Crypto exchange fees explained: spreads, trading fees and card charges
Why the same $500 purchase can cost $2 on one app and $20 on another, and how to see the full price before you buy.
Crypto platforms charge in several ways at once, and few show you the full total as a single number. Once you know the four main costs, you can compare platforms properly.
1. The trading fee
This is the charge the platform shows as a separate line. It can be:
- A flat fee, common on small purchases (for example $0.99 on a small order).
- A percentage, such as Kraken's published 1% on instant buys or eToro's flat 1%.
- A table by order size. Cash App charges 2% on buys under $500, falling to 0% at $2,000 and up. PayPal charges 2.2% on small orders, falling to 1.5% over $1,000.
2. The spread
The spread is the difference between the price you're quoted and the market price. If bitcoin trades at $86,000 and an app sells it to you at $86,430, you've paid a 0.5% spread, even though no fee appears on the receipt.
"Commission-free" platforms make money mainly this way. Robinhood, for example, doesn't charge a commission on most crypto trades, and independent reviews put its spread around 0.35% to 0.85%. Few platforms publish their spread, which is why our calculator marks those figures as estimates.
3. The payment-method fee
Bank (ACH) transfers are free on every major US platform. Debit cards usually cost extra, from about 1.5% to 3.99%. Wire transfers are free on some platforms and cost $10 to $25 on others.
4. Withdrawal and network fees
Moving crypto off a platform to your own wallet costs a blockchain network fee, and some platforms add their own charge on top. These vary by coin and by how busy the network is. Sending bitcoin during a busy period can cost several dollars; sending some other coins costs cents.
Simple buy vs. advanced trading
Most large exchanges offer two ways to buy:
| Simple buy | Advanced trading |
|---|---|
| One tap, quote includes spread and fee | Order book: you see the live buy and sell prices |
| Often 1% to 4% all-in on small orders | Maker/taker fees, often under 1% |
| Best for occasional small purchases | Best once you buy regularly or in larger amounts |
On Kraken Pro, the starting taker fee is 0.80%. On Binance.US, it's 0.02% since an April 2026 fee cut. The trade-off is a slightly more complex screen.
Maker vs. taker: a "taker" order fills right away at the current price (a market order). A "maker" order waits on the order book at a price you set (a limit order) and usually pays a lower fee.
How to see the real cost
- Look up the market price on our markets page.
- Start a purchase on the platform and stop at the preview screen.
- Divide the amount you're spending by the amount of crypto you'll receive. That's your effective price.
- Compare it with the market price. The difference, as a percentage, is your all-in cost.
Fees on selling
Most platforms charge similar fees when you sell. A round trip of buying and selling can easily cost 2% to 6% on simple-buy screens, so frequent trading on those screens erodes returns quickly. The profit calculator shows the break-even price after fees.
This guide is for general education and isn't financial, investment, legal or tax advice. Crypto is volatile and you can lose money. Facts were checked as of the update date above; rules and fees change.