3-exchange fee comparator
Put in your monthly trading volume and VIP tier — find out which of Binance / OKX / Gate is cheapest at your level. Includes native-token discount math and a tier-based recommendation.
| Metric | Binance | OKX | Gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee rate | — | — | — |
| Monthly cost | — | — | — |
| After token discount | — | — | — |
Open user guide · 3-exchange fee mechanics · FAQ
1. How exchange fees actually work
Spot and perp fees are calculated as "trade size × fee rate." Maker means you placed a resting limit order that someone else then took; Taker means you crossed the spread and consumed an existing order. On perps and at higher VIP tiers, Maker is usually cheaper than Taker, because makers provide the order-book depth the exchange relies on. On a regular spot account that isn't guaranteed: Binance charges 0.1% on both sides for regular spot users, while OKX regular users pay 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker. Check each exchange's official fee page for current rates.
Retail-tier spot fees (Binance VIP0 / OKX regular user / Gate VIP0): Binance 0.10% / 0.10%, OKX 0.08% / 0.10%, Gate 0.10% / 0.10%. On perpetuals, all three charge the same at the regular tier: 0.02% / 0.05% (Binance VIP0, OKX regular user, Gate VIP0). The divergence opens up as you climb the VIP ladder. This calculator prices perps at OKX's official futures rates for regular / VIP1–VIP3; on Gate USDT-margined perps, VIP0–VIP2 all stay at 0.02% / 0.05%, taker falls to 0.048% at VIP3 and VIP4 and to 0.045% at VIP5, and maker is 0.02% from VIP0 through VIP5. Rates change, so the exchange's official fee page has the final word.
2. VIP tier mechanics, 3-way comparison
Binance VIP uses 30-day USD-equivalent volume + BNB balance. Either spot or futures volume can qualify you. On spot volume, VIP1 needs $1M in 30 days and VIP3 needs $20M; on futures volume, VIP1 needs $5M and VIP3 needs $50M. You also need to hold at least 5 / 100 BNB respectively. The threshold is the highest of the three, but the discount cuts are aggressive — VIP3 perp maker drops to 0.012%, which is what attracts high-frequency traders.
OKX tiers go by assets or 30-day trading volume, whichever qualifies first: VIP1 is assets of at least $100K or 30-day spot volume of at least $1M, VIP2 is assets of at least $200K or volume of at least $5M. Spot rates are 0.0675% / 0.08% at VIP1, 0.06% / 0.07% at VIP2 and 0.055% / 0.065% at VIP3. The advantage is that at the same volume tier OKX spot is one step cheaper than Binance. Futures tiers go by assets or 30-day futures volume: VIP1 is assets of at least $100K or futures volume of at least $5M, with perps at 0.016% / 0.045%; VIP2 is $200K or $10M, at 0.015% / 0.036%; VIP3 is $2M or $50M, at 0.010% / 0.028%. For Gate VIP thresholds, check Gate's official fee page; Gate's regular-tier spot fee is 0.1% maker and taker, the same as Binance's regular tier and a bit above OKX on maker.
3. The real value of native-token discounts
BNB cuts spot fees to 75% of base (25% off) and USD-M futures fees to 90% (only 10% off). Gate's official fee page lists VIP0 spot at 0.1%, or 0.09% with GT, which is about 10% off. OKX currently does not offer a fee discount for holding OKB. Sounds great, has gotchas:
- BNB discount: Covers spot and perps, most mature mechanism, though on perps it's only 10% off, so you save less than on spot. But BNB's own price can move sharply — hoarding BNB just for fees can backfire if the token tanks. Holding enough BNB to cover fees for a while is usually plenty; anything beyond that carries the token's price risk.
- OKB: OKX's official fee FAQ says the platform does not currently offer a way to offset trading fees by holding OKB; OKB is charged at the standard rate like any other coin. Ticking the discount box leaves the OKX column unchanged.
- GT discount: At the VIP0 rate on Gate's official fee page it saves about 10%, and the calculator only applies it to spot. That is well short of BNB's 25% on spot, so stocking up on GT just for this discount may not pay off.
4. What to actually do with the monthly cost number
This is where the tool earns its keep. Once you see the three monthly costs:
- Gap < $10/month: not worth migrating. Sunk costs are too high (API rewrite, mental account reset, copy-trader relationships break).
- Gap $10-$100/month: open the new position on the cheaper exchange, leave existing positions alone.
- Gap $100-$500/month: seriously consider migrating, but keep a small account on the old exchange as a hedge.
- Gap > $500/month: migrate, or check whether you qualify for a higher VIP tier (thresholds are on the exchange's VIP page).
5. Splitting the three exchanges by use
One way to split them: Binance for perps, OKX for copy trading, Gate for new listings; whether a book is deep enough for your size, open all three depth charts and compare before you place the order. Once you trade regularly, fees + funding + slippage together matter far less than strategy and risk control; a 0.01% fee gap rarely decides your results.
For newcomers it's different. New traders have small volume and low loss tolerance, so whatever you save on fees is real money. A sensible path: get comfortable with spot trading on one exchange first, consider perps only after that, and then move toward whichever exchange fits your developing strategy.
6. FAQ
Q1. Which of the three has the cheapest fees?
At retail tier (Binance VIP0 / OKX regular user / Gate VIP0), OKX has slightly lower spot fees (0.08% / 0.10%). On perps, all three sit at 0.02% / 0.05% at the regular tier, and the gap only opens as VIP climbs: Binance VIP3 is 0.012% / 0.032%, OKX VIP3 is 0.010% / 0.028%; Gate perp maker is 0.02% from VIP0 through VIP5, with taker at 0.048% for VIP3–VIP4 and 0.045% for VIP5. Rates change, so check the exchange's official fee page.
Q2. How much do native-token discounts save?
BNB cuts spot fees to 75% of base, so you save 25%; on USD-M futures it's 90% of base, only 10% off. On Gate's official fee page, VIP0 spot is 0.1% and 0.09% with GT, so the calculator applies 90% to Gate spot and no GT discount to perps. OKX currently does not offer a fee discount for holding OKB; OKB is charged at the standard rate like any other coin. Requires holding the token and enabling the discount toggle in your account. BNB covers spot + perps.
Q3. How are VIP tiers calculated?
All three tie tiers to 30-day volume, each with its own holdings or asset condition. Binance VIP1 is $1M in 30-day spot volume (or $5M in futures volume) plus at least 5 BNB. OKX VIP1 is assets of at least $100K or 30-day spot volume of at least $1M; VIP2 is assets of at least $200K or volume of at least $5M. For Gate VIP thresholds, check Gate's official fee page.
Q4. How should I use the monthly cost number?
Sum your real 30-day trading volume, plug it in. If the gap is $50-200/month, migration is worth it. $5-10/month gap, don't bother — the friction costs more than the savings.
Q5. How often is the data refreshed?
The calculator uses each exchange's officially published standard tier, and it gets updated when an exchange changes its fees. Source of truth is binance.com / okx.com / gate.io official fee pages. Spot a wrong number? Email [email protected] — corrections logged on corrections.html.
7. Data note
Fee data is based on each exchange's officially published standard tier. Actual fees may differ from the standard tier due to ongoing promos, market-maker contracts, or institutional customizations. Spot a difference between this tool and the exchange's official page? Email [email protected], I'll verify and patch within 7 days. Corrections logged on corrections.html.