Every crypto trade has an entry fee and an exit fee. The round-trip total is what your price must move to break even. On Bybit futures with taker fees (0.055%), you need a 0.11% move just to recover fees. On spot, common fees range from 0.075% to 0.2% per side. Maker orders cost half (or less) compared to takers. Always factor in fees before setting your take-profit target.
What Are Crypto Trading Fees?
A crypto trading fee is what an exchange charges you for matching your order to a counterparty. Every centralized exchange has fees — they're the main way exchanges make money. Fees come in two flavors based on what your order does to the order book:
- Maker fee — paid when your order adds liquidity to the order book. This happens when you place a limit order that doesn't immediately fill. Maker orders are cheaper because they help the exchange's liquidity. Some exchanges even pay rebates (negative fees) at high volumes.
- Taker fee — paid when your order removes liquidity. Market orders are always taker fees. Limit orders that match an existing order on the book are also taker fees. Taker fees are typically 2-3× higher than maker fees.
Fees are charged as a percentage of the notional value of your trade — not your margin. If you open a $1,000 position at 10× leverage, your notional is $10,000 and fees are calculated on that amount. This catches many beginners off guard.
The Round-Trip Breakeven Formula
To exit a position with zero loss after fees, your price needs to move enough to cover both entry and exit fees:
Breakeven move % = entry fee % + exit fee %
For a Bybit futures trade with 0.055% taker fees on both sides:
Breakeven = 0.055% + 0.055% = 0.11%
This means the price must move at least 0.11% in your direction before you're profitable. If you set a take-profit at 0.10%, you'll close the trade at a small loss even though the price moved your way. Many scalpers blow up their accounts this way — they target small moves that don't even cover their fees.
For leveraged positions, the breakeven move on the underlying asset stays the same (0.11%), but it becomes more meaningful relative to your margin. A 0.11% move at 10× leverage equals a 1.1% loss on margin — that's your "fee cost as % of capital".
Maker vs Taker — The Difference in Real Money
Here's why this matters for active traders. Compare 100 round-trip trades of $10,000 each on Bybit futures:
| Order Type | Fee per trade | Round-trip total | 100 trades cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taker (market order) | 0.055% | 0.11% | $1,100 |
| Maker (limit order) | 0.02% | 0.04% | $400 |
| Difference | $700 saved |
Going maker-only across 100 trades saves $700 — that's a 64% reduction in fees on the same trading volume. For a scalper running 20+ trades a day, the annualized savings can be in the thousands.
How to Use This Calculator
- Pick fee type — Taker for market orders, Maker for limit orders that you expect to fill on the book.
- Enter your position size in USD (your margin, not notional).
- Fee percentages — defaults to Bybit's 0.055% (futures taker). For spot, try 0.1% or check your exchange. Exit fee usually equals entry.
- Leverage — for spot trades, leave at 1×. For futures, set your actual leverage. The calculator multiplies the notional accordingly.
- Target Price Move — your expected price move in % to see the net P&L after fees. Helps you check if your target is realistic vs the fee floor.
Fee Comparison Across Major Exchanges (2026)
Here's a quick reference for spot and futures trading fees on top exchanges:
| Exchange | Spot Maker/Taker | Futures Maker/Taker | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bybit | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.055% | VIP tiers from $1M volume |
| OKX | 0.08% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.05% | Tier discounts at $5M+ volume |
| Binance | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.05% | BNB pays 25% less, tiers from $1M |
| KuCoin | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.06% | KCS holders get discounts |
| Bitget | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.06% | Copy-trading focused |
| Coinbase Adv. | 0.4% / 0.6% | ~0.4% / 0.6% | Highest fees, but US-regulated |
Pure futures trader? Bybit, OKX, and Binance are all within 0.005% of each other — the difference is rounding error compared to your edge or lack thereof. Spot trading? Most are at 0.1%, with Coinbase 4-6× more expensive.
5 Fee Mistakes That Quietly Drain Accounts
- Targeting moves smaller than your round-trip fee. Setting a 0.08% target with 0.055% taker fees means you lose money on every "winning" trade. Always target at least 3× your fee cost for any sustainable edge.
- Using market orders when limits would fill. If you're not in a hurry and the price is near a level where it could come back, place a limit order. You'll pay maker fees instead.
- Ignoring leverage fee multiplication. Fee is a percentage of notional. 50× leverage means 50× the fee on the same margin. High-leverage scalping is brutal once you sum 100 trades.
- Not using fee tiers. Most exchanges have volume-based tiers. Once you hit $1M monthly volume on Bybit/OKX/Binance, your fees drop 10-30%. If you're a heavy trader, monitor your tier.
- Forgetting funding fees. Perpetual futures charge funding every 8 hours — separate from trading fees. Holding a long for a week on a +0.01% rate adds 0.21% to your cost basis. Check the funding rate calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the entry or exit fee bigger?
They're identical on the same exchange and order type. Both are calculated as a % of the notional value of the trade at the moment of execution. If your position grows in value before exit, the exit fee is slightly higher in absolute dollars (but same % rate).
Do I pay fees if I get liquidated?
Yes — and worse. Liquidations have additional "liquidation fees" (usually 0.5-1.5% of notional) on top of the standard trading fee. This is one of many reasons to never get liquidated. See the liquidation calculator for details.
Are fees paid in the asset or in USDT?
On perpetual futures, fees are paid in the quote currency (usually USDT). On spot, fees are deducted from whichever side of the trade you're receiving — so a BTC buy with USDT pays the fee in BTC, and a BTC sell pays the fee in USDT.
Why does my actual fee differ from this calculator?
Reasons: (1) Volume tier discounts, (2) BNB/KCS/native-token fee discounts on some exchanges, (3) Maker rebates at high tiers, (4) Promotional fee waivers. The calculator uses standard non-VIP rates. Check your exchange's fee dashboard for your actual rates.
Should I optimize my strategy for maker fees?
Depends on your strategy. Mean-reversion / range trading naturally lends itself to limit orders (maker). Breakout / momentum strategies typically need market orders (taker) to enter quickly. For most strategies, switching 50% of entries to limit can cut fees by 20-30%, which compounds significantly over time.
