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Data Report · 8 min read · 2026-05-07

Cryptocurrency exchange fees, compared.

Verified spot and futures fee data across 11 major cryptocurrency exchanges as of May 2026. Lowest published rates, hidden costs, fee discount mechanisms, and the gap between headline rate and total cost.

H By HTBB Research Desk Published May 7, 2026 Sources: 11 official fee schedules
Key Findings
  • MEXC publishes the lowest spot fee (0% maker/taker on most pairs), but spreads on illiquid pairs widen the all-in cost.
  • Binance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, and BingX all publish 0.10% as the standard spot rate — convergence on this number is industry-wide.
  • Futures fees cluster around 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker for major exchanges; the outlier is XT.com at 0.04% / 0.06%.
  • Native-token fee discounts (BNB, OKB, GT, MX, BGB, HTX) reduce fees by an additional 20-50%, stacking with referral rebates.
  • The composite median spot fee is 0.13% across all 11 exchanges; median futures taker fee is 0.06%.

The verified fee schedule

The table below shows standard published rates for new accounts at the entry tier (VIP 0 / Lv1 / Regular User). Rates do not include native-token discounts, VIP-tier discounts, or referral-code rebates — these are additional and stack with the base rate.

Exchange Spot maker Spot taker Futures maker Futures taker
Binance0.10%0.10%0.02%0.05%
OKX0.08%0.10%0.02%0.05%
Bybit0.10%0.10%0.02%0.055%
Bitget0.10%0.10%0.02%0.06%
Gate.io0.10%0.20%0.02%0.05%
HTX0.20%0.20%0.02%0.04%
MEXC0%0%0%0.02%
BingX0.10%0.10%0.02%0.05%
Weex0%0.10%0.02%0.08%
XT.com0.20%0.20%0.04%0.06%
BTSE0.20%0.20%0.02%0.055%

Why headline rate ≠ what you actually pay

The fee figure is only one input to total trading cost. The other — and often larger — is the spread: the gap between the best bid and best ask price. A 0% trading fee on a pair with 0.30% spread is more expensive in total than a 0.10% trading fee on a pair with 0.01% spread.

For BTC/USDT specifically, top-tier exchanges quote spreads around 0.005-0.01% as of May 2026. Smaller exchanges with lower volume can quote 0.05-0.30% on the same pair. This explains why high-liquidity exchanges with higher headline fees often beat zero-fee venues on combined cost.

Verified · Cost Example

Buying $10,000 of BTC on Binance: 0.10% fee = $10 + ~0.005% spread = $0.50. Total: $10.50. The same trade on MEXC: 0% fee + ~0.02% spread = $2. Total: $2. But on a low-volume altcoin: MEXC spread might be 0.30% = $30, while Binance might be 0.10% = $10. Liquidity wins on long-tail pairs.

Fee reduction mechanisms (and how they stack)

Major exchanges offer four mechanisms to reduce fees from the headline rate. They typically stack:

  1. Referral / affiliate code at registration: 20-60% lifetime discount. One-time choice, permanent effect.
  2. Native token holding or fee payment: 20-50% additional discount on most exchanges. Examples: BNB on Binance (-25%), GT on Gate.io (-1-28%), MX on MEXC (-50%).
  3. VIP tier based on 30-day volume or token holding: Progressive reductions. Binance VIP 9 = 0% maker; OKX Lv9 = negative maker.
  4. Maker vs. taker: Limit orders that rest on the book (maker) are typically 30-50% cheaper than orders that fill instantly (taker).

For most retail users, mechanism #1 (referral code) provides the best ratio of effort to long-term savings. It requires zero ongoing action and applies forever. Verified codes for May 2026:

→ See full referral code table

Methodology

All fee figures sourced from each exchange's official fee schedule page, verified directly on May 7, 2026. Where the exchange publishes a tiered structure, we report the entry-tier (VIP 0 / Lv1 / Regular User / Standard) figures as these reflect what new accounts actually pay. Maker/taker split applies where the exchange differentiates; otherwise we report the single rate. Futures rates are USDT-margined perpetual contracts. We exclude promotional fee waivers limited to specific event windows.

This report will be re-verified and updated on June 1, 2026, or sooner if any exchange announces a fee schedule change.

References

  1. Binance Spot Trading Fee Rate, binance.com/en/fee/spotMaker, accessed 2026-05-07.
  2. OKX Fees, okx.com/fees, accessed 2026-05-07.
  3. Bybit Trading Fee Structure, bybit.com/en/help-center/article/Trading-Fee-Structure, accessed 2026-05-07.
  4. Bitget Spot Trading Fees, Limits, and Rules, bitget.com/support/articles/12560603820584, accessed 2026-05-07.
  5. Gate.com Fee Overview, gate.com/fee, accessed 2026-05-07.
  6. HTX USDT-Margined Futures Trading Fees, htx.com/support/900000089923, accessed 2026-05-07.
  7. MEXC Trading Fees Complete Guide, mexc.com/fee, accessed 2026-05-07.
  8. BingX Fee Schedule, bingx.com/en/support/articles/360027240173, accessed 2026-05-07.
  9. WEEX Trading Fees, weex.com/support/rate, accessed 2026-05-07.
  10. XT.com Trading Fees, xt.com/en/rate, accessed 2026-05-07.
  11. BTSE Spot Trading Fees, support.btse.com, accessed 2026-05-07.