Crypto Exchange Fees Compared: 22 Exchanges, Spot and Futures
Most traders pick an exchange for its coins, its app or its leverage, and only look at the fee schedule after the first month of trading. That is backwards. Fees are one of the few costs you know in advance, and on an active futures account they can add up to more than a thousand dollars a year.
We put the standard fees of 22 crypto exchanges side by side, using the same base-tier rates we show on each exchange page on TradeSavings. Then we ran one simple test: what does the same trader pay on each exchange over a year?
Data updated: November 2026. All rates are the standard base tier (no VIP level, no token discount). Your actual rate can be lower if you hold the exchange's token, reach a VIP tier, or trade as a maker. Always confirm the current schedule on the exchange before you trade.
The short version
- The same trader can pay 4 times more on one exchange than another. A trader placing 20 futures taker orders of $10,000 a month pays about $480 a year on MEXC and about $1,920 a year on WEEX at base rates.
- Most exchanges sit in the middle. The typical (median) futures taker fee across the 22 exchanges is 0.06%, and the typical spot taker fee is 0.10%.
- A 20% referral discount saves real money. On the same trader profile it cuts $240 to $384 a year on most exchanges, for typing a code once at sign-up.
- Maker orders matter more than the exchange you choose. On Binance futures, the same volume costs $480 a year as maker and $1,200 as taker.
Full fee table: 22 exchanges
Spot and futures fees are the standard base-tier maker and taker rates. "Taker with code" applies the exchange's referral discount to the taker fee.
| Exchange | Spot maker | Spot taker | Futures maker | Futures taker | Futures taker with code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEXC | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.016% |
| WhiteBIT | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.04% | 0.032% |
| Binance | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.040% |
| BingX | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.040% |
| Gate.io | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.040% |
| HTX | 0.20% | 0.20% | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.040% |
| OKX | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.040% |
| Hyperliquid | 0.04% | 0.07% | 0.015% | 0.045% | 0.043% |
| Bybit | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.055% | 0.044% |
| Bitget | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| BitMart | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| Bitunix | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| BloFin | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| Coinstore | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| CoinW | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| Crypto.com | 0.075% | 0.075% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| KuCoin | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| LBank | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| Ourbit | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| Phemex | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.01% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| Toobit | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.048% |
| WEEX | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.08% | 0.064% |
Hyperliquid is a decentralized exchange and its referral discount is 4%, which is why its "with code" rate barely moves. The other 21 exchanges in this table offer up to 20% off through a referral code.
What one trader pays per year on each exchange
Percentages are hard to feel, so here is one realistic profile:
- 20 futures trades a month
- $10,000 position size per trade
- All market (taker) orders
- That is $200,000 of volume a month, or $2.4 million a year
| Exchange | Yearly fees (no code) | Yearly fees (with code) | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEXC | $480 | $384 | $96 |
| WhiteBIT | $960 | $768 | $192 |
| Binance, BingX, Gate.io, HTX, OKX | $1,200 | $960 | $240 |
| Hyperliquid | $1,080 | $1,037 | $43 |
| Bybit | $1,320 | $1,056 | $264 |
| Bitget, BitMart, Bitunix, BloFin, Coinstore, CoinW, Crypto.com, KuCoin, LBank, Ourbit, Phemex, Toobit | $1,440 | $1,152 | $288 |
| WEEX | $1,920 | $1,536 | $384 |
Two things stand out. First, the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive base rate is $1,440 a year for the same trading. Second, the referral discount is worth the most exactly where base fees are highest, because 20% of a bigger number is a bigger number.
Want your own numbers? Every exchange page on TradeSavings has a calculator where you enter your trade size and trades per month.
Spot fees: smaller differences, bigger percentages
Spot fees are more uniform. Most exchanges charge 0.10% for both maker and taker at the base tier. The exceptions:
- Hyperliquid is the cheapest spot taker at 0.07%.
- Crypto.com charges 0.075%, and Gate.io 0.09%.
- OKX and Bitunix cut the maker side to 0.08%.
- HTX is the most expensive at 0.20% on both sides, double the usual rate.
Spot traders usually trade less often than futures traders, so the yearly gap is smaller in dollars. But because spot fees are about twice futures fees per trade, frequent spot trading of large amounts adds up quickly. A $5,000 spot buy and sell, ten times a month, costs about $1,200 a year at 0.10% and $2,400 at HTX's 0.20%.
Maker vs taker: the cheapest discount you already have
A taker order fills immediately against the order book (a market order, or a limit order priced to fill now). A maker order sits on the book and waits to be filled. Exchanges charge makers less because they add liquidity.
On futures the difference is large. Using the same $2.4 million yearly volume:
| Exchange | All maker | All taker |
|---|---|---|
| Binance | $480 | $1,200 |
| Bybit | $480 | $1,320 |
| Phemex | $240 | $1,440 |
| MEXC | $0 | $480 |
You will not fill every order as a maker, especially on fast moves. But shifting even half your entries to limit orders that wait for price usually saves more than switching exchanges. Our guide on maker vs taker fees explains how to do it without missing trades.
Why the cheapest exchange is not always the best choice
Fees are one line in a bigger decision. Before you move your trading to the cheapest name in the table, check:
- Liquidity and spread. A low fee on a thin order book can cost more in slippage than you save in fees, especially on large orders.
- Funding rates. On perpetual futures, funding payments between longs and shorts can be larger than trading fees if you hold positions for days.
- Security and reserves. After the record $6.3 billion hack on Binance in October 2026, how an exchange protects funds matters as much as what it charges. See our exchange security checklist.
- Availability in your country. Some exchanges restrict users from certain regions. Check before you deposit.
- Withdrawal fees. Moving funds out has its own network and withdrawal costs, which this table does not include.
How to pay less on any exchange
- Use a referral code at sign-up. It usually has to be entered when you create the account and often cannot be added later.
- Use maker orders where you can. Limit orders that wait for price are charged the lower maker rate.
- Check token discounts. Several exchanges cut fees further when you pay them in the exchange's own token.
- Watch your VIP tier. If your monthly volume is close to the next tier, the lower rate can be worth planning for.
- Count funding and spread, not just fees. The cheapest fee schedule is not the cheapest trade if the order book is thin.
How we built this comparison
We used the standard base-tier spot and futures maker and taker fees listed on each exchange page on TradeSavings, which we check monthly. "With code" figures apply each exchange's advertised referral discount to the taker fee: up to 20% on 21 exchanges and 4% on Hyperliquid. Yearly costs assume 20 trades a month at $10,000 each ($2.4 million a year) and do not include funding, spread, slippage or withdrawal fees. Exchanges change their fee schedules, so confirm current rates on the exchange before trading.
TradeSavings may earn a commission when you register with a code or link on this site, at no extra cost to you. Trading crypto and leveraged products carries a high risk of loss. This page is information, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
- Which crypto exchange has the lowest trading fees?
- At base-tier rates, MEXC has the lowest futures fees (0% maker, 0.02% taker) and Hyperliquid has the lowest spot taker fee (0.07%). The cheapest overall depends on whether you trade spot or futures and whether you use maker or taker orders.
- What is a normal crypto trading fee?
- Across the 22 exchanges we compared, the typical base-tier fee is 0.10% for spot trades and 0.06% for futures taker orders. Futures maker orders are usually 0.02%.
- How much does a referral code save on trading fees?
- On most exchanges in this comparison, a referral code gives up to 20% off trading fees. For a trader doing $2.4 million of futures volume a year, that is roughly $240 to $384 a year depending on the exchange.
- Are maker fees always lower than taker fees?
- On every exchange in this comparison the maker fee is equal to or lower than the taker fee. On futures, maker fees are often less than half the taker fee.
- Do these fees include withdrawal costs?
- No. This comparison covers trading fees only. Withdrawal and network fees depend on the coin and the blockchain you use.