Trading maker-only (resting limit orders that wait for someone else to fill them) pays off most clearly on perpetual futures: a regular user pays 0.02% as maker and 0.05% to 0.06% as taker, so fees fall by 60% or more. Add a rebate, for example Gate at 70% through Fee Otter (20% automatic rebate from the exchange + 50% extra rebate), and the maker fee nets about 0.006%, roughly an eighth of an unrebated 0.05% taker fee. On spot it is a different story: regular users on Binance, Bybit, Gate and Bitget pay 0.1% as maker and as taker, so going maker-only saves nothing (fees checked 2026-10-17).
How much maker-only saves depends first on the gap between maker and taker fees in that market. Below are the official fees at six exchanges, the effective rates after a rebate, the real difference on 1 million USDT of monthly volume, and what maker-only costs you in return.
Quick answer
- Perps: maker 0.02%, taker 0.05% (Bybit 0.055%, Bitget 0.06%). Maker-only is 60% to 67% cheaper.
- Spot: on Binance, Bybit, Gate and Bitget, a regular user's maker fee equals the taker fee at 0.1%, so maker-only saves nothing. OKX maker is 0.08%, 20% below taker. MEXC BTCUSDT spot maker is 0%.
- With a rebate: rebates apply to every fee, maker and taker. The lowest perp maker rate after rebate is Gate at about 0.006%.
- MEXC maker at 0%: with no fee there is nothing to rebate. MEXC API orders also earn no rebate.
- The trade-off: orders may not fill, the price can run away, post-only orders get cancelled, and stops usually fill at market anyway.
Regular-user fees at six exchanges
| Exchange | Spot maker/taker | Perp maker/taker | Perp saving with maker-only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 60% |
| Bybit | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.055% | 64% |
| OKX | 0.08% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 60% |
| Gate | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 60% |
| Bitget | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.06% | 67% |
| MEXC (BTCUSDT) | 0% / 0.05% | 0% / 0.02% | 100% |
Fees checked 2026-10-17 (VIP 0): Binance spot, Binance futures, Bybit, OKX, Gate spot, Gate futures, Bitget (2026-08-20). MEXC figures are for BTC pairs from its official public API (spot exchangeInfo, futures contract/detail); other pairs may differ. Gate's 0.1% spot maker rate comes from Gate's official Learn fee calculator page (2026-09-15); the help center example only states the 0.1% taker rate. BNB, GT and other token discounts are not included.
The row people miss is spot: a regular user on Binance, Bybit, Gate and Bitget pays the same spot fee as maker or taker. Insisting on maker-only there means taking on the risk of not getting filled without saving a cent. Maker only becomes cheaper than taker on spot at higher VIP tiers.
Effective rates after a rebate
A rebate returns a fixed share of each fee actually charged, maker or taker. Effective rate = listed rate × (1 − rebate rate):
| Exchange (rebate rate) | Perp maker, effective | Perp taker, effective |
|---|---|---|
| Gate 70% (20% automatic + 50% extra) | 0.006% | 0.015% |
| Bitget 50% (20% automatic + 30% extra) | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Binance 40% (20% automatic + 20% extra) | 0.012% | 0.03% |
| Bybit 40% (all paid by Fee Otter) | 0.012% | 0.033% |
| OKX 20% automatic rebate + exclusive rewards | 0.016% | 0.04% |
| MEXC 60% (20% automatic + 40% extra), BTC_USDT | 0% (no fee to rebate) | 0.008% |
MEXC's BTC_USDT perp maker fee is already 0%, so any rebate rate on it is still zero; MEXC's rebate only does anything on the taker side. MEXC's affiliate FAQ also says API orders earn no rebate, so if a bot places your orders, leave MEXC rebate out of the math.
A worked example: 1 million USDT of perp volume a month
Say you trade 1 million USDT of perp notional a month. Here is "all market orders" against "all maker":
| Scenario | All taker | All maker |
|---|---|---|
| Binance, no rebate | 500 USDT | 200 USDT |
| Binance 40% | 300 USDT | 120 USDT |
| Bybit 40% | 330 USDT | 120 USDT |
| Bitget 50% | 300 USDT | 100 USDT |
| OKX 20% automatic rebate + exclusive rewards | 400 USDT | 160 USDT |
| Gate 70% | 150 USDT | 60 USDT |
From 500 USDT on Binance with no rebate and all taker to 60 USDT on Gate at 70% and all maker, the same volume costs 440 USDT less a month. Maker orders account for part of that and the rebate for the rest, and the two stack. If you can't go fully maker, the rebate alone already gets Gate all-taker (150 USDT) below Binance all-maker with no rebate (200 USDT).
If you're already a VIP on an exchange and want to rebind or sign up on another one, contact support: we can help you apply for special trading perks or a higher rebate rate. Full numbers for large accounts are in fee rebates for high-volume traders.
What maker-only costs you
- Missed fills: the price runs and your limit order never gets hit. On a 10,000 USDT round trip, maker saves 6 USDT (0.06%) over market orders. If the miss forces you to chase with a market order after the price has moved another 0.1%, you've lost 10 USDT and given back the whole saving.
- Adverse selection: resting orders tend to get filled just as the price moves against you. It's a real cost for makers that no fee table shows.
- Post-only cancellations: Bybit's help center says a limit order with Post-Only ticked is cancelled if it would execute immediately on placement, so you don't pay the taker rate by accident. That happens when a buy is priced above the best ask or a sell below the best bid.
- Stops are usually taker: when a stop triggers you normally leave at market and pay taker, so 100% maker isn't realistic.
- Partial fills: a large resting order may only partly fill, and then you have to decide whether to chase the rest.
A more practical approach
Most people don't need to be fully maker. Enter with limit orders when you can wait; exit stops at market so you're sure to get out; take profit with resting limits. Bind a rebate as well, and the taker part comes back at a fixed rate too. That mix usually beats forcing every order to rest and missing the move. For the maker/taker difference, see maker vs taker fees explained.
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