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How Much Are Crypto Exchange Fees? A 2026 Comparison
Crypto exchange fees are the charges a platform applies when you trade, deposit, withdraw or hold digital assets. In 2026, entry-level spot trading fees on major centralized exchanges range from about 0.10% per trade on global platforms like Binance to between 0.40% and 1.20% per trade on US-focused venues like Kraken, Coinbase and Gemini, with high-volume traders paying close to zero. On top of trading fees, most users also pay a spread, blockchain network fees on withdrawals, and sometimes deposit or custody fees.
With the total crypto market valued at around $2.82 trillion in early September 2026, these costs add up quickly. Below, we break down every type of crypto exchange fee, compare the current fee schedules of five major platforms, and explain how to calculate what a trade really costs.
Typical crypto exchange fees at a glance
- Maker fees: 0% to 0.60% at entry level, falling to 0% for the highest volume tiers.
- Taker fees: 0.10% to 1.20% at entry level, falling to 0.02% to 0.05% for the highest volume tiers.
- Crypto deposits: usually free.
- Fiat deposits: often free by bank transfer; wires and cards usually cost more.
- Crypto withdrawals: a per-asset fee that covers the blockchain network fee.
- Spread: built into the quoted price, and widest on simple "buy" buttons and commission-free apps.
- Custody fees: rare on standard exchange accounts, more common for dedicated institutional custody.
Types of crypto exchange fees
Each exchange sets its own pricing, but most fees fall into the categories below.
Trading fees: maker vs. taker fees
Every time you buy, sell or swap a cryptocurrency, the exchange takes a percentage of the trade. Most exchanges split trading fees into maker and taker fees.
A maker places a limit order that does not fill immediately, which adds liquidity to the order book. A taker places an order that fills right away against an existing order, which removes liquidity. Because exchanges want deep order books, maker fees are almost always lower than taker fees. Professional market makers in crypto rely on these lower maker rates to quote tight prices profitably.
Most exchanges use tiered schedules: fees fall as your 30-day trading volume rises. Some, such as Binance and Crypto.com, also offer discounts for holding or staking their native tokens.
Deposit fees
Funding an account in crypto is usually free. Fiat deposits depend on the payment method: bank transfers are often free, while wire transfers and card payments tend to carry a flat fee or a percentage charge. Coinbase, for example, charges $10 for incoming USD wires. Platforms that specialize in fiat-to-crypto exchange typically publish a separate fee table for each funding rail.
Withdrawal fees
Crypto withdrawals usually carry a fixed fee per asset, set by the exchange to cover the blockchain network fee. The amount changes with network conditions, so it is shown on the withdrawal screen rather than as a single published rate. Fiat withdrawals are typically more expensive: Coinbase charges $25 for outgoing USD wires.
Spread fees
The spread is the difference between the best price a buyer will pay (the bid) and the best price a seller will accept (the ask). It is not labeled as a fee, but it works like one because it is built into the price you pay.
Example: if Bitcoin is quoted at a bid of $99,500 and an ask of $100,500, the spread is $1,000, or about 1% of the price. Buying and selling immediately would lose about 1% before any trading fee. Spreads are tightest on venues with deep liquidity and widest on thin markets and on simple "buy" buttons in consumer apps.
Network fees
Network fees (gas on Ethereum, miner or transaction fees on Bitcoin) are paid to the blockchain, not the exchange, to confirm a transaction on-chain. They rise when a network is congested and when a transaction is more complex, such as a smart-contract interaction. Exchanges pass these fees on when you withdraw, and they cannot control them. Moving assets between exchanges or to a wallet therefore costs more on a busy network, so check the current fee for the specific chain before you withdraw.
Custody fees
Standard exchange accounts rarely charge for holding assets. Dedicated custody products are different. Gemini, for example, states that its exchange accounts carry no custody fees, while its separate Gemini Custody product charges 0.40% a year with a $30 monthly minimum per asset. Institutions comparing enterprise wallet and custody options should model this cost separately from trading fees.
Other fees
- Inactivity or account fees: charged by some platforms when an account is dormant.
- Margin and funding fees: interest on borrowed funds for leveraged trading.
- Instant buy and conversion fees: flat percentages on app-based purchases. Kraken, for instance, charges 1% on instant and recurring trades in its app.
- Listing fees: paid by token projects, not traders, to be listed on an exchange. Amounts are negotiated privately and rarely published.
Commission-free crypto trading: where the cost goes
Platforms that advertise commission-free crypto trading still earn money on each trade. They usually do it in one of two ways:
- Wider spreads: the platform quotes a price less favorable than the mid-market rate and keeps the difference.
- Payment for order flow: orders are routed to market makers who pay the platform for the flow, which can reduce execution quality.
For active traders, an exchange with a low, explicit maker/taker fee often costs less than a "free" app with a wide spread. Compare the total cost of execution, not the headline fee. For a deeper look at these revenue lines, see how crypto exchanges make money.
What determines crypto exchange fees
Centralized vs. decentralized exchanges
Centralized exchanges (CEXs) set their own fee schedules for trading, deposits, withdrawals and custody, and they offer fiat on- and off-ramps, customer support and regulated onboarding.
Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have no operator fee schedule. Instead, each liquidity pool charges a swap fee that goes to liquidity providers. On Uniswap v3, for example, pools use fee tiers of 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.30% or 1%. DEX users also pay a network fee on every trade, which can exceed the swap fee on a congested chain, and they carry smart-contract risk. For institutions that need compliance, reporting and fiat rails, centralized venues remain the standard.
Trading volume
Volume is the biggest lever on trading fees. On Gemini ActiveTrader, fees fall from 0.60% maker / 1.20% taker at the entry tier to 0.00% / 0.02% for traders above $250 million in 30-day volume. Coinbase's September 2026 update goes further, letting traders qualify for VIP tiers by holding USDC on the platform, not only through volume.
The trading pair
Fee schedules are usually fixed, but some exchanges price pairs differently. Kraken, for example, runs a separate schedule for stablecoin and FX pairs that starts at 0.20% for both makers and takers, lower than its standard crypto schedule. What moves with market conditions is mostly the spread and network fees, which widen when markets are volatile or blockchains are congested.
Location and regulation
Regulation shapes both the fees exchanges charge and the taxes traders pay. Exchanges serving the US carry the cost of KYC and AML compliance and state-by-state licensing, which is one reason US-facing entry-level fees tend to be higher than on global platforms. Coinbase now publishes different entry rates by region (see below). Taxes also add to the cost of trading in some markets: in India, gains on virtual digital assets are taxed at a flat 30% and a 1% TDS applies to sales. For a country-by-country overview, see our guide to crypto regulations.
Crypto exchange fees comparison (2026)
The table compares spot trading fees on five major exchanges at the entry tier and the top volume tier. Fee schedules change often, so always confirm the current rate on each exchange's official fee page before trading.
Sources: official fee schedules for Binance, Kraken and Gemini; the Coinbase fee announcement; CryptoSlate's Crypto.com Exchange review. Rates as of October 2026.
Binance fees
Binance, launched in 2017, reported 323 million registered users in July 2026. Its standard spot fee is 0.10% for both makers and takers, reduced by 25% to 0.075% when fees are paid in BNB. The top VIP tier, which requires at least $4 billion in 30-day volume, pays 0.011% maker and 0.023% taker. Deep order books keep spreads tight on major pairs.
Coinbase fees
Coinbase restructured Coinbase Advanced fees on September 16, 2026. Entry-level spot rates now differ by region: 0.50% maker and 0.90% taker in the US, 0.25% / 0.50% in the EU and UK, and 0.09% / 0.10% in markets such as Brazil and India. Advanced tiers now start at $10,000 in qualifying volume, and VIP clients can trade spot from 0% maker and 0.02% taker. The simple buy flow in the Coinbase app charges a separate fee plus a spread, so active traders usually pay less on Coinbase Advanced. USD wires cost $10 to deposit and $25 to withdraw.
Kraken fees
Kraken replaced its long-standing 0.16% maker / 0.26% taker entry rates with a new structure in July 2026. Kraken Pro now starts at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, falling to 0.00% maker and 0.05% taker at the top volume tier. Stablecoin and FX pairs have their own, lower schedule. Instant buys in the Kraken app carry a 1% fee, so Kraken Pro is the cheaper route for most trades.
Gemini fees
Gemini's ActiveTrader platform starts at 0.60% maker and 1.20% taker and falls to 0.00% / 0.02% above $250 million in monthly volume, one of the widest ranges among major exchanges. Gemini's mobile app and website use a separate, higher fee structure. Exchange accounts do not pay custody fees; only the standalone Gemini Custody product does.
Crypto.com fees
Does Crypto.com charge fees? Yes. Crypto.com, which passed 100 million users in 2024, runs two products with different pricing. The Crypto.com Exchange uses maker/taker fees that start at 0.25% maker and 0.50% taker below $10,000 in 30-day volume and fall to 0% / 0.025% for invite-only VIP accounts. Staking CRO offers another route to lower rates. The Crypto.com App quotes a purchase price that includes a spread and may add a variable fee shown before you confirm. Comparing the two on the same trade usually shows the Exchange is cheaper.
How to compare crypto exchange fees
Finding the cheapest crypto exchange for your trading pattern means looking past the headline rate. Use this checklist:
- Calculate the all-in cost of a round trip. Add the fee to buy, the fee to sell, the spread, and the withdrawal and network fees. Example: a $10,000 position bought and sold with taker orders at 0.80% costs $160 in trading fees alone, before spread.
- Check which volume tier you will actually reach. Top-tier rates only matter if your 30-day volume qualifies.
- Use limit orders where you can. Maker fees are lower than taker fees on every exchange in the table above.
- Compare funding methods. Bank transfers usually cost less than cards or wires.
- Check withdrawal fees per asset and per network. The same coin can cost more to withdraw on one blockchain than another.
- Compare the app price with the exchange price. Simple buy screens often embed a wider spread. Prices for the same asset also differ between exchanges, which is what crypto arbitrage traders exploit.
- Factor in native-token discounts. BNB on Binance and CRO on Crypto.com reduce fees, but holding the token adds price risk.
Crypto exchange fees for institutions launching an exchange
For a bank, broker or fintech launching its own trading venue, the fee schedule is a product decision. It decides which customer segments you can win, how much spot trading revenue you keep, and how you compete with the exchanges above. The cost of building that venue is a separate question, covered in our guide to white-label crypto exchange costs.
AlphaPoint's white-label exchange platform lets operators configure maker/taker fees, volume-based fee tiers, and dynamic fee schedules by client type, jurisdiction or business unit. Its matching engine and layered infrastructure support high-volume trading, and integrated institutional liquidity helps keep spreads tight, so operators can price competitively for users and still run a profitable venue.
To discuss fee structure and exchange profitability for your institution, talk to the AlphaPoint team.
Frequently asked questions
How do crypto exchange fees work?
Crypto exchanges charge a percentage of each trade (the maker or taker fee), plus fees on some deposits and most withdrawals. The spread and blockchain network fees add to the total cost. Fees fall as your 30-day trading volume rises.
What are typical maker and taker fees on crypto exchanges?
In 2026, entry-level maker fees on major exchanges range from 0.10% to 0.60%, and taker fees from 0.10% to 1.20%. Global exchanges such as Binance sit at the low end; US-focused exchanges such as Kraken, Coinbase and Gemini sit higher. High-volume traders pay close to 0% maker and 0.02% to 0.05% taker.
Which crypto exchange has the lowest fees?
For standard users, Binance has among the lowest headline spot fees at 0.10% for makers and takers, or 0.075% when paying fees in BNB. The cheapest exchange for you still depends on your region, trade size, order type and how often you withdraw.
What is spread in crypto trading?
The spread is the gap between the highest bid and the lowest ask for an asset. It is built into the price rather than charged separately, and it is often how commission-free platforms earn their revenue.
How do crypto withdrawal fees compare across exchanges?
Most exchanges charge a fixed fee per asset for crypto withdrawals, based on the blockchain network fee, and a flat fee for fiat withdrawals. Coinbase, for example, charges $25 for an outgoing USD wire. Check each exchange's withdrawal screen for the current rate on your chosen network.
What are the fees on centralized vs. decentralized exchanges?
Centralized exchanges charge maker/taker, deposit and withdrawal fees set by the operator. Decentralized exchanges charge a pool swap fee, typically from 0.01% to 1% on Uniswap v3, which goes to liquidity providers, plus a network fee on every trade.
Do all crypto exchanges charge fees?
Yes, in some form. Exchanges that advertise zero commission usually earn through wider spreads or payment for order flow, and every on-chain withdrawal carries a network fee.
