The Fee Table: 10 Exchanges Side by Side
Here's the raw data. Every number comes from the exchange's own published fee page as of Q3 2026, base tier, no volume discounts or native-token deductions applied.
| Exchange | Spot Maker | Spot Taker | Futures Maker | Futures Taker | Native Token Discount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEXC | 0.00% | 0.05% | 0.00% | 0.02% | MX: 20% off |
| OKX | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.05% | OKB: tier-dependent |
| Binance | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.05% | BNB: 25% spot |
| Bybit | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.055% | — |
| Bitget | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | BGB: 20% spot |
| KuCoin | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | KCS: 20% off |
| Gate.io | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.015% | 0.05% | GT: tier-dependent |
| Kraken | 0.16% | 0.26% | 0.02% | 0.05% | — |
| Crypto.com | 0.25% | 0.50% | 0.02% | 0.04% | CRO: varies |
| Coinbase | 0.40% | 0.60% | — | — | — |
The gap between cheapest and most expensive spot taker: 0.05% on MEXC versus 0.60% on Coinbase. That's a 12x spread on every single trade.
Maker vs Taker: Why It Matters for Your Bottom Line
Here's the thing most beginner traders miss: your order type directly determines your cost. Place a limit order (maker) and you pay less. Hit market buy (taker) and you pay more. Simple, but the cumulative effect is enormous.
Take Binance as an example. Both maker and taker sit at 0.10% on the base tier — identical. But use BNB to pay fees and you get 25% off spot, dropping to 0.075%. Now pair that with limit orders and you're paying less than most platforms' taker rate.
On OKX the maker rate starts at 0.08% — already below the 0.10% cluster that Binance, Bybit, Bitget and KuCoin share. At high VIP tiers, OKX even offers maker rebates (negative fees), meaning the exchange pays you for providing liquidity.
If you're using market orders exclusively, you're paying a premium on every fill. Switching to limit orders alone can cut your fee bill by 20-40% on most platforms.
Futures pricing tells a different story. Across 11 platforms offering perpetual contracts, the median maker fee is exactly 0.02% and the median taker is 0.05%. The range is compressed: taker sits between 0.04% and 0.06% on almost everyone. Spot is where exchanges still differentiate on price.
Hidden Costs: Withdrawal, Spread & Funding
The headline fee rate is just the entry point. Three costs hide behind it:
- Withdrawal fees — BTC withdrawal costs 0.00003-0.00005 BTC on most platforms (roughly $2-5 at current prices). Some exchanges charge more during network congestion. MEXC offers zero-fee withdrawals on select networks.
- Spread — the gap between the best bid and ask. On BTC/USDT it's typically $0.10-0.50 on liquid exchanges. On smaller altcoin pairs, spreads can eat 0.1-0.5% of your trade value. This cost is invisible on your fee statement but very real.
- Funding rates — on perpetual futures, you pay (or receive) funding every 8 hours. The baseline is 0.01% per interval, but during volatile markets it can spike to 0.05-0.1% or higher. Holding a leveraged position for a week at elevated funding can cost more than the trading fee itself.
One index measured total annual cost across 12 exchanges for a $2,000/month trading habit. The range: $12/year on MEXC to $152/year on the most expensive platform. Same trades, same positions — just different fee schedules.
What $20,000/Month Actually Costs Per Exchange
Let's run real numbers. Assume $20,000/month in spot volume, split evenly between maker (limit) and taker (market) orders. No VIP tier, no native-token discount.
| Exchange | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEXC | $5.00 | $60 | 0.025% |
| OKX | $18.00 | $216 | 0.090% |
| Binance | $20.00 | $240 | 0.100% |
| Bybit | $20.00 | $240 | 0.100% |
| Bitget | $20.00 | $240 | 0.100% |
| KuCoin | $20.00 | $240 | 0.100% |
| Kraken | $42.00 | $504 | 0.210% |
| Crypto.com | $75.00 | $900 | 0.375% |
| Coinbase | $100.00 | $1,200 | 0.500% |
The annual gap between MEXC ($60) and Coinbase ($1,200) is $1,140 — on just $20,000/month volume. At $50,000/month, that gap widens to nearly $3,000/year.
Use the funding rate calculator to estimate your total cost including futures holding costs. Check our exchange reviews for platform-specific fee breakdowns.
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