01The five layers of cost in a crypto purchase
Most fee comparisons stop at the "0.1%" on an exchange's marketing page. The money that actually leaves your pocket comes in at least five layers: the trading fee (maker/taker), the bid-ask spread, the deposit fee (especially on cards), the fiat or crypto withdrawal fee, and the blockchain network fee. In some countries a transaction tax adds a sixth.
These layers trade off against each other. A one-tap card purchase in an app might show a zero trading fee while the card fee and spread add up to several percent. A limit order on a pro order book might cost a few hundredths of a percent, or even earn a rebate, but you must fund the account by bank transfer first. Understanding that trade-off is worth more than memorising which exchange has the lowest fees.
02Maker and taker: how exchange trading fees work
Order-book exchanges charge differently for makers and takers. A maker places a limit order that waits on the book until someone fills it. A taker places an order that fills immediately against a resting order, and every market order is a taker order. Makers add depth to the market, so they usually pay less.
Some real numbers: Binance's base spot tier is 0.10% / 0.10%, or 0.075% with the BNB discount. Kraken Pro's fee page currently shows 0.40% / 0.80% for its first tier. CEX.IO spot trading starts at 0.15% maker / 0.25% taker. Japan goes further still. GMO Coin charges −0.01% for Bitcoin makers (it pays you) and 0.05% for takers, and Coincheck's order book is 0% / 0% on Bitcoin, Ether and most major pairs.
Fees fall with 30-day volume and platform-token holdings, but anyone buying a few hundred or a few thousand dollars stays in the base tier. Compare base tiers and ignore "VIP from 0.02%".
03Spreads, and Japan's 販売所 vs 取引所
The spread is the gap between the buy and sell price. It never appears in the "fee" line, yet it is often a beginner's biggest cost. Japan shows this most clearly: almost every exchange registered with the Financial Services Agency offers two doors into the same market.
販売所 (hanbaijo, dealer)
- The exchange quotes and sells to you
- Simple screen, labelled "no fee"
- The cost is in the spread, often 1–5%
- Coincheck discloses 0.1–5.0%, higher on some coins
- Fine for tiny or urgent buys
取引所 (torihikijo, order book)
- Users trade with each other
- You need to place limit orders
- Maker/taker roughly 0–0.15%
- Makers often earn a rebate
- Usually far cheaper for the same amount
"販売所 スプレッド 高い" ("dealer spreads are high") is one of the most common complaints from Japanese buyers. On bitFlyer, Coincheck or GMO Coin, switching to the 取引所 or 板取引 (order-book) tab and using a limit order removes most of the cost. The same logic applies elsewhere. Pintu's simple mode in Indonesia, Reku's Lightning mode, GCrypto inside GCash in the Philippines and OSL's Flash Trade in Hong Kong all put the cost in the spread. More detail on Japanese platforms is in our Japan guide.
04Worked example: the cheapest way to buy $500 of Bitcoin
Using typical fee figures from our research, here is what a $500 Bitcoin purchase costs on four routes. It is an illustrative calculation, not a live quote from any platform. Your real cost depends on the spread at the time, your bank and your country.
A few takeaways. First, route B is advertised as fee-free and still costs eight times as much as route D. Second, almost all of route C's cost is the premium. In India, where the USDT premium was about 7% on 1 October 2026, the same $500 would cost around $35. Third, a Korean buyer on Upbit (0.05% in the KRW market) would pay only about $0.25 on route D, and a maker order on GMO Coin in Japan even earns a small rebate.
So why does anyone use a card? Because it is quick, simple and needs no limit orders. For a small first purchase, paying an extra $15 to have coins in minutes can be a fair trade. The point is to know what you are paying for. Card-specific pitfalls, such as cash-advance charges, are covered in buying crypto with a credit card.
Want to try the whole flow with a small amount first? A card purchase takes minutes, and the confirmation screen shows every fee.Card fees 0.49–4.99% plus a service charge, depending on method and region
Buy with card05Crypto exchange fee tables: international and local
International platforms first. Spot rates are base tier. Figures marked "about" come from our research database but were not re-checked in October 2026, because many fee pages render only with JavaScript. Confirm them on the official site before trading.
| Exchange | Spot maker / taker | Card / instant buy | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | 0.10% / 0.10% (0.075% with BNB) | Own processing about 1.8–2% | binance.com |
| OKX | about 0.08% / 0.10% | Third-party providers about 1.5–4% | okx.com |
| Bybit | about 0.10% / 0.10% | About 2–3% plus provider fees | bybit.com |
| Coinbase | Advanced about 0.40% / 0.60% | Spread about 0.5% + card up to about 3.99% | coinbase.com |
| Kraken | Pro 0.40% / 0.80% | Instant buy 1% + payment fee + spread | kraken.com |
| Crypto.com | about 0.25% / 0.50% | App card purchase about 2.99% | crypto.com |
| CEX.IO | 0.15% / 0.25% | Card 0.49–4.99% + service charge; not for residents of Japan, Singapore or India | CEX.IO review |
| MEXC | about 0% / 0.05% (long-running promo) | Third-party providers | mexc.com |
MEXC has received JFSA warnings, was named by the Philippine SEC and is listed as unregistered in Korea. A low fee does not make a platform legal in your country.
Now the licensed local exchanges. Their trading fees are not always the lowest, but they usually offer free or cheap local-currency deposits, and in some countries a tax advantage. In Thailand, gains from sales through SEC-licensed platforms are exempt from personal income tax from 2025 to 2029.
| Exchange (market) | Trading fee | Local deposits / withdrawals · notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upbit (South Korea) | 0.05% (KRW market, maker and taker) | KRW withdrawal ₩1,000; BTC withdrawal 0.0002 BTC. upbit.com |
| Bithumb (South Korea) | 0.25% standard, 0.04% with fee coupon | Coupon must be claimed, valid 30 days. bithumb.com |
| GMO Coin (Japan) | 取引所 BTC −0.01% / 0.05% | Instant JPY deposit and withdrawal free; dealer has a spread. coin.z.com |
| Coincheck (Japan) | 取引所 BTC and others 0% / 0% | Dealer spread 0.1–5.0%; JPY withdrawal ¥407. coincheck.com |
| Bitkub (Thailand) | 0.25% | THB withdrawal from THB 20. bitkub.com |
| HATA (Malaysia) | Maker 0% / taker 0.40% (low-volume tier) | FPX deposits; taker falls to 0.10% with volume. hata.io |
| Independent Reserve (Singapore) | 0.5%, down to 0.02% with volume | PayNow deposits free; FAST withdrawal S$1.50. independentreserve.com |
| PDAX (Philippines) | about 0.40% / 0.50% | GCash cash-in about 2.90%; InstaPay withdrawal PHP 15. pdax.ph |
| Indodax (Indonesia) | IDR market 0.10% / 0.20% | Plus 0.21% final income tax and the CFX levy. indodax.com |
| MAX (Taiwan) | VIP0 0.08% / 0.16% | 45 TWD markets. max.maicoin.com |
Some rates (Bithumb, PDAX, Indodax) come from secondary sources. Fees change often, so check the official page.
Full local comparisons live on the country pages, for example South Korea, Thailand and Singapore. For an overall ranking of international platforms, see best crypto exchanges.
06Deposit, withdrawal and network fees
Deposits. Local instant transfers into licensed exchanges are mostly free or nearly free: FPS in Hong Kong, PayNow in Singapore, InstaPay in the Philippines, FPX in Malaysia. E-wallet and convenience-store deposits cost more. PDAX charges about 2.90% for GCash cash-ins, and Coincheck charges ¥770 for convenience-store deposits under ¥30,000. Cards are the most expensive of all.
Fiat withdrawals. These are usually flat fees: Upbit ₩1,000, Bitkub THB 20, BitoPro NT$30, Coincheck ¥407, bitFlyer ¥220–¥770 depending on the bank, GMO Coin free. Flat fees hit small withdrawals hardest, so withdraw in larger chunks. The full process is in our cash-out guide.
Crypto withdrawals and network fees. Moving coins from an exchange to a wallet or another exchange carries a withdrawal fee. Upbit charges 0.0002 BTC for Bitcoin, a fixed amount of coin, so it costs more in fiat terms when the price is higher. USDT withdrawal fees vary widely by network (TRON, Ethereum, Solana and others). But first make sure the receiving side supports the network, or the funds may be unrecoverable. Read transfers and the Travel Rule before sending.
07The truth about "zero fee" crypto exchanges
"No fee crypto exchange" and "0 fee crypto exchange" are huge searches, but truly cost-free trades barely exist. The "zero fees" we see fall into four groups.
1. The cost is in the spread. Japanese dealers, Pintu's simple mode, Maya Crypto's "no transaction fees" (with an undisclosed spread) and OSL Flash Trade's 0% fee all belong here. 2. Genuine 0% order-book fees, but only on some pairs. Coincheck's Bitcoin and Ether order books are an example. These really are cheap, but you need to use limit orders. 3. Time-limited promotions and coupons. Bithumb's 0.04% coupon must be claimed and lasts 30 days. Binance TH has run 0% promotions on THB pairs. MEXC's 0% maker rate is a long-running promotion that can change at any time. 4. The money comes back elsewhere. Deposit fees, withdrawal fees, worse FX conversion, or nudges towards high-risk derivatives.
If your bank cannot fund exchanges and P2P is the only route, treat the premium as a fee when you compare. Risks and merchant selection are in our P2P guide. Official fee pages: Binance fee schedule, Kraken fee schedule and Coincheck fees.
FAQ
What is the difference between maker and taker fees?
A maker places a limit order that does not fill immediately, adding liquidity to the order book. A taker places an order that fills at once against someone else's, and every market order is a taker order. Most exchanges charge makers less, and some Japanese exchanges such as GMO Coin and bitbank pay makers a rebate. Binance's base tier is 0.10% / 0.10%; Kraken Pro's first tier is 0.40% / 0.80%.
What is the cheapest way to buy crypto?
For most people in Asia, it is a free local instant transfer into a licensed local exchange, then a limit order on the order book (the "pro" or "advanced" screen). Upbit charges 0.05% in its KRW market and Bitkub 0.25%. Cards are fastest but usually add 1.5–5%. P2P often has no fee, but the price includes a premium.
Is there a no-fee crypto exchange?
Rarely in practice. Many "zero-fee" instant-buy modes hide the cost in the spread. Others are time-limited promotions, apply only to some pairs, or make the money back on deposits and withdrawals. Genuine 0% order-book fees exist (Coincheck on BTC, for example), but you need to place limit orders. Judge any offer by how much crypto you receive for your money.
What are Coinbase's trading fees, and does Coinbase Pro still exist?
Coinbase Pro was replaced by Coinbase Advanced. Our records show the lowest Advanced tier at about 0.40% maker / 0.60% taker. Simple buys include a spread of about 0.5%, plus a card fee of up to about 3.99%. These figures were not re-checked in October 2026 because the fee page blocked us, so confirm them on Coinbase's site.
What is the difference between a Japanese 販売所 and 取引所?
In a 販売所 (dealer), the exchange quotes you a price directly. It is simple and labelled fee-free, but the spread is often 1–5%; Coincheck discloses 0.1–5.0%. In a 取引所 (exchange), users trade with each other on an order book, paying roughly 0–0.15% in maker/taker fees. For the same Bitcoin purchase, the 取引所 is usually far cheaper.
Sources
- Binance — fee schedule · checked Oct 2026
- Kraken — fee schedule · checked Oct 2026
- Coincheck — 手数料 (fees) · checked Oct 2026
- Upbit — service guide · checked Oct 2026
- HATA — fees · checked Oct 2026
- Independent Reserve Singapore — fees · checked Oct 2026
- PDAX — fees · checked Oct 2026
Done the maths? Start small
Buy your first coin with a card in minutes, and check the total cost and the amount you receive on the confirmation screen before you pay.
International licensed platform · operating since 2013 · Visa / Mastercard / Apple Pay