What are maker and taker fees in crypto?

Maker taker fees are the two prices an exchange charges for trades on its order book. If your order sits on the book and waits for someone else to match it, you are the maker. If your order matches an order that is already there, you are the taker. Exchanges usually charge the maker a lower rate.

What is maker taker in crypto?

An order book is the list of buy and sell orders waiting at different prices. Coinbase explains it simply: if your order is not matched right away and goes on the book, and someone later fills it, you are the maker. If you place an order at the market price that fills immediately, you are the taker. If an order fills partly at once and the rest waits, the first part pays the taker fee and the rest pays the maker fee. Makers add liquidity, meaning more orders for others to trade against, which is why exchanges often reward them.

What is an example of maker and taker fees?

Say you are on a lowest-volume tier with a 0.40% maker fee and a 0.60% taker fee, as on Coinbase Exchange as of October 2026. If you buy $1,000 of bitcoin with a market order, it fills at once and costs a $6 taker fee. If instead you place a limit order below the current price and it waits on the book until filled, the same $1,000 trade costs a $4 maker fee. A limit order that is priced to fill immediately still counts as a taker order. Our guide on limit orders vs market orders explains the two order types.

How do maker taker fees work on Coinbase and Kraken?

On Coinbase Exchange, the lowest tier (under $10,000 of 30-day volume) was 0.40% maker and 0.60% taker, falling to 0.00% maker and 0.04% taker at the top tier, as of October 2026. Coinbase Advanced says maker fees can be as low as 0.0% and sets your tier by trailing 30-day volume or your total balance. Coinbase's simple buy screen works differently, with a spread built into the price.

Kraken Pro's lowest spot tier was 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker, as of October 2026. Your tier is based on the better of your 30-day spot volume or your assets on the platform. Kraken's simple app uses a flat trading fee plus a spread instead of maker and taker rates.

Do other platforms use maker and taker fees?

Yes. Gemini ActiveTrader's lowest tier was 0.60% maker and 1.20% taker as of October 2026. Robinhood is rolling out maker and taker pricing on its optional exchange routing, where market and stop orders always pay the taker fee. These tables change often, so check the exchange's current fee page before trading. Our guide on crypto fees covers spreads, network fees and withdrawal fees too.