Crypto trading fees explained: maker, taker and spread

Crypto trading fees are what an exchange charges you each time you buy, sell or swap crypto, usually as a percentage of the trade. Most exchanges charge a maker fee or a taker fee depending on how your order fills, and simple app buys often add a spread or a flat percentage on top.

On a €1,000 buy, the difference between platforms can be €2.50 or €12, so it pays to know which fee you’re actually paying. This entry explains how trading fees work; our guide to crypto exchange fees compares every cost in detail.

Crypto trading fees explained: the main types

Crypto trading fees come in three main forms: maker and taker fees on the order book, spreads on simple buys, and flat percentages in some apps. Many platforms combine more than one.

• Maker fees: you pay these when your order waits in the order book before it fills, such as a limit order below the current price. You “make” liquidity for others.
• Taker fees: you pay these when your order fills against existing orders and executes immediately, such as market orders. Takers usually pay higher fees.
• Spread: the gap between the buy and the sell price. On simple buy screens and “convert” features, the platform often builds a spread into the price instead of, or on top of, a visible fee.
• Flat app fees: some apps charge a fixed percentage per buy. Kraken, for example, charges 1% on direct app buys, plus a variable spread.

The maker-taker model exists because exchanges want market makers to fill the order book. A busy order book means tighter prices for everyone, so makers get the lower rate.

How exchanges charge trading fees: a worked example

Exchanges charge trading fees as a percentage of the trade value, so the sum is simple: trade amount × fee rate. Here is what a €1,000 market order costs at the entry-tier rates three MiCA-authorised exchanges published when we checked on 23 October 2026:

A limit order that rests in the order book pays the maker rate instead: €1.50 at Bitvavo, €4.00 at Kraken and €6.00 on Coinbase Advanced.

Selling costs the same again. If you buy €1,000 of bitcoin on Bitvavo with a market order and later sell it at the same price, you pay €2.50 twice: €5.00 for the round trip, or 0.50% of your money.

What €100 a month costs

Small regular buys are where app fees add up. If you buy €100 of crypto every month:

• at a 0.25% taker fee, each buy costs €0.25, or €3.00 a year;
• at a 1% app fee, each buy costs €1.00, or €12.00 a year, before any spread.

Over twelve buys, the app route costs four times as much in visible trading costs alone.

Additional fees on a crypto exchange

Trading fees are only part of the total cost. Other fees a cryptocurrency exchange can charge:

• Deposit fees: SEPA bank transfers in euros are often free, while card payments usually cost more. A wire transfer from outside the EU can carry bank charges too.
• Withdrawal fees: some exchanges charge a small flat fee to send euros back to your bank, such as €1 per standard SEPA withdrawal at Kraken. Crypto withdrawals carry a fixed fee per coin: to send bitcoin from Kraken costs 0.000015 BTC.
• Network fees: moving crypto on a blockchain costs transaction fees, called gas fees on Ethereum. They go to the network, not the exchange.
• Conversion spreads: swaps advertised with zero fees still carry a spread in the rate you get.

For a fee breakdown per platform, including deposits and withdrawals, see our exchange fee pages.

Fee tiers and how to minimize fees

Most exchanges lower their trading fees as your 30-day trading volume grows. These fee tiers mainly help active traders: on Bitvavo’s euro markets, for example, the 0.10% maker and 0.20% taker rates start at €100,000 in 30-day volume. If you invest €100 a month, tiers won’t matter; the order type and the platform you choose matter far more.

Practical ways to minimize fees:

1. Use the advanced screen. The pro or advanced view of an exchange usually charges maker-taker fees instead of a simple-buy markup.
2. Place limit orders. A limit order that waits in the book pays the lower maker fee.
3. Fund by SEPA. Bank transfers in your fiat currency are usually cheaper than card payments.
4. Avoid multiple transactions. Fewer, larger withdrawals mean fewer fixed withdrawal fees.
5. Be careful with discounts. Paying fees in an exchange’s own token or through a subscription can cut costs, but it ties you to that token or platform.
6. Compare the total cost, not the headline rate.

Zero trading fees: is free trading real?

Zero trading fees rarely mean zero cost. Platforms advertising free trading usually earn from the spread, from subscriptions, or from payment and withdrawal fees. Some offshore exchanges advertise zero fees on many pairs but have no MiCA licence, which means they may not serve EU residents and there is no EU regulator to complain to. A low fee is worth little if your money has no protection.

Under MiCA, licensed crypto platforms must publish their pricing, costs and fees policies, so you can always check what you’ll pay before you trade.

Decentralised exchanges: fees work differently

Decentralised exchanges charge a swap fee that goes to liquidity providers, plus the blockchain’s gas fees, plus price impact on larger orders. There is no account and no identity check, but also no licence, no support desk and no investor protection. On a busy network, gas can cost more than the swap fee on a small trade.

Why trading fees matter to you

Trading fees matter because they come out of every euro you invest, on every buy and every sell. A 1% fee looks small, but it is a cost you pay again each time, while any gains are never certain. Say you invest €100 a month for five years, €6,000 in total. At a 1% app fee you pay €60 on the buys alone; at a 0.25% taker fee you pay €15. Sell everything at the end and the gap grows again.

Two more points for EU readers:

• Keep records for tax. Your trade history shows the fee on each order. In Germany, the costs of buying and selling generally reduce your taxable gain when you sell crypto within a year. In the Netherlands, box 3 taxes the value of your assets on 1 January, so fees don’t change the calculation directly, but they lower what you own.
• Check the licence first. Compare fees only between platforms that are MiCA-authorised where you live.

Key takeaways

• Maker fees apply to orders that wait in the book; taker fees apply to orders that fill immediately and are usually higher.
• Simple app buys often add a spread or a flat percentage, which can cost several times more than the order book.
• On a €1,000 market order, entry-level taker fees ranged from €2.50 to €12.00 across the three exchanges above.
• Look at the total cost, including deposits, withdrawals and spreads, not the headline rate.

Related terms

• Maker/Taker
• Maker Fee
• Spread
• Transaction Fee
• Slippage