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Maker vs Taker Round-Trip Cost Comparison

Compare fee assumptions without changing the underlying trade. Enter a common quantity, entry price, exit price and your maker and taker fee rates. The calculator evaluates all four combinations of maker and taker entry and exit using those same prices. It runs entirely in your browser and does not retrieve your exchange fee tier. The illustrative example demonstrates the arithmetic. A cheaper fee scenario only applies if your actual executions receive that maker or taker classification.

Explicit assumptionsFormula & methodology includedNo account required

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Worked example — illustrative data
Maker/maker total fee$2.82
Taker/taker total fee$8.46
Modeled fee difference$5.64
Gross price P&L before fees$100.00
Each fill fee = traded base quantity × its execution price × its applicable fee rate. Net = gross price P&L − entry fee − exit fee.

The four scenarios use identical execution prices and quantity to isolate fee effects. Maker fills are not guaranteed; waiting and adverse selection are excluded. Negative fee rates model rebates.

Entry / exit roleEntry feeExit feeTotal feeNet price P&L
Maker / maker1.41.422.8297.18
Maker / taker1.44.265.6694.34
Taker / maker4.21.425.6294.38
Taker / taker4.24.268.4691.54

Charge fees on each leg's notional

Entry notional is quantity multiplied by entry price, and exit notional is the same quantity multiplied by exit price. Each leg's fee is its own notional multiplied by the applicable decimal fee rate. A price change means the two fee amounts can differ even when their rates match. The all-maker scenario uses the maker rate on both legs, the two mixed scenarios swap maker and taker roles between entry and exit, and the all-taker scenario uses the taker rate throughout.

Compare like-for-like execution assumptions

For a long round trip, gross trading profit is quantity multiplied by (exit price − entry price). Subtract the two modeled fees to compare net outcomes. Keeping quantity and prices fixed isolates the fee difference; it does not prove that a limit order would have obtained the same fill as an immediately executable order. An unfilled entry, partial execution or delayed exit can matter more than a modest commission saving. Use your actual applicable fee schedule instead of assuming an advertised minimum rate.

Keep execution quality visible

Maker status generally depends on whether an order adds liquidity when it executes, rather than whether you selected a button labeled limit. An order that immediately crosses available liquidity may receive taker treatment. This calculator does not inspect venue matching rules, fee-token discounts or rebates credited in another asset. Funding, borrowing costs and market impact are separate inputs to a broader trade review. Compare the modeled savings with fill benchmarks from completed trades before treating maker-only execution as an improvement to an actual strategy.

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Save selected inputs and research notes explicitly in this browser. Compare assumptions and restore a saved setup without submitting a trade. JavaScript enables the controls.

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