX API

OKX publishes per-endpoint rate limits, Read, Trade and Withdraw key permissions with IP binding, demo trading on the production host, and an MIT MCP server with 170 tools, a read-only flag and a permission check at startup. The fee table and privacy policy were not read, no OpenAPI file was found, and the news tools return third-party text.

Before you call either

Kraken API

  1. Start kraken-mcp with -s market,paper,feedback or the default services; add trade only with a least-privilege key, and never pass --allow-dangerous on an agent that reads untrusted input
  2. Ask the person to run kraken auth login in their own terminal; it needs a browser and saves a no-withdrawal key that expires in 90 days at most
  3. Send a fresh --cl-ord-id on each order and run it with --validate first; after a network error look the order up before sending it again
  4. Keep the nonce strictly increasing per key and stay under the tier's counter, since EAPI:Rate limit exceeded has no Retry-After header
  5. Test strategies in a paper workspace, which fills at live prices with no account, before a live workspace

OKX API

  1. Start okx-trade-mcp with --profile demo first, then --read-only on a live key; load only the modules the task needs
  2. Use a sub-account key with Read and Trade only, bound to the agent's IP; an unbound Trade key expires after 14 idle days
  3. Stay under 60 place-order requests per 2 seconds per instrument and at most 3 amendments in flight per order; 50011 means the limit was hit
  4. Send a clOrdId on every order and use the structured error block (code, message, endpoint) to diagnose with read-only tools before retrying
  5. Call us.okx.com or eea.okx.com for US, Australian and EEA accounts; openapi.okx.com does not serve those regions

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Kraken API or OKX API?

Kraken API scores 71 (BB) on agent readiness against OKX API's 64.3 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

Do Kraken API and OKX API need an API key?

Kraken API takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. OKX API needs an API key.

Can an agent call Kraken API and OKX API without installing anything?

Kraken API runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed. OKX API runs on your own machine, with no hosted endpoint listed.

Other comparisons with Kraken API or OKX API

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