Is a limit order always a maker order?

No. A limit order is only a maker order if it does not fill the moment you place it. A limit priced through the best bid or ask fills at once and pays the taker rate. Use post-only to avoid this.

Why is MEXC's futures maker fee zero?

MEXC lists a 0% base maker fee on futures to attract resting orders. Takers still pay 0.02%. Check the current rate on MEXC before you rely on it, because promotional rates can change.

Do maker and taker fees apply to spot and futures?

Yes, but on spot most exchanges we cover charge the same 0.1% to both, so the order type only matters on futures there. OKX, Bitunix and Hyperliquid are exceptions with a lower spot maker rate.

Does a referral code reduce maker fees too?

On the exchanges we cover, the referral discount applies to eligible trading fees on both sides. Because taker fees are higher, the saving in dollars is bigger on taker orders.

Maker vs Taker Fees: What They Are and How Much the Difference Costs

By Alex Wu · Published August 17, 2026 · Updated November 5, 2026

Every exchange on TradeSavings charges two prices for the same trade: one for makers and one for takers. Which one you pay depends only on how your order meets the order book, not on what you trade or how much. Once you understand the rule, it is one of the easiest ways to pay less, and on some exchanges it saves more than a referral code does.

The rule in one sentence

If your order adds liquidity to the order book, you are the maker. If it removes liquidity, you are the taker.

Maker: a limit order that does not fill at once. It sits in the book at your price until someone else trades against it. You "made" the market for them.
Taker: a market order, or a limit order priced so it fills immediately against orders already in the book. You "took" liquidity that someone else left there.

Exchanges reward makers because resting orders make the book deeper and spreads tighter for everyone. That is why the maker rate is lower, and on a few futures markets it is close to zero.

What the gap looks like on real exchanges

These are the base-tier rates (no VIP level, no token discount) that we use on each exchange page:

Exchange	Futures maker	Futures taker	Taker costs
MEXC	0%	0.02%	maker is free
Phemex	0.01%	0.06%	6× the maker rate
Bybit	0.02%	0.055%	2.75×
Binance	0.02%	0.05%	2.5×
WhiteBIT	0.02%	0.04%	2×
Weex	0.02%	0.08%	4×
Hyperliquid	0.015%	0.045%	3×

On spot the picture is different. Most exchanges we cover charge 0.1% on both sides of a spot trade, so on spot a limit order saves nothing at the base tier. The exceptions are OKX and Bitunix (0.08% maker, 0.1% taker) and Hyperliquid (0.04% against 0.07%).

A worked example

Say you trade BTC perpetuals on Binance and open and close a $20,000 position five times a week.

All market orders: each side costs $20,000 × 0.05% = $10. A round trip is $20, five a week is $100, and a year (50 weeks) is $5,000.
Limit orders to enter, market orders to exit: the entry side drops to $4 (0.02%), so a round trip costs $14 and the year $3,500.
Limit orders on both sides: $8 a round trip, $2,000 a year.

The order type alone moves the bill by $3,000 a year. A 20% referral discount on top cuts each of those figures by a fifth again; our guide to what a referral code saves at different volumes runs the same maths for $10k, $100k and $1M a month.

When a limit order turns into a taker order

The maker rate is only charged if your order actually rests in the book first. Three common ways to pay the taker rate by accident:

Pricing through the market. A buy limit at or above the best ask fills immediately, so it is a taker order even though you chose "limit".
Stop orders. Most stop-loss and take-profit orders become market orders when triggered, so they pay the taker rate.
Liquidations. A forced close always takes liquidity, and exchanges often add a liquidation fee on top.

Many exchanges offer a post-only option on limit orders. It cancels the order instead of letting it fill as a taker, which guarantees the maker rate or no trade at all.

The trade-off: price versus certainty

Maker orders are not free money. A resting order might never fill, or might fill only after the price has moved away from you. In a fast market, waiting to save 0.03% can cost you far more in a missed entry. The usual compromise:

Enter with limits when you are not in a hurry, for example when scaling into a swing position.
Exit with market orders when speed matters, such as cutting a loss.
Never risk a stop to save a fee. Stops exist to cap losses, and the taker fee is the price of that protection.

How this fits with fee tiers and referral codes

Maker and taker rates both fall as you climb an exchange's VIP levels, and the gap between them usually narrows at the top. See our guide to exchange fee tiers for how those levels work. A referral code works on top of whichever rate you pay: it takes a share off the maker fee and the taker fee alike, so it saves the most for traders who pay the taker rate often.

For all 21 exchanges side by side, including spot, see crypto exchange fees compared, or open the full list of exchange codes.

Frequently asked questions

Is a limit order always a maker order?: No. A limit order is only a maker order if it does not fill the moment you place it. A limit priced through the best bid or ask fills at once and pays the taker rate. Use post-only to avoid this.
Why is MEXC's futures maker fee zero?: MEXC lists a 0% base maker fee on futures to attract resting orders. Takers still pay 0.02%. Check the current rate on MEXC before you rely on it, because promotional rates can change.
Do maker and taker fees apply to spot and futures?: Yes, but on spot most exchanges we cover charge the same 0.1% to both, so the order type only matters on futures there. OKX, Bitunix and Hyperliquid are exceptions with a lower spot maker rate.
Does a referral code reduce maker fees too?: On the exchanges we cover, the referral discount applies to eligible trading fees on both sides. Because taker fees are higher, the saving in dollars is bigger on taker orders.