Enter your monthly trading habits below. The calculator instantly ranks Bybit, Bitget, OKX, KuCoin, MEXC, and Kraken by what you'd actually pay each month — and shows how much you'd save by switching to the cheapest option.
| Rank | Exchange | Effective rate | Monthly fees | Annual projection |
|---|
Open a Bybit account → Try MEXC (0% maker fees) →
Want the full breakdown? Our Best Crypto Exchanges for Low Fees guide covers VIP tiers, rebate programs, and fee-saving strategies for every exchange above.
Every centralized exchange runs a limit-order book. When you place a market order that fills immediately, you "take" liquidity out of the book — you're a taker, and you pay the taker fee. When you place a limit order that sits on the book waiting to be matched, you "make" liquidity — you're a maker, and you pay the (lower) maker fee. The difference can be substantial: on Bybit spot, both are 0.10%, but on OKX spot, the maker fee is 0.080% vs 0.10% for takers. Over high volumes, choosing limit orders over market orders can save hundreds of dollars a month.
Perpetual futures and quarterly futures consistently carry lower fees than spot markets. On Bybit, spot fees are 0.10%/0.10% but perpetual futures run 0.020%/0.055% — the futures taker fee is nearly half the spot rate. Exchanges can afford this because futures trading generates far higher volume (derivatives volume typically exceeds spot 5-10x industry-wide), so they make up the lower per-trade margin through sheer throughput. For active traders, this means trading perpetuals can be dramatically cheaper than equivalent spot exposure — though it introduces funding rate and liquidation risk that spot doesn't have.
The rates shown in this calculator are standard Tier 0 (base) rates. Every major exchange runs a VIP program that slashes fees as your 30-day volume climbs. On Bybit, a trader doing $5M/month in volume drops to 0.010%/0.060% on spot — a 40% discount on maker fees. On MEXC, the 0% maker fee already applies at the base tier, but taker fees drop further with volume. If you're trading $50,000+ per month consistently, it's worth calculating your exact VIP tier savings on each platform, as they can outweigh this calculator's base-tier comparison entirely.
Trading fees are only one part of your cost picture. Withdrawal fees — charged when you move crypto off an exchange — can easily exceed your trading fees if you're a frequent withdrawer. Bitcoin withdrawals typically cost $0.50–$5 depending on the exchange and network congestion. USDT on TRC-20 is usually $1–2 regardless of amount. Kraken tends to have lower withdrawal fees on some networks; MEXC has competitive withdrawal costs on many tokens. If you withdraw frequently, factor this in when choosing an exchange — a slightly higher trading fee with free or cheap withdrawals can be cheaper overall than ultra-low trading fees paired with expensive withdrawals.
All exchanges listed here run periodic fee rebate campaigns, especially for new accounts or during major market events. Bybit regularly offers 0-fee trading promotions on specific pairs. MEXC's 0% maker fee is effectively a permanent promotion that has persisted through 2025–2026. Bitget often offers reduced fees for BGB (their native token) holders. OKX gives fee discounts for OKB holders. If you hold an exchange's native token, your effective rate is typically 10–25% lower than the base rate shown here. Always check the exchange's current fee schedule before making a final decision.
MEXC's 0% maker fee for spot and futures has been consistently available throughout 2025 and into 2026, making it the cheapest exchange for limit-order traders by a significant margin. The 0.050% spot taker fee and 0.020% futures taker fee are also competitive. The tradeoff: MEXC has somewhat lower liquidity on altcoins compared to Bybit or Binance, and its regulatory standing varies by jurisdiction. For major pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, liquidity is generally fine. For active limit-order traders who are comfortable with the platform, MEXC's fee structure is genuinely exceptional.
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