Crypto Trading Fees Explained: Maker, Taker, Spreads and Withdrawals

Not financial advice. Fees and spreads vary by platform and change; check each venue's current schedule. Capital at risk.

Maker vs taker fees

When you place an order that sits on the book waiting to be filled, you are a maker: you add liquidity, and exchanges reward that with lower fees. When you take an existing order off the book for an instant fill, you are a taker, and you pay more. Both usually fall as your 30-day trading volume rises.

Two published schedules, read on 16 October 2026:

Sources: Kraken fee schedule and Binance trading fees. Kraken's page also notes that volume from its instant-buy product does not count towards the 30-day tiers.

Worked example on 1,000 euros. Kraken Pro Level 1 taker: 1,000 x 0.0080 = 8.00 euros. The same order as a maker (limit order that waits): 1,000 x 0.0040 = 4.00 euros. Binance Regular User: 1,000 x 0.0010 = 1.00 euro. A round trip (buy, later sell) doubles each figure: 16.00, 8.00 and 2.00 euros respectively, before the spread.

The spread

Even at "zero commission", the gap between the buy and sell price is a real cost. If the best bid is 99.90 and the best offer is 100.10, buying then immediately selling loses 0.20 on 100, or 0.20%, with no fee shown anywhere. On thinly traded coins the spread can dwarf any visible fee, which is why liquidity matters so much when choosing where to trade.

Deposit and withdrawal costs

Moving money in is where many beginners pay the most without noticing. Kraken's deposit page lists SEPA and SEPA Instant transfers in EUR as free, with a 1 EUR minimum and 0 to 3 business days, and debit-card deposits at 0.25 EUR + 3.75% with a 10 EUR minimum (Kraken fiat deposit options); your own bank may add a charge on the sending side.

Worked example. Funding 1,000 euros by card: 0.25 + (1,000 x 0.0375) = 37.75 euros before you have bought anything. By SEPA transfer: 0 euros from the exchange side. For 100 euros the card fee is 0.25 + 3.75 = 4.00 euros, which is 4% of your money gone on the deposit alone.

On the way out, an on-chain withdrawal carries the blockchain's own transaction fee plus any flat charge the exchange sets. Frequent small withdrawals erode a position faster than trading fees do.

The convenience premium

"Simple buy" buttons and instant card purchases are easy but typically carry the highest markup of all. Kraken's schedule lists a 1% trading fee for instant and recurring buys and 1.5% for custom orders on its simple interface, with a spread built into the price you see (Kraken fee schedule). The same coin bought through the full trading screen at the Level 1 taker rate costs 0.80%, and 0.40% as a maker.

Worked example on 1,000 euros, same venue, same coin:

The difference between the first and last row is 43.75 euros on a single purchase. Nothing about the coin changed; only the route did.

Network fees are not the exchange's fee

When you withdraw crypto, part of the cost is the blockchain's own transaction fee, which rises when the network is busy, and part may be a flat withdrawal charge set by the exchange. Choosing a cheaper network for the same asset (where both sides support it) can cut the first; the network must match on both ends or the funds can be lost. See our self-custody tutorial. For how Ethereum's base and priority fees work, read gas fees explained.

Frequently asked questions

What are crypto maker and taker fees? A maker places an order that waits on the order book and adds liquidity, so it pays the lower fee (0.40% at Kraken Pro Level 1). A taker fills an existing order instantly and pays the higher fee (0.80% at the same tier). Both usually fall as your 30-day volume rises.

Why do exchanges charge takers more than makers? A taker order removes liquidity by matching an existing order and executes immediately. A maker order adds liquidity by resting on the book at your price. Venues prefer makers because a deep order book attracts traders, so they price maker orders lower.

How much does it cost to buy 1,000 euros of crypto? Using Kraken's published schedule, between 4 euros (free SEPA deposit plus a 0.40% maker order) and about 47.75 euros (card deposit at 0.25 euros plus 3.75%, then a 1% instant buy), before the spread. Binance's 0.10% spot fee would make the trading-fee part 1 euro.

How does the spread affect crypto trading costs? The spread is the gap between the best buy and sell prices, a real cost that never appears on a fee schedule. A 99.90 bid against a 100.10 offer costs 0.20% on a round trip, and spreads widen with thin liquidity, volatility and large order sizes.

How can I reduce crypto trading and withdrawal costs? Fund by bank transfer instead of card, use the trading screen instead of the simple buy button, use limit orders where timing allows, consolidate withdrawals because fixed network fees hurt small transfers most, and choose the withdrawal network deliberately.

Building the Full Cost of One Round Trip

The only comparison that means anything is the total cost of buying and later selling the same amount. Assembled in order:

Two of those six are advertised. The rest are where the money goes, and the currency conversion margin in the last row is frequently larger than every stated fee combined.

The Convenience Premium

The simple buy button on most venues and wallets is a different product from the trading screen, priced differently. It is quoted as a single all-in rate with the cost embedded in the price rather than shown as a fee, which is why it feels cheaper and is not.

Placing the same purchase as a limit order on the trading interface takes a few extra steps and is materially cheaper on most venues. For anything above a trivial amount this is the single highest-return five minutes available.

Maker, Taker and Why the Difference Exists

• A taker order removes liquidity from the book by matching an existing order. It

executes immediately and pays the higher fee.

• A maker order adds liquidity by resting on the book at your price. It may not

execute, and pays the lower fee or occasionally receives a rebate.

• The venue prefers makers because a deep book attracts traders, which is why the

spread between the two fee tiers exists at all.

For anyone trading with any regularity, learning to use limit orders is a permanent reduction in cost base that requires no market view.

The Spread Is a Fee

The gap between the best bid and best offer is a real cost paid on every trade and it never appears on a fee schedule. It widens with:

• Thin liquidity, so smaller assets cost more to trade than headline assets.
• Volatility, so it is widest exactly when you most want to act.
• Order size, since a large order walks up the book and the average fill is worse

than the top-of-book price.

Check the order book depth before placing anything large. The visible price applies to the first slice only.

Reducing Costs Without Changing Strategy

1. Fund by bank transfer, not card.
2. Use the trading screen, not the buy button.
3. Use limit orders wherever timing permits.
4. Consolidate withdrawals. A fixed network fee hurts small transfers most.
5. Choose the network deliberately when withdrawing; the same asset can cost very

different amounts on different chains.

1. Check the fiat conversion rate, not just the stated withdrawal fee.

Fees and spreads vary by platform and change; verify against the venue's current schedule. For choosing the venue itself, see how to choose a crypto exchange.

The bottom line

Compare total cost of ownership for your actual habits, not the headline rate: on the schedules above the route you take changes the cost of one purchase by more than ten times. To put low fees into practice, compare venues in the best crypto exchanges guide, read how to choose a crypto exchange for the full checklist, and if your bank makes card deposits expensive or impossible, see how to fund a crypto account. If you want a trading screen with maker and taker pricing rather than a buy button, Kraken Pro publishes the schedule quoted above (our link is not available to readers in the United Kingdom); Coinbase is another regulated venue with a separate advanced trading screen, so check its current fee schedule before you trade.

Capital at risk. Fees and spreads vary by platform and can change; this is not financial advice.