Crypto exchange fees comparison: what a €1,000 buy really costs
The table shows maker and taker fees at the entry tier. Below it, we add what the headline leaves out (the spread, instant-buy premiums, card deposits and withdrawals) and work out a €1,000 buy.
Spot trading fees at the lowest tier
Maker and taker fees for the entry tier, before token or volume discounts. Checked 23 October 2026.
| Exchange | Maker | Taker | SEPA deposit | EU licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | 0.10% | 0.10% | – | No MiCA licence |
| Bitget | 0.10% | 0.10% | – | MiCA licence applied for |
| Bybit | 0.25% | 0.25% | No Bybit EU deposit fee (payment providers may charge their own fees) | MiCA licence (FMA (Austria)) |
| Coinbase | 0.60% | 1.20% | Free | MiCA licence (CSSF (Luxembourg)) |
| Crypto.com | 0.25% | 0.50% | Free (minimum €1) | MiCA licence (MFSA (Malta)) |
| Gate.io (Gate) | 0.10% | 0.10% | – | MiCA licence (MFSA (Malta)) |
| Gemini | 0.60% | 1.20% | Not available (EEA accounts closed April 2026) | Not available in the EU |
| Kraken | 0.40% | 0.80% | Free | MiCA licence (Central Bank of Ireland) |
| KuCoin | 0.10% | 0.10% | – | MiCA licence, EU service not live |
| MEXC | 0.00% | 0.05% | – | No MiCA licence |
| OKX | 0.08% (0.20% without an X-Perps account) | 0.10% (0.35% without an X-Perps account) | Free (bank charges may apply) | MiCA licence (MFSA (Malta)) |
This crypto exchange fees comparison starts with the table above: maker and taker fees at the entry tier, taken from each exchange’s official fee schedule. But trading fees are only part of the total cost. The spread, the premium on instant buys, card deposits and withdrawal fees can cost more than the trading fee itself, and most exchanges keep them out of the headline.
We checked every figure on the exchanges’ own fee pages on 23 October 2026, and fees change often, so check the fee page again before you trade. We only recommend MiCA-licensed exchanges that serve EU residents. The lowest headline fees in the table, MEXC’s 0.00% maker and 0.05% taker, belong to an exchange without a MiCA licence.
How crypto exchanges charge fees
Crypto exchanges charge fees in five places: the trade, the spread in the price, deposits, withdrawals and, at some, a monthly subscription. What each one means for you:
- Maker and taker fees: a maker fee applies when your limit order waits in the order book and adds liquidity, as market makers do; a taker fee applies when a market order executes immediately. Taker fees are higher: 0.25% against 0.15% at Bitvavo, 0.80% against 0.40% on Kraken Pro.
- Spread: the gap between the buy and sell price. On instant-buy and convert screens the exchange sets the price, and the spread is rarely published.
- Deposit fees: SEPA bank transfers are free at Bitvavo, Kraken, Coinbase and OKX, and at Crypto.com from a €1 minimum deposit. Card payments cost 1.00% at Bitvavo, 1.99% at OKX and 3.99% at Crypto.com.
- Withdrawal fees: SEPA withdrawals of fiat currency are free at Bitvavo, Coinbase and OKX, €1 at Kraken and €1.00 at Crypto.com, with an €80 minimum. Crypto withdrawals add a fee per coin.
- Subscription fees: Kraken+ removes app trading fees on up to $10,000 a month, Coinbase One removes simple-trade fees within limits, and Crypto.com’s Level Up starts at €3.99 a month. At Kraken and Coinbase the spread still applies.
Decentralized exchanges work differently: you swap from your own wallet and pay network fees on every transaction, but you can’t deposit euros by bank transfer, so they aren’t in this table.
What a €1,000 Bitcoin buy really costs
On a €1,000 buy, the cheapest licensed order book in our data charges €1 and the dearest instant buy up to €40. The table uses each exchange’s published entry-tier fees; spreads aren’t included because most exchanges don’t publish them.
| Exchange and how you buy | Fee on €1,000 | Not included |
|---|---|---|
| Gate EU, spot order | 0.10% = €1.00 | Deposit and withdrawal fees: not published |
| OKX with an X-Perps account, market order | 0.10% = €1.00 | Exchange spread |
| OKX without X-Perps, market order | 0.35% = €3.50 | Exchange spread |
| Bitvavo, market order | 0.25% = €2.50 | Exchange spread |
| Bybit EU, spot order | 0.25% = €2.50 | Withdrawal fees: shown only after login |
| Kraken Pro, limit order | 0.40% = €4.00 | Exchange spread |
| Kraken Pro, market order | 0.80% = €8.00 | Exchange spread |
| Coinbase Advanced, market order | 1.20% = €12.00 | Exchange spread |
| Crypto.com app, buy | 0.8% = €8.00 | Spread: not published |
| Bitpanda, Bitcoin buy | 0.99% premium = €9.90 | Already in the price |
| Kraken app, instant buy | 1% = €10.00 | Variable spread |
| Crypto.com app, paid by card | Up to 4% = up to €40.00 | Spread: not published |
How the sums work: €1,000 × 0.25% = €2.50 at Bitvavo, and €1,000 × 1.20% = €12 at Coinbase Advanced. The same Bitcoin can cost €1 or up to €40 in fees, depending on the exchange and the screen you buy it on. Coinbase’s Advanced rates come from its in-app table and may differ for EU accounts.
The hidden costs: spread, instant-buy premium and withdrawals
The three costs that rarely appear in a crypto exchange fees comparison are the spread, the instant-buy premium and the withdrawal fee. Together they can make a “cheap” exchange the expensive one.
The spread
The spread is the cost you can’t see in a fee schedule. Bitvavo’s optional Price Guarantee, Coinbase’s simple buys, the Crypto.com app and the Convert features at OKX and Gate, both advertised with zero fees, all build a spread into the quoted price, and none publishes its size. Zero trading fees don’t mean zero cost: compare the quote with the order book price at the same moment before you confirm.
The instant-buy premium
Instant buys charge a fee or premium on top of the price, and it is far higher than the order-book rate. The Kraken app charges 1% (1.5% for custom orders) plus a spread, the Crypto.com app 0.8%, and Bitpanda builds a premium of 0.99% for Bitcoin, 1.49% for other crypto and 2.49% for coins under €100m market cap into its prices. On €1,000 that’s €10, €8 and €9.90, against €2.50 for a market order at Bitvavo.
Withdrawal fees and network fees
Crypto withdrawals cost a fixed amount per coin, so they hurt most on small amounts. For Bitcoin, Kraken charges 0.000015 BTC, OKX from 0.000015 BTC and Bitvavo 0.000018 BTC. Crypto.com charges 0.0002 BTC below 0.002 BTC and 0.0004 BTC above it; the higher fee is more than 25 times Kraken’s. Coinbase passes on a network fee estimated when you send.
How to pay lower trading fees
You pay lower trading fees by choosing the right screen, the right order type and the right payment method:
- Use the advanced platform, such as Kraken Pro, Coinbase Advanced or the Crypto.com Exchange, instead of the instant-buy screen.
- Place limit orders to pay the maker fee: €4 instead of €8 per €1,000 on Kraken Pro.
- Deposit by SEPA bank transfer, not by card: a €1,000 card deposit costs €19.90 at OKX.
- Withdraw less often, in larger amounts.
- Know when volume tiers help. Fees decrease as your trading volume grows: from $2,500 on Kraken (0.30% and 0.60%) and from €100,000 of 30-day volume on Bitvavo (0.10% and 0.20%). Fee discounts for holding a platform’s native token, such as 50,000 CRO for 0% maker fees at Crypto.com, mean holding a volatile token. A €100-a-month buyer won’t reach any of these tiers.
Our guide crypto exchange fees explained covers every fee type in more depth, including futures funding. For one exchange at a time, open its fee page from the table, such as Kraken fees or OKX fees, or read the Bitvavo review.
Fees and your tax bill
How trading fees count for tax depends on your country’s tax treatment. Where you pay tax on your actual capital gain, fees usually form part of the cost basis; in the Netherlands, box 3 taxes a notional return on what you own on 1 January, not your actual gains. Keep your trade history and check your tax office’s rules or ask a tax professional. Crypto prices are volatile, and you can lose all the money you put in, whatever you pay in fees.
Questions people ask
Which crypto exchange has the lowest fees in the EU?
Among MiCA-licensed exchanges that serve EU residents, Gate EU (0.10% maker and taker) and OKX with an X-Perps account (0.08% maker, 0.10% taker) have the lowest entry-tier spot fees. Bitvavo charges 0.15% and 0.25% but adds free SEPA deposits and withdrawals. MEXC's lower fees come without a MiCA licence.
How much does Coinbase charge on €1,000?
A market order on Coinbase Advanced at the entry tier costs 1.20%, so €12, and a limit order 0.60%, so €6; these rates come from the in-app table and may differ for EU accounts. A simple buy adds a spread plus a fee that depends on the payment method, shown in the order preview.
What are maker and taker fees?
A maker fee applies when your limit order waits in the order book and adds liquidity; a taker fee applies when your order executes immediately against existing orders, as a market order does. Taker fees are usually higher. Our maker vs taker entry explains it with examples.
Do all crypto exchanges charge fees?
Yes, in some form. Features advertised with zero fees, such as Convert at OKX and Gate, build a spread into the price, and every crypto withdrawal pays a network fee.
How much are crypto exchange fees usually?
At MiCA-licensed exchanges, entry-tier spot fees run from 0.08% to 0.60% for makers and 0.10% to 1.20% for takers, so €1 to €12 on a €1,000 market order. Instant buys cost more: 1% in the Kraken app and 0.8% in the Crypto.com app, plus a spread.