Best Сryptocurrency Exchanges for Low-Cost Trading in the UK

What Are the Cryptocurrency Exchange Typical Fees?

Trading Fee

Trading fees on cryptocurrency exchanges are fees that you must pay in order to trade on a platform. This is often how the exchanges make their money and keep their platforms running.

So, how much does it usually cost to trade on a cryptocurrency exchange? Most cryptocurrency exchanges charge between 0% and 1.5% per trade. However, these percentages depend on whether you’re a maker (buyer) or taker (seller). Fees also vary by exchange.

To understand how much you’ll have to pay in trading fees, it helps to look at an example. So, if you end up paying 0% and 1.5% trade and you invest $1,000 of your money into crypto, you’ll end up paying anywhere from $0 to $15 in fees.

Taker and Market Fee Difference

Another key aspect of trading on cryptocurrency exchanges is maker-taker fees. These fees are transaction costs that occur when orders are placed and filled.

Trading fees depend on the type of order placed. For example, if you’re a maker, you’re “creating or making” the market for other traders, bringing liquidity to the exchange. On the other hand, if you’re a taker, you’re removing liquidity by “taking” available orders that are filled immediately.

Usually, taker fees are slightly higher than maker fees. Cryptocurrency exchanges that implement lower maker fees do so to incentivize market makers.

Deposit and Withdrawal Fee

Beyond trading fees, investors of cryptocurrency might also have to pay deposit or withdrawal fees, depending on the platform they choose. Often, deposit fees vary based on the type of deposit. However, only some crypto exchanges charge deposit fees.

The exchanges that forego withdrawal fees choose to do so because it might disincentivize traders from funding their accounts. Therefore, deposit fees tend to be less common than withdrawal fees.

For cryptocurrency withdrawals, many exchanges charge a flat fee regardless of the amount withdrawn. However, some might take an additional fee based on your country or the type of withdrawal (i.e. whether it’s crypto or fiat).

Other Fees

There are other fees on certain crypto exchanges that you may run into. For example, you might have to pay borrowing fees on crypto exchanges that offer margin trading.

With margin trading, you can borrow additional funds to increase your position and create leverage. So, if you’re trading on margin, you may have to pay additional fees based on the amount you borrow.

You might also be subject to paying an interest rate, which is typically based on the supply of funds available. You might also be responsible for liquidation fees if your trade goes upside down and the position is liquidated.

Cryptocurrency Exchanges With Lowest Crypto Trading Fees in the UK

Below are the cheapest cryptocurrency exchanges (spot)

Below are the cheapest cryptocurrency exchanges (futures)

Cryptocurrency Exchanges Non-Trading Fees Comparison

Cryptocurrency Exchanges With Low Fees: How Do They Compare?

OKX

OKX Review

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OKX is a centralized crypto exchange and wallet platform with their headquarters in Seychelles. Formerly known as OKEx, the exchange is popular for crypto spot and crypto futures trading. It has a list of over 350 cryptocurrencies and supports more than 500 trading pairs. It is available in over 200 countries.

What makes the crypto exchange stand out is that it offers users diversified crypto investment opportunities for those who want to do more than just crypto swapping, normal and margin trading of crypto. There are options to invest in crypto through mining pools, lending, perpetual futures, and DeFi.

The exchange charges active trading fees starting from 0.1% (taker) and 0.8% (maker). This figure reduces to 0.08% (taker) and 0.06% (maker) depending on the trading volume and the amount of native token – OKB – owned. VIP account owners enjoy taker fees of between 0.08% and 0.02%, and maker fees of between 0.06% and -0.05%.

When you use instant payment methods like Visa and Mastercard then you get additional charges of up to 4% per transaction.

Coinbase

Coinbase Review

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Coinbase is one of the pioneers and most popular exchanges in the cryptocurrency space since launching in 2012. It started by primarily offering a platform to buy and sell major coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Over the years, Coinbase has expanded its offerings to include staking, lending, earning interest on stored coins, Coinbase Wallet for decentralized apps, and Coinbase Pro for more advanced traders. It has over 100 million verified users and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ.

Coinbase prioritizes security and is focused on being fully compliant with regulators in the countries it operates in. Funds are stored offline in cold storage for increased protection. The platform is best suited for beginners and more conservative crypto traders.

The exchange is known for its simple and user-friendly interface. However, this ease of use comes at a higher fee compared to other major exchanges.

Specifically, for taker orders the fee ranges from 0.05%-0.6% depending on your 30-day trading volume. For maker orders, you pay a 0-0.4% fee. Trading fees decrease slightly as your 30-day volume increases - the more you trade, the lower the percentage fee.

For Stable Pairs, the maker and taker will pay a fee of 0.00% and 0.001%, respectively. Coinbase recently introduced futures trading through a new Coinbase Financial Markets platform accessible under Advanced Trade. During the beta launch period, futures trading fees on Coinbase are set at a discounted rate of 0.05% to encourage users to test out the new offering. This introductory fee applies to both maker and taker orders executed on Coinbase Financial Markets futures contracts.

Once the beta period ends, futures fees will adopt the standard Coinbase tiered fee structure based on 30-day trading volumes. Like other crypto exchanges, fees are expected to range from 0.1% to 0.5% depending on the order type and individual account trading performance.

The current 0.05% fee during beta provides those evaluating Coinbase's foray into derivatives with reduced costs to experience futures trading before regular pricing goes into effect after the introductory period ends. It aims to attract volume and feedback during the launch phase.

While Coinbase fees are higher than most major exchanges, the platform offers easy sign-up and funding processes along with a simple interface ideal for beginners. It only allows spot trading of major cryptocurrencies.

Paxful

Paxful Review

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Paxful is a beginner-friendly crypto platform that allows users to buy and sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies using various methods. The platform stands out for its peer-to-peer (P2P) model, making it convenient for individuals with varying preferences and challenges to transact in crypto without hassle.

Paxful connects crypto buyers and sellers directly via peer-to-peer trading, allowing users from different countries to participate in P2P transactions. It employs standard security measures to protect customers’ funds.

Paxful’s transaction fees can vary depending on the payment method and trade amount. Typically, Paxful has higher transaction fees for sellers than buyers; it charges a 1% transaction fee for sellers, while the fee for buyers is free in most cases.

BitMex

BitMEX Review

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BitMEX offers some of the lowest fees in the crypto exchange landscape. When trading on the platform, you can expect to pay 0.075% on the lowest tier for taker fees. On the other hand, as a price maker, you can receive a 0.01% rebate on each trade.

If you’re a high-volume trader, you can also receive discounted price taker fees. For example, if you have a 30-day average daily volume of over 5,000,000, your taker fees will be as low as 0.050%.

Plus, you won’t have to worry about paying Bitcoin deposits or withdrawals. You’ll only have to pay the Bitcoin network fee.

BitGet

BitGet Review

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BitGet is a renowned crypto exchange platform with a user-friendly interface, a diverse range of crypto assets, and a competitive fee structure for traders. The platform offers a fee structure for crypto maker and taker, which vary based on trading volume. It is worth noting that Bitget offers traders a discount fee of 0.08% for transacting using the BGB token native to the platform.

Therefore, the general maker and taker fee (with BGB discount) for spot trading is from 0.08% to 0.1%, regardless of the trading volume. Meanwhile, the fee for future trading for the maker is 0.02%, while the taker fee is 0.006%. However, crypto transactions without the BitGet native token (BGB) attract a flat fee rate of 0.1%.

Furthermore, BitGet offers a tiered-based maker and taker fee for VIPs, which differs significantly based on trading volume. The maker fee for spot trading (for VIP) typically ranges from 0.04% to 0.0125%, while the taker fee ranges from 0.06% to 0.035%. On the other hand, the maker fee for futures trading is from 0.016% to 0.008%, while the taker fee is from 0.04% to 0.032%.

How to Choose a Low-Commission Cryptocurrency Exchange

There are many types of cryptocurrency exchanges available to choose from. But if you’re trying to minimize your trading fees as much as possible, how can you find exchanges that offer low commissions?

We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help you find cryptocurrency exchanges with the lowest fees on the market.

Step 1

Research different cryptocurrency exchanges that are available in your country. Make a list of possible exchanges.

Step 2

Go on each exchange’s website to look at their fees. Under each exchange, write down their fee structures. This might include commissions, trading fees, maker-taker fees, or margin trading fees. Other fees you might consider are potential liquidation fees. Also, if withdrawal and deposit fees are something you’re concerned about, check whether potential exchanges charge these fees.

Step 3

Using the information you’ve gathered about potential exchanges, create a comparison table. List out the different exchanges.

Create columns/rows for different fee categories, including commissions, trading fees, maker vs. taker fees, any margin trading fees, liquidation fees, or deposit and withdrawal fees.

Looking at the comparison table, determine which platforms offer the most favorable trading conditions and the lowest fees.

It’s a good idea to eliminate the ones that offer trading fees higher than 1.5%. Anything lower than 1.5% is considered low when it comes to trading fees. So, by sticking to this rule, you can narrow down your choices to just a few exchanges.

Step 4

Consider if the different platforms offer tiered accounts, which provide you with opportunities to decrease your trading fees.

Some crypto exchanges offer professional accounts that allow you to get discounts for your trading fees. However, other platforms don’t offer these opportunities. So, be sure to do your research and compare.

Step 5

Some crypto exchanges have their own native coin like Binance (BNB), OKEx (OKB), Huobi Global (HT), and many more.

Usually, these platforms allow you to reduce your trading fees by staking a certain amount of their native coins.

The more coins you stake, the more you can save in trading fees. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, be sure to keep this factor in mind when considering low commission crypto exchanges.

Step 6

As you consider the many factors in regards to trading fees for different cryptocurrency exchanges, you might come across a few with a similar fee structure.

To help you narrow your list down further, you can consider other features beyond trading fees. There are other things that can make your trading experience a positive one.

For example, a platform’s ease of use, security, the number of supported cryptocurrencies, whether the platform offers margin trading, whether the exchange is under regulation by financial authorities, the available trading platforms, and the method of purchasing coins.

You might also consider the minimum amount you can deposit to open your account. Some platforms have high deposit minimums, while others allow you to deposit a small amount of money to get started.

You can also see if the exchanges you’re considering have sign-up offers and other deals that give you access to free cryptocurrency.

For example, some exchanges may offer a certain number of free Bitcoin or even give you money upon creating a new account. This will, in turn, reduce the fees in your portfolio balance.

With these features, you can create another comparison table. Only this time, you’ll be listing out the exchanges you’ve narrowed down. And the columns and rows will have the different features offered by each platform that doesn’t have to do with trading fees. This can help you narrow down your choice further.

Step 7

Looking at the comparison table, consider which features mean the most to you. For example, if you’re interested in margin trading, and only one platform in your list offers it, then choose that platform.

Follow the same principle for features that you’re most likely to use. From there, you should be able to settle on one or two exchanges.

How Do I Exchange Cryptocurrencies Without Fees or With Low Fees?

There are several ways to trade crypto with low fees including:

• Using peer-to-peer trading platforms where you can trade and purchase crypto directly from others without the need for a centralized authority.

• Use decentralized exchanges which operate on blockchain technology and allow users to trade crypto directly without a centralized authority.

• Look out for promotions and referral programs. Most exchanges will offer promotions and referrals to gain and keep clients. These can help you lower fees when trading crypto.

Expert Opinion

This ranking of cryptocurrency exchanges for cost-effective trading was compiled not only with regard to commission policies. The research also considered important indicators such as the variety of trading instruments, entry thresholds, security guarantees, and the presence of profit withdrawal limits. The rating aims to assist traders in identifying a suitable option that corresponds to their financial goals and trading style. Executing transactions on platforms with low commissions indeed helps significantly reduce expenses and maximize profits, but it's essential not to rush the choice. It's better to carefully assess all aspects and make an informed decision.

Our Methodology

Traders Union applies a rigorous methodology to evaluate brokers using over 100 both quantitative and qualitative criteria. Multiple parameters are given individual scores that feed into an overall rating.

Key aspects of the assessment include:

• User reviews. Client reviews and feedback are analyzed to determine customer satisfaction levels. Reviews are fact-checked and verified.

• Trading instruments. Brokers are evaluated on the breadth and depth of assets/markets available to trade.

• Fees and commissions. A comprehensive analysis is done of all trading costs to analyze overall cost to clients.

• Trading platforms. Brokers are assessed based on the variety, quality and features of platforms offered to clients.

• Extra services. Unique value propositions and useful features that provide traders with more choices for yield generation.

• Other factors like brand popularity, customer support, education resources are also evaluated.