Cryptocurrency exchanges offer traders a convenient way to add digital assets—such as Bitcoin (BTC)—to their portfolios. However, like their traditional trading counterparts, trading on these exchanges isn’t free.
Similar to stock brokerage accounts, crypto trading platforms connect buyers and sellers. Although exchanges offer easy access to various assets and derivative products, they typically charge cryptocurrency “exchange fees” for their services.
While fees are usually small, the price of multiple trades can add up and eat into earnings. Fortunately, with the right strategy, traders can reduce the impact of these additional costs.
What are exchange fees in cryptocurrency?
In simple terms, cryptocurrency exchange fees are the costs associated with buying, selling, or transferring digital assets on a trading platform. The money traders use to pay these trading fees doesn’t go toward purchasing a virtual currency—instead, the fees go directly to the exchange as a source of revenue.
Most cryptocurrency exchanges publish an “exchange fee schedule” detailing the current rates users pay for different services and show traders a fee breakdown before they confirm each transaction. If a trader doesn’t have enough funds in their account to cover the exchange’s fee, they can’t finalize the trade.
How do cryptocurrency exchange fees work?
No two cryptocurrency exchanges likely have the same fee schedule, so traders should review their preferred trading platform’s requirements for specific guidance. However, although the fee percentages may differ between platforms, most exchanges use a fee structure known as the “maker-taker model” to set their prices. In this framework, traders pay a percentage of every buy and sell order. The amount each trader spends on fees depends on two factors:
- Average trading volume: Generally, the more money a person spends, the lower percentage they pay in exchange fees. Most exchanges using the maker-taker model calculate a user’s trading activity by how much they traded in a fiat currency (e.g., U.S. dollars or euros) within 30 days.
- Order type: Many exchanges offer lower percentage fees for people who use limit orders rather than market orders. A “limit order” means a trader is only willing to buy or sell an asset at a predefined price (e.g., limit buy 1 BTC at $25,000). By contrast, a “market order” is used when a trader wants to open a trade immediately at the current market rate. Because limit orders add liquidity to an exchange, these traders are called “makers” (while those using market orders are “takers”). Exchanges incentivize people to be market makers by offering them lower exchange fees.
For example, dYdX uses a tiered maker-taker fee schedule where rates depend on an eligible trader’s 30-day cryptocurrency trading activity and order types. Eligible traders who trade over $100,000 and under $1 million within 30 days must pay a maker fee of 0.020% and a taker fee of 0.050% on every trade. These fees go down to 0.015% for makers and 0.040% for takers who trade between $1 million and $5 million within 30 days.
Aside from maker-taker fees, exchanges may also charge additional transfer fees. For instance, some trading platforms require users to pay extra for a wire transfer, debit card transaction, or withdrawal to a digital wallet. Some exchanges also charge bonus convenience fees for their services, known as “commissions.”
Are cryptocurrency exchange fees the same as gas fees?
“Gas fees” are another transaction cost on cryptocurrency networks and aren’t the same as exchange fees. Instead of going to a trading platform’s revenue, gas fees pay the validators securing a cryptocurrency’s decentralized blockchain. Whenever people transfer funds or make a purchase on a blockchain, a portion of their cryptocurrency goes to support and incentivize those who are powering the blockchain protocol.
However, some exchanges add gas costs to specific transactions. For instance, a cryptocurrency platform may require traders to pay gas fees whenever they transfer coins or tokens off of the exchange. Also, users must pay the network’s gas fees if a cryptocurrency exchange exists on top of a blockchain. For instance, cryptocurrency exchanges on Ethereum charge ETH gas fees for every trade.
Centralized versus decentralized exchange fees
In cryptocurrency, centralized exchanges (CEXs) offer trading services similar to traditional stock brokerage houses. Instead of providing users access to ETFs and equities, a CEX lets people trade digital assets and cryptocurrency-related derivatives. CEXs often charge multiple fees for using their services, including withdrawal fees, commissions, and maker-taker percentages (the specifics of each CEX’s fee structure vary). A few examples of CEXs include Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.
Although CEXs are popular, some traders buy and sell crypto on decentralized exchanges (DEXs). Protocols like dYdX are built on top of decentralized blockchains, meaning people can trade cryptocurrencies peer-to-peer (P2P) through their crypto wallets. Like CEXs, each DEX has a unique fee schedule that traders should consult before using a platform. However, unlike CEXs, DEXs always need to charge gas fees for trading and transferring cryptocurrency. Because DEXs are on top of a blockchain—like Ethereum or Polygon—they use the fee algorithms on their chosen network.
Can you trade cryptocurrency without exchange fees?
Similar to stock brokerages, derivatives platforms, and forex exchanges, there’s no way for cryptocurrency traders to escape exchange fees. While some platforms advertise a fee-free experience, every CEX and DEX needs fees to fund its operations. So, even if an exchange doesn’t charge commissions, it probably collects money through other means, such as bank transfer costs or debit card transactions. Carefully review the fee schedules for your preferred cryptocurrency exchange to understand how much you may incur in extra costs.
