Fees · Reviewed Aug 19, 2026 · 6 min read
Maker vs Taker Fees: What You Actually Pay and Why
Maker and taker fees decide what a trade really costs. Here is how the split works and who charges what.
Reviewed by CryptoExID Editorial · Aug 19, 2026 · Editorial policy · how we make money
The two-sided fee model in one minute
Every order book trade has two sides. One trader posts an order that sits in the book and waits. The other trader hits that resting order and the trade executes immediately. The first trader made liquidity, so they pay the maker fee. The second trader took liquidity, so they pay the taker fee. Almost every serious spot exchange prices these two roles differently.
The distinction is not about buying or selling. A limit buy that rests below the market is a maker order. A limit buy priced above the current ask fills instantly and gets charged as a taker order. What matters is whether your order waited in the book or crossed it.
Why takers pay more
Exchanges want deep order books because depth attracts volume, and volume attracts more volume. Resting orders are the raw material of that depth, so exchanges subsidize them. Takers consume depth, so they pay for the privilege. It is a straightforward incentive scheme, not a moral judgment about trading style.
The gap can be large. On our dataset Coinbase charges 0.40% maker and 0.60% taker on its base tier, a 50% premium for immediacy. Kraken runs 0.16% and 0.26%. Some venues flatten the split entirely: Binance, Bybit, and KuCoin all list 0.10% on both sides at entry level.
Real numbers across the venues we track
Here is the base-tier spread of outcomes on our dataset. MEXC lists 0.00% maker and 0.05% taker, the cheapest published schedule we track. OKX sits at 0.08% and 0.10%. Gate.io charges 0.15% and 0.20%. At the expensive end, Gemini lists 0.20% and 0.40%, Crypto.com 0.25% and 0.50%, and Bitstamp 0.30% and 0.40%.
Put money on those numbers. A $1,000 taker order costs $1.00 on Binance, $2.60 on Kraken, and $6.00 on Coinbase. Same coin, same second, six times the fee. If you place a resting limit order instead, Coinbase drops to $4.00 and MEXC charges nothing at all.
When chasing maker fees backfires
A maker order saves fees only if it fills. Post a limit buy two ticks below the market in a rising tape and you may watch the price run away, then chase it with a taker order anyway. You paid with slippage instead of fees, and slippage is usually the bigger number.
We keep seeing the same mistake in support tickets and in Reddit threads. Someone compares two maker/taker pairs, picks the 0.10% venue, then pays more than a friend who used a 0.40% venue with a tighter spread and a free ACH deposit. Fees are one line item, not the whole bill.
How we verify these numbers
We record the listed retail schedule for the lowest volume tier, checked on the dataset date printed on each page. We do not model VIP discounts, token-based rebates, or promotional zero-fee pairs, because most retail users never qualify for the first two and the third changes weekly.
We also do not publish live spreads. Spreads move by the second and any snapshot we printed would be stale before you read it. Treat our maker/taker table as the fixed, contractual part of your cost and check the book depth yourself before a large order.
FAQ
Is a market order always a taker order?
Yes. A market order executes against resting orders immediately, so it always takes liquidity and pays the taker rate. That is the price of guaranteed instant execution.
Can a limit order be charged as a taker?
Yes, if it is priced to cross the book. A limit buy above the current ask fills instantly and is billed at the taker rate. Only orders that actually rest in the book earn the maker rate.
Which exchange has the lowest maker fee?
On our dataset MEXC lists 0.00% maker at the base tier. OKX at 0.08% and Binance at 0.10% are the next cheapest among the large venues we track.
Do maker and taker fees apply on Robinhood or eToro?
No. Those venues quote you a single price with the cost built into the spread. Robinhood advertises 0% commission and eToro takes roughly 1% via the spread. There is no maker option because you never post to an order book.
Is the taker fee ever worth paying?
Often, yes. If the market is moving and you need the fill, a 0.10% taker fee is cheaper than missing the price. Maker orders are for patient entries, not for every trade.