Crypto Trading Fees Explained — Maker, Taker, Funding & Hidden Costs
Fees are the one cost you pay on every single trade, win or lose — and the one most beginners ignore until they wonder why an account that “broke even” is quietly shrinking. Here is exactly what you are charged, why frequent trading is so much more expensive than it looks, and the levers that actually lower your bill.
Maker vs taker: the two prices of a trade
Exchanges charge two different fees depending on how your order hits the book. A taker order removes liquidity — it fills instantly against an existing order (a market order, or a limit order that crosses the spread) — and pays the higher fee. A maker order adds liquidity — it sits on the book waiting to be filled (a limit order that does not cross) — and pays a lower fee, sometimes even a rebate.
Typical crypto futures fees run around 0.02% maker and 0.055% taker, but they vary a lot by exchange and by your volume tier. The single easiest fee cut for most traders: use limit orders so you pay maker instead of taker. Compare venues with the exchange fee comparison and see the maker/taker gap in dollars with the maker-taker savings calculator.
Why fees quietly destroy scalpers (fee drag)
A single 0.055% taker fee sounds tiny. But you pay it on entry and exit, so a round trip costs ~0.11% of position size — before you have made a cent. Trade 10 times a day and that is over 1% of your notional gone daily, every day. This compounding cost is called fee drag, and it is the main reason most high-frequency scalping strategies are net-negative even when their win rate looks fine.
See how much a strategy actually bleeds to fees over time with the fee drag calculator and the exact per-trade cost with the futures fees calculator. The honest takeaway: fewer, higher-conviction trades usually beat many small ones purely on cost.
Funding: the fee that is not called a fee
On perpetual futures there is a third cost most beginners miss: funding. Every 8 hours (on most venues) longs and shorts exchange a small payment based on how far the perp trades from spot. When funding is positive, longs pay shorts; when negative, shorts pay longs. Hold a leveraged position for days and funding can dwarf your trading fees.
Funding is a rate, not a flat fee, so it scales with your notional (position × leverage), not your margin. Convert it to a daily and annual cost with the funding calculator, and read how funding rates work for the full picture. It also cuts the other way — funding is the basis of real delta-neutral yield strategies.
Spread and slippage: the fees the exchange does not show you
Two costs never appear on your fee statement. The spread is the gap between the best bid and ask — cross it with a market order and you have already lost that much. Slippage is when your order is bigger than the top of the book, so later units fill at worse prices. On thin altcoins and during volatility, these hidden costs can exceed your actual trading fee.
They are worst on low-liquidity pairs, so size down or use limit orders there. Check whether a pair is liquid enough on the live market before you trade it.
How to actually pay less
- Use limit (maker) orders whenever your strategy allows — the single biggest, free fee cut.
- Trade less. Fee drag is a function of frequency; every avoided round trip is guaranteed savings. Fewer, better trades win on cost.
- Climb the volume tier only if you already trade that much — never trade more just to hit a discount. Find the break-even volume with the fee-tier break-even calculator.
- Hold the exchange token for a fee discount if you trade there regularly — quantify it with the exchange token discount calculator.
- Mind funding on multi-day perp holds — sometimes a dated future or spot is cheaper to carry.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between maker and taker fees?
A taker order fills immediately against existing orders and removes liquidity, so it pays the higher fee. A maker order rests on the order book and adds liquidity, so it pays a lower fee or even a rebate. Using limit orders that do not cross the spread is the easiest way to pay the lower maker fee.
How much do crypto trading fees cost per trade?
Typical crypto futures fees are around 0.02% maker and 0.055% taker of position notional, but you pay on both entry and exit, so a taker round trip costs roughly 0.11% of position size. Spot fees are often around 0.1% per side. Rates vary by exchange and volume tier.
Is funding a trading fee?
Funding is a periodic payment (usually every 8 hours) exchanged between longs and shorts on perpetual futures, based on the gap between the perp and spot price. It is not charged by the exchange, but it behaves like a fee that scales with your position notional and can exceed trading fees on multi-day holds.
How can I reduce my crypto trading fees?
Use limit orders to pay maker instead of taker fees, trade less frequently to cut fee drag, hold the exchange's token for a discount if you trade there often, climb volume tiers only if your real volume justifies it, and watch funding costs on positions you hold for days.
Educational only — not financial advice.