The difference between maker and taker fees, real 2026 rate comparisons across OKX, Binance, Bybit and Kraken, and practical strategies to lower your trading costs by switching from market orders to limit orders.
What Maker and Taker Actually Mean
Every trade on a crypto exchange involves two parties. One places an order that sits on the order book waiting to be filled. The other places an order that fills immediately against existing orders.
The first party is the maker. Their order adds liquidity to the market. The second party is the taker. Their order removes liquidity.
Here's a concrete example:
- Maker scenario: You place a limit sell order for 1 BTC at $85,000. The current best bid is $84,500. Your order sits on the ask side of the book. It fills when a buyer accepts your price. You pay the maker fee.
- Taker scenario: You place a market sell order for 1 BTC. It fills immediately at $84,500 against the best bid. You removed liquidity. You pay the taker fee.
Most beginners use market orders without realizing it. They click "buy" or "sell" and the exchange executes at the best available price. That's a taker execution, and it costs more.
2026 Fee Comparison: The Numbers
Here's what major exchanges charge at their standard (non-VIP) tier as of October 2026:
| Exchange | Spot Maker | Spot Taker | Futures Maker | Futures Taker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKX | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Binance | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| Bybit | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.055% |
| Kraken | 0.25% | 0.40% | 0.02% | 0.05% |
| MEXC | 0.00% | 0.05% | 0.00% | 0.04% |
| KuCoin | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% |
A few things stand out:
- OKX has the lowest maker rate among major exchanges at 0.08%, slightly below Binance and Bybit at 0.10%.
- Kraken's base tier is expensive — 0.25% maker and 0.40% taker — but drops significantly at higher volumes.
- MEXC offers 0% maker fees on select pairs, the most aggressive pricing in the market.
- Futures fees are compressed — the maker/taker gap is smaller on perpetual contracts than on spot.
On OKX futures, the maker rate is 0.02% and the taker rate is 0.05%. That's a 2.5x difference. If you're placing market orders on every trade, you're paying 150% more than necessary.
Why Taker Fees Are Higher
Exchanges have a structural reason for charging takers more. They need liquidity to function. Without resting orders on the book, no trades can execute.
By rewarding makers with lower fees and charging takers more, exchanges create an incentive system that keeps order books populated. The taker fee also represents the exchange's primary revenue stream, since taker volume is generally higher than maker volume.
At high enough trading volume, some exchanges flip the maker fee from a cost to income. They offer maker rebates — paying you for providing liquidity. The exchange still profits because taker fee revenue at that volume level more than covers the rebate cost.
For example, OKX offers maker rebates at VIP 4 and above. Kraken offers rebates on 650+ trading pairs for high-volume accounts.
How to Always Pay the Maker Rate
You can't always control whether your order is a maker or taker. A limit order can still be a taker if you set the price above the current ask (for buys) or below the current bid (for sells). But you can bias heavily toward maker execution.
1. Use limit orders with patience. Set your price slightly below the current ask for buys, or slightly above the current bid for sells. Your order sits on the book and waits. You pay the maker rate.
2. Enable post-only mode. Most professional trading interfaces — OKX, Bybit, Kraken Pro — offer a post-only order mode. When enabled, this setting cancels your order automatically if it would cross the spread and become a taker order. It guarantees maker status on every fill.
3. Avoid market orders during low liquidity. When the order book is thin, even small market orders can slip through multiple price levels. You pay taker fees on each level filled. Use limit orders to control your execution price.
4. Check the spread before you trade. If the bid-ask spread is wide, a market order costs you more in slippage. A limit order lets you wait for a better price.
The Real Cost: Annual Fee Drag
Let's put this in concrete numbers. Suppose you trade $20,000 per month in spot volume. Here's what you pay annually at different execution styles:
| Exchange | All Taker (0.10%) | All Maker (0.08%) | Annual Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| OKX | $240 | $192 | $48 |
| Binance | $240 | $240 | $0 (same rate) |
| Kraken | $960 | $600 | $360 |
On Kraken, the difference is $360 per year. On OKX, it's $48. Those numbers scale linearly with volume. At $100,000 per month, the Kraken difference becomes $1,800/year.
For futures traders, the math is even more dramatic. At $500,000 monthly futures volume on OKX (0.02% maker, 0.05% taker):
- All taker: $3,000/month = $36,000/year
- All maker: $1,200/month = $14,400/year
- Annual savings: $21,600
That's the difference between using market orders and limit orders. Same exchange, same trades, same prices. Just different execution style.
Ready to start trading with lower fees? OKX offers competitive maker/taker rates and post-only order mode to help you control execution costs.
Open OKX Account → Affiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission if you sign up through this link. This does not affect our analysis. See our methodology.FAQ
What is the difference between maker and taker fees?
A maker fee applies when you place a limit order that sits on the order book and adds liquidity. A taker fee applies when you place a market order that fills immediately and removes liquidity. Maker fees are almost always lower than taker fees.
Which is cheaper: maker or taker?
Maker fees are cheaper in almost all cases. For example, OKX charges 0.08% maker vs 0.10% taker on spot. On futures, the gap is even wider: 0.02% maker vs 0.05% taker. Some exchanges like MEXC offer 0% maker fees on select pairs.
How can I avoid paying taker fees?
Use limit orders instead of market orders. Enable post-only mode on exchanges like OKX, Bybit, or Kraken Pro to guarantee maker status. This cancels your order automatically if it would cross the spread and become a taker order.
Do maker fees apply to futures trading?
Yes. All major perpetual futures exchanges use the maker/taker model. OKX charges 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker on futures. The gap is smaller than on spot, but still significant at high volume.