Zero fee crypto exchanges: which are actually free?

Q: Is there a truly zero fee crypto exchange?

A handful of venues advertise 0% fees, but it almost always comes with conditions: maker only, a short promotional window, select pairs, or a wider spread that quietly recovers the fee. For most traders the realistic goal is the lowest all in cost, not a literal zero, so compare the base taker fee plus the spread rather than the headline promo.

Q: Which exchanges have the lowest crypto trading fees?

Among the 20 venues FeeEdge tracks, the lowest base taker fees come from MEXC, Bitfinex and Backpack, with Coinbase and Kraken higher. Your real cost still depends on your monthly volume and whether you trade maker or taker, so check the calculator for your own profile.

Last updated: July 2026

Plenty of exchanges market themselves as zero fee, but a literal 0% is rare and usually comes with strings attached. What most traders actually want is the lowest all in cost, which is the trading fee plus the spread you cross. Here are the 20 venues FeeEdge tracks, ranked by published spot taker fee, cheapest first.

Lowest spot fees, ranked

#	Exchange	Maker	Taker
1	Bitfinex	0.000%	0.000%
2	MEXC	0.000%	0.050%	Open account
3	BitMEX	0.050%	0.050%
4	Hyperliquid	0.040%	0.070%	Open account
5	Binance (BNB discount)	0.100%	0.100%	Open account
6	Bybit	0.100%	0.100%	Open account
7	OKX (OKB discount)	0.080%	0.100%	Open account
8	Gate.io (GT discount)	0.100%	0.100%	Open account
9	Bitget (BGB discount)	0.100%	0.100%
10	KuCoin (KCS discount)	0.100%	0.100%
11	BingX	0.100%	0.100%
12	WhiteBIT (WBT discount)	0.100%	0.100%
13	Phemex	0.100%	0.100%
14	Backpack	0.080%	0.100%
15	BitMart (BMX discount)	0.100%	0.100%
16	HTX (HT discount)	0.200%	0.200%
17	CoinEx (CET discount)	0.200%	0.200%
18	Kraken	0.250%	0.400%
19	Crypto.com	0.250%	0.500%	Open account
20	Coinbase	0.600%	1.200%	Open account

Published entry-tier spot rates; volume tiers and native-token discounts can lower these further.

The catch behind 0% fees

When a venue advertises zero fees, read the conditions. The most common ones are:

Maker only. The 0% applies to limit orders that add liquidity, while taker (market) orders still pay.
Select pairs or a promo window. Free trading on a few pairs, or for a launch period, then normal rates return.
A wider spread. A zero headline fee means little if the bid/ask spread is wider, because you pay it on every fill.
Native-token requirement. The lowest rate often needs you to hold and pay fees in the venue's token, which carries its own price risk.

Find your real cheapest venue

Your true cost depends on your monthly volume and your maker versus taker mix. FeeEdge ranks all 20 exchanges for your exact profile in seconds, so you can see whether a 0% headline actually beats a low base fee once volume tiers and discounts are applied.

Rank exchanges for how you trade →

FAQ

Is there a truly zero fee crypto exchange?

A few venues advertise 0%, but it usually applies to maker orders only, select pairs, or a promo window, and a wider spread can quietly recover it. Aim for the lowest all in cost rather than a literal zero.

Which exchanges have the lowest crypto trading fees?

Among the venues FeeEdge tracks, MEXC, Bitfinex and Backpack rank lowest on base taker fees, with Coinbase and Kraken higher. Your cheapest depends on volume and order type, so check the calculator.