Register on MEXC to receive a 20% discount on ALL trading feesMaker vs Taker Fees: Why the Same Trade Costs Different
On most crypto exchanges, the exact same trade can cost a different amount depending on whether you place a limit order or a market order - and that single choice is what separates maker vs taker fees. Makers add liquidity to the order book and pay less; takers remove it and pay more. Knowing this distinction can cut your trading costs significantly over time.
The Same Trade, Two Different Bills
You open Binance. You buy $1,000 worth of Bitcoin. Your friend does the exact same trade, same pair, same amount, same exchange. Their fee is lower than yours. What happened?
The answer comes down to maker vs taker fees - one of the most misunderstood concepts in crypto trading. Most beginners never learn this, and exchanges do not go out of their way to explain it. This article does.
What Is a Maker Fee?
A maker fee is charged when you place an order that does not execute immediately. Instead, it sits in the order book and waits for a match. You are making liquidity available to the market.
The most common way to trigger a maker fee is by placing a limit order - for example, "buy 0.01 BTC at $60,000" when the current price is $61,000. Your order joins the queue. It does not fill right away. When another trader eventually hits your price, the trade executes.
Exchanges reward this behavior. Makers tighten the spread, reduce volatility, and make the platform more useful for everyone. As a result, maker fees are almost always lower than taker fees - often significantly so.
"Liquidity providers are the backbone of any order book market. Without them, spreads widen and execution quality degrades for everyone." - standard principle in market microstructure theory
What Is a Taker Fee?
A taker fee is charged when your order executes immediately by matching against an existing order in the book. You are taking liquidity away from the market.
The most common trigger is a market order - "buy 0.01 BTC right now at whatever the current price is." Your order sweeps through available asks and fills instantly. Fast and convenient, but more expensive.
Stop-loss orders and stop-limit orders that trigger and fill at market price also generate taker fees. Many traders forget this when calculating their real cost basis.
Maker vs Taker Fees: A Real Numbers Comparison
Let's put actual numbers behind this. The table below shows current standard maker vs taker fee tiers for popular exchanges at the base (lowest volume) level.
| Exchange | Maker | Taker | Difference | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2% | 0.2% | 0% | 20% off on trading fees | |
| 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% | 5% off on trading fees | |
| 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% | 10% off spot transaction fees | |
| 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% | 10% off on trading fees | |
| 0.08% | 0.1% | 0.02% | $100 welcome reward | |
| 0% | 0.05% | 0.05% | -20% on spot, futures and DEX+ | |
| 0% | 0% | 0% | 20% discount | |
| 0.05% | 0.05% | 0% | 10% fee rebate rate | |
| 0.25% | 0.4% | 0.15% | - | |
| 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.2% | - | |
| 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% | - | |
| 0.1% | 0.1% | 0% | - |
Note: Fee schedules change. Always verify directly with the exchange before trading. These figures reflect standard spot trading at the base tier as of mid-2026.
Kraken is a clear example of why this matters. A taker on Kraken pays 0.26% while a maker pays 0.16%. On a $10,000 trade, that is the difference between paying $26 and paying $16. Do that 100 times a year and you have spent $1,000 more than you needed to - just by using market orders.
Why Maker Fees Are Sometimes Zero (or Negative)
On some platforms, especially futures and perpetuals, maker fees can be zero or even negative. A negative maker fee means the exchange actually pays you a rebate for placing limit orders.
This sounds counterintuitive. But exchanges running order books need liquidity to attract takers. If the spread is tight and there are always resting orders, more takers come to the platform. The exchange then earns enough from taker fees to subsidize maker rebates and still profit.
This is common on platforms like Bybit and OKX for their derivatives markets. It creates an asymmetry that active limit-order traders can exploit.
How to Always Know Which Fee You Are Paying
Before placing any order, ask yourself one question: will this order fill immediately?
- Yes (fills immediately): You are a taker. You pay the taker fee.
- No (sits in the order book): You are a maker. You pay the maker fee - once it fills.
- Partially fills: The portion that filled immediately is charged at taker rates. The remainder, if it rests in the book, is charged at maker rates when it fills later.
Most exchange UIs show you the estimated fee before you confirm. Always read that number. It is the fastest way to avoid surprises.
Maker vs Taker Fees in Perpetual Futures and Margin Trading
The maker vs taker fee model applies to perpetual futures and margin products too - but with one major additional cost layered on top: the funding rate.
Funding rates are periodic payments exchanged between long and short holders to keep the perpetual contract price anchored to the spot price. They have nothing to do with maker or taker status, but they are a real ongoing cost that many traders ignore when calculating their true crypto trading fees.
On a leveraged position, even a 0.01% difference between maker and taker fees gets multiplied by your leverage multiple. At 10x leverage, a 0.10% taker fee effectively costs 1% of your position in economic terms. This is why professional traders almost exclusively use limit orders on leveraged desks.
Calculate Your Actual Cost Before You Trade
Reading a fee schedule is one thing. Knowing exactly what a specific trade will cost you across different exchanges - factoring in maker vs taker status, native token discounts, and volume tier - is another.
That is exactly what our free Trading Fee Calculator does. Enter your trade size, select your exchange, choose your order type, and it outputs the real cost in dollars. You can compare multiple exchanges side by side to find the cheapest execution path before you commit a single dollar.
If you are signing up to a new exchange anyway, check our exclusive exchange bonus codes first. Several of our affiliate partners offer fee discounts, cashback on first trades, or deposit bonuses that directly reduce your effective crypto trading fees from day one.
Key Takeaways
- Maker fee = limit order that rests in the book. Lower cost. You provide liquidity.
- Taker fee = market order or immediate fill. Higher cost. You consume liquidity.
- The gap between maker and taker fees varies by exchange.
- On leveraged products, fee differences are multiplied. Always use limit orders if you can afford to wait for a fill.
- Native token discounts and volume tiers can reduce both rates, but limit orders remain cheaper in almost every scenario.
- Use a trading fee calculator to run the numbers on your specific trade before you execute.