Crypto Exchange Fees Explained

The main crypto exchange fees

Maker and taker crypto exchange fees

A maker adds an order to the order book, for example a limit order to buy below the current price, and waits for someone to take it.

A taker fills an existing order immediately, for example with a market order.

Exchanges usually charge makers less because they add liquidity.

Example from a published schedule: Kraken lists 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker at its lowest volume tier on Kraken Pro.

Volume tiers

Many exchanges lower maker and taker fees as your 30-day trading volume rises.

Gate's EU fee page, for example, lists 0.1% maker and 0.1% taker for its base VIP 0 tier.

Tiers mainly help very active traders; trading more just to reach a lower tier usually costs more than it saves, as the annual cost calculator shows.

The spread among crypto exchange fees

The spread is the gap between the buying and selling price, and in simple apps it can be the main cost even when there is "no fee".

The spread calculator estimates it in euros.

Network fees

When you send coins to another wallet, the blockchain charges a network fee, and exchanges usually pass it on, sometimes with a margin.

Network fees vary by coin, by network and by how busy the network is.

Where crypto exchange fees are published

MiCA requires authorised exchanges to make their policies on pricing, costs and fees publicly available in a prominent place on their website.

Look for a "Fees", "Pricing" or "Fee schedule" link in the website footer, and check whether the page is for EU customers.

Every exchange review on this site links to the fee page that was checked.

Adding up crypto exchange fees

Selling later costs fees too, which the break-even calculator includes.

Crypto exchange fees explained: published examples side by side

From each provider's own fee page, checked 24 October 2026. Fees change; check the current page.

Crypto exchange fees explained: fixed versus percentage

A €1 fixed fee is 1% of a €100 purchase but only 0.1% of €1,000.

Crypto exchange fees explained: fees you might not notice

• Currency conversion when paying in a different currency.
• Card issuer fees charged by your own bank.
• Inactivity fees on dormant accounts, where terms include them.
• Minimum fees on very small orders.

Crypto exchange fees explained: your yearly fee check

1. Export your history.
2. Sum the fees for the year.
3. Compare with alternatives using the annual cost calculator.
4. Adjust habits: screen, order type, frequency or provider.

Crypto exchange fees explained: a full round trip

Example: buying €1,000 of crypto, moving it to your own wallet, later moving it back and selling it at the same price.

Illustrative fees, not a named exchange's prices.

Even with low trading fees, transfers and withdrawals add up, which is why planning fewer, larger moves saves money.

Crypto exchange fees explained: how volume tiers work

Many exchanges calculate your fee tier from your trading volume over the previous 30 days.

As volume rises past thresholds, maker and taker fees fall, sometimes to zero for makers at the highest tiers.

Northcrypto's fee page, for example, lists 1.0% for advanced trading at €0–10,000 monthly volume and 0.6% above €3,000,000.

From Northcrypto's fee page, checked 24 October 2026.

For most private buyers, the starting tier is the relevant one.

Crypto exchange fees explained: fees in broker apps

Broker apps often present a single price with a fee included, or a spread instead of a fee.

To compare with an exchange, ask what you would receive if you sold immediately after buying: the difference is the round-trip cost.

The spread calculator and the break-even calculator turn those numbers into euros and percent.

Crypto exchange fees explained: reading a fee page

1. Check that the page applies to EU customers and to the entity you use.
2. Find the trading fees for the screen you will use.
3. Find deposit and withdrawal fees for euros and for each coin.
4. Look for minimums: minimum order, minimum withdrawal, minimum fee.
5. Check for other fees, such as inactivity or conversion fees.
6. Note the date so you know when to recheck.

Crypto exchange fees explained: why transparency matters

MiCA requires authorised providers to publish their policies on pricing, costs and fees in a prominent place.

A fee page that is hard to find, incomplete or contradicts what the app shows is a reason to ask questions before you trade.

This site records the fee page it checked for each provider, so you can compare it with what you see today.

Crypto exchange fees explained: questions readers ask

Why did I pay more than the fee page says? A spread, a card fee or a minimum fee may have applied; check the trade confirmation.

Are crypto deposits free? Many exchanges do not charge for receiving crypto, but you pay the network fee when sending from elsewhere.

Do fees count for taxes? In many countries fees affect the taxable result; check your tax authority's guidance.

Crypto exchange fees explained: a checklist before each purchase

• Which screen am I using, and which fee applies?
• Is there a spread in the price shown?
• How am I paying, and does that method have a fee?
• Will I withdraw, and what will that cost?
• What will selling cost later?

Answering these five questions takes a minute and often reveals a cheaper way to make the same purchase.

The results can be entered straight into the fee calculator and the break-even calculator.

Crypto exchange fees explained: where this site shows fees

Every exchange card on this site can show the published maker, taker and instant-buy fees in its info popup, once they have been checked on the provider's own fee page.

The list of lowest fee crypto exchanges compares them side by side, and each review links to the fee page that was checked, with the date.

A dash means a fee has not been verified yet, so check the provider's page before relying on it.

Key points on crypto exchange fees

• A purchase can include a trading fee, a spread, a deposit fee and a withdrawal fee.
• Maker fees are usually lower than taker fees, and simple buy screens often cost most.
• Fixed fees weigh heavily on small purchases.
• Selling and moving coins cost fees too, so think in round trips.
• MiCA requires authorised exchanges to publish their fee policies prominently.

Next step after this guide

Before acting on anything in this guide, take three minutes for the financial readiness test, which checks whether your buffer, debts and income can take a large fall in crypto prices.

Then use the MiCA licence checker to confirm that the exchange you plan to use is authorised, and the fee calculator to see what your purchase, transfer or sale will really cost.

Together, these three checks take less than ten minutes and prevent most of the costly mistakes described on this site.

Frequently asked questions

Written and fact-checked by

CoinTrustRadar.com editorial team

Every figure on this page is checked against the ESMA register, the exchange's own terms and fee pages or another primary source, and the sources are listed above. Editorial policy · How we rate