Taker
You hit an existing order and remove liquidity — instant fill, higher fee (e.g. 0.10%). You pay for immediacy.
Climb the fee pyramid
Drag to orbit. Slide your 30-day volume — your tier lights up and the calculator shows annual fees under maker vs taker execution. Tiers below are a typical composite of major exchanges' schedules.
Drag to rotate · wheel/pinch to zoom
Tier 2req. $100k / 30d
0.080%Your fee rate
$200Fees / month
$2,400Fees / year
$600Saved vs base
Maker vs. taker — the fee that pays you back
Maker
You post a limit order that rests on the book, adding liquidity. Lower fee (e.g. 0.06%), sometimes rebates at top tiers — because depth attracts other traders.
Why VIP exists
Exchanges compete on liquidity. High-volume traders create it, so exchanges bid for them with discounts. Newer programs widen the door: qualify via volume or balance or lending — different ways of measuring how valuable you are to the venue.
Worked example
$500k/month taker at 0.10% = $500/mo in fees. Reach a tier at 0.06% and switch to maker orders at 0.04%: $200/mo. Saving: $3,600/year for the same trades.
The composite ladder used above
| Tier | 30-day volume | Maker | Taker | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | < $10k | 0.100% | 0.100% | Retail default |
| Tier 1 | ≥ $10k | 0.090% | 0.100% | First maker discount |
| Tier 2 | ≥ $100k | 0.080% | 0.095% | Active retail |
| Tier 3 | ≥ $1m | 0.060% | 0.085% | Semi-pro |
| Tier 4 | ≥ $10m | 0.040% | 0.070% | Prop / funds |
| VIP | ≥ $100m | 0.020% | 0.055% | Negotiated, may include rebates |
Caution: a fee discount is only worth chasing if the volume is volume you'd trade anyway. Trading more to earn a discount inverts the math — you spend $1 of spread and risk to save $0.02 of fees.