Updated Rules checked 2026-10-12
A Maker order does not fill right away when you submit it; it joins the order book and waits for someone else to trade against it. A Taker order fills as soon as you submit it, against orders already in the book. Which rate the exchange charges depends on how the order actually fills, not on the order type: a market order is always Taker, while a limit order can be either.
I compared the regular-user (VIP 0) rates of 13 exchanges side by side: Binance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, MEXC, Gate, BingX, KuCoin, HTX, XT, WEEX, Pionex and Ourbit. On USDT-margined futures, Taker is mostly 2.5 to 4 times Maker, while on spot the two are usually the same price. So if you want to save on fees, futures is where it counts, and the way to make sure an order fills as Maker is to tick Post Only (Maker only).
With 1 million USDT of futures volume a month, at an exchange where Taker is 2.5 times Maker, trading entirely with Taker orders costs 500 USDT; switching 80% to Maker orders brings it to 260 USDT, 48% less. Referral code rebates are calculated on the fees you actually pay, so after Maker orders lower your fees, part of what remains still comes back. The two stack.
Key points
1. A limit order is not the same as a Maker order: if its price can match an opposing order as soon as it is submitted, you pay the Taker rate.
2. Post Only (Maker only) is an option on limit orders. If the order would fill immediately, the exchange cancels it instead of letting it fill as Taker.
3. At VIP 0 on USDT-margined futures, the Taker rate at the 13 exchanges is 2 to 4 times Maker, and MEXC’s futures Maker rate is 0%.
4. On spot at VIP 0, Binance, Bybit, Bitget, Gate, BingX, KuCoin, HTX, XT, WEEX and Pionex charge the same for Maker and Taker, so Maker orders save nothing on fees.
5. At an exchange where Taker is 2.5 times Maker, moving 80% of your volume to Maker orders cuts fees by 48%, and it stacks with referral code rebates.
The information below was checked against official pages on 2026-10-12 (data check date) and is provided for reference.
What is the difference between Maker and Taker?
XT explains it most directly: if your buy price is below the best ask, or your sell price is above the best bid, the order does not fill right away; it goes into the order book and waits, and that is Maker. If your buy price is at or above the best ask, or your sell price is at or below the best bid, the order fills immediately, and that is Taker (XT guide to Maker and Taker orders). OKX also states that the rate depends on how the order actually fills: a limit order that can fill as soon as it is submitted also counts as Taker (OKX trading fee FAQ).
Take a hypothetical BTCUSDT perpetual order book. The second-best ask is 100,020 USDT (1 BTC), the best ask is 100,010 USDT (0.5 BTC), the best bid is 100,000 USDT and the second-best bid is 99,990 USDT. Here is what happens with different orders:
| Your order | What happens | Rate charged |
|---|---|---|
| Market buy 0.5 BTC | Fills immediately at the best ask, 100,010 | Taker |
| Limit buy 0.5 BTC @ 99,990 | Below the best ask, so it joins the bids and waits | Maker when it fills |
| Limit buy 0.5 BTC @ 100,020 | Above the best ask, so it fills at 100,010 as soon as it is submitted | Taker (even though it is a limit order) |
| Limit buy 2 BTC @ 100,010 | Takes the 0.5 BTC at the best ask first; the remaining 1.5 BTC rests on the bid side | Taker on 0.5 BTC, Maker on the 1.5 BTC when it fills later |
| Post Only limit buy 0.5 BTC @ 100,020 | It would fill immediately, so the exchange cancels it | No fill, no fee |
The fourth case is the one people miss most often. WEEX states that any part of an order that fills before it enters the order book counts as Taker, whether it fills partly or in full (WEEX spot and futures fee calculation guide); XT also states that the unfilled quantity of a Taker order becomes a new Maker order and keeps waiting to be filled. So one order can be partly Taker and partly Maker.
Is a limit order always Maker? Which orders are always Taker?
A limit order is not necessarily Maker. WEEX’s fee guide says outright that “using a limit order does not guarantee that your order will be a Maker order”. Based on the official guides, the following orders are always, or almost always, charged as Taker:
- Market orders: they take orders straight from the book and never enter it.
- Limit orders priced through the opposite side: a buy at or above the best ask, or a sell at or below the best bid.
- IOC and FOK: WEEX states that both “Immediate or Cancel” and “Fill or Kill” orders are Taker orders.
- Hidden and iceberg orders: KuCoin’s futures fee guide states that both count as Taker, just like market orders (KuCoin futures fee guide).
- Market-triggered take-profit and stop-loss orders, and one-click close: once triggered, they fill at market, so they are Taker too (for Pionex as an example, see the Pionex fee guide).
Maker and Taker fees compared across 13 exchanges
The table shows official regular-user (VIP 0) rates; futures means USDT-margined perpetual futures. “Taker ÷ Maker” is a multiple I calculated: the higher it is, the larger the share you can save by switching to Maker orders. Each exchange name links to this site’s fee guide for that exchange, which covers VIP tiers and platform token discounts.
| Exchange | Spot Maker/Taker | Futures Maker/Taker | Futures Taker ÷ Maker | Post Only name | Rate source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | 0.1%/0.1% | 0.02%/0.05% | 2.5x | Post Only | Spot, futures |
| OKX | 0.08%/0.1% | 0.02%/0.05% | 2.5x | Post only | Fee page |
| Bybit | 0.1%/0.1% | 0.02%/0.055% | 2.75x | Post-Only | Fee overview |
| Bitget | 0.1%/0.1% | 0.02%/0.06% | 3x | Maker only (Post Only) | Fee page, futures |
| MEXC | 0%/0.05% | 0%/0.02% | Maker free | Post-Only | Fee page, contract specs |
| Gate | 0.1%/0.1% | 0.02%/0.05% | 2.5x | Post Only | Fee page |
| BingX | 0.1%/0.1% | 0.02%/0.05% | 2.5x | Post-Only | Futures fee schedule |
| KuCoin | 0.1%/0.1% (Class A) | 0.02%/0.06% | 3x | Post Only | Fee page, contract specs |
| HTX | 0.2%/0.2% | 0.02%/0.06% | 3x | Post only | Fee page, futures |
| XT | 0.2%/0.2% | 0.02%/0.06% | 3x | GTX (Maker only) | VIP fee announcement |
| WEEX | 0.1%/0.1% | 0.02%/0.08% | 4x | Maker only | Futures fees |
| Pionex | 0.05%/0.05% | 0.02%/0.05% | 2.5x | Post-Only | Fee page |
| Ourbit | 0%/0% | 0.02%/0.04% | 2x | Post Only | Contract specs, spot announcement |
A few notes on the table:
- MEXC’s Maker rate is 0% on both futures and spot, so Maker fills cost nothing. The table shows the rate for BTCUSDT and most other pairs; smaller-coin pairs may differ, and MEXC’s fee page also notes that rates may be adjusted for promotions or by region.
- Ourbit charges no fees on any spot trading, so there is no spot rebate either. Its general futures rate is 0.02%/0.04%, but Ourbit’s 2025 Taiwan VIP user fee announcement lists the futures Taker rate for Taiwan VIP 0 as 0.05%. For a Taiwan account, go by the rate shown after you log in.
- HTX’s platform user agreement lists Taiwan among the regions where derivatives trading is prohibited, so the futures rate in the table only matters in regions where futures trading is allowed.
- WEEX raised the Maker rate on 167 futures pairs from 2025-05-30 (0.03%–0.08%); go by the rate shown on the trading page. Details are in the WEEX fee guide.
- On spot, only OKX (0.08%/0.1%) and MEXC (0%/0.05%) have a Maker–Taker gap at VIP 0; at the other exchanges, Maker only gets cheaper after you move up a VIP tier.
How much do Maker orders save on futures? A 1 million USDT monthly volume example
Futures fees are calculated on position value and charged once on opening and once on closing, regardless of leverage (the math is in how futures fees are calculated). Add up the position value of every open and close in a month as your volume V, and call your Maker share m. Then:
Monthly fees = V × [m × Maker rate + (1 − m) × Taker rate]
Example: Binance, V = 1,000,000 USDT, m = 80%: 1,000,000 × (0.8 × 0.02% + 0.2 × 0.05%) = 160 + 100 = 260 USDT.
Using the VIP 0 rates from the table above, here are the monthly fees at the 13 exchanges with a Maker share of 0%, 50% and 80%:
| Exchange | All Taker | Half Maker | 80% Maker | All Taker → 80% Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | 500 USDT | 350 USDT | 260 USDT | 240 USDT less (−48%) |
| OKX | 500 USDT | 350 USDT | 260 USDT | 240 USDT less (−48%) |
| Bybit | 550 USDT | 375 USDT | 270 USDT | 280 USDT less (−51%) |
| Bitget | 600 USDT | 400 USDT | 280 USDT | 320 USDT less (−53%) |
| MEXC | 200 USDT | 100 USDT | 40 USDT | 160 USDT less (−80%) |
| Gate | 500 USDT | 350 USDT | 260 USDT | 240 USDT less (−48%) |
| BingX | 500 USDT | 350 USDT | 260 USDT | 240 USDT less (−48%) |
| KuCoin | 600 USDT | 400 USDT | 280 USDT | 320 USDT less (−53%) |
| HTX | 600 USDT | 400 USDT | 280 USDT | 320 USDT less (−53%) |
| XT | 600 USDT | 400 USDT | 280 USDT | 320 USDT less (−53%) |
| WEEX | 800 USDT | 500 USDT | 320 USDT | 480 USDT less (−60%) |
| Pionex | 500 USDT | 350 USDT | 260 USDT | 240 USDT less (−48%) |
| Ourbit | 400 USDT | 300 USDT | 240 USDT | 160 USDT less (−40%) |
There is a simple way to work out the share you save: Maker share × (1 − Maker ÷ Taker). When Taker is 2.5 times Maker, 80% Maker saves 0.8 × 0.6 = 48%; at WEEX, where it is 4 times, it saves 0.8 × 0.75 = 60%. In other words, moving 80% of your trades at WEEX to Maker orders works like a 60% discount on fees. The higher your Taker share and the bigger the Taker multiple, the more it pays to change how you place orders first.
One more thing: with all Taker orders, MEXC and Ourbit are the cheapest, but at 80% Maker the gap narrows for exchanges with a high Taker multiple. WEEX, for example, drops from 800 to 320 USDT, lower than the 500 USDT you would pay at Binance with all Taker orders. When you compare exchange fees, first think about roughly what share of your trades can fill as Maker, because the answer may change. Each exchange’s ranking after rebates is in lowest-fee crypto exchanges; to plug in your own volume and Maker share, use the perpetual futures cost calculator.
Take Binance: on the same 1 million USDT, going from all Taker to 80% Maker cuts fees by 48%, and the automatic fee rebate from the exchange with this Binance referral code is 20%. The rebate does not require you to change how you trade, while Maker orders mean controlling your own fills. The two save different money and can be used together; the math is in “Do rebates stack with Maker orders?” below.
How to place a Post Only (Maker only) order at each exchange
Post Only is an extra option on limit orders, and every exchange describes it the same way: if the order would match an existing order as soon as it is submitted, the system cancels it, which guarantees you only ever fill as Maker. The trade-off is that your order may be canceled, or may sit in the book without filling. Here are the names and locations, based on the official guides:
- Binance: Post Only is one of the 11 futures order types, and it is canceled if it would immediately match an existing order (Binance futures order types, updated 2026-04-07).
- OKX: “Post only” is an advanced option on limit orders. OKX’s example: a buy at 30,000 USDT does not fill right away, so the order is placed; a buy at 30,740 USDT would match the best ask, so the order is canceled immediately (OKX basic order types).
- Bybit: tick Post-Only on a limit order or a conditional limit order; it works on both spot and derivatives (Bybit Post-Only guide).
- Bitget: futures limit orders let you choose “Maker only (Post Only)” as the time-in-force option, and an order that would immediately match an existing order is canceled (Bitget futures trading guide).
- MEXC: choose Post-Only on the futures trading page, enter the price and quantity, then open long or short; the steps are the same on the website and the app. MEXC’s example: with BTC at a market price of 40,000 USDT, a buy order at 41,000 USDT is canceled by the system immediately (MEXC futures Post-Only FAQ).
- Gate: Gate’s guide puts Post Only on the “Advanced Limit” tab, alongside FOK and IOC (Gate advanced order guide, which covers options); its futures API has supported POC orders since 2019 (Gate API changelog). Where the option sits on the futures website is not stated in the official guides.
- BingX: choose a limit order and tick “Post-Only” under the advanced options in the order panel; it is not available for market orders, and an order that would fill immediately is canceled in full (BingX Post-Only guide, updated 2026-05-18).
- KuCoin: Post Only among the futures order types. The order enters the order book and is charged the Maker rate when it fills; if there is an opposing order it could fill against right away, the system cancels it (KuCoin futures order types, updated 2026-08-18).
- HTX: “Post only” is one of the three time-in-force options for limit orders; if you do not choose one, the default is “Good Till Canceled” (HTX limit order guide).
- XT: the “GTX (Maker only)” futures order, which is withdrawn if it cannot be a Maker order (XT futures order types).
- WEEX: to make sure an order enters the order book before it fills, choose “Maker only” when you place it (WEEX fee calculation guide).
- Pionex: tick Post-Only when you place a manual futures order; an order that would cross the bid-ask and become Taker is canceled (Pionex manual futures trading guide).
- Ourbit: the futures order page has a “Post Only” option. The on-screen description says the order is added to the order book so that you are always the Maker, and it is canceled if it would fill immediately (Ourbit futures trading page). On the spot order page it is called “Maker only”, although spot trading has no fees in the first place.
A canceled order is not charged a fee, but it also means you did not get in. If your order disappears right after you place it, first check “Order History” or “Canceled” to see whether Post Only canceled it, then move the price one tick away from the opposite side and place it again.
When should you not force a Maker order?
What a Maker order saves is the gap between the Maker and Taker rates, calculated on position value: 0.03% at Binance, OKX, Gate, BingX and Pionex, 0.035% at Bybit, 0.04% at Bitget, KuCoin, HTX and XT, 0.06% at WEEX, and 0.02% at Ourbit and MEXC. On a 10,000 USDT position at Binance, a Maker order costs 3 USDT less than a Taker order.
Weigh that against the cost of waiting. Say BTC is at 100,000 USDT and you place a buy at 99,950 USDT. The price moves up instead, your order never fills, and you end up chasing it with a market order at 100,050 USDT: you still pay the Taker fee, and your entry is about 0.05% higher than if you had simply bought at market in the first place. On a 10,000 USDT position, that is roughly 5 USDT extra, more than the 3 USDT the Maker order was meant to save. In these situations, a Taker order is usually the more sensible choice:
- Stop-losses: the point of a stop-loss is to get out no matter what, so filling at market once it triggers is safer. Do not turn it into a Maker order that may never fill just to save 0.03%.
- Fast-moving markets: when the price keeps running away from your order, a Post Only order will keep getting canceled or sit there unfilled.
- Illiquid small coins: the bid-ask spread itself may be far wider than 0.03%. Nobody may come to fill your order, and chasing it costs even more in spread.
- Very large positions: a big order resting at one price may only partly fill, leaving the rest to deal with, so your actual position ends up different from what you planned.
Maker orders suit entries that are not urgent, building a position in stages, and take-profits. Futures use leverage, so an adverse price move can get your position forcibly liquidated, and fees are only part of the cost. Holding a position past a settlement time also means funding; see what the funding rate is and how it is calculated.
Do rebates stack with Maker orders?
Yes. At most exchanges, referral code rebates are calculated on the fees you actually pay, and both Maker and Taker fees count. Based on each exchange’s official rules as compiled on this site: Binance uses net fees (after market maker rebates), OKX and Bitget use net fees, MEXC uses net fees after bonuses and discounts, HTX uses net fees actually paid, and KuCoin, BingX, XT, WEEX and Ourbit use fees actually paid; Gate and Pionex do not officially state the basis. Stacked together, the formula is:
Actual cost = V × [m × Maker + (1 − m) × Taker] × (1 − rebate rate)
Maker orders bring your fees down first, and the rebate then refunds part of that lower amount.
The table below shows each exchange’s futures Taker rate after the automatic fee rebate from the exchange. Rebate rates update automatically from the data this site syncs, and the figures assume all Taker orders:
| Exchange | Standard futures taker fee | auto fee rebate | After the rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitfinex | 0% | — | 0% |
| MEXC | 0.02% | 20% | 0.016% |
| Ourbit | 0.04% | 50% | 0.02% |
| KuCoin | 0.06% | 60% | 0.024% |
| XT.COM | 0.06% | 60% | 0.024% |
| BingX | 0.05% | 45% | 0.0275% |
| WEEX | 0.08% | 60% | 0.032% |
| Binance | 0.05% | 20% | 0.04% |
| OKX | 0.05% | 20% | 0.04% |
| Gate | 0.05% | 20% | 0.04% |
| HTX | 0.06% | 30% | 0.042% |
| Pionex | 0.05% | 15% | 0.0425% |
| Bitget | 0.06% | 20% | 0.048% |
Fees are each exchange's published VIP 0 taker rates; after the rebate = fee × (1 − automatic rebate). Rebate rates synced 2026-10-23. Actual fees vary by VIP level, pair and product; your exchange statement prevails.
Replace Taker in that table with your “blended rate for your Maker share”, and you get the stacked cost. For Binance at 80% Maker, the blended rate is 0.8 × 0.02% + 0.2 × 0.05% = 0.026%, roughly half the 0.05% Taker rate, and then the rebate comes off:
| Monthly volume | Fees (0.03%) | Auto rebate (20%) | Net fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100,000 USDT | 26 USDT | 5.2 USDT | 20.8 USDT |
| 1,000,000 USDT | 260 USDT | 52 USDT | 208 USDT |
Example at a futures fee rate of 0.03% and the current 20% automatic rebate (rate updated 2026-10-23). Your exchange statement prevails.
Watch out for three exceptions when stacking:
- Trades at a 0% Maker rate earn no rebate: MEXC charges nothing on Maker orders to begin with, so rebates only come from the Taker part; the same goes for Ourbit spot.
- VIP tier limits: Binance referral commission only applies to regular users and VIP 1–2, and it stops once you reach VIP 3 or above; at HTX, invited users who reach Prime 9 or above no longer receive it either. For the trade-off between VIP and rebates, see how VIP tiers affect referral code rebates.
- Bybit has no automatic fee rebate from the exchange: if you sign up with a referral code, Bybit does not refund fees to the invitee. To get part of your fees back, you need a rebate site such as Fee Otter. That extra rebate is paid by Fee Otter, not by the exchange and not by Kevin Wu; for the steps, see Bybit fee rebate (Fee Otter).
This site calls Pionex’s referral code benefit a fee reduction, and Pionex does not officially state its basis. For a full comparison of each exchange after rebates, see actual fees after referral code rebates.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Maker or Taker?
On futures, Maker is cheaper almost everywhere: at VIP 0 on USDT-margined futures, Maker at the 13 exchanges is mostly 0.02%, and Taker ranges from 0.04% to 0.08%. On spot, most exchanges charge the same for both at VIP 0; Binance, Bybit and Bitget, for example, are all 0.1%/0.1%. Only OKX (0.08%/0.1%) and MEXC (0%/0.05%) have a gap at VIP 0.
Is a limit order always Maker?
Not necessarily. If a limit order’s price can match an opposing order as soon as it is submitted, for example a buy at or above the best ask, you pay the Taker rate. OKX’s guide states that “the fee charged depends on how the order is actually filled, not on the order type”. To make sure it is Maker, tick Post Only (Maker only) when you place the order.
Why is my Post Only order canceled as soon as I submit it?
Because your price would match an existing order immediately, so the exchange canceled the order to guarantee that you are the Maker. A buy has to be priced below the best ask, and a sell above the best bid, to rest in the book. In a fast market, the opposite price may already have changed by the time you place the order; just move the price one tick away from the opposite side and place it again. Canceled orders are not charged a fee.
Can one order be partly Maker and partly Taker?
Yes. When a limit order is submitted, whatever fills first against existing orders is charged as Taker; the unfilled quantity stays in the order book, and whatever fills later is charged as Maker. WEEX states that anything filled before the order enters the order book counts as Taker, whether it fills partly or in full. With Post Only, this cannot happen, because an order that would fill immediately is canceled in full.
Should you go out of your way to use Maker orders on spot too?
At VIP 0 on most exchanges, there is no need: spot Maker and Taker cost the same, so a Maker order saves nothing on fees and only lets you control your fill price. The exceptions are OKX (Maker 0.08%, Taker 0.1%) and MEXC (Maker 0%, Taker 0.05%); Ourbit spot is 0% on both sides, so you pay no fees however you place the order.
Do take-profit and stop-loss orders get the Maker rate?
Market-triggered take-profit and stop-loss orders fill at market and are charged the Taker rate. For a take-profit, you can use a limit trigger instead and set the price where it will not fill immediately; only then does it have a chance to fill as Maker. For a stop-loss, it is better to keep it at market so you are sure to get out.
Do Maker fills earn rebates too?
Yes, as long as the Maker order was charged a fee. At most exchanges, rebates are calculated on the fees you actually pay, and both Maker and Taker fees count; but a trade at a 0% Maker rate (such as a Maker order at MEXC) has no fee, so it earns no rebate. Bybit has no automatic fee rebate from the exchange, so you need a rebate site such as Fee Otter.
Can Maker fees be negative?
Yes, but regular users rarely see it. A negative Maker rate means the exchange pays you when your Maker order fills. On official fee schedules it mainly appears at high VIP tiers: for example, OKX VIP 7 has a spot and futures Maker rate of -0.001% (OKX fee page), and HTX Prime 8 has a coin-margined futures Maker rate of -0.003% (HTX fee page). Gate’s USDT delivery futures have a Maker rate of -0.015% even at VIP 0, but a separate 0.015% delivery fee is charged (Gate fee page).
Which exchange has the lowest Maker fees?
Going by official VIP 0 rates, MEXC’s Maker rate is 0% on both futures and spot, and Ourbit spot is 0% for both Maker and Taker; on futures, apart from MEXC, the other 12 exchanges all charge 0.02% Maker. The real difference is Taker: with the same 0.02% Maker rate, WEEX’s 0.08% futures Taker rate is 2 times Ourbit’s 0.04%. If you trade mostly with Taker orders, look at Taker when choosing an exchange.
To work out your full futures costs, read on with how futures fees are calculated, the perpetual futures cost calculator, what the funding rate is and actual fees after referral code rebates. For the difference between fee vouchers and rebates, see fee vouchers vs referral code rebates; every exchange’s referral code and rebate rate is listed in the exchange referral code overview.