How Exchange Maker and Taker Fees Work (And How to Pay Less)

Every crypto exchange charges two types of trading fees: maker fees and taker fees. Understanding the difference — and knowing when to use each — can save you hundreds of dollars per month.

What Is a Maker Fee?

A maker adds liquidity to the order book by placing a limit order that does not immediately fill. For example, if BTC is trading at $67,500 and you place a buy order at $67,400, your order sits on the book waiting to be filled. You are "making" the market.

Maker fees are lower because exchanges want to encourage liquidity:

• Binance: 0.10% (0.075% with BNB)


• OKX: 0.08%


• Kraken: 0.16%

What Is a Taker Fee?

A taker removes liquidity from the order book by placing a market order or a limit order that fills immediately. If BTC is at $67,500 and you place a market buy, you "take" from existing sell orders.

Taker fees are higher:

• Binance: 0.10% (0.075% with BNB)


• OKX: 0.10%


• Kraken: 0.26%

The Cost Difference Adds Up

On a $10,000 trade:

• Maker fee at 0.08%: $8.00


• Taker fee at 0.26%: $26.00

That is a $18 difference per trade. Over 100 trades per month: $1,800 saved by using maker orders.

When to Use Each

Use Maker Orders (Limit) When:

• You have time to wait for your price
• You are entering a position without urgency
• The spread is tight enough that your limit order will fill quickly

Use Taker Orders (Market) When:

• Speed is critical (arbitrage execution)
• The opportunity might disappear in seconds
• The spread is wide enough that the taker fee does not eliminate your profit

Strategies to Minimize Fees

1. Use maker orders whenever possible — place limit orders instead of market orders
2. Hold native exchange tokens — BNB (25% off on Binance), KCS (20% off on KuCoin)
3. Increase your trading volume — higher tiers mean lower fees
4. Compare exchanges — some have significantly lower base fees than others
5. Check for promotions — exchanges occasionally offer zero-fee trading on select pairs

Fee Impact on Arbitrage

For arbitrage traders, the maker vs taker decision is crucial:

• Using taker orders on both sides: 0.2% total fees (Binance round trip)
• Using maker on one side + taker on the other: 0.15% total
• Using maker on both sides: 0.1% total

That difference determines whether a 0.15% spread is profitable or not.

Compare fees across all exchanges on our Exchange Comparison Tool.