Maker vs. Taker Fees Explained: The Simple Trick to Save 50% on Every Trade

Trading fees are the silent killer of crypto portfolios. Most beginners ignore them, only to realize months later that they’ve paid thousands of dollars to exchanges unnecessarily.

The single most important concept to understand is the difference between Maker and Taker fees. Mastering this simple distinction can literally cut your trading costs in half.

What is a Maker and a Taker?

In every trade, there are two sides:

1. The Maker: The person who puts an order on the order book and waits for it to be filled. They “make” liquidity.
2. The Taker: The person who sees an order on the book and buys/sells immediately. They “take” liquidity.

The Coffee Shop Analogy

Think of the order book like a coffee shop menu.

• Maker: You write “I will buy a Latte for $4.00” on a sticky note and put it on the community board. You wait. Eventually, someone sells it to you. You added a new option to the board.
• Taker: You walk in, see a Latte priced at $4.50, and buy it immediately. You took an existing option off the board.

Exchanges love Makers because they provide liquidity (depth) to the market. They penalize Takers because they remove liquidity.

The Fee Difference is Massive

Let’s look at the standard fee structure of a typical exchange:

Role	Fee Rate	Cost on $10,000 Trade
Taker (Market Order)	0.10%	$10.00
Maker (Limit Order)	0.02%	$2.00

That is an 80% difference.

If you trade $100,000 volume in a month (which is just one $1,600 trade per day):

• Taker Cost: $100
• Maker Cost: $20

You save $80/month just by changing how you click the buy button.

The Simple Trick: Use “Post-Only” Limit Orders

Most people think “Limit Order = Maker”. This is wrong.

If you place a Limit Order to Buy BTC at $50,000, and the current price is $49,990, your order will fill immediately. The engine treats this as a Taker order because you crossed the spread. You pay the higher fee.

How to Guarantee Maker Fees:

1. Find the “Post-Only” checkbox in your trading interface (available on Binance, Bybit, OKX).
2. Check it.
3. Place your Limit Order.

If your order would execute immediately as a Taker, the system will cancel it or adjust it automatically. This checkbox guarantees you never pay Taker fees by accident.

Pro Tip: Exchanges like MEXC offer 0% Maker Fees. This means if you use Limit Orders, your trading is completely free.

Real-World Example: Scalping Strategy

James, a scalp trader, does 20 trades a day with a $5,000 position size.

Scenario A: Market Orders (Taker)

• Fee: 0.05%
• Daily Cost: 20 * $5,000 * 0.05% = $50
• Yearly Cost: $18,250

Scenario B: Limit Orders (Maker)

• Fee: 0.02%
• Daily Cost: 20 * $5,000 * 0.02% = $20
• Yearly Cost: $7,300

Scenario C: MEXC Zero Fees (Maker)

• Fee: 0.00%
• Yearly Cost: $0

By switching to a Maker strategy or a Zero-Fee exchange, James saves $11,000 to $18,000 per year. That is pure profit added back to his portfolio.

Conclusion

Stop using Market Orders unless it is an emergency.

1. Use Limit Orders.
2. Enable Post-Only.
3. Consider switching to a low-fee exchange.