Maker-Taker Fees Explained: How Crypto Exchanges Charge You

When you trade crypto, you’re not just buying or selling—you’re interacting with a system that rewards or charges you based on your role. This is where maker-taker fees, a pricing model used by crypto exchanges to incentivize liquidity. Also known as liquidity-based fees, it splits traders into two groups: those who add liquidity (makers) and those who remove it (takers). If you place a limit order that sits in the order book waiting to be filled, you’re a maker. You’re helping others trade by providing price options. If you place a market order that instantly matches with an existing order, you’re a taker—you’re taking liquidity from the market.

This system isn’t random. Exchanges use maker-taker fees to keep trading active. Low or even negative fees for makers mean they get paid to add orders. Takers pay a small fee because they’re using up existing liquidity. Think of it like a grocery store: makers are the suppliers stocking shelves, takers are the customers grabbing items off them. The store might pay suppliers to keep shelves full, but charge customers a small handling fee at checkout. That’s exactly how DEXs, decentralized exchanges like Uniswap or Wagmi. Also known as on-chain trading platforms, they apply this model too—sometimes even more clearly than centralized ones. Platforms like HB DEX or SharkSwap may not show fee details clearly, but they still follow the same logic: if your trade executes immediately, you pay. If it waits, you might get rewarded.

Understanding this helps you pick the right exchange. Some platforms, like those built for IOTA or Celo, offer near-zero fees to attract users, but they often have thin order books. That means even if you’re a maker, there’s little chance your order gets filled. Other exchanges, like the ones with real volume, use maker-taker fees to reward active participants. If you’re trading small amounts, you might not care. But if you’re swapping $10,000 or more, a 0.1% fee difference can mean hundreds of dollars. And if you’re using a fake DEX like LocalCoin DEX or Coinbook, you’re not even dealing with real fees—you’re risking your entire deposit.

Maker-taker fees also connect to bigger ideas like liquidity, slippage, and market depth. Low liquidity means fewer makers, which means higher taker fees and worse fills. That’s why exchanges like IceCreamSwap (Blast) with $0 volume are useless—you can’t be a maker if no one’s buying, and you can’t be a taker if no one’s selling. Meanwhile, platforms with real activity, like Uniswap v3 on Celo, use this model to keep trades smooth and cheap for users in emerging markets. The bottom line? Maker-taker fees aren’t just jargon. They’re a hidden cost—and a hidden opportunity—that shapes how you trade, where you trade, and how much you keep.

Below, you’ll find real reviews of exchanges that use these fees—some well, some dangerously poorly. Learn which ones reward you, which ones charge you unfairly, and which ones are outright scams.