Crypto Exchange Fees Explained: What You Really Pay

Crypto exchange fees show up in three places: when you add money, when you trade and when you send crypto out. Read each one to work out what it cost to buy cryptocurrency. Before you confirm any order, find the total you will pay on the order screen, because a spread can cost money even when no fee is listed.

Where crypto exchange fees show up

When you add money, a deposit or card fee may apply. Look for it on the deposit screen before you confirm.

When you trade, the cost can be a trading fee, a spread or both. Find the total for your order on the order screen, because the fee page lists rates, not that total.

When you send crypto out later, a withdrawal fee and a network fee can apply. They should appear on the withdrawal screen.

Cryptocurrency exchange fees do not all hit one purchase: the first two groups apply to buying, the third only when you move coins off the platform. The fee table in the step-by-step guide lists every type and where to check it, and how to buy crypto step by step covers the purchase itself.

How crypto trading fees work: maker and taker

A trading fee is usually a percentage of the order.

Order-book exchanges such as Gemini and Kraken (opens in a new tab) charge maker and taker fees. Gemini defines (opens in a new tab) maker orders as orders that do not match immediately and rest on the order book (the list of waiting buy and sell orders). Taker orders match immediately and do not rest on the book.

On both schedules below, the maker rate is the lower one.

A limit order sets the price you will accept. It is not automatically a maker order: if it matches right away, it does not rest on the book, so under Gemini's definition it is a taker order.

As of October 2026, your rate usually depends on how much you traded lately. Gemini in the US bases the tier on 30-day trading volume or on your total asset balance, and Kraken bases it on your volume and your assets on the platform over the past 30 days.

On Robinhood's exchange routing in the US (opens in a new tab), a market order receives the taker fee. So for a first order, look at the taker rate first.

From two exchanges' own fee pages (examples, not a recommendation):

• Gemini's ActiveTrader schedule in the US, dated September 1, 2026, lists 0.600% maker and 1.200% taker at its starting tier.
• Kraken's fee pages list 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker at the starting spot tier, the same row on its pages for the UK (opens in a new tab), the EU (Netherlands page) (opens in a new tab), Canada (opens in a new tab), Australia (opens in a new tab) and the US (opens in a new tab).

These are different rates for different products, not a typical range. Find the schedule for your own platform and country. On Kraken, the app and Kraken Pro charge differently.

The spread on simple and advanced screens

The bid is the highest price a market maker will pay at a given time, and the ask is the lowest price at which one will sell. The gap between them is the spread, and market makers make their money on the spread (opens in a new tab). The midpoint price is halfway between the bid and the ask.

On a simple buy screen the cost may sit in the spread, sometimes with no separate fee line. As of October 2026, Robinhood in the US calls (opens in a new tab) the gap between the ask price and the midpoint price the buy spread.

Robinhood says its chart shows the mid price. Other apps may chart a different price, so check what your app's chart shows.

Robinhood in the US offers two ways to route a crypto order, which shows both models on one platform:

Robinhood says that under market maker routing it receives part of each order's value from its market makers, and that amount is included in the spread. It also says that under exchange routing, a market or stop order is sent across partner exchanges for the best available price.

Example with made-up numbers

The fees below are invented, and no real platform or price is used. Amounts are in the currency you pay with. Your platform may label and group these amounts differently. Deposit fees are left out so the two screens compare cleanly.

• Coin X has a bid of 1.98 and an ask of 2.00, so the midpoint price is 1.99.
• On a simple buy screen, the price per coin shown is 2.03 and there is no separate fee. You pay 101.50 and receive 50 Coin X: 101.50 divided by 50 is 2.03 per coin, a markup over the midpoint price of 0.04.
• On an order-book screen, a market order for 50 Coin X fills at the 2.00 ask, which is 100. A 1% taker fee adds 1, so you pay 101 in total: 101 divided by 50 is 2.02 per coin, a markup over the midpoint price of 0.03.

To compare two screens on a real order, divide the total paid by the coins received on each. For more, read how fees weigh on small purchases.

How to read a fee page

Open the fee page before you sign up, then compare it with the order screen when you buy. As of October 2026, these are the items to find:

• The trading schedule: the maker and taker rates, and what sets your tier. Find the starting tier, because that is where an account with little trading history or balance usually starts.
• A spread disclosure: a sentence saying the platform's charge is in the price. If a platform lists no trading fee, look for this sentence.
• Deposit and card fees. Kraken's help center says (opens in a new tab) its card fees consist of a displayed fee and, where applicable, a spread included in the price, and that the total transaction fee is shown on the final confirmation page. Card issuers may add fees of their own. For the costs and holds of each payment method, read debit card vs bank transfer, or see paying in by bank transfer.
• Currency conversion. If you pay in another currency, look for a conversion charge on the order screen or with your card issuer.
• Withdrawal fees, either listed per coin or with a note that the fee is shown when you withdraw.
• The page date. Gemini's schedule in the US (opens in a new tab) carries a date and says changes are emailed or posted at least three calendar days before they take effect. Kraken's fee pages show no date.

Then check the order screen against the page. If a fee on the order screen is higher than the fee page says, stop and ask support before you confirm. For more on picking where to buy, read how to choose a crypto exchange.

Crypto withdrawal fees and network fees

The network fee is paid to the blockchain for processing your transaction, not to the exchange. On Bitcoin, the fee goes to the miner (opens in a new tab). On Ethereum, the tip goes to the validator and the base fee is burned (opens in a new tab), meaning it is removed from circulation. Network fees tend to rise when demand rises, and they differ by coin.

A platform's withdrawal fee may bundle the network fee or add it on top. As of October 2026, Robinhood says (opens in a new tab) that in the US it estimates the network fee and adds it to the amount you want to send, and that 100% of that fee goes to the network. How exchanges set that fee is covered in Bitcoin withdrawal and network fees and Ethereum gas fees explained.

Then read the fee on the withdrawal screen and check the amount that will arrive. If the screen shows no fee or no arrival amount, or a figure differs from the fee page, ask support before you confirm. The full sending steps are in how to send crypto to your own wallet.

Common fee misconceptions

• "Zero fee means free." A platform can build its charge into the price, as the spread shows, so compare the price you pay with the midpoint price.
• "The fee page rate is what I pay." A fee page lists rates by tier, card fees and more. Your order's total appears on the order screen.
• "The lowest headline fee is the cheapest purchase." A low trading fee can sit next to a high card fee or a wide spread. Compare total paid divided by coins received.
• "Selling is free." Selling has its own costs; see fees when you sell crypto.

Risks to understand

Fees also change, so read the fee page and the order screen on the day you buy.

Next, read how to buy crypto step by step and how to choose a crypto exchange before you pick where to buy.