Identify how each portion of an order fills, calculate entry and exit fees separately, and keep spot, instant-buy and derivatives schedules distinct.
Maker and taker describe how an order fills
A maker order adds liquidity to the order book before it is matched; a taker order executes against available liquidity. The order’s interaction with the book matters more than whether its button is labelled “limit” or “market.” A limit order priced to execute immediately can still take liquidity.
Kraken and Gemini explain their fee structures in official schedules. Their precise rates, tiers and product scope can change, so use the current page for the interface and region you intend to use. The crypto exchange directory links to those sources without assuming a single rate applies to every customer.
Calculate both legs of a trade
Take an invented fee example: an entry worth $2,000 at a 0.20% rate would cost $4. If an exit later has a $2,050 notional and also carries 0.20%, that leg costs $4.10. The total explicit trading fee would be $8.10. Different entry and exit notionals produce different cash charges.
If the hypothetical entry instead earns a lower maker rate, recalculate that leg rather than applying the lower rate to the whole trade. A single order can also have portions that execute differently. Read the exchange’s treatment of partial fills and inspect the transaction history to understand which rates were actually applied.
Keep product, tier and payment method separate
A spot order-book schedule can differ from an instant-buy quote, a conversion service or a derivatives market. A fee discount may depend on qualifying activity, a balance, a subscription or another condition. Compare the standard applicable tier first and show any optional discount with its own requirements.
Do not confuse trading fees with a card purchase charge, deposit cost or withdrawal fee. For an illustrative round trip, enter your assumed per-side rate in the fee estimator, then remember that its simple output excludes those separate items. Check when the exchange recalculates the tier and which volume is counted.
Include price impact in the final comparison
Explicit fees do not capture the entire execution cost. The bid–ask spread, available liquidity and the size of your order can influence the prices obtained. A lower published fee does not establish a lower all-in cost for every pair or order.
Record the pair, order size, interface, fee tier and date when comparing observations. Use an order preview and official schedule rather than assuming a promotional banner covers every market. Our spot versus perpetuals guide explains another important scope difference. The objective is a clear cost estimate for a defined order, not a promise that a particular exchange will deliver the best execution.
Sources & further reading
Educational research. Examples are hypothetical. Provider terms and regional availability can change. Suggest a correction.
Put the comparison into practice
Open the directory, choose a category and select up to three providers to compare.
Compare providers →